The Places I've Been: December 2006


The Places I've Been

A spot to preserve my memories

Olympique Lyonnais

Friday, December 29, 2006
Almost every country in the world besides America loves soccer. To say that they love it is actually a huge understatement; words like passionate, insane, frightening, and postal are probably more appropriate. Living in France is no different, and it just so happens that one of the best club teams in the world plays about an hour and a half away from Albertville in the city of Lyon. Lyon is the 2nd biggest city in France, and while it's more well known for it's collection of world class chefs and their gastronomical delights, their football club is a close second.


** What's all the fuss about? It's just a soccer game... **



I've the had the chance to drive to Lyon for 2 matches. One was in October, but the game was sold out when we got there, and the scalpers where asking wicked high prices because the game was against St. Entienne, which is one of OL's biggest rivalries because of the two cities' close proximity. This was still a fun trip though, because there was some classic hooligan action before the game, complete with fights, fire, and hundreds of riot gear equipped gendarme. No game, but plenty of good action!

** Yep, the one finger salute means the same thing here as it does back in the States... **


The 2nd game was last Saturday against Monaco, who is allowed to play in the French Ligue 1 despite not even being in France. It's a whole separate country. That would be like the U.S. allowing Canadian teams to play on the NBA or MLB...oh wait, maybe it's not so weird.

** A beautifully groomed pitch **


Monaco is a middle of the road team and OL has won the French Ligue 1 title for 5 straight years, so it was expected to be a blowout, but Monaco scratched and clawed its way to a 0-0 tie. No scoring, but if you know anything about soccer, you know that 0-0 ties can still be incredibly exciting games.

** This is a classic sign. It says, "Olympique Lyonnais is a formidable reason to be happy." I love it... **


I also had great seats for this game about 20 yards from midfield behind the OL bench in the 4th row. There was a cool young French couple sitting right next to me who had never met an American before, so we talked some, mostly in French, and it added alot to the experience. Knowing some French and being able to converse with the people is an amazing thing.


** Me and my awesome seat **



The next time I see a football match it will probably be some Kabiye kids out in a village kickin' it around in the dust, and while the level of play won't be quite as high as Olympique Lyonnais, I'm sure that it will, on some level, be just as awesome...

Piazza della Signoria

Monday, December 04, 2006
When my parents visited us this past October, we took them on a 6 day trip to Florence and Rome. I know, it's not enough time, not even close, but we made the most of what we had and we got to see alot. I would never even attempt to sum up such a trip with one measly blog post, so I'll just take it bit by bit, piazza by piazza, and so on...
Let me just start by saying that this is not my first trip to either destination. I traveled Italy very extensively back in the fall of 2000 while I was at HUF, and April and I came here again in the summer of 2003, so nothing was really new to me. However, the more you visit a particular destination, the more you can enjoy the nuances in each nook and cranny, and you can definitely glean something from a new perspective that you might not have seen the last time.
All of that being said, I will begin this string of posts with the Piazza della Signoria in Florence. I sometimes think that this piazza is impossible to truly enjoy because it is so packed with tourists, but during this visit I just tried to ignore the crowds and marvel at the beautiful works of art that are everywhere from different perpsectives. I took some very interesting pics, and it really is an amazing outdoor museum. Here are some examples...
Fontana del Nettuno by Bartolomeo Ammannati
All of the artsy fartsy people will tell you that this sculpture is an embarresment to Florence. Florentines have nicknamed it "Big Whitey", and Michelangelo is even quoted as saying, "Ammannato, Ammannato, what a beautiful piece of marble you've ruined." Harsh words, but if I agreed with what everyone else thought, I'd have to fake how I feel about this work. I think it's beautiful; it commands attention and is a wonderful compliment to the piazza...

Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini

Gotta love a statue of a guy holding a severed head, especially if that head belongs to a woman (Medusa) who has snakes for hair instead of actual hair like the rest of us. Not much else to say here...

Hercules and the Centaur by Baccio Bandinelli

I love it! I probably sound like a huge nerd, but I've liked centaurs ever since I got into Harry Potter. Unfortunately, this particular centaur is getting a beat down at the hands of Hercules...

Marzocco by Donatello

This sculpture of a lion resting his paw on a shield is the symbol of the city of Florence. I like this pic because the lion is about to chomp the head of off the replica of Michelangelo's David, which I think is a good thing. Why? Because I think that having a copy of such an amazing sculpture just sitting outside to get rained and pooped on is just ridiculous...

So that's all I've got for now. I didn't mention The Rape of the Sabines, a great work no doubt, but I think that this is a pretty good recap of my experience in the Piazza della Signoria. It's a great place to soak up beauty with the added bonus of being outside and being allowed to get very close to the art....