My mother has made it a life goal to visit Europe before she is 50. Yes, it's true; she is one among thousands of people that also have this life long goal. "Europe" has become an icon and lets face it. ... really over-rated. However, I would like to share WHY I would, someday, love to travel to Europe.
No my friends, I do not want to go to Europe just to say, "Oh ya I've been to Europe haha." Just like some 22 year old cocktail waitress (Name that movie) who has no idea what they actually have the priveledge of seeing- the Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum etc. While these are typical icons of our society I think there are very few people who can actually appreciate and understand how and why these "icons" came to be. I want to go to Europe because of these breathtaking elements that ONLY Europe can provide; namely Italy.
Take the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo was commissioned to paint this ceiling and only spent 4 small years doing it!!!!! 4 years people!!!!! He not only painted it in that short span of time but he painted the 300 biblical scenes while standing!!! Standing! He also painted it in "buon fresco", meaning he worked only on freshly-laid plaster, section by section. He DID NOT go back later and add details to the dry plaster. One time; that's it! And all of this coming from a sculpture!!!! He's a sculpture!!! He's not even a painter! If that doesn't make you pee your pants what does!?!
That is the beauty that is Europe. And that's just one small taste. One little nibble of the wonderment that is Italy. Just Italy alone. We haven't even covered the castles in Germany, the art museums and aesthetics of France, and the architecture in Greece. . . I can't talk about it anymore. . I'm worn out just thinking about it. .. It truly is breathtaking.
