VIDEO!!! (Visualization Project)

Had my final 6-hour visualization class today. Wow, now it’s done!! I got some good feedback on my video and learned the basics of typography. There’s so much involved in proper letter spacing that we just don’t think about when we use Word’s default formats. I was pretty exhausted when I got home this afternoon, but watching “Mansfield Park” was not a bad way to start the evening.  J I even got in some practice upstairs!

And now, at last, the video…J My goal was to visualize musical complexity with calligraphy. The variety of strokes and fonts you see in the video represent different voices and instruments that enter the music at various points. Please let me know what you think, and if you’re interested in how I made it, scroll down to read more!

HUGE thanks to my wonderfully awesome roommate Tiny, who did most of the filming and helped figure out Lightworks. Without her, this would not have been possible. J

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ln_jaoAeMk

The song I chose, “L’Homme Armé” (“The Armed Man”) , is part of a large anti-war work by Karl Jenkins. The melody for this particular song is taken from the 15^th century French song “L’Homme Armé”, which was widely used as a melody for the Catholic Mass during the Renaissance period. Since the melody is so old, I decided to research illuminated manuscripts from the mid-1400s. I found many scans from the British Library, and used them to create an alphabet and patterns based on leaf and floral motifs from the period. These are some images that I used:

Inspiration for the floral design
and the "Celtic knot" motif.

The text that I based my alphabet on.

Pretty Quiet Day...

Today was pretty low-key. I had my German oral exam, which went well, I think, and then I met up with some friends for coffee. Stopped by the grocery store to pick up breakfast food (our cupboards were looking decidedly empty).

We have discovered TOPFEN.

Well, we knew about it before, but now that we've replaced our yogurt with Topfen, the world seems like a much better place...:-)

(And there is absolutely no fat-content peeking allowed! ;-)

The really good news about today is that I finished my visualization project, and will post it tomorrow! So if there are any last-minute comments about the music, just write them under yesterday's visualization post. While you still have time...;-)

Visualization Project Coming Soon! (And please comment...:-)

There's a link to a song below. When you have some time, take a moment to listen. If you had to create a visualization of the music (represent the music in a visual form), what would you do? What would this music look like? I would really appreciate it if you could write your idea in a comment. :-D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc8bc-bA1JM&feature=related

This is the song I've selected for my final project in my visualization course. Check back in a few days to see my interpretation! :-)

Things are really busy right now - I've got 3 more exams, this project, and a paper, but I now see the light!! It's coming to an end!!! Other than studying and attending classes today, I met with a friend from Croatia to practice some German. We tried out strawberry milkshakes as we discussed what we're studying (good preparation for our oral test!). Later this evening, Tiny and I met with E & P to catch up and discuss plans for visiting Prague in February. :-D

Jan 3: University, Stadtpark, & Spiral Staircase

Still catching up, but I thought I’d give a quick report on today (Jan 17). Had two musicology courses, and am making headway on my reading and studying. Bought an interesting type of mustard today, and have been listening to Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” way too many times. J Went to pub quiz tonight as well. The weather is a little chilly, but nothing compared to what I’m hearing Calgary is like!! (Minus 29 degrees…am I correct?!)

Tuesday January 3rd

On our walk out (in a square near the old town).

Part of the old city wall.

The old and the new...

C and the Paulustor, "one of the most important Renaissance gates" (according to my guidebook :-). Completed in 1614.

Today, we explored the university. We took a route through the old town again, but this time, we wandered around the Stadtpark a bit more. It’s like a small oasis in the middle of the city – very quiet and peaceful. The birds and greenery makes it feel like March! There are also some really old trees there with huge trunks and long, gnarled branches.

One of the Stadtpark trees.
Kind of reminds me of a centipede...
a GIANT one. ;-)

C and one of the lovely gnarly trees. :-)

Another view of the Stadtpark.

Taking a break on the bench.

 Coming out, we walked along Zinzendorfgasse, the street by the university where one of my favourite pen stores is located, along with the oldest church in Graz. (Of course, we visited both. ;-) From my helpful English guidebook, I learned that the church, Maria am Leech, or the Leechkirche, is built on an artificial hill. Recent excavations showed that this hill contained a grave from the Hallstatt era (600-500 B.C.E.)! This church has original stained glass windows from the 1300s, which I wrote about in my poem post in December. I really enjoyed revisiting it.

Next stop: the bakery, for Topfentascherl!!! (Basically like a cream cheese pastry, but better. Contains subtle hints of lemon. J) We then walked through the campus, checking out some of the university buildings. It was very quiet, since almost everyone was still on holiday.

This is my classroom...;-)

M with Topfentascherl. Mmmm...

C in the main building.

On our way back, we stopped by the double-spiral staircase near the old town. It’s just like it sounds: a tower, with two spiral staircases that converge and diverge on the way to the top! It was fun to walk up, and the view from the top was pretty nice, too. Afterwards, we had tea at the oldest bakery in Graz (from the 1500s). We found a kind of apple pastry with meringue – C was very taken with it. ;-)

Another park in the area.

C on the walking path.

The mausoleum behind the main church (Dom).

The view from the spiral staircase
(the Dom is the large building with the green copper tower).

 Dessert before supper is always our style. On the recommendation of E & P, we then tried an Austrian restaurant. C ordered Wiener Schnitzel with spätzle, and I tried their Backhendelsalat (green salad with breaded meat). C even got a taste of conventional Austrian “water.”(Well, conventional in the sense of restaurant dining.) VERY bubbly!  It can be refreshing, but the carbonation is a little intense…

Finally, we went to pub quiz to meet up with our regular group! There was a challenging final round, but we had a very successful evening. J

Jan 2: Armoury, Bookstore, Spätzle!!

This morning, C was introduced to our Graz breakfast experience when he had his FIRST slice of bread with Nutella! (I think we had run out of eggs. ;-) Unfortunately, he was not as hooked as we had hoped, and won’t be getting his hand stuck in any Nutella jars anytime soon. (Incidently, he brought us a rather appropriate Nutella comic, which I will post tomorrow.  :-D)

C and I headed out in the morning to the old town, where we spent a bit of time walking around the Hauptplatz area. We checked out the Armoury, and found, to our luck, that an English tour was taking place in just 15 minutes! It was fantastic! I had been there twice already and hadn’t had an English tour yet. It was very interesting and informative.

32,000 objects...

Figures of Jesus on the Cross would often be engraved...
at least until the Protestant Reformation, when these Catholic markings painted over. (However, the Counter Reformation saw a few of the original engravings restored....;-) 

(For those who don’t know, the Graz Armoury is the largest historical armoury in the world…and was originally a massive storehouse for all the weapons in the Styrian region. The building was completed in 1647, and I believe all the weapons in there date from the 1500s to 1700s. The Armoury contains 32,000 objects!)

These are not museum pieces,
but armour that was really used!
(See the battle damage on this helmet?)

C and the double-handed swords.
They're about 2 metres long.
Imagine using that when you're on average 5 feet tall!

After looking at more sights around the old town, we stopped into Graz’s largest bookstore, Moser. They have a café on the 3^rd floor, and it was really nice to sit and have a cup of tea/coffee. Then we browsed some of the bookshelves before walking over to the Stadtpark. By this time, it was getting dark, and the lamps in the park were lit. 

Moser.

In the old town area. See the Christmas lights in the background?

Trams near the main square.

Christmas lights!

On our way back to the old town, we stopped by Graz’s main cathedral (the Dom). Visiting during the day is very impressive, but it was a unique experience at night. Much of the ceiling of the church is in shadow, so your eyes can follow the lines of the huge pillars until they curve upwards, lost in the darkness. Many candles were lit, making the gold ornamentation gleam in the flickering light. The organ was truly impressive, towering behind the pews up in the balcony. I would love to attend a concert there sometime soon. J

Finally, we met Tiny for supper. She and C ordered the same thing – pork and spätzle with peppercorn sauce!!! C also tried out his newly acquired German skills, thanking the server for supper (“Es hat gut geschmeckt”!). I had a lovely meal also, but I have to say, that spätzle is definitely worth returning for. Tiny, when are we going back??? ;-)

Tiny & spätzle! 

C & spätzle! 

By the way, did I mention that we picked up a Graz tour guide in English? I must say, C’s visit has been incredibly useful, because I’ve actually learned a whole bunch more about Graz! ;-) I did lots of tours and walks in September, but buying an English city guide has given me so much more info…:-D

Medieval Manuscript Store!

I'm taking a bit of a break from trip writing, but I'll be back on it tomorrow, I promise! ;-)

Today was pretty productive. Had a German class in the morning, got some reading done, and started a new course on climate change! The course is a block course, so there are only three 5-hour classes of content. Then, after some reading, you take an hour-long oral exam with about three other students. It's really fascinating, and gives a more in-depth approach to understanding climate processes. However, 5 hours of intense concentration doesn't leave you with a whole lot of energy... Fortunately, my wonderful roommate made pasta with salsa, chicken, and garlic, and then we discovered "The Prestige" on YouTube. Need I say more? ;-)

Anyway, I thought I'd post this short post (well, comparatively short) because I made a TRULY EXCITING DISCOVERY. When looking up art supply stores on Google Maps, guess what I found? A store selling facsimiles of medieval manuscripts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (!!!!!!!!!!) ;-)

Of course, I don't have anywhere near the funds to afford any of them (they're upward of a thousand euros), but I may be in great danger of spending lots of time there, window shopping. :-D They also sell calligraphy pens, but they're ridiculously overpriced. Oh, and if you're interested in swords, armour, clothing, or jewellery from the medieval period, you'll find it here too!

Take a look: http://www.skriptorium.at/catalog/index.php?osCsid=580a2b514d3af9e1f4174fcd9593c8e5

A page from a facsimile of "The Corpus Apocalypse",
their featured product and , apparently,
"The Most Lavishly Illustrated Apocalypse of the Gothic Era." ;-)

Jan 1: Gösting Ruins, Canadian Movie Night!

On New Year’s Day, most shops and other buildings are closed, so C and I decided to visit the Gösting castle ruins. You might have read my post in October about the ruins, because I visited the castle in the fall when all the ivy had turned red. Although there was no red ivy this time, the sun came out, making for a really incredible visit!

Coming up the path towards the castle.

The chapel is in the long part of the castle.

Since my first visit, I’ve gathered a bit more information about the castle. It dates back to at least the 11^th century (first mentioned in 1045) and was under sovereign ownership until 1622. The city of Graz chose to store a large quantity of gunpowder there, and when lightning struck in 1723, much of the castle was destroyed. The castle is currently privately owned (I believe it belongs to the Auer family, famous bakers in Graz), and since 1925 there has been quite an effort to preserve the ruins and the Romanesque chapel that still remains. There is a little café/kitchen at the top, where you can order coffee, tea, and some hot food.

C and I had a lovely walk up – there weren’t too many other visitors and it was nice to get away from the city a bit. The view from the top was incredible, and I had great difficulty putting down my camera. ;-)

C on the walk up (see the path?)

C in front of the castle arch. You can see the hills behind.

Unfortunately the chapel wasn’t open, but the kitchen was! C got tea (big surprise ;-), and I got their house coffee (think WHIPPED CREAM!). It was wonderful to warm our hands with our drinks and look at the view as the sun inched lower in the sky…

Another shot of the ruins.

House coffee and tea! (I told you there was whipped cream...)

The view....:-D

Once back in Graz, we stopped by E & P’s for a movie night. C brought over the Canadian film “Gunless” for the two of them, and it’s really a fantastic movie, if you’re into some Canadian humour. J It follows in the tradition of classic Westerns, but this time, an American gunslinger finds himself stranded – where? In the Dominion of Canada! At first he can’t understand the sleepy town and its peaceful inhabitants, but it does grow on him…;-)

Anyway, we had a lovely evening, and devoured an unholy amount of gummy bears and chocolate. Are you surprised? Welcome to life in Graz!!! (You taste the gummy bears here, you never go back…;-)

London – Graz: Dec 31 (New Year's Eve!)

After seeing the V & A museum on Friday night, C and I headed back to the hostel where we picked up our bags. We then caught the Tube to a shuttle bus station, where we took a bus to the Stansted airport. It was about midnight and we were SO tired…and we had a bit of trouble finding the bus station and figuring out how to get our tickets. But fortunately, it worked out great in the end. We slept a bit on the bus, arriving at Stansted at 2am. Then we found a quiet corner to camp out until about 5:30am, when we went through security and caught our Ryan Air flight.

The flight was a little under two hours, but it flew by as we took turns nodding in our seats. On the plane, I actually saw a friend of mine who studies in Graz! She lives in London, and went home for the Christmas break. Small world…J

We got in to the Graz airport around 10 in the morning, and split the taxi fare between two other people who were going into the city. It was really neat to finally be able to show C my apartment building! And when we opened the door, guess who was there to greet us? My wonderful roommate, who had bought new groceries!! ;-) It was great to see Tiny again after our separate adventures. C and I took a nap shortly pretty soon after (we figured we had around 6 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours… ;-).

And later in the evening, more friends arrived to celebrate New Year’s with us! E and P were there, as well as A & M from Finland. A’s boyfriend was visiting too, so we had lots of people in our apartment. We started with appetizers and a variety of drinks. C got to try Almdudler, my favourite Austrian drink. It’s like a ginger ale, but much sweeter. P brought goulash, which he promised to serve as a midnight snack. (It was delicious!!! By the way, we wouldn’t mind sampling it again…:-D)

Tiny and  L (A's boyfriend).

A & L

Foooooood!!! ;-)

Graz friends around the table...as always. ;-)

In Graz, people can set off their own fireworks, so colourful explosions began to go off around 7pm and didn’t stop until after midnight. But the best part were the city fireworks, which were shot off from the Schlossberg (the hill in the middle of the city). They were fantastic!!! P found a radio station that was playing the Strauss “Blue Danube Waltz” (a New Year’s tradition), and he and E waltzed around our kitchen. J

If you’d like to see a VIDEO of the fireworks in Graz, Tiny took some footage, with the waltz playing in the background. (Maybe I can steal her clip and post it on MY blog…J) Anyway, here is the link to her post. And check out her blog for another take on what life in Graz is like!

http://tinyandteddyseetheworld.blogspot.com/2012/01/first-post-of-new-year.html

London: Dec 30 (Museums, Dickens, Westminster)

Friday morning, we had a more leisurely breakfast and checked out of our hostel. Amazingly, they let us leave our large bags there until the evening, so that we didn’t have to lug everything around. J Although we both wanted to go inside the Tower of London, it was a bit expensive, far from our hostel, and most likely had a formidable line. ;-) So we decided to explore some less-known sights.

Our first stop was the Royal College of Music. The College owns a collection of instruments which they open up to the public through a small museum. However, despite looking up their hours online, they weren’t open! A small, helpful sign indicated that the real entrance was on the east side, but no amount of doorbell ringing brought anyone out.

M and the Royal College of Music.

Next stop: Hunterian museum. Zoology and medicine. (Our tour book indicated that it was less frequently visited, so we were pretty keen to check it out. J) We took the Tube and walked through some lovely streets, but guess what? It was also closed!!!

We decided that we’d give the Charles Dickens museum a shot before heading to Trafalgar Square. It was just a station away… And here, finally, we had some luck. Not only was it open, but it wasn’t busy!! The house in which Charles Dickens lived from 1837 to 1839 was turned into a museum and opened in 1925. Two of his daughters were born there and he wrote both Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby during the two-year period. Many of Dickens’ household items have been preserved and are on display in the various rooms, much in the same way that Dickens might have arranged them. We saw a short video of his life, and then got to look at original manuscripts, portraits, and his writing desk in his study, overlooking the back garden. Besides being able to read snippets of his books in his own hand, one of the best parts was looking out the back windows at the old chimneys and gardens and imagining what it would have been like living here over 150 years ago…

Front of the Dickens Museum.

Original manuscript.

Garden behind the house.

C and a map of London.

Chimneys behind the Dickens' Museum.

At about 2pm, we were pretty hungry, so we headed back to St. Martin’s for another meal in the Crypt Café (can you tell that we really liked it there? ;-). It was close to Westminster Abbey, because we planned on attending Evensong there at 5pm. It’s a service where much of the text is sung, usually by the boys’ choir, though today an adult choir was substituting. We were ushered right to the back of the church, usually reserved for dignitaries. The music was so beautiful!!! It was interesting to attend an Anglican service, since there are some modifications to the prayers. I would pick up on one that I knew, reciting without the help of the paper, but then get discombobulated when the words changed slightly. ;-) I really enjoyed it. However, at the end, we were ushered out of the abbey pretty quickly. They had to shut the abbey at 6pm SHARP, apparently. We have to close, move towards the doors… (C, did they say please?) We were a bit annoyed with such an abrupt dismissal. If you’re there for a service, shouldn’t you be able to have time to reflect? But I guess they don’t want people attending for the sole purpose of sight-seeing, and if you want to see the whole abbey, you should pay for a tour…sigh. But we did see Isaac Newton’s tomb on the way out…:-D

Food in the Crypt Cafe.

Night shot, Westminster (wish I had a tripod!)

Westminster Abbey.

Back to St. Martins for – guess what? Brass rubbings!!! You could take an embossed brass tablet from the wall, cover it with paper, and use a crayon to rub the pattern on to your paper…just like colouring in kindergarten!! C and I had so much fun. We got a whole end of a table to ourselves. Probably looked pretty funny – two university students intensely concentrating on their medieval crayon drawings. It was a great way to relax a bit from the crowded Underground and the busyness of getting from one place to another.

C starting on one of his brass rubbings.

My finished product.

M working on Celtic knotwork. :-)

Our last stop was the Victoria and Albert Museum. We went in with about 2 hours to see some exhibits, which meant that we just focused on a couple rooms. We saw some very ornamented armour, lots of statues, medieval stained glass panes, popes’ robes from the 1400s…a really fascinating collection of things. Some exhibits allowed you to guess how certain object were intended to be used, which was pretty interesting when we compared our guesses with their real purposes. Our feet were pretty sore, so towards the end we found a drawing station for kids. The exercise was to learn how to draw profiles with some Roman artwork, but I drew C’s profile instead. C, you are now immortalized in the V & A...at least until they get rid of that sketchbook. ;-) 

Knife with music notes engraved!
(May have been used for cutting bread while the family sang songs of thanksgiving.) 

Quick sketch of C.