Europtrip!

So as most of you know I spent a couple weeks traveling around western Europe! I met up with a good friend I went to school with at WSUV and we spent time traveling in Spain, Italy and Barcelona. All in all the trip was 14 days away from site, and 12 out of the country. It was a great experience. I'll post some pictures this weekend and I'll provide a link here, but I did want to write a couple things about it before I post the photos.
Barcelona was probably overall the best of three cities. The food was relatively cheap, the buildings and architecture are gorgeous, and allegedly there is also a great beach, although when I went the weather was too cold to enjoy it. However, I did ironically go to see an orchestra that featured both a Ukrainian conductor and a Ukrainian pianist playing Rachmaninoff's second concerto. It was a great performance and had a lot of special meaning for me because it was the first piano performance I've seen, other than my own performances, in an incredibly long time. It further cemented my decision that I definitely want to come back and pursue studying piano.

Next stop was Milan, which included an interesting trip to some modern dance. I had never seen any ballet before, much less of the modern type. It was an exciting concert. Even more exciting was the packed theater on a wednesday night. In the states, at least in Vancouver and Portland, the crowds at cultural events are usually not very well attended. It was different in the three concerts I went too. The other highlight of Milan was The Duomo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Cathedral. It is the most breathtakingly beautiful single building I've ever seen. I've always liked Gothic architecture and the Duomo has only heightened my appreciation of this art form.

Next stop was Paris. Surprisingly, the biggest highlights for me were not the Eiffel tower, the Mona Lisa, or the famous Notre Dame. Instead there were two other highlights for me. A sculpture in the Louvre named "La Pudeur" (http://cartelen.louvre.fr/cartelen/visite?srv=car_not_frame&idNotice=2642) And a cathedral named Saint-Chappelle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainte-Chapelle). The sculpture I can't really explain why I like it so much, just something about the design of it is breathtaking to me. The cathedral was special because it was so incredibly detailed in every way.
In short, the trip to these three countries was a wonderful experience and I do hope to return sometime.

Nate