Ravenna - Italy

We went to Ravenna on the 24/9. In Ravenna there are lots of churches with pretty mosaics from around 520-550 ad. We visited 3. In the first one there was evidence of mosaics from earlier people (but still around the same time) that had been covered over. There were hands, arms and fingers in pillars and head shapes behind curtains. It looked a bit like people in the shower. The second and third were much more impressive. There were images of bible stories in mosaic. The mosaics aren’t made of small squares but of small cones with square bottoms to make it longer lasting. My favourite part of all the mosaics was a small quail. The windows in the churches weren’t glass but a translucent stone called alabaster.

Hand and head shape

Cool mosaics

Quail

Translucent stone

Venice - Italy

We went to Venice on the 25-26/9. On the first time we went there we flipped a coin when ever we got to a junction. Did you know that Venice sinks 2.3 cm every 10 years? It also used to be it’s own country. We wandered round in circles for a bit than wandered over to the San Marco. We fed the pigeons while mum and dad queued for St. Mark’s church. St. Mark’s church was destroyed in a fire in 932 ad then rebuilt, but in 1063 the Doge didn’t think it was impressive enough so he demolished it. It was rebuilt (again) in 1094. In the church there were some mosaics but there weren’t as impressive as the ones in Ravenna. We didn’t have a Gondola ride though. For dinner mum had traditional cuttlefish ink pasta. It was black and tasted fishy.

Venice canal

Black pasta

Feeding the pigeons in Piazza San Marco

On the second day we made masks. Well we painted them. We learnt about traditional methods and mask history. I learnt that masks are a very Venetian thing. One of the first masks was called a Volto and was worn by men and women and had a big chin so you could eat and drink without taking it off. It was generally worn with a hood and cloak of silk and topped off with a tripod hat. Another type of mask was called the Moretta or Mutta. It was worn by women and was black and oval shaped and covered only the mouth, eyes and nose. It was held on by a button that was gripped in the lady’s mouth so she couldn’t speak. That was how it got the nickname Mutta. The Plague Doctor mask is a very distinguishable mask. It has a long beak and covers the face. It was sealed around the edges by a cloak and hood. For protection the eye holes were covered in glass and the breathing slits in the beak had herbs pressed to them on the inside. The Plague Doctor looked quite disturbing because they thought the plague was caused by spirits and so tried to scare them off. The Venice carnival lasted for 2 months and required everyone to wear masks for the whole time. In some places it was law to wear masks all year and there was a very popular game were you could only play if you had a mask on. While wearing a mask called the Gnaga you couldn’t be arrested unless you were being violent. I chose a mask that covered your eyes only. I chose to blend pink and purple for the background. To do that you paint half and half with your chosen colours then you get a clean brush and stab the paint starting from the bottom of the light colour and going up to the dark colour and finishing at the top of the dark colour. We then chose some colours to do the patterns and then freehanded the rest. We chose ribbons and the mask was varnished. I am very proud of my result. The masks are paper mache and hand made.

Volto

Mutta

The Plague Doctor

My mask

Skocjan Caves - Slovenia

On the 30/9 we went to the Skocjan Caves (don’t ask me how to pronounce it). There were two parts. The first part was called the Silent caves and the second the Water Murmuring caves. In the silent caves there were lots of impressive stalactites, stalagmites and stalacmuts (or cave pillars). The stalactites and stalagmites grow 0.0075 cm every year. The biggest one is called The Giant and is 15m tall and 200,000 years old! In the Water Murmuring caves there is a river. The river goes out through a small hole. Sometimes the hole gets blocked and the cave floods.  The water level rises 80 meters. There was an old explorers trail on the rock face and an old tourists trail by the river. The lowest point we reached was 121m underground. The cave system is 6kms long! The explorers only discovered the Silent caves in 1904 but discovered the Water Murmuring caves in the 1860s. This was because the caves were so dark and they were on the opposite side of the river from the Silent caves.

A photo we took in the cave

The 2nd half of the cave 

Predjama Castle - Slovenia

On the 1/10 (pinch and a punch for the first of the month no backs!) we went to Predjama Castle. Predjama Castle is 813 years old built into a cave and has natural tunnels and walls. It is halfway up a 123m cliff. The torture chamber is a natural room. Erazmus (the Slovenian Robin Hood) lived in the castle in the 14th century. He got attacked and wouldn’t come out so the attackers tried to starve him out. But Erazmus had a secret natural tunnel to the next, slightly warmer, valley. There he got food. Erazmus even sent the attackers talk a roast ox and cherries! The cherries in that valley weren’t ripe and you cant see the cave very well from the outside so it appeared that Erazmus was staying put; so the attackers thought that Erazmus had magical powers. Erazmus had water collectors in the cave to collect water because the stream; their rainwater source, could easily be poisoned. Finally the attackers caught a servant. The servant told them that the weakest place is the bathroom. The servant was released back into the castle to signal when Erazmus next went to the loo. The attackers got the signal and attacked the bathroom. Erazmus was killed. His girlfriend planted a lime tree next to his grave and it is now hollow and charred. I think it was hit by lightning.

Prejama castle

One of the half natural walls

Plitvička jezera - Croatia

On the 4/10 we went to Plitvička jezera. Plitvička jezera is a park with lots of waterfalls and lakes. It is beautiful. We saw a red frog by the bathrooms and fish in the lakes. The lakes are a beautiful blue and the highest waterfall is 26m tall. The deepest lake is 68m deep. We got a boat across the biggest lake and a bus up a hill.

A waterfall

Us on a board walk

A waterfall

Part of the park