Westerford High School - Art and History Tour – June 2019 – , St Petersburg, Berlin, Venice, Florence, Milan and Istanbul By Louise Berry

I was blessed to be selected as one of the adults to accompany the Art Students on a Tour to Moscow, St Petersburg, Berlin, Venice, Florence, Milan and Turkey. We left Cape Town, destination Moscow, on Saturday 15 June. On arrival in Moscow, once settled at the hostel (similar to what we experience as a Formula 1 in South Africa) was the underground train station, (some escalator rides took nearly 15 minutes into the bowels of the earth) we made our way to the Soviet Union Exhibition Centre, located in the Ostankinsky District of Moscow, which is decorated with horticultural displays, magnificent and many historical monuments.

One of the Statues and Fountains Entrance to the Exhibition Centre inside the Exhibition Centre

Day two of Moscow took us to the Cold War Museum of the Secret Soviet Bunker 42, known as ‘Starlins Bunker.’ He died four years before completion, so he never saw it complete, although he did use the facility at times. This is an eighteen floor underground and fifty flights of stairs, walk.

In the bowels of the earth, with a Russian Soldier!

We then explored the Arbat Street, famous for restaurants and souvenir shops, thousands of artistically designed Russian dolls. Red Square was our next stop, where we saw the magical Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed, more commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, then inside the Kremlin walls and inspected the various cathedrals and monuments. What was breath-taking is the biblical influence seen in all the art and stained glass windows.

St Basils Cathedral One of the many Cathedrals inside the Kremlin

The Kremlin Offices Changing of the Guards outside Red Square

One highlight of the trip was the ‘bullet train’ from Moscow to St Petersburg – 4 hours at speeds of up to 300 km per hour. A blessing to be met by our welcoming and friendly tour guides, who could at least speak English. We visited St Isaac’s Cathedral and the exterior of the beautiful . The art and history groups then took an enjoyable and romantic boat ride on the and during sunset.

Moyka River and Winter Palace at sunset Gold gilded staircase in the Museum

The next day we ventured to see the overwhelmingly profound Kazan Cathedral – a deeply Russian Orthodox church dedicated to Our Lady of Kazan, also called Mother-of-God of Kazan, who represents the Virgin Mary as the protector and patroness of the city. Unfortunately, photographing the interior of the cathedral was strictly prohibited. We then took a great trek around the entire city to see the colourful Church of Spilled Blood, the recognisable yellow and finally, the most marvellous and prodigious Hermitage Art Museum. Each room of the palace museum brought about staggering disbelief at the sight of the phenomenal architecture and the remarkable art masterpieces, showcasing pieces by the famous Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Picasso, Caravaggio, Goya and Gauguin.

Church of the Spilled Blood Stained Glass window inside the

One of the famous paintings at the Hermitage.

Our next stop was Berlin, in Germany. We walked to the East Side Gallery, an open-air gallery that consists of a series of graffiti murals painted directly on a 1,32km- long remnant of the Berlin Wall. The second day of Berlin was a tour around Museum Island. We started at the ALTE Nationale Galerie (Old National Gallery) which exhibits a magnificent collection of Romantic, Impressionist and Modernist masterpieces. We went on to the Pergamon Museum, which is the home to several monumental buildings, such as the Pergamon Altar and the famous blue Ishtar Gate of Babylon, and is eloquently subdivided into the Antiquity Collection, the Middle-East Museum, and the Museum of Islamic art. The afternoon we visited the Bode Museum, displaying a vast mix of sculptures, Byzantine art, crockery, coins and medals, the museum shows off a wide array of Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque art. The third and final day of Berlin started off at the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum of Contemporary Art and continued to the anticipated Checkpoint Charlie, where we met up with the History tour group. From there we explored the Berlin Wall Memorial and the Wall Documentation Centre, as well as the Topography of Terror.

Berlin Wall Memorial Checkpoint Charlie

Grafitti on the Berlin Wall Ishtar Gate of Babylon

Addio Berlino and buongiorno Venezia! Next stop Italy - what kind of people would we be if we came this far and didn’t see the beautiful city of Venice? We only had half a day to explore, but it was enough. We did not visit any museums or cathedrals – as Venice is its own work of art – and instead took a bus into the city. Intricately ancient and delightfully complex, Venice is a maze of culture, music and tempting aromas. We meandered through the cobbled streets to find the famous Rialto Bridge and enter St Mark's Square, where we saw the marvellous exterior of St Mark’s Basilica. What a sight to see all the Gondola’s actually operating – this is not the movies!

Gondolas on the The Rialto Bridge

St Marks Basilica Michelangelo’s “David”

Next stop Florence and the start of the excessive heat wave experienced this June. Day two saw us travelling into the city of Firenze to view the awesome Uffizi Gallery, where we saw Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and La Primavera Spring), among many other fantastic pieces, and the Accademia Gallery in which Michelangelo's David resides. On the third day we took a walk up to the Piazzale Michaelangelo where we could see not only a mini-David, but the entire landscape view of Firenze from high up. From there we continued on to see the still-sturdy Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge in Florence not destroyed by the Germans during World War II, one that remains covered and populated with shops and restaurants.

On to Milan. In the searing 42 degree heat, we walked to the Sforzesco Castle, one of the most impressive monuments, housing the Museum of Ancient Art with da Vinci’s Sala delle Asse, and the Art Gallery with works by Mantegna and Canaletto. The next day we visited the Basilica di Santi Maria delle Grazie where we saw the esteemed Leonardo da Vinci’s renowned Last Supper, as well as the Duomo, the world’s largest cathedral, and eventually the Museo del Novecento of Contemporary Art.

The Duomo in Milan The Last Supper

One interesting fact about the painting – during the war, and the bombing of Milan, this painting was not damaged, but for the middle section at the bottom where the restorers put a ‘door’ like feature into the wall. The highlight of the tour was seeing the size of this painting and how painstakingly impressive the restoration of the painting is.

Gillato in Milan’s heat

We left Milan for Istanbul, the last leg of our tour. We started in The Fatih, the capital district of Istanbul. Colourful, vibrant, noisy, bustling, crowded, exciting… We started at the Spice Market, aka Egyptian Bazaar and were met with a profuse amount of Turkish delight, different teas and … well, spices.

The Spice Market Horse drawn carriages on Adalar

The next day we took a cruise to one of the Adalar, aka Princes’ Islands, which are a cluster of nine islands southeast of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara. Car-free, the islands are known for their horse-drawn carriages (“phaetons”), jewellery and ice creams shops.

Our third and final day of Istanbul the day started by going to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque aka The Blue Mosque. From the outside, it would be confusing as to why it is called The Blue Mosque, but inside, the walls are embellished with hand- painted blue mosaic tiles, and at night the mosque is illuminated with blue lights. We then visited the Hagia Sophia, which, known for its incredible dome, is said to have changed the history of architecture. The story around the Hagia Sophia is fascinating, when one considers that Christians and Moslems are constantly at war with one another, and here in one building, they shared a common ground. Google the history around the Hagia Sophia.

Blue Mosque Inside the ‘Hagia’

We then went into the ‘Cisterns’ – original water channels of Istanbul. Istanbul has no fresh water supply. Back in the day, these Cisterns would be flooded out with fresh water. There was very little water in the Cisterns when we went into them.

Inside the Cisterns The Grand Bazaar

Last stop, the Grand Bazaar – the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with sixty one covered streets and over four thousand shops. We then boarded a boat, cruising the Bosphorus River to Ortakoy, before catching our bus for the airport. Ortakoy is a small village within the Besiktas district, famously known as the best roasted stuffed potato in the world along with their equally famous delicious waffles.

Stuffed Roasted Potatoes Waffles

We boarded our return flight to Cape Town at midnight to arrive back in Cape Town at lunch time – and very happy to be home. I have always had a general interest in Art and History, but this tour ignited an interest in both subjects. They say you never too old to learn. What an incredible experience and opportunity, one never to be forgotten.