August 10
Crazy relics in Melk Abbey!
* The façade of the Melk Abbey is stunning. Set atop of the hill, the old Benedictine monastery can be seen from all around. Even though the abbey has become a museum, I was surprised to learn that monks still live there and the school still exists. All the tourists would seem distracting to me. I liked how the museum portion was built symbolically, such as the room where the floor was uneven to represent the ups and downs of the monastery. I was taken aback, however, at some of the descriptions and explanations that were displayed throughout the museum that seemed to present a very matter-of-fact standpoint on their religious views, which they have the right to, but it surprised me in this day and age that it wasn’t more passive and open-minded. I found the library to be very cool and liked the fact that it was made to be symmetrical and the that the book covers reflect those on the opposite side. Also, the church was beautiful with its Baroque interior and the full body skeletons of holy people were stunning. I couldn’t believe how decorated they were and the glamorous positions they were in.
* Another feature in Melk were the English gardens. We talked in class how English gardens were designed in reaction against the neoclassical style to look naturalistic and to be an ideal setting. The irony is that making a garden to look natural is just as manipulative and the most unnatural thing. The Melk gardens did look more natural with winding trails through trees up a hill and there wasn’t really any symmetry involved, which is interesting since the library was so big on symmetry.
* I must mention our wild train transfer coming home from Melk. It was probably one of the most fun and unexpected moments on this whole trip and it only lasted about 30 seconds. Just to see everyone running as fast as they could, while laughing and screaming, through a crowded train station was one of the most entertaining experiences, and to top it all off we were a group of thirty American college students being stared down by everyone around us.
posted by lauREN @ 9/11/2006
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home