Top 6 Epic Tourist Sites to Avoid*

I was reading an article written by a couple who traveled for six consecutive months. They talked about things they learned during this time, boiling them down to six. I promise I didn’t copy them with the “Top 6” list. I started it first with my Top 6 Epic TV Shows Relating to Food post.

The point that stood out for me was number six: “You Can’t See Everything”. This is a concept that previously created anxiety and guilt when I traveled. Random, gnawing, crazy thoughts ran through my mind like I hadn’t tried hard enough, or I shouldn’t have slept so I could jam more in, or I should have researched and planned more.

When we arrive at a new destination Chris (my hubby) and I try to jam in as much as possible. This has its pros and cons. Pro: get to see significant (tourist) sites and more of them - after all isn’t that why we flew to the other side of the world? Con: exhaustion.

Humans naturally reach a point of saturation. It’s like the concept of you can only know and maintain interactions with 150 people maximum, before the insignificant people fall off your consciousness. Think Facebook – do you really know, remember and keep in touch with 459 people on your “friends list”? Similarly with travel, doing and seeing everything is too much content and visual stimulation to absorb.

Instead you could take the time to smell the roses and let the place speak to you through spontaneity and mere observation. So that’s what Chris and I try to do now (except for the random booking of hard to get into places like Incanto in San Francisco, Momofuku in New York). We’ve had some of the best experiences usually on the last day or two of a trip or city, where we let loose, have no plans and wander aimlessly exploring and observing the locals.

I’ve had a flick through my mental catalog of trips and realised there’s a handful of epic places I’ve missed out on seeing. This is because I opted for smelling the roses instead of waiting in long queues. I decided to save something for next time. Maybe.

 

*more aptly titled: Top 6 Epic Tourist Sites Angie Avoided

 

1. The Louvre, Paris 

I saw the glass pyramid. I didn’t see the Mona Lisa. Chris had been another time and said you can never get close to the damn thing anyway. So I didn’t see the point in tackling the crowds (screw them) or straining my already bad eyesight. Instead we wandered through Montmartre, ate delectable Nutella crepes, drank coffee and power napped in Sacre-Coeur.

Montmartre, Paris, June 2011. Nutella on the corner of my mouth.

2. Vatican City, Rome 

My father, for a Greek, is not very religious. His contempt for the institution of church has stuck with me. So I wasn’t going to line up for six hours in 35 degree Celsius weather to get into the holiest of cities in the hope that I see some old dude wearing a robe. Yeah-yeah, great artwork and amazing architecture my friends say. I was in Rome - that shit is everywhere! My friend Stevie lined up whilst Patti and I got stuck into some delicious towering gelato, wandered, I’m pretty sure, the rest of the city aimlessly and sat on the Spanish Steps people watching.

Spanish Steps, Rome, August 2006. Friendly dog and stranger.

 

3. Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
Who wants to see a bunch of empty rooms where a girl in hiding from the Nazis wrote her diary? Don’t get me wrong, Anne’s story is significant and scary because well, she captured it in that diary of hers. If you really want to be frightened and understand the scope of Nazi rule and oppression, words on a page won’t do it, check out Auschwitz in Poland instead. Need I spell out how I spent my time in Amsterdam? Paranoid and confused, wandering the canals and getting stuck into small dutch pancakes that tasted like fluffy clouds.

One of many canals, Amsterdam, May 2011.

 

4. Stratosphere Tower, Las Vegas

This is one I actually regret. Five fucking days in Vegas (two days too long in my opinion) and we didn’t even hit up old, seedy Vegas. Instead I carry a small pocketful of vodka infused fuzzy memories interwoven with the sounds and flashing lights of slot machines, fake stripper boobs slapping my face, sleeping all day, partying all night and sleeping on the chopper as we flew over the Grand Canyon. Vegas baby, Vegas. 

Grand Canyon, Nevada, November 2010. Angie passed out on early morning helicopter ride.

 

5. Disneyland, Anaheim (Los Angeles)

The happiest place on earth wasn’t alluring enough. The swirling teacups will have to wait until next time, with some kids in tow to make the most of it. Instead Chris and I checked out the LA Angels play the Oakland Athletics at Angels Stadium, all whilst drinking beer and eating bad hotdogs of course!

Anaheim, California, May 2012. Baseball game: Angels vs. Oakland Athletics.

 

6. The Tiger Temple, Bangkok

My awareness of animal cruelty came into full swing during our Thailand trip. First it was seeing elephants carting fat tourists around in Koh Samui; then it was the suggestion of hotel staff in Bangkok to have my photo taken with a sedated tiger. No fucking thanks. I feel for the poor people trying to make a buck, I want to support them, I really do. I just don’t want to support them being cruel to animals, otherwise naturally supposed to roam free. I plan on seeing wild animals in their natural habitat on African safari. The Thai are going to have to work more ethically to get my buck. So instead we spent our money making the most of the great services they offer including mani/pedis and getting two massages a day.

Koh Samui, Thailand, February 2010. Captive elephant.

Who is Picasso?

Art After Hours is my favourite time to visit the Art Gallery of NSW. You can go during the day time and come out after the sun has set. It's like a time warp, like teleporting into a different period of time and being spat out again.

On Wednesday I went early to enjoy walking up Art Gallery Road in the midday sunshine. It's one of my favourite walks in Sydney. The tall palm trees, the sweaty joggers running past (all the while I'm enjoying a leisurely stroll) and the well manicured grass and gardens surrounding the area.

 

I also went during the day to avoid the crowds and attempt to get some alone time with Picasso.

The first time I ever saw Picasso was in an exhibition in Amsterdam in 2011. Better late than never. I was fascinated by his varied styles and the extensive span of his work.

This time in Sydney I put together my exhibition pack and I was ready to roll.

I should mention it's the second time I'm seeing this Picasso exhibition. The first being when it opened in November 2011, coupled with high tea in the gallery restaurant.

The exhibition space was crammed with people and in true Sydney style, I had to line up to get a decent view of each of the paintings. There was the overpowering stench in the air of lingering being forbidden because of the ten to 20 people around you trying to get a look in.

So this time my goal was to linger, breathe in, enjoy and view my favourite pieces from this exhibition once more.

The piece below is one of my favourites. The awning-like blue and white vertical stripes and the karagiozi-like quality of the male figure are both Hellenistic in essence. The drama, passion and abandon all characteristic of any classical Greek tragedy.

The Kiss (1969) photo from exhibition pamphlet

Another one of my favourites is the piece below, I fell in love with it. The photo does not do it justice. In reality it's small at 27 x 22 cm and very vibrant in colour. The colour, mood and frivolity of it makes me feel that I can jump straight into the scene and be a part of it, sitting by the water, sun kissing my skin and enjoying the French (or Spanish) summer's day with my friends.

The Bathers (1918) photo from exhibition catalogue

Photography is not permitted in the exhibition, although it is in most of the spaces in the rest of the gallery; except the Aboriginal artwork, photographic or digital pieces.

The Acrobat (1930) photo from exhibition catalogue

There are no guided tours through this exhibition, but there is an extensive printed guide and an audio guide (I was told the audio repeats what's in the written guide).

The only tour available is "Picasso's Path" which takes approximately 45-60 minutes and goes through key artworks in the gallery which relate to Picasso - either artists/movements that influenced Picasso, or artists that were influenced or inspired by Picasso.

The use of complimentary colours and the thick expressive brush strokes especially to depict the light of the candle, are reminiscent of Vincent Van Gogh. We viewed a Van Gogh piece in the tour as a point of comparison.

Death of Casagemas (1901) from Picasso's blue period, image sourced from here

It was a great idea doing the tour before seeing the exhibition as the tour guide gave us some great insights into Picasso. All I was interested in was determining how many lovers he had (there were a lot of them, plus four kids from three women) and what his inspirations were, which the guide covered well.

The Reader (1932) photo from exhibition catalogue: Marie Therese-Walter, one of Picasso's many lovers

Jacqueline Roque with her hands crossed (1954) photo from exhibition catalogue: Picasso's second wife

"When I paint I feel that all the artists of the past are behind me." Pablo Picasso

It's clearly evident that Picasso does indeed draw from artists from the past. He would spend hours at the Louvre or other museums and galleries studying the work of other artists, drawing on it for inspiration and innovating to create his own, new and unique style that pushed the boundaries further.

His iconic painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, inspired by African masks Picasso saw (for the first time) at Braque's house, was extremely controversial. At the time his contemporaries and friends thought he was crazy drawing such strange shapes and images. The flattened surfaces, elongated eyes and the mere subject matter (prostitutes in a brothel) fascinated and shocked people.

Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907) image sourced from MoMA & Wikipedia

Picasso was on to a good thing, these were the beginnings of analytical cubism which explored 3D imagery on a 2D surface. This period naturally progressed and Braque and Picasso would paint these types of images together, to the point where their work would become indistinguishable. Then synthetic cubism followed which essentially was collage. Masters at work, they were paving the pathway to greatness, creating new movements and what we now call modern art.

What strikes me in Picasso's work is that his progress, growth and experimentation is clear. He never wanted to be an abstract painter, he wanted his audience to see exactly what he painted/sculpted so they could focus on the emotion, rather than trying to figure out what the subject matter was.

photo and excerpt from exhibition catalogue

Picasso was never afraid to try new things, to be different. He was also never afraid of pleasure and indulgence or perhaps torment too, or taboo subjects such as sexuality and sex. Other themes include his identity and Spanish heritage and things still very relevant to us today such as death and the futility of war.

Bullfight, The Death of the Torero (1933) image from exhibition catalogue

There is so much information available on Picasso. I didn't want to read about him, I wanted to feel who he was through his life's work.

He was first and foremost an innovator and a lover. A mad scientist. A son, a pupil, a father, a teacher, a husband, a friend, a rival.  Perpetually growing, developing, exploring and experimenting.

And finally he was a friend to the dwarfs. This is one of my favourite Picasso paintings which I viewed in Amsterdam. Note: it does not appear at the Art Gallery of NSW exhibition.

La Nana - The Dwarf (1901) image sourced from here

I often view exhibitions, walking away and not really thinking twice about the subject matter or artist.

Picasso got under my skin. As much as there is light in his work, there is more darkness, depicting the themes and times he lived in.

As much as he fascinates me he also disturbs me, both for all the similarities and all the differences we share. We both like dwarfs and women of the night (my tendency is towards strippers, his towards prostitutes); we both explore/d our heritage and identity; we share a shady past when it comes to relationships; we like drinking; and  finally we're both afraid of death. Then for the differences: he created artwork with abandon, generating more and more pieces, created movements, pushed boundaries and exposed himself, took unimaginable risks, was a complete visionary. And I simply haven't, not to that extent.

So what I walk away with is a life lesson. I didn't realise it then in Amsterdam, or the first time here in Sydney. I realise it now, the third time I've seen his work and thinking about my life.

Picasso taught me not to be afraid of making mistakes, he taught me to enjoy and revel in life's process. To learn from the past, to honour its masters and my predecessors, and use the past to create a more meaningful and unique present.

Come to your own meaning or lesson.

For Sydneysiders, the exhibition is only open another month until 25 March 2012. Make sure to book tickets in advance, unless you're going off peak times then you can chance it and buy them at the ticket desk.

I leave you with these parting words:

"Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth." Pablo Picasso