I arrived Thursday in the early afternoon, and found my way on the train to the Central West End and my hotel. After checking in I changed clothes and headed a couple blocks away to Forest Park, which is really big and nice. It was very warm and muggy, but I was only doing three miles (which turned into four).
Toward the end of my run I came across this guy, which of course was motivation to run faster.
That evening was the opening plenary session and a reception. This was the view from the reception. Not too shabby. It was the one and only time I saw the arch.
Friday I attended sessions, read my mammoth history book, and took a nap. That evening was a reception at the history museum, and instead of taking the bus like everyone else I decided to walk. It wasn't too bad, and I did run across one other conference person walking so we chatted. That evening I also attended a get-together for grad students. I met some people and ate some food and talked about history. I also got many bug bites on my legs, and they were so bad that they were swollen and tender the next day. I actually thought maybe I'd gotten a running injury but no, it was just a bug bite.
Saturday I had to run 9 miles, so I got up early and headed back to Forest Park. (Originally I wanted to run to the arch and back, but a couple people in St. Louis said maybe that wasn't the best idea.) There is a six-mile loop around the park, and I tagged on a trip through the Washington University campus.
Saturday during my lunch break from sessions I walked the couple blocks to the Cathedral Basilica. It has one of the largest mosaic collections in the world. Essentially the entire ceiling with its several domes and most of the walls were all mosaiced. Pretty neat.
The thing was, however, that all the mosaics were really high up. So I couldn't see all the details I wanted to, especially in faces. Maybe some day I will mosaic a face, and I want an idea of how to do it well. This separate mosaic happened to be hanging in one of the chapels, so I could finally see a face up close.
They also had a mosaic museum downstairs. I don't actually recommend the museum unless you're really really interested in the construction of the cathedral and mosaics. I was happy to see this neat partially-finished piece.
I also like the inspiration of the desk on display from the studio where most of the pieces were done. Some day I won't be working on my PhD anymore and hopefully I will get to mosaic again.
After the museum I attended another couple of sessions, and spent much of the evening reading. Sunday I went to one last session, ate lunch, and headed to the airport. The flight was a little delayed, and then the flight from Atlanta was canceled, so they put me up in a hotel. I finally got back to Charlottesville Monday around 11:30 and went straight into work.
Even though I only stayed in the West End in St. Louis, I liked it and would be interested in going back some day.
1 comment:
So glad you enjoyed the cathedral!
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