flat david goes to fencing class in Victoria

During the visit, Duncan took Flat David to fencing. Duncan and his friends Felix and Peter belong to a fencing club and to twice a week. they thought David might want to give it a try.

David did great.  Indeed, he got a few hits on Peter.

There was a minor injury at the end of the bout when it came time to shake hands.

That is, there was loss of limb!   A bit terrifying for Peter, but nothing that a bit of minor surgery with tape couldn't fix!

the 'handshake of horror"

More of Flat David in Victoria - a trip to Cadboro Bay Beach

Paris Day 2 - at the Louvre

Day 2 in Paris with Arta and Bonnie.  We had a fabulous day at the Louvre.  we started early and stayed late!  started off with Flat David (here, bonnie is just folding him up to carry him inside), and a morning of beautiful blue skies!




We decided that the strategy was to go small:  just pick a small area, and stay there.  so... today was greek and roman antiquity.  

Good strategy, since things went slow (ie. figuring out where to put our coats and bags, and get the audio guides (on a 3DS), and the figure out how to USE them (no small thing for three generationally challenged adults!)

headless Athena Parthanos?

We would do 1.5 hour, then stop for a snack or break, and to debrief.  

Things I loved?  

Lets see.  

1.  The room with the Venus de Milo.  Then i really loved the Caryatid Room.  

So many great sculptures in there.  Must say, hanging out with Duncan and the Percy Jackson series has really helped me get a better handle on the characters.  

Saw an Athena Parthenos with no head!  :-) (which is only fun if you are reading rick riordan books with your kids).

Hermaphroditus Sleeping (son of hermes and aphrodite)

2.  Hermaphroditis.  

Given that I got to hang out for the Transgender Workshop in Victoria a few weeks back, I particularly loved this statue! 

Read more  here! 

looks a bit like Alex?!

3.  We hung out with several heads of Marcus Aurelius.  

We also saw a statue of some dude who was marcus aurelius's good friend.  

Can't remember his name, but we all decided he looked like Alex!






4.  I kept being reminded 

a serious ceiling detail

that we were in a Palace.  

The ceilings were really lovely.

detail of heads of a hydra

5.  Enjoyed the room with all the Borghese stuff.  

Winged Samothrace was off visiting somewhere else, but there were other amazing sculptures to enjoy.  

I liked the one of a hydra getting its head cut off.  

Such simple pleasures!

Three tired women at the end of the day

Louis XIV off on a jaunt....