Of Mountains and Deserts

Venice is one of the most epic locations that I have ever been to. I believe one of the reasons that added to its epic-ness was also the surrealism of the place. Traveling to Venice was quite an adventure just in itself as we got stuck in the biggest traffic jam in the history of Italy. A trip that was supposed to take about 4 hours ended up taking about 12, as we decided to travel on the day when everyone in Italy came back from their holiday. However, the many sites that we saw on the way to Italy were amazing, and we had plenty of time to notice.

When we finally arrived in Venice at around 11:30pm, just in time to catch the last waterbus into the city, we could not fully see the city as it was dark and we didn’t know how long it took for us to enter Venice. Well, when the waterbus turned a corner…there it was, I was in awe. The only way I can explain the feeling is surreal, eerie, and somewhat trippy, here was Venice with all the little cafes and restaurants sitting right off the water, the Mediterranean architecture lit only by candlelight. It was just wild, as we thought it would take a little while to enter and then just after a corner here it was, it was hard to fully comprehend that I had entered Venice. Whenever I go back I will only enter this way again, as it seemed the perfect entrance to a city such as it.

Venice was indeed an epic city in its own right; entering Venice felt like stepping back to another time in history where there were no vehicles, not even bicycles, the only transportation was your own feet or boats which took you up and down the canals. There was an amazing new site to see in every corner I turned while exploring the city.

I chose the song Western Eyes by Portishead to capture the feeling of my entrance into Venice. I hope with this song you too can visualize riding slowly down the Grand Canal into a very dimly lit and quiet Venezia.

A few weeks ago I was in Washington D.C. and while there decided to browse the National Gallery of Art. I was with my sister who also is a major art buff, way more than me and I do love art myself. We actually came across the National Gallery of Art by accident as we were just exploring, we knew it was in D.C. of course but weren’t sure of its proper location. In all of the three, four, five hours or so we were there there was one particular painting amidst a series of paintings that stood out to me, due its colors, atmosphere, texture, realism, and most importantly the ideal it put across. This painting was the Voyage of Life: Youth by Thomas Cole in 1842.

The vivid colors of Thomas Cole’s breathtaking scenery immediately caught my attention. But it was after studying it that I saw more of the story the artist is trying to tell, a story that all of us are involved in. The Voyage of Life portrays an enthusiastic youth ready to take on all that stands in his way, no matter how unprepared, as he travels down the river of life. A guardian angel guides him along his journey, never leaving his side, making sure the young voyager stays on the right course. The painting reveals many upcoming challenges, such as rapids and mountains that must be confronted.

I just absolutely love the ideals of this painting, that as youths we were all so eager to take on anything that stands in our way. Also, the painting shows the youth keeping his sight on heaven, knowing that it will be there at the end of his journey and giving him the strength to get through his voyage. To me, Heaven is the most epic place anyone can ever voyage to. Yes, I had to at least get the word epic in at least once, (well now twice) in my post.

I’m going to change things up a bit here; instead of having a podcast right now I’m going to instead post a song each week that I find epic. I will have podcasts eventually when I can improve the quality, which will not be that far away. This weeks song is “I Lived on the Moon” by french group Kwoon. The song is about a father telling his son a story of when he lived on the moon and the adventures that he has been through. If you enjoy this song make you sure go to youtube and search for the music video, it is amazing.

Epic, a word that implies heroism, vastness, grandiosity, magnificence, and something wondrous, while originally referring to a long narrative poem. However, the word Epic has been applied to much more than a poem, “Epic” is used to describe film, literature, art, music, events, people, and even places. With this blog I plan to write on the things which I find epic, things that fall under the various categories that I have just mentioned. Now, I don’t claim to be an expert on all things epic, the things that I will focus on and claim to epic is of course just my opinion. Epic has become a favorite word of mine, I seem to always love the various things that it describes. Anytime I find a new song, film, or piece of art that I find epic, it instantly becomes a favorite of mine.

When I use the word epic, I am generally referring to something on a grand scale. When it is a song the song is usually one which continues to build throughout until it reaches a massive climax that can take your breath away. If I am referring to a piece of art it might be one that shows a huge event of some sort, or a struggle of some kind between good and evil. “Epic” often does hint at the never ending conflict of good and evil, which is often presented in a grand way and refers to a struggle of biblical proportions.

Additionally, along with each blog update I will include a song which I feel is epic and goes along with the current posting.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and/or listen to the current song, continue to check back as I will try to keep this updated often.