peace

this afternoon we (me, guilia, emma, ron, alejandra, lydia) went to the peace palace. some people complained that the E5 charge to get in wasn't worth it, but i completely disagree. i absolutely loved the place.

the palace itself is beautiful from the outside. it's surrounded by large, well-tended lawns and gardens. inside, though, is where it starts getting good.

initially, the impact of the interior is an interior designer's worst nightmare. the building itself was designed by a french architect and funded by Carnegie, so it has a great deal of structural beauty, but the decorations were all donated by various member states. the marble in one hallway was donated by italy, the mosaics were done by a team of french girls over the course of an entire year and the polar bear fountain in the center was donated by denmark. the tapestries in the board member's hall were made by japan, the giant vases were produced in china and the rug was woven in turkey (and happens to be the largest carpet in western europe -- what whaaaaat!?!?). sounds great, huh? and it is, really. but none of the giving states consulted one another about their donations, so the entire place lacks any sort of design continuity. every item reflects the country it was produced by, and it was all thrown in together without regard to theme or pattern. at first, this is somewhat off-putting, but it grows on you. by the end, the hodge-podge vision of the interior is really inspiring, actually.

my favorite part was the masterwork of the dutch artist who painted the ceiling above the main staircase. at 24 years old, he was commissioned to paint this important work, and started out depicting gods and goddesses of justice and prosperity. during the time he was at work, the stained-glass windows that overlook the gardens weren't installed yet, and he would occasionally gaze out the vacant windows at the gardeners as they went about their landscaping. apparently, he looked out one day and saw the assistant gardener, a young woman whom he fell in love with immediately. completely enamored, he proceeded to paint the goddess of wisdom in her likeness. pretty romantic, huh? but the story isn't done! when the painting was finished, she went inside to look at it, and fell instantly in love with HIM. the two got married and moved to the states, where he became the first dutch man to win an oscar for set design.

how. effing. romantic. is. that!?!?!?

needless to say, i loved it.

aside from the aesthetics, the palace also hosts the international court of justice (where states can file suit against other states -- mostly the court deals with boundary and boarder issues) and the permanent court of arbitration where parties -- state, personal or private -- can come together to mediate disputes. the grounds are home to one of the biggest international law libraries in the world, as well. all in all, a very cool place. and what's more, there's a gelato stand right outside. perfect.

on a completely unrelated note, i wanted to give a quick shout-out to my waffle haus girls. i have a framed picture of the five of us at prom on my mantle and i just really love and miss you all. the time i spent with you in our home was the best of my life, and i can't thank you enough for being there with/for me. i have been profoundly changed by the love that each of you shared with me, and i will be forever grateful. please know that wherever you are, i am thinking of you and would go to whatever end to be there for you if you need me. thank you.

whoa that was sappy. sorry! in other news -- one mrs. laura jean donnelly is visiting me in august. i can't even begin to tell you how excited i am. i've already started planning her visit and its gonna be great. YAY!

anyway, i'm off to a staff party.