The museum experience

It wasn't my intention to write today although I am gathering my thoughts on various subjects I would love to draw your attention to. The above picture from Thessaloniki was posted on this blog here. Notice the superb mosaic fragments on the floor and panels.

Thessaloniki in Greece holds a similar position for mosaic heritage just as Ravenna in Italy. I remember when I visited the Byzantine museum and when I used to search for every single mosaic to look at in Thessaloniki.

The museum or archealogical-site experience is naturally much more rewarding than browsing pictures on the internet or even books. Each experience is unique.

Pictures from the internet, you see them, you love them, you store them but they don't become "yours", you don't "bind" with them like with the books you went out and bought perhaps on a very hot and humid day.

The museum experience is what brings you even closer to the artwork and the context (historical and artistic) in which it was made. It's a living experience that I have been lucky to enjoy. Namely and randomly, Olynthos, Delos, Fishbourne, Bath, Ravenna, Torcello, Dafni-Athens, Florence, Naples, Pella, Acquileia, Spilimbergo, Rome, Palea Paphos-Cyprus, Kourion-Cyprus. The list is not complete because there are places of which I don't recall their names but these are the main sites that have left their mark on me. I still need to go to Constantinople (Istanbul) if I want my mosaic tour to be perfect.