Saturday, June 21, 2008

About Looking (after the dear John Berger)





These are some of the buildings we looked at yesterday. Sam was in awe of the craftsmanship in the palace. We weren't allowed to take photos inside unless we paid extra to do so, and none of us knew how spectacular it would be inside so there was little incentive to pay for this privilege. We assumed that postcards would offer us the same views. Sadly the postcards did not display anything that I would have photographed. So I have learned from this. Sam was annoyed that the adults did not display adequate enthusiasm. I tried to explain that the adults have probably seen many castles, museums, etc. with equally spectacular work, but he was unmoved.

So what does looking provide people with? Is that mostly what tourists crave? To look unabashedly? And how does that serve us?

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