The Tuesday Group got a whopping taste of culture today that began with the Muscarelle Museum's exhibit of original drawings by Leonardo DaVinci. A record breaking 37 arrived at the museum this chilly but sunny Spring morning for a tour of these rare bits of art. "Leonardo DaVinci and the Idea of Beauty" includes more than 20 drawings by the Renaissance artist on loan from the Uffizi Museum in Florence and the Biblioteca in Turin, Italy. Our docents explained Leonardo's fascination with the contrast between beauty and ugly (bello e brutto) as demonstrated in many of his drawings. We also viewed his "Codex on the Flight of Birds" as well as some original drawings by Michelangelo. Another exhibit in the Museum, "Matilda of Canossa and the Origins of the Renaissance", also drew interest from the Tuesday Group. Matilda was one of "the most influential leaders of the Middle Ages and laid the foundations for the Italian Renaissance." She founded the first law school in Europe in 1088 and built or restored some of the most beautiful Romanesque monuments in Italy.
After our tour we headed to Paul's Deli for a hearty meal of sandwiches, salads, giant slabs of tuna and lots of good conversation. Our next stop was "Mad About Chocolate" where we sampled some of Marcel Desaulnier's brownies and Black Mamba cookies. We also enjoyed looking at some of Connie Desaulnier's art work. We then headed for Duke of Gloucester Street, first cutting through the Peanut Shop for some free samples. We spent some time visiting with the Spring lambs and even tried to get them to come closer to where we stood but they were too baaaashful. We continued our stroll down D.O.G. Street where we got a first hand look at colonial life, specifically a marriage between an African-American man and woman. We attended the wedding, said many "Ashe" and watched the couple jump over the broom!
After this we came upon a confrontation between General Benedict Arnold ( Military Governor of Virginia) and some citizens of Williamsburg. It was a heated discussion and tempers flared. But we all know who won in the end.
Our journey through history continued as we retraced our steps back along D.O.G. Street to our final destination...Baskin Robbins. Celebrating art, history, good friends and a beautiful day the six remaining hardcore Tuesday Groupers enjoyed some ice cream! Another outstanding day for the Tuesday Group!
Phyllis