W. Lloyd Williams

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a space for all the aspects of my life...

Filtering by Tag: Europe

A Few Cruise Photos

[caption id="attachment_5442" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Rotterdam at dock"][/caption][caption id="attachment_5443" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="At sea with our wrap around balcony"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5444" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Writing the Waves Group (Cynthia Whitcomb, our leader in red boa)"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5445" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Pamela in Cork, Ireland"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5447" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Dublin, Ireland street scene"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5448" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Dublin guitarist with home-made electric guitar and amp"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5449" align="alignnone" width="334" caption="Found a pub in Dublin, wonder how?"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5450" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="London and Big Ben"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5451" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Traffic jam on the Thames River in London"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5452" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Found a theatre bookstore and another pub."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5454" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Bayeux, France"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5455" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Bayeux, France museum"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5456" align="alignnone" width="375" caption="Bayeux, France Cathedral"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5457" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Brugge, Belguim, out favorite medieval town"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5458" align="alignnone" width="375" caption="The famous Brugge canals"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5459" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Market Day in Brugge"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5460" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Spires everywhere"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5461" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Canal repose, Brugge."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5462" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Brugge is a historic swan sanctuary."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5464" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="The painted houses of Brugge reminded me of home in Lunenburg."][/caption]

Rotterdam, The Netherlands [caption id="attachment_5466" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Rotterdam a city of diminishing canals"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5467" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Our patio H2otel room beside the canal"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5468" align="alignnone" width="375" caption="Boats seem to outnumber cars in Rotterdam"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5469" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Rotterdam, a modern city rebuilt after WWII"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5470" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Modern suspension bridge in Rotterdam"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5471" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Canal side cafes in old town Rotterdam"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5472" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Captain Pamela at the wheel in Rotterdam"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_5473" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="A few of the classic sail boats and barges"][/caption]

Rome Finale

April 28, 2010 Our last night was the PERFECT FINALE to our vacation in Rome. I wouldn't have changed a thing, well, maybe just one little thing; I'll tell you later.

Our dear friend, Dennis Cigler, artist, art educator, cook extraordinaire, and so much more, joined us for our last meal in Piazza Navona. We absolutely delighted in catching up with him and learning of his latest escapades. Dennis always has exciting anecdoates, travels, and other details to share.

We were glad Dennis chose the restaurant because it was the best, by far, of any eatery we tried in the piazza and, even better, Dennis is familiar with the owner and staff, which helped turn an already fabulous dinner date, on account of the dear company, cold drinks and delectable eats (in Rome!), into an enchanting evening. We were heartily welcomed and tended.

Below, Dennis translates the fascinating fables told by Tucci Ristorante-Pizzeria's owner. Sadly, we forget his name. He was a kind, generous man, and vibrant, dashing and debonaire. I'm going to call him Mr. Tucci until Dennis corrects me.

The conversation and food came in rounds. We talked and talked and yet it's difficult to recall, though the emotions and full-heart feeling comes quickly. What we did, what we didn't, what we want for next time, what we want for us... It 's all such a wonderful whirl, even then!

And I don't remember ordering a thing. The appetizer appeared unprompted and featured a bread and olive oil that could only come from Italy. I think Mr. Tucci chose the wine. In fact, I don't think we ordered a thing aside from the first couple/three rounds of Italianized margaritas. Refreshing and deceptive those margs.

Between courses Mr. Tucci's stories and copious charm endeared us to him. And we gotta love the language and the expressive Italian gestures that always enhance or embelishment a story.

Here is my one regret: I was so stuffed with bread and drink, mostly drink, that I hardly touched the tastiest--the best--pasta dish of my life, prepared especially for me. And dessert! I could only take in one mouthful. And then things get fuzzy from there.

You see, Mr. Tucci gifted us with a dark liquor digestif he freed from the cellar, a very special bottle from his dwindling Kambusa Amaricante reserves. It's a difficult flavour to describe, but I'll try: sweet yet bitter, aromatic, full, flowery, strooong (sneaks up on you me), ... pleasing.

And this is what it looked like later, notice how close the spelling is to "Ambush". ;)

Not only did Mr. Tucci share the drink with us, he sent us away with a new bottle too!

I wish we could repeat the night, over and over! But we passed along the Kambusa to Dennis so guess we'll have to wait until the next time

We will always cherish the experience.

Dennis, thank you for a delicious and heartwarming evening we will never forget, and even for the Kambusa Amaricante-laden parts I do forget.  xox...

-P

Typical Rome

April 26, 2010 Typical as in "representative" and "symbolic", not as in "ordinary".

A typical lunch at Ristorante Ill Cardello 1920 di Angelo e Lidia, a typical hole-in-the-wall stashed at an intersection of back alleys. So yummy... still makes my mouth water.

A typical microcar in Italy. Tiny names too: Eke (love that!), Aygo, etc.

The most famous and the largest Baroque fountain in Rome, Trevi Fountain stands 85' high and 65' wide in Trevi Square. Among the sculptures, Neptune, god of the sea, rides a shell-shaped chariot pulled by two sea horses. Triton guides the sea horses. On one side of Neptune a statue represents Abundance, on the other a statue representing Salubrity.

A typical alleyway courtyard and colour scheme.

A typical and delectable Italian pizza, perhaps a-typical as we were told it was the best pizza in Rome. I know I wrote it down somewhere... I will look. Anyway, the thin crust pizza comes out of the oven in looong slabs. The cook holds up a huge knive and hacks off the end of the pizza according to your instruction.

Ornate chimneys and sat dishes side by side.

Our one regret is that we missed Galleria Borghese. Reservations are required, several days in advance. However, we observed a typical and amusing scene on the short bus en route the the Borghese grounds: Italian friends, all talking at the same time to each other yet to no one in particular. It's a wonder how they understand each other. Entertaining to us foreigners to say the least!

-P

Rome: The Colosseum

April 26, 2010 From the crest of The Forum: poppies and the Colosseum.

The construction was completed under the direction of Roman Emperor Titus in AD 80. The opening games lasted 100 days.

Today we see little beyond the framework of the original arena. Three fifths of the exterior wall is missing and most of it is pocked from the excavation of the lead and nails for reuse elsewhere when the Colosseum fell out of use.

Imagine a whitewashed oval 188 metres long and 156 metres wide, 80 arched entrances, seating for 45,000-70,000 spectators (free admittance, but seating according to rank of course).

Inside, nowadays, the Colosseum corridors house exhibits depicting the games of the times, mostly gladiator games.

There were all manner of "great" fights, shows and the hunting of animals. Here, where the wooden floor and trap doors used to be, we see the cavea exposed, the subterranean walls that temporarily confined the wild animals and men about to battle.

Sometimes the crowd implored the emperor to set a most revered gladiator free. If the emperor agreed, the gladiator was handed a wooden sword and freed.

Historians speculate that canals may have been used to flood the stadium in order to perform mock battles at sea.

The Colosseum served as Rome's main stage for 4 centuries.

-P

Rome: A Sunny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum

April 25 , 2010 Yes. Sun.

It is believed that the Etruscans (height of civilization 500 BC, "subdued" by the Romans by the end of 3 BC) built the stadium for games and entertainment. Apparently, Caesar expanded the arena (50 BC) to form Circus Maximus, a chariot racing stadium that held about 250,000 spectators and up to twelve chariots at a time.

The site is now a public park for walkers, joggers, dogs and the occasional concert or sports game.

The Forum was the commercial, political, religious and social centre in 700 BC until the fall of the Empire in 5 AD. The Forum flooded and eroded for 18 centuries.  20th-century archaeologists excavated the remains through 3 to 4 metres of earth and exhumed the very heart of ancient Roman Empire.

Founded 306 BC, Basilica of Constantine, formerly known as Basilica of Maxentius, the largest single structure standing, the last non-Christian building built in the Forum, served as a court and meeting hall.

Antoninus Pius commissioned the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in 141 AD in honour of his late wife Faustina. The columns are 17m tall. The building is the best preserved in the Forum.

Below: House and courtyard of the Vestel Virgins. The Virgins were priestesses of the goddess Vesta, goddess of the hearth and household. They were responsible for maintaining the sacred fire in the Temple of Vesta. A girl was selected between the ages of 3 and 10, from a distinguished patrician family, and served 30 years. If she broke her 30-year vow of chastity she was buried alive, the best way to kill without shedding vestal blood. The corrupting lover? Flogged to death.

Marble mosaic floor, but not even "floor", entire arcades and squares and thoroughfares were bedecked with all colours of marble. Swaths of ornate marble tiles still adorn many walkways throughout Rome's "ruins".

Massive columns, vast domes and monumental buildings and statues are obviously impressive, but I was just as fascinated by the more intricate carvings. Sometimes carved marble looks just like the plant it mimics or as deceptively soft as the flowing satin its meant to depict on countless sculptures.

Arch of Septimius Severus is a triumphal arch that commemorated the Parthian victories of Emporor Severus and his sons Caracalla and Geta.

Most prominent structures (left to right): Senate House, Arch of Severus, Temple of Vespasian and Titus, and Temple of Saturn.

Temple of Saturn, on the left: a monument to agricultural deity Saturn. Built 501 BC. Waaay in the back: three pillars are all that is left of the Temple of Castor and Pollux beyond the nubs of what was Basilica Julia (dedicated to Caesar in 46 BC).

Just one more look:

More Rome on the way.

-P

Rome: Day 1

April 24, 2010 I admittedly put off blogging when I've taken hundreds of photos for one destination. That, in part, explains the delay in posting. I'm grateful you're checking this out as that is the best incentive to keep posting! Thanks for following along.

We dropped off our luggage at Arco del Lauro B&B in Trastevere and traipsed just a few hundred feet to Piazza in Piscinula for lunch. Rome awaits. What to do? Take a 4-hour nap. Not planned, but thoroughly enjoyed.

We woke late afternoon and set out to catch just a few glimpses of Rome before dark. I'm sharing them with you.

Old marries new:

The area is apparently known as the Jewish Ghetto of Rome, but "ghetto" in Rome is... it just doesn't fit!

A sneak peek at the Coliseum:

Just one of many sweeping views in the capital of Italy:

Mmmm (need I say more?):

Tiber Island, the only island in the Tiber River, is linked to Rome by two bridges:

Fountain of Neptune in Piazza Navona:

Unfortunately the more famous fountain, The Fountain of Four Rivers by Bernini, was under construction.

People-watching rules in Piazza Navona.

We took a Rick Steve's Rome Top 10 guide recommendation and dined at Trattoria da Lucia, a dark little restaurant run by three generations of one family. We skipped the stingray soup with broccoli and went with the antipasto della casa, gnocchi (very sticky!) and a "mezzo litro" of red wine followed by a selection of local cheeses with honey.

All of that in just a couple/three hours. Rome is a walking town that offers more to see than we could see in months so we'll share highlights and leave the rest for next time.

-P

Florence Resumed

April 23, 2010 Storage is scarce so laundry and bicycles (?) hang off balconies:

That photo was snapped from Muse Casa di Dante. The museum is a disappointment: scant exhibits feebly related to the scribe of the Divine Comedy and the rest a mix mash of poor reproductions of costumes and such, though we did enjoy the reproduction copies by Giotto, Ghirlandaio, Raphael, Michelangelo, etc.

Dante doesn't look impressed either:

The infamous David (on the left), albeit a copy:

That must be Hercules and Cacus on the right.

You won't see what we saw a lot of unless you really look at this photo. Obviously the novelty has worn off for the vendor.

The BEST way to end a day in Florence? Savour espressos and tiramisu at Croce Caffe in Piazza Santa Croce.

Croce Square and another wee three-wheeler:

Well, that's a taste of Florence.

-P

Florence, or "Firenze"

Hi all! We're so far behind. Please forgive the brief posts. Photos will say more than I will.

April 23, 2010

A miserable weather day, but it hardly matters when you're wandering the capital of Tuscany.

We docked in Livorno and instead of touring Pisa we took a 90-minute tour bus ride (with the exception of a grand house on a hillock and a couple vineyards the scenery is rather plain) into Florence for a half-guided, half-independent walking tour. We quickly abandoned our group and struck out on our own in search of a dry, authentic, off the beaten path Italian restaurant and some genuine minestrone.

We found the perfect place in a back alleyway: Ristorante Il Paiolo, where the chef and proprietor shelled fava beans together on the back table.

I think we had a Chianti--when in Florence... I did have the minestrone. I suspect it's more of a whatever's in the garden/kitchen soup in Italy as it varies greatly. I had minestrone a few times and it was usually a clearer broth with just a few vegetables like yellow squash and zucchini--quite plain, but satisfying.

The reward of a socked in day in Florence is the contrast between the umbrellas and the sculptures and buildings. Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the second largest cathedral in the world. It can hold up to 3,000 people.

The octagonal Baptistry's bronze door, "Gates of Paradise" by Ghiberti:

Europeans love their gelato, even on a cold, blustery rain day.

Leather markets pop up under tarps in squares and alleyways:

We thought the wee green, three-wheeled "trucks" were cute. Check out the police uniforms:

One of the most famous sights in Florence: bridges and the Arno River lined by bright apartment buildings:

Perseus and Medusa outside Uffizi Gallery:

Fountain of Neptune:

More to come.

-P