Florence and the art of living well

Here’s the last collection of photos from the Italy trip…although they’re very late and probably nobody cares now. Anyway, just for completeness…

In Florence lies the heart and soul of the Renaissance, with amazing art and architecture (this is NOT a trick shot).

Here's a detail of Florence's famous cathedral, known as the Duomo.

 

Incredible marble work everywhere, like this section of the floor inside the Duomo.

Some of the most famous sculptures in the world, like Perseus holding Medusa's head.

This cute little guy was perched atop a fountain in the Palazzo Vecchio, which is Florence's City Hall.

Dozens of leather vendors lined the streets near the Central Market.

Inside the Central Market itself, dozens of food stalls like this one.

Italians will eat almost anything...there are ears, hooves, tongues, testicles and, yes, penis visible in this photo.

The Palazzo Pitti was home to the ruling family when Florence was a city-state.

The Boboli Gardens were the backyard for the Palazzo Pitti.

From the high point of the Boboli Gardens, you can look out across the Tuscany hills.

The Baptistery is the oldest structure in Florence.

The interior of the Baptistery is decorated with stunning mosaics.

In the evening we wandered the charming squares and streets, trying out little cafes for dinner and taking in the sights.

Florence was a great finish to our European adventure, but we barely scratched the surface of Italy…can’t wait to go back.

Our next big trip will be to Disneyland in early December, but I may post a few brief things here between now and then. Arrividerci!

Ahh…Venice

Sometime during our explorations of Venice, I encountered a quote which stuck with me, “Venice is the one city in the world which can be mistaken for no other,” and it is indeed true. It is a city that runs completely on foot or by water. The train station and and the highway cross the bridge to the island, then stop. After that, you cross bridges over canals, walk along cobblestone streets, take private water taxis or larger water buses, or ride in the ubiquitous gondolas. It’s a city that feels ancient and new at the same time, with ornate, historic palaces and churches alternating with hip, cutting-edge art galleries and exhibitions.

Here’s a collection of shots taken during our stay…

Here's a look up the Grand Canal taken from our cruise ship.

Venice is actually dozens of tiny islands separated by small canalls.

It's a city made for strolling, and sitting, and watching the parade of people from all over the world.

 

The store windows are full of detailed displays like this one in a food store.

Here's another one outside a mask store (Venice is famous for Carnival masks).

There are wonderful details everywhere, like this decoration on a random door down a random alleyway.

The gondolas are everywhere, each one a beautiful, handmade boat in its own right.

We ate lots of gelato ourselves, but never enjoyed it any more than these two.

These lovely ladies were gliding along in their gondola one afternoon.

There were artists everywhere, like this lady following her muse by the Grand Canal.

Here's a modern art installation in an old church.

This is a shot of St. Mark's Basilica that I used on the 2paragraphstory blog, but I liked it a lot and decided to include it here as well.

As the sun falls and the lights come on, we stroll out for a dinner along the water...ahh, Venice!

After Venice, it’s on to Florence…

Bari

Slowly catching up…after we stopped in Ephesus, the ship took a day and a half to get back around Greece to the Adriatic Sea, where we stopped in the coastal city of Bari, which traditionally has not been a huge tourist destination. It does have a small “old city” area which is full of narrow streets and old churches, but it was pretty easy to see in half a day.  Here are some highlights…

Bari is kind of place where you can still how real Italians have lived for centuries.

We came across an incredible open-air market early in the day.

Bari does have a great old fort which has been partially restored, includling this room.

We found our way to a church dedicated to St. Nicholas, yes that one...he's supposedly buried here.

Encountered this street performer along the way, he was kind enough to pose after I dropped a couple of Euros in his hand.

These old guys appeared to have nothing to do but hang out by the seawall all day...La Dolce Vita!

Tomorrow I’ll post a more extensive look at our next stop: Venice, my favorite stop on the Italian tour….

A day in Turkey

Running way behind on this blog, I know, but the internet connection on the cruise was ridiculously slow and horribly expensive. It wasn’t much better in Venice but now we’re in Florence with decent broadband speeds, so I’ll catch up over the next few days…I hope.

Anyway, we spent a day with a private guide in Turkey…the best money I ever spent during a vacation. Our guide, Mesut, was knowledgeable and enthusiastic and, best of all, knew how to get around the crowds of tourists and other visitors.

We docked in Kusadasi, met up with Mesut and his driver, then went straight to the ancient ruins of Ephesus.

Ephesus thrived for centuries, finally vanquished by earthquakes.

The restored facade of the Library of Celsus, once the largest outside of Alexandria.

The sprawling site has become a major tourist attraction, very busy in summer.

Excavations continue, here's a detail from a mosaic walkway.

After Ephesus, we traveled up a mountain to a little stone house which is supposed to be where the Virgin Mary spent her last years. It has become quite a shrine (and tourist attraction). No photos were allowed in the house but I was impressed by a stone wall outside the house, which has been covered by messages to the Virgin, left by the faithful.

This shows just a foot or two of a wall which is at least 30 feet long and 6 feet tall.

We traveled back down the hill for anice lunch in a little Turkish restaurant that Mesut knew about, then it was on to the Ephesus museum, where many of the most precious finds from the excavations have been taken for protection.

Most of the sculptures are only partially intact, but still quite beautiful.

Then Mesut took us on a short tour of a local mosque, quite old and very pretty.

Finally, we saw the ruins of one of the Temple of Artemis, which once was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It’s only rubble now, and a couple of half-heartedly reconstructed columns…guess that even Wonders don’t last forever.

Three religions in view here: Greco-Roman in front, a mosque (with the dome) behind it, and a Christian church on the far hilltop.

And just in case you were wondering, those are storks on top of the tall column, we saw nests of the big birds on high spots all over the area. They are treasured and protected by the local people.

Here's a portion of the above photo, enlarged to show the big birds on top of the ancient stones.

I’m working on shots from the following days, will try to get them posted soon.

Croatian Walls

Yesterday, we spent all day in the old Croatian walled city of Dubrovnik. It was almost destroyed in the 1990, when it was shelled mercilessly by the Serbians. Fortunately, the thick limestone walls of most of the building resisted the attack and today Dubrovnik is fully restored and has moved onward to become a chic and artsy Adriatic resort. It is one the best preserved medieval cities in the Adriatic.

Shot from the highest point on the city walls, looking out to sea.

We made the entire 3 kilometer circuit of the walls to see the incredible views.

This guard post high above the water had an incredible view.

Endless views of ancient architecture and, um, more recent additions.

This stone carving inside the Rector's Palace gives new meaning to "handrail".

The town is full of quiet nooks like this cloister of the Dominican monastery.

Dubrovnik has the oldest pharmacy in Europe, still open but this stuff's just for show.

Narrow streets, great stores...a truly charming place, we can't wait to return.

We’re at sea today, landing in Athens, Greece tomorrow!

Finishing Rome

Here are a few last shots of Rome, we’ve moved on through Venice for a quick overnighter and are now on the cruise. Photo posting may be limited the next week or so because my online WiFi speed is very limited.

Detail of one of the prettiest "little" churches..St. Peter in Chains.

These are supposedly the actual chains that bound St. Peter (before he was a saint).

The Pantheon...the last intact imperial Roman building.

I had this awesome plate of seafood pasta at dinner near Piazza Navona.

Early in the morning, a rare sight...the Spanish Steps, empty of crowds.

Found this great composition in the Castel di San Angelo, once home to popes.

We visited the Borghese Gallery...no photos allowed inside.

Here's an artsy shot of the Trevi Fountain at night...still crowded but pretty.

More photos as I’m able, this post took 45 minutes to load!

The Pope has got a nice house…

Our second full day in Rome was mostly Catholic in nature, we started early with the Vatican Museum, probably one of the greatest collections of art in the world, although oddly enough most religious in nature.  Of course, a big part of the museum is the building itself, since it occupies rooms which were once the apartments of popes.

The entrance to the "Musee Vaticani"

Just one of many rooms stuffed with priceless sculptures..this one all animals

Just a small hallway filled with Renaissance tapestries...

My personal favorite...the Map Gallery.

Unfortunately, the most spectacular rooms, completely covered in frescoes by Bellini, were too dark and too crowded for photography. The grand finale of the museum tour is when they allow you into the Sistine Chapel (no photos allowed), where, to be honest, we were initially underwhelmed. For one thing, the place was packed, literally wall-to-wall people, and noisy…the guards kept yelling over the crowd, “Silencio!” Also, it’s dark in there and Michaelangelo’s famous frescoes are way up there. But I had read a tip in a travel guide about bringing binoculars, so I pulled out my little pair of travel binoculars and we found a spot against the wall where we could lean our heads back, and we had a good time studying the details of what is probably history’s greatest work of art by a single person.

After that, it was on to St Peter’s Basilica, so big and overdone that it almost feels emotionless, sort of like the Vegas of the Christian world. Still pretty spectacular though….

Lots of saints out in front...

 

You could throw a big party in here, that canopy is seven stories tall.

 

We made the hike up 500 steps to the cupola of the dome, here's the view...

From the base of the dome you can walk on the roof and see the backs of saints.

We’re heading on to Venice, but I’ll have a few more to post on Rome, hopefully tomorrow…