Weekend Reflections

Here's the view from inside the Pantheon
in Rome, looking out past the portico
to the piazza beyond.
{This is my third—and last—Pantheon
post for this week.  But I love this
incredible building.}

[To see more Weekend Reflections,
visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"old" (#2)

Last week I featured something that's
been around for 1, 937 years:
this old thing.  The Pantheon in Rome is
only 1,892 years old.  Still . . .
(This shot shows a detail of the back
of the building.)

[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.] 

ABC Wednesday—L is for "Lakshmi"

Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity
—and important to Buddhists and
Jains as well—is a favorite of mine (and also the
nickname given to me by my friend
and fave yoga teacher).  I found this depiction
in the Passage du Grand Cerf, in Paris.

[To see more ABC Wednesday
posts, go here.]

From the present to the past

Looking up via Baccina, in Rome's
Monti district, to the Forum
of Augustine.

[Linking back to Our World Tuesday.]

A terrace in Rome

The hotel room my daughter and I stayed
in last month in Rome came with
a lovely surprise—a pretty terrace with
green plants and stucco walls and
blue-shuttered doors.

[Linking back to Blue Monday at
Magical Mystery Teacher.]

inSPIREd Sunday

I think that a lot of the people who
visit the Pantheon in Rome
don't realize that it's also a church.

Many of them are mainly there
to look up and see this
(which is incredible, I admit).  

[To see more churches from
around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

Today La Serenissima is 1, 596 years old.
Buon Compleanno, Venezia!

[To see more b/w images, visit
Dragonstar's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

A store in the Campo dei Fiori,
in Rome, where my daughter Katie
bought lots of yummy dried
sausage to bring home.  I managed
to resist, but it was not easy.

[To see more Weekend Reflections,
visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"old"

Here's something that's pretty ancient.
Construction was begun under
the emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and
completed eight years later
(under Titus).  So, 1,937 years old.  
I'd have to say it qualifies.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—K is for "kitchen"

Or at least for anything you could ever possibly
need for yours.  This is one small cubby
at the Paris emporium E. Dehillerin, where cooks
from near and far come to stock
up on the essentials.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

Tarocco

This is a variety of blood orange that's
native to Italy—and they were
for sale at the market in the Campo dei Fiori,
where I also took yesterday's photo.
My daughter and I were there at 8 a.m.—and even
knowing that we had to fit whatever we
purchased in our already full bags and leave for the
airport by noon, we still bought too much stuff.
Just too hard to resist.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday and
Our World Tuesday.]

Monday Mellow Yellows

Very yellow and very, well not exactly
mellow . . . but definitely delicious.
Or so I assume, if limoncino is anything
like limoncello.

[To see more Monday Mellow Yellows, go here.]

Shadow Shot Sunday

You might not pay that much attention
to the shadows in this room
at the Vatican—it's one of the Raphael
rooms, where he painted his "School of Athens." 

[To see more Sunday Shadows, go here.]

the Weekend in Black and White

Sometimes the door to the courtyard is
open, and you get a glimpse
of life in the heart of Rome.  I could
live here—just saying.

[To see more b/w images, visit
Dragonstar's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

Ponte Garibaldi, Rome,
at "rush hour"—but traffic in
this city can be pretty
insane at almost any hour.

[To see more Weekend Reflections,
visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"motion #2"

Captured in motion: the playful fountain
in front of the Brooklyn Museum—
lots of fun in hot, breezy weather, not so
much when the temp is (as lately)
well below freezing.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—J is for "Jean"

This portrait of my mother was taken
when she was 30 (by my father;
she was his lifelong muse).  She made it to 
96, and last Saturday would have been
her 97th birthday.  About 50 of her
friends and relatives gathered to remember
her and celebrate her long, happy life.

Via di S. Simone

Seems like everywhere you look
in Rome is yet another
photo begging to be snapped.

[To see more of Our World
Tuesday, go here.]

Gratitude . . .

on display at the church of
San Salvatore in Lauro,
in Rome.  I think this is a charming
custom—to give visible thanks
when prayers are answered.

[Linking back to Macro Monday and
Blue Monday at Magical Mystery Teacher.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This was taken (very surreptitiously)
in the church of San Andrea della Valle,
in Rome, where for some
unknown reason, they don't want you
to take photos.

[To see more churches from around
the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

Inviting, isn't it? 
I almost didn't have to shoot this in black 
and white, because the trompe-l'oeil
doorway of this Roman café 
was painted that way.

[To see more b/w images, visit
Dragonstar's meme.]

Skywatch Friday

This shot of a dramatic Arctic sky was taken
from a zodiac as we made our way
to a spot where polar bears had been spotted.

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"motion"

Caught this biker pedaling past Tiffany's
back in October.  Since the election, 
with Trump Tower right next door, the
barricades are always up and
the police are a permanent presence.
Wonder how the folks at Tiffany feel about that.

[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—I is for "Italy"

One of the things I love about much of
Italy (and especially Rome): 
You can point your camera and capture
several layers of civilization in
just one shot.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

pomodori

These beautiful tomatoes were for sale at
the market in Campo de' Fiori.  This
was very early in the morning, when the
vendors were just setting up and
it all looked untouched and pristine.

This is what the campo looks like just
after the market is finished.

[Linking back to Ruby Tuesday
and Our World Tuesday.]

a house in Rome

We were in this part of Rome to have lunch
at La Carbonara—mentioned in this
article about the Monti rione.  Unfortunately,
the restaurant was closed (you can't always
trust the Internet), but we had fun wandering
around the neighborhood.

[Linking back to Monday Mellow Yellows.]

inSPIREd Sunday

In the church of San Lorenzo in Lucina,
in Rome, each of the side chapels has 
a roof lantern with its own unique design.
This chapel is dedicated to St. Francis Caracciolo,
and the relics of St. Alexander (a pope
and a martyr) are kept in an urn under the altar.

[To see more churches from
around the world, go here.]

The Weekend in Black and White

On this day there were lots of visitors to
the Colosseum, in Rome, including
me.  I took this shot because it's fairly
unusual—as you might expect,
there really aren't a lot of windows here.

[To see more b/w images,
visit Dragonstar's meme.]

Weekend Reflections

In the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle,
in Rome, they've placed a couple
of large mirrored tables so you can admire
the vault over the nave without
getting a crick in your neck (and so that
you can channel James with
a picture like this).

[To see more Weekend Reflections,
visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"open space" (#2)

Here's the funniest street performer I've
ever seen.  He was doing his shtick
—mostly involving messing with the people
walking through the piazza (Santa Maria in Trastevere,
in Rome).  Here he's about to try to catch a
kid with that silly butterfly net.
(The kid thought it was funny too.)
[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

ABC Wednesday—H is for "home"

Coming in for a landing at JFK, and we'll
be wheels on the ground in about
five minutes.  The strip of land at the top of
the picture is Atlantic Beach, in Queens.

[To see more ABC pics, go here.]