ABC Wednesday—U is for Uffizi

In the same gallery at the Uffizi as Botticelli's
original Birth of Venus is this "hands on"
version for the visually impaired.  I've never seen
anything like this before—have you?

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

a cup o' giovanni

Tuesday

I don't drink espresso, but if I did . . .
these were for sale at the
market in the Campo de' Fiore,
in Rome.

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

the blue hour

My favorite time of day, and it
was extra special on this early evening up
on the Capitoline Hill.  I'm leaving
today—'til next time, Roma!

[Linking back to Blue Monday.]

inSPIREd Sunday

Here's the church of Sant' Agnese in Agone,
in the Piazza Navona; its main
architect was Borromini, arch-rival of
Bernini, who created the Four Rivers fountain
(built around an obelisk brought to Rome
by the emperor Caracalla) directly in front of the church.  
It's said that Bernini sculpted his figure depicting
the Nile with its head covered, as though
 hiding from Borromini's looming church façade,
but in fact the fountain predates the
façade by quite a few years.

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

The Weekend in Black and White

Part of a structure that's thousands of 
years old set against one that's
not yet 100 years old (and 
that vehicle that I probably should have
photoshopped out)—this is Rome.

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

Rome in the rain

I was here in Rome once in November,
when the weather was a bit,
shall we say, dramatic here on the
Ponte Vittorio Emanuele.  I'm posting
this ahead and hoping that it's
bright and sunny while I'm here now.
(Either way, it's beautiful!)

[Linking back to Weekend Reflections
and Skywatch Friday.]

signs, signs

And today we're headed to Rome.
This sign is in the Capitoline Museum,
in Rome, and has been around
for a few millennia.  I don't read Latin,
but can make out a few words:
pontifical, senate, kings, first (and I'll
guess that "Ti Clau Aug" is Tiberius
Claudius Caesar Augustus).

[To see more signs, go here.] 

ABC Wednesday—T is for "tapestry"

This is a very small part of a very large
tapestry, which you can see if you
visit the Palazzo Vecchio, in Florence.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

deliziosa!

On to Florence today and I'm looking
forward to a meal at Osteria De' Benci—maybe
starting with a lovely tomato bruschetta,
followed by their famous spaghetti dell'ubriacone
(i.e., drunken spaghetti, so-called
because they marinate it in red wine).

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

Burano blues

Murano glass vases have been set in
a niche on Burano.  I love the
very fresh flowers and the way the
water of the canal is reflected
on the wall.

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

inSPIREd Sunday

Seen from the Doge's Palace, this
is one of the domes of the
basilica San Marco.  Would love to
see what's inside those domes,
but not in the summer—it must be very
hot under all that lead.

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

The Weekend in Black and White

Making the trip back to Venice from the
colorful island of Burano, with
the sun sparkling on the lagoon and the
campanile of San Marco standing
sentry in the distance—so beautiful!

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

Weekend Reflections

Guess where I'm going tonight! 
It's the first stop on a little
Italian pilgrimage that I hope will be
all about fun, food, and friends. 
Have scheduled blog posts and hope
you'll come by while I'm away.

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

Thursday Challenge—"fun"

I know not everyone thinks
this is fun—but I do!
How about you?

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

ABC Wednesday—S is for "skyline"

. . . and I think I can brag that ours
 is one of the world's best!
I took this shot of midtown Manhattan
 (with a looong lens) from a friend's
terrace in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

hangin' in

When most of the tulips in the garden
were fading fast, some cultivars
were still going strong—including these
ruffly red and cream beauties.

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

bluebells

Last weekend in the garden, the bluebell wood
was in bloom—and also wisteria,
azaleas, and tree peonies.  I hardly knew where 
to look (and point my camera) first.

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

inSPIREd Sunday

Another image from the church of
Sant'Ignazio di Loyola, in Rome, one of
those churches you don't really see
until you're right in front of it.  Then you
go in and find this—and it isn't
even the main altar.

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

The Weekend in Black and White

If you go to Venice, you should pass by
the Fortuny shop late at night,
when the whole place is pitch black—
except for their beautiful silk
lamps, which they leave on all night.

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

Skywatch Friday

This is Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch at Grand Army Plaza,
just a block from my house.  It was built to
honor the Union soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
Some pretty famous folks were involved in the
 design and building of this monument—check it out here.

[To see more Skywatch pics, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"close" (#2)

Up close and personal with the tree
peonies in bloom now at the botanic garden.
They blow me away every year!

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

ABC Wednesday—R is for "Rome"

The Eternal City: the view 
from the top of the Spanish Steps.

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

where's the fire?

I don't know, but I really hope it wasn't serious, 
considering how long it was taking 
these fire trucks to get through the midtown 
Manhattan traffic.

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

Love Graffiti Crew

It's come up on this blog before—as much 
as I hate no-talent tagging, I love 
graffiti art.  This falls somewhere in the
middle, I think, but I do like it a lot;
it's colorful and clever and has a 
great sense of humor.

[Linking back to Monday Mural 
at Oakland Daily Photo.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This beautiful model was the creation of a
Neapolitan cabinetmaker, Vincenzo
Pandolfi.  He began work on it in 1977 and 
finished 28 years later, shortly before
he died at the age of 98.  It's on display in
the church of Sant' Ignace di Loyola, in Rome.

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

The Weekend in Black and White

Is it just me, or does anyone else see
the face of Chewbacca in this tree?

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

Weekend Reflections

Up on the white marble roof of the beautiful
Oslo Opera House:  Love this place, 
but if I'm ever up there again I'll try not to trip 
and fall flat on my face (minor 
vacation miracle: nothing was broken).

[To see more weekend reflections, visit James's meme.]

Thursday Challenge—"close"

I happened by as they were planting
these hydrangeas one morning,
 and I decided to go back for a close-up.

 They're decorating a planter between
two rows of benches (with
dividers so you can't stretch out on
them) on Third Avenue.

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

ABC Wednesday—Q is for "quaint"

 . . . and also for "queen."  This is part of 
Marie-Antoinette's Petit Hameau, her little
escape from the rigors of being royalty.
(Don't blame her a bit—seriously, who would
want to live in the palace at Versailles?)

[To see more ABC posts, go here.]

nesting

Doesn't this robin have a well-decorated
home?  She'd probably like it if all
the people who've come to the garden to
admire her pretty tree would just go
home and leave her to sit on her nest in peace.

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

Monday Mellow Yellows

This past weekend was the Sakura Matsuri
cherry-blossom festival at the local
botanic garden.  Every year they put out
these Smiley Face chairs for
kids, and adults usually appropriate them.
(They either bought new chairs this
year or painted shades on all the old ones.)

[To see more Mellow Yellows, go here.]