A Pinay in Europe

Still on London, the theme for today is  what every tourist to the city would like to try if not forced to riding.  It’s the London Underground or more popularly called The Tube.

I tried on many attempts to see most of the famous sights of London by foot, in a day, but I just could not do it.  It is so huge that it might take at least three days of non-stop walking if I am mad enough to take it even as a challenge.  London, at 1,572 sq.km. is one of the largest cities in the world that The Tube is an indispensable way to travel faster, that is, if you avoid the rush hour.  Last week we did just the opposite!  A few minutes before the “grand rush”, we decided to call our walking tour a day and descended  underground to catch our tube.  The overhead screen reads, ”the next tube will arrive in 4 minutes”, so we thought we could rest a bit, stepped back against the wall, leaving about two meter distance between us and the ramp.  Suddenly, a wave of humanity came rushing down the steps, short of a stampede, scaring the hell out of H, my sister-in-law (SIL) and me. 

“Let’s get out of here, quick!”, announced SIL as she grappled her way through the crowd.

Five minutes later, we were drinking coffee at the basement level of a Lebanese Eatery nearby with the main purpose of killing time while the underground mob abated.  We returned after one hour and rightly so, the crowd is gone, everything was quiet again and we caught our tube in peace.

If I get the chance to go back to London on my own, I would like to explore The Tube further.  I shall spend an entire day hopping on and off - outside the peak hours of course -not only to check on all the 287 tube stations but also to do my favorite activity - people watching.  While I was doing my research on this subject, I came across vast numbers of passenger photos revolving around this mode of transport, very interesting, if not funny!

In the meantime, let’s just make do with what I have in my archives :) 

King’s Cross St. Pancras is the biggest interchange station on the London Underground.

The best known symbol of the Underground is the bar and circle, also known as the roundel.

The roundel where the word “UNDERGROUND” written across the bar has become a symbol for London itself.

Entrance to the Victoria tube station

 

Victoria is the busiest station in the London underground.

Harry Beck, designer of the tube map in 1933, waspaid only five guineas for his original job. His design is still the basis of today’s tube map.

The tube map gets re-drawn constantly as new stations or extensions are added.

It is the oldest underground railway in the world with the first section opened in 1863, the reason why the rail tracks and platforms are narrow, creating the most-dreaded rush hour human traffic.

And the carriages are smaller because people were smaller when they were built in the 1860’s.

As to the tube widely used for advertising, some ad companies complain that they don’t get the expected response after spending as much as 3,000£ on the London underground.  Well, personally, I love scanning on the posters, same as this lady is staring at one. 

 

But the majority are just too in a hurry in catching their tube connections that they don’t even notice the art-sy adverts.

It’s only while waiting for the train itself that one is forced to look at the ads. 

One-or several-man concerts are usually found playing on the underground.  This is called busking, as they play music in public for money.  Busking is strictly controlled so only the good musicians are granted license to perform.  If you will notice a coloured half-moon on the station floor, such as the one where this violinist on the photo is standing, it is the pitch reserved for the performers.   

All 409 escalators of the total 287 stations do the equivalent of two round the world trips every week.

And this is The Tube,  inside up close. 

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The skies were grey over London that day - which is typical and an inseparable part of the city’s landscape - and indeed we should count ourselves lucky that it did not rain, great to keep my camera out of the bag. 

Photographing under low light situations is quite tricky though, most of my shots came out very dark but then I realize, that’s what London is all about, the sober images of old brick-red buildings towering over silhouettes of trees, people and all.  It is exactly that which gives the city a very unique atmosphere.

Let’s start the photowalk, starting at the Liverpool Street station.

Sculptures relating to the sufferings of the Jews during the Nazi era are scattered in various cities of Europe and they all create very poignant emotions to the viewer.  This one installed in Liverpool Street Station is the work of Venezuelan-born Flor Kent in 2003.  It commemorates the Kindertransport - the name given to the rescue mission by which Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria; Chzechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig were saved from the Nazis and moved to England.    

Catching a connecting tube at the Victoria Station, this image of Queen Victoria is a familiar sight on coins, stamps, jewelry, etc.

 

The Victoria & Albert Museum building viewed from Exhibition Road

Black cabs no more, London taxis now come out in a variety of colours

….and popularly used for advertising brands.

Michelin jackets are a common sight in the winter but to have them all in orange is quite an attention-getter!  Seen from the window of the Natural History Museum just across the road. 

The cathedral-looking building of the Natural History Museum (1881), seen at the corner of Cromwell and Exhibition roads

Exhibition Road

They are often called Boris Bikes, referring to London’s Mayor Boris Johnson who, during his administration, that the public bicycle scheme was launched, although it was the idea of his predecessor, Ken Livingston.  Barclays, as the name written on the bikes, is one of UK’s biggest bank and is a sponsor to the scheme.

A milestone dated 1911 located on the southside of Knightsbridge and east of the Royal Albert Hall.

Kensington Gore, the curving street next to the Royal Albert Hall. 

Royal Albert Hall, 1871

The mosaic frieze outside the Royal Albert Hall depicting “The Triumph of Arts and Sciences”.

The Royal College of Music, 1882

 

Wrought iron gates at Kensington Gardens

qlblert

A walk along the plane trees at Kensington Gardens

 Inside the garden is a seated statue of Prince Albert under a gothic-style pavilion.  It is known as the Albert Memorial (1872).

Designed by Sir George Gilbert, it was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband, Prince Albert who died of typhoid in 1861.

From the memorial, you can see a good view of the Royal Albert Hall across the road.  The white sculpture forms the outer corner part of the Albert Memorial 

The four inner corners of the pavilion consist of sculptures depicting Victorian arts and sciences.  This is the Engineering sculpture, the other three are Manufacturing, Commerce and Agriculture.

The four sculptures on the outer corners represent the four continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.  The one on the picture is that of Europe.

From Kensington Gardens, we crossed the road and walked through Hyde Park searching for Princess Diana’s memorial but the gate to her fountain memorial was locked so we turned our attention to this interesting statue instead.

Isis, a sculpture beside the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park, by Simon Gudgeon

Isis is the Egyptian  goddess of nature and was made the symbol of an ambitious appeal to raise £2.2 million towards the new Isis Education Centre.

Here is a plaqued dedication of a satisfied group of tourists of the city.  Other dedications come from companies, private individuals and even in memory of a departed loved one. 

At her base there are 1,000 plaques available for personal dedication. Every plaque helps raise vital funds towards the new Isis Education Centre, an exciting facility where young people can learn about the natural world in the middle of the city.

There is a limited number of plaques remaining, so dedicate an Isis plaque today and help thousands of children discover the wonders of nature at the Isis Education Centre….http://www.supporttheroyalparks.org/explore/isis

Finished with our garden-hopping and night is falling anyway, it’s time to find the nearest underground station, where else but in Knighstbridge.  And oh, since we are already there, might as well take a night shot of Harrods and the London cabs.

It’s the Sale season, the best time to shop!

Next on “A Pinay in Europe”:  The Victoria & Albert Museum, London

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The original plan of a one-week’s stay in Southeast England unfortunately was cut to a mere three days when H suddenly received a call necessitating us to be in Paris immediately.  The good thing is, we still were able to do London in a day but limited only to a couple of museums, a garden and aimless walking.

But first, let us start with some people-watching snaps:

The double-decker bus uploading passengers near the Albert Memorial

Waiting for the bus near the Victoria and Albert Museum

Walking along the Natural History Museum building with the dome of the Royal Albert Hall in the background

Taking some souvenir shots before leaving the Natural History Museum

An Asian tourist videoing the rock display at the Natural History Museum

 

An art student doing good progress in her drawing..

My dream to step foot at the V&A museum has finally happened albeit it was just a quick tour.  Next time, I shall spend an entire day scrutinizing the works of art, like this gentleman.  Entrance is free anyway!  

A visit to the V&A seemingly is part of every London student’s curriculum.

The most pleasant moment we had was the coffee break at the V&A café.  The place is a museum masterpiece in itself!

Time to go home but first, I need to find out the tube connections that would take us to the train station

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As H and I will be heading for England tomorrow for some important business, I’d like to  take this opportunity to revive this site’s “Theme” days with “Very British” things as a starter.  I will post a lot of photos when I come back in a week’s time, hopefully, about London and its museums, markets and of course, the inevitable “people-watching”!

Meanwhile, enjoy the images:

The famous line in every description of an English countryside is her “gentle rolling hills and green pastures”, ideal for hiking… when it’s not raining.

Spring is when the woods of England are covered with carpets of blue bells, absolutely glorious!

A trip to England is not complete without trying their legendary - and greasy -  fish and chips

One thing that I admire about this country is their passion for classic cars.  When you see one like this plying on the road, you know you are in England!

UK is the land of hanging plants or container gardening.

Every village, town or city would have a Charity Shop, great to buy vintage and good quality stuff for pennies!

Where would you find breakfast served all day?  Only in the UK!

The Saturday/Sunday Car Boot Sales is always a crowd-drawer

Only in Britain that houses sport names!  It is an old custom which began with the gentry naming their manors, halls, and castles. The local folks followed suit and the names are often related to the houses’ distinguishing features such as Oak Cottage, Rose Cottage,  Orchard House, etc.

Hilarious traffic signs! This one was introduced in 1981 following a children’s competition!

Clone houses

In Britain, they drive on the wrong side of the road so if you are not sure where to look, there’s a sign to remind you.

These brightly coloured beach huts are an indispensable part of the British seaside

And last but not least, these British reds…

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Our heart goes out to all the victims of the Costa Concordia cruise ship that sank yesterday, Friday the 13th, off the coast of Tuscany.  The vessel was carrying more than 4,000 people, among them 1,000 crew members of various nationalities including Filipinos. 
This disaster touched our hearts deeply as cruise holidaymakers are a regular sight to where we are in the South of France and to every port cities we went to like Corfu (Greece), Barcelona (Spain), Venice (Italy) among others.  

It’s quite interesting meeting these people of different backgrounds and while we are pleased to play the role of tourist guides when they come asking for directions, we also get to hear their life-aboard-a-ship stories, sometimes hilarious and oftentimes disastrous.  

Just last summer, while having our lunch at a restaurant in Beune,  we got chatting with an American couple who were part of a Rhone river cruise that stopped over in this wine capital of the Burgundy region and how all-ears we were in listening to their cruise experience which started in Arles, in the south of France, culminating in Paris eight days after that.  In the end, they were so appreciative of finally meeting an English-speaking couple like us who gave them a quick introduction to French life, culture and traditions. 

H and I, even if our travelling preference is via the car that also serves as our mobile home, we do dream of going on a cruise holiday when the right time comes.  And if you will ask me where - it had to be the Norwegian Fjords Cruise where we could get to witness the spectacular Northern Lights and the stunning scenery of the Norwegian fjord coast with its steep mountains and charming fishing villages. 

Before I get carried away dreaming, here are some photos about Cruising:

While waiting for the ferry that would take us to a 24-hour Adriatic crossing to Corfu, Greece, I couldn’t help but gawk at this pretty jaw-dropping sight!

This P&O M/v Aurora moored in Venice port is a mid-sized cruise ship ideal for world cruising. It can accommodate up to 1,878 passengers in 939 cabins, with a maximum crew of 936.

Like home sweet home.

A cruising boat moored in Vienne along the Rhone River. 

In September 2010, a cousin whom I have not seen for the last 35 years came to Monaco via this ship, Ruby Princess.   Monaco was one of the ports of call of their 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruise holiday.   This ship which has a capacity of 3,070 persons and 2.5 times heavier than the Titanic is so huge it could easily fit ten conventional hotels.

After a stopover of six hours, they slowly sailed away accompanied by a “harbor pilot” whose role is to guide big ships so they can safely get out of the harbour.

Cannes is one of the most popular cruise destinations in the French Riviera.  The port can accommodate up to three giant liners in a single day.

We saw “The World” moored in Venice when we were there four years ago.  It is the world’s largest private yacht—a floating residential community owned by her residents. The residents, currently from 40 different countries, live on board as the ship slowly circumnavigates the globe—staying in most ports from 2 to 5 days. Some residents live onboard full time while others visit their floating home periodically throughout the year.

The World flies a Bahamas flag and has a gross tonnage of 43,524 tons. The vessel is 644 feet long, 98 feet wide, and has a 22 foot draft, 12 decks, and a maximum speed of 18.5 knots. The crew numbers is 250.

The ship has 165 residential units (106 apartments, 19 studio apartments, and 40 studios), all owned by the ship’s residents. The ship carries between 100 and 300 residents and their guests.

This is our ferry sailing past the mountains of Albania as it slowly cruises its way to Corfu in Greece.

While sailing on New Year’s Day from Corfu to Venice,  we got treated with cake and ouzo by the cruise management, unfortunately, there were no fireworks!

 

A cruise ship moored in Corfu waters. 

Filipino crewmembers having fun in Corfu town while on a brief stopover from their Christmas Cruise duties.

Note: As I write this, most of the victims have been rescued save for 60 unaccounted for and three confirmed dead.

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Christmas has come and gone three weeks ago but everytime we drive through the streets at night, I am left spellbound, like a little girl under a magic spell, as I marvel at the festive lights twinkling in enchanting patterns and colours, until yesterday, when I noticed that they are gone, put away by the workers of the Mairie.  This morning, I even saw a Christmas light frame left leaning on the wall of our building and I suddenly felt a bit emotional  knowing that I will have to wait for another 11 1/2 months before they are back up again!

Bye-bye Christmas…see you again later this year.

Which brings me to the subject of this belated Christmas post.  I have never shown you photos of the creche  I mentioned in an earlier  article about the traditional Nativity Scenes they hold annually in our region.  I am posting them here as well as those I saw in Italy.  The various styles remind me of the British school teacher we have befriended in Malaysia about ten years ago.  Upon learning that we are going home to the Philippines for our Christmas holiday, she requested if we could buy her our very own native version of the creche.  She is collecting nativity images from around the world, you see, and I can just imagine these tiny sculpted images filling her home every Christmas season!

Here are the photos:

La Brigue, Roya Valley, France

La Brigue, Roya Valley, France

You will notice that the image of the infant Jesus is not in the scene,  I read somewhere that traditionally, it is to be put there only on Christmas eve.  
La Brigue, Roya Valley, France

Life-size wooden cuts outs
Breil-sur-Roya, Roya Valley, France

Inside the church of Saorge
Saorge, Roya Valley, France

Saorge, Roya Valley, France

Fontan, Roya Valley, France

Nativity Christmas fruits.  This one shows miniature images inside a pear, I’m not really sure if it’s of wood.

Fontan, Roya Valley, France

Creche made of recycled buttons, bamboo crafts and all
San Remo, Italy

An Italian creche has to be in a Piaggio ape…cool!
San Remo, Italy

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H and I were walking back home after a quick tour of the abandoned cemetery of our village when we spotted our 87-year old neighbour, Monsieur Zed*** , walking hurriedly towards our direction.  A fair-looking 32-ish man on a bike was pedalling next to him and judging by the number of bags straddled on both sides of his bicycle, I could tell that he is doing a cycling adventure on two wheels.

“Bonjour, Monsieur Zed*** !” 

“Bonjour”, the old chap replied panting.  He lives 3 doors away from us and unlike the 90% of the population of our village who disappears for the entire duration of the winter, he, on the other hand, lives all-year round alone in his home but is active enough to be seen walking the streets whatever time of day it is.  “I am going to show this gentleman the pique-nique grounds where he could camp for the night.  He was asking about the village campsite but as you know it is closed for the winter.  

Just ten meters away from where we stood, I could see the biker exploring the green spot equipped with some tables and benches.

“That would be a quiet place for him, pretty hidden from view and a toilet nearby.  But he speaks little French.”

“I could talk to him.  I’m English.”, H proudly offered.

By this time, the biker was heading back towards us and by the looks in his eyes, he seemed to be pleased with his future outdoor bedroom.

We started chatting in English telling him that there’s probably no problem pitching his tent on that spot as long as he doesn’t make it too obvious.  He told us that he had been cycling for the last one and a half-months, started in London and travelled all the way down here hoping to reach Turin in Italy in few days.  He is from Sydney, Australia and could not believe himself why he chose to travel in the Winter. 

“The beauty of Winter is that it is quiet, no tourist crowds”, says H. 

Walking home, I kept thinking about him.  H and I have already met amazing people - young students, families, middle-aged couples and solo travellers like him embarking on such extraordinary adventures.  They simply started with a dream, believed in themselves that they can do it and went on to turning that dream into reality. It may not have brought them financial gain but it certainly made a big difference.  Personal fulfillment perhaps, a higher self-esteem, but certainly a greater sensitivity to the feelings and needs of others especially the less fortunate …. 

“Why don’t we invite him tonight for some apperitivo?” H asked me unexpectedly.  “He would surely welcome the idea of sitting infront of the fire enjoying some wine and finger foods with us and it could be very interesting  to listen to his travel story.”

But it was never meant to be.   The next morning, H’s iPhone thermometer app gave a reading of -3°C! 

“Oh my goodness! I hope he did not freeze in his sleep!”

“He would be okay.  With the right sleeping bag, he would be kept warm by his own body heat.  He would be on the road by now, anyway.  Winter cyclists usually start very early, that’s the only way to keep themselves warm again.”

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Long before I came across the term “urban exploration”, my fascination about abandoned structures for purposes of photography was already rife.  How I used to take delight in taking shots of Spanish church ruins in my country, the overgrown cemeteries in the islands which have been forgotten by time and by the departed’s family,  even those old factories that have been closed down and condemned.  

This weird interest would continue and when I discovered the essence of “Urban Exploration” from the photo magazines I subscribed to, this fascination turned to passion!  Abandoned structures are great photographic subjects.  They speak of history.  They serve as my connection to a bygone era. 

So when H and I went for our after-lunch walk yesterday and passed by this ancient and abandoned cemetery of our village, my excitement started rising!   We stumbled upon this spot a couple of years ago but that was in the summer when the entire grounds was in itself buried under  the wild vegetation.  We could barely see the centuries old tombs much less walk through the thorned overgrowth.  Today, the place seemed to have just been recently cleared, thanks to the Mairie (local authorities)  except for the side areas where few headstones and rusting grave iron fencing are peeking out from the course shrubbery. 

A neighbour in her 90s who grew up in the village told us that the Mayor’s office decided to close down this cemetery because of rock erosion which could pose danger to visitors.  Indeed, while I was standing on that spot trying to photograph a headstone, I heard a rock crashing down next to me and when I looked, it was just inches away…I quickly ran for my life!   

The burial ground ’s position at the foot of a rocky hill could have been a lovely and peaceful setting except that the rocks became unsteady and started crumbling down so a new cemetery was created just few hundred meters away.

This thickly invaded grave seems to be crying out to be cleared.

It is crying in Latin…

This one is engraved in Italian owing to the village’s history of once a part of Italy.  The triangular roofing is typical to snow-prone mountainous regions such as ours.  It symbolizes protection from the falling snow.

A shrine of the Virgin still left standing

An iron grave fencing

The tower of the church of the village seen from the cemetery gate.

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Daily Photos

31 December 2011

Spent the last day of the year in San Remo, Italy and we enjoyed it so much we even extended our stay till the next day. So much photographic opportunities, but first, the Christmas lights….

San Remo, Ligurian Coast, Italy

30 December 2011

Everytime we go to Ventimiglia, we always drive around a roundabout (rotonda) that is beautifully landscaped with cacti, a form of advertisement by a cactus store. This Christmas season, look what the store has done…. a cacti Christmas tree!

Ventimiglia, Italy

29 December 2011

What is this small structure protruding… suspended …hanging out from a building?

A toilet. We see them in many rural villages of France and Italy. It’s because in the old days, houses had no toilets so people just went out to the field to answer the call of nature. Later on, a public restroom was installed by the local authority where residents had to queue up for their turn. It was only in the beginning of the 70s when new houses were built with inside toilets. But old houses have no space for this important fixture so owners had to smash a portion of their wall to build a small extension..voila, the modern village toilet!

Saorge, France

28 December 2011

We went hiking up Breil-sur-Roya today and saw this picture-frame perspective of the village.

This commercial property off the main road seems to be changing tenants each year. One time it was operating as a real estate agency, then a fastfood shop, and now, a funeral services office. I wonder what’s next?

Breil-sur-Roya, France

27 December 2011

All cities, towns, villages and even hamlets in France have an office building for the local Maire (Mayor) and this one with the French flag is one of our village.

Roya Valley, France

A nice day for walking today. Our house maybe freezing cold but as soon as we step out to a blue sky, it’s warm and beautiful! The walls of our 200-year old house is something like one meter in width so it takes an awful lot of time to get it heated!

Roya Valley, France

26 December 2011

We did our after-Christmas walk in San Remo. This liberty-style (Italian term for Art Nouveau) casino built in 1905 is one of the oldest in Italy, in fact, one of only four “real” casinos operating in the country. In 1924, as part of Mussolini’s Fascist ideology, he banned gambling and closed down all the casinos except this one of Sanremo.

It’s not only cute, it has also gone artistic - that’s the Piaggio ape with the painting of Sanremo’s old town.

25 December 2011

Here’s wishing all followers of Pinay in Europe a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year! …. from Mariadams and H

24 December 2011

The love padlocks of Ventimiglia, Italy

23 December 2011

Just at the edge of the medieval village of La Brigue is this horseshoe-shaped apiary. An apiary is a place where beehives of honeybees are kept. There are about 90 apiaries in this region of the Roya Valley, most of them dated as early as the 17th century.

The shape of the apiary wall is meant to protect the hives from predators.

The sign, Rucher du Patrimoine, translates to “Heritage Apirary”, which means it forms part of the National Patrimony and is a protected area.

La Brigue, France

22 December 2011

It’s a pleasure driving through our valley, it’s like travelling in time with bits of modern infrastructure. Here seen is an elevated railway of the Nice (France) - Cuneo (Italy) line.

21 December 2011

The Bay of Montecarlo. Notice the building on top.

It’s like tip-toeing on the rocks!

Monaco

20 December 2011

Our newly-baked bread fresh from the oven!

We call this bedroom - the Blue Room. The piece of wood on the wall is a “maid bell”. Not that we have a maid. About a century ago, big multi-level houses like this one belonged to wealthy families where the maids stayed in the ground floor or basement while the former lived upstairs. Each floor of the house has a bell connected by a string that runs from the lower floors all the way to the top floor, so that if the master needs the maid’s attention, he only had to pull the wood (as shown) which would stretch the string connected to a bell.

19 December 2011

We were driving on the busy Via Aurelia tonight which is dazzling with a kaleidoscope of Christmas lights and I thought, what a great moment to practice on creative photography! The car was moving so this is the result…

18 December 2011

Too cold to go out for my photo-a-day project so I just toyed around in the house looking for a good photogenic corner…

17 December 2011

This muscovy duck posing for my camera. Fascinating bird!

Breil sur Roya, France

16 December 2011

Passed by this supermarket with a sculpture of recycled shopping trolleys. Nice and great for a greener environment!

Draguignan, Provence, France

15 December 2011

The lower trunk of this plane tree looks like a giant face!

Flayosc, Provence

14 December 2011

One of the things that we learned from working in that B&B in Tuscany is the art of making bread. Here H is giving finishing touches to the dough before he puts it in the oven.

13 December 2011

Stopped by in Lucca today on our way back home to France. The tree-topped tower in the background is the 14th century Torre Guinigi, a famous landmark of the town.

Tuscany, Italy

The Piazza Anfiteatro is an elliptical “square”, so named because it was the site of a Roman amphitheater and over the passage of time, houses started cropping up over the ruins.

Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

12 December 2011

Went for a pizza tonight to celebrate the last day of our Tuscan adventure. This is my pizza….

… and this is H’s. We always order different flavours then share half-half, that way, we can taste two kinds of pizzas in one meal!

11 December 2011

An old family photo enlarged and posted on the wall is a very pretty feature for a house. I just have to dig on our old photo chest…

The lobby of the bed-and-breakfast hotel where we work in Tuscany, Italy

10 December 2011

This sculpture in the village of Gavorrano is in memory of its miners who died on duty. The town had a very prosperous mining history owing to the abundance of iron sulphate in the area.

After Gavorrano, we visited Ravi, another medieval village with its old brick red houses and walls.

09 December 2011

Walked this two kilometer dirt road of the Coastal Nature Park of Scarlino to see the rugged bay of Calamartino and look who we met on the road! These two horsemen are wearing the traditional costumes of Maremma, a region of southern Tuscany.

The splashing waves of Calamartina.

Went beachcombing and here is our treasure trove: the snorkel mask is in very good condition, made in France! The tupperware is also another find, very practical for some Maremma sand!
Tuscany, Italy

08 December 2011

Shrines in Italy are just about every corner. Most of them are as old as three generations combined but this particular one looks new.

Tuscany, Italy
07 December 2011

H trying to get a souvenir piece from a cork tree. I tell you, it’s awfully tough to peel it off when you are only using your bare hands…

Tuscany, Italy

06 December 2011

We took a day trip to Florence today. This is the famous Duomo also known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

I won’t leave Florence without buying a fridge magnet, but there are just too many to choose from, some very naughty though! Actually.I ended up not buying anything at all because I procrastinated…

04 December 2011

Lovers at sunset.

Punta Ala

Watching the sunset at Punta Ala, a popular resort and marina half an hour from Scarlino.

03 December 2011

It’s a fingerfood party for 22 people tonight at the hotel so another chef was called to prepare the very delicate way of preparing food in stylish miniature containers!

02 December 2011

How can I describe the country of La Dolce Vita?

01 December 2011

We finally made it to Pitigliano after driving for 3 hours! But it’s well worth it….

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- Spending the day in the beautiful seaside town of the Italian Riviera - San Remo 

- Watching the last sunset of the year

- Doing one of our most favorite activity - Walking.  We must have walked close to  about 10 kms of the seaside promenade plus the streets of the old town.

- Watching thousands of birds fly crazily in synchronized movement, a strange activity they do at dawn before going to their nest to roost.

 

-Swaying to the beat of beautiful music rendered by these great performers.  Very uplifting to the soul!

- Doing another of our favorite activity - exploring a medieval town for the last time, before 2011 ends.

- Stumbling upon this amazing sight - the roots of a Magnolia tree like a monster’s arms invading this old wall.

- Doing the countdown from H’s favorite spot on earth - a traditional fishing port

- Ending the year with a successful first time attempt at Fireworks Photography albeit the cluttered foreground.

- Learning a new trick in photography.  I love it! 

- Watching an art exhibition at the elegant 4-star Hotel de Paris.  That made my day!

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