So, as it turns out,
that wasn't our last
continental sojourn !


We're just back from a
6 day stay in Beautiful . . .

* click on images to see the larger version.

What was nice was seeing how things happen without cars - like, lots of fit blokes with barrows delivering stuff everywhere. It's the most different city I've been to, and possibly the most beautiful.

We had an apartment away from the main tourist areas, which was lovely - feeling like we were just living amongst the locals, including hanging our washing out on those lines between the buildings.




The Venice Biennial Architecture was on while we were there ! - A wonderland for lovers of little model buildings and rooms turned into conceptual statements.



This was an interesting concept for elevated living centres integrated with farmlands, but the scenario is not without its trouble spots as illustrated here -

The Cafe was rather aggressively decorated. Like being inside a liquorice allsort.

Hungary's pavillion stole all the pencils from it's schoolchildren and put them on the ends of strings.

Czechoslovakia (Czech republic - the pavillions have been there for decades) had timber flying out through the door !

How lucky were we to have an almost full moon during our visit !

Five or six cruise liners are berthed at any one time, and as they come and go, they dwarf the neighbourhood.

* Little known fact : A large number of foxes have taken up residency in some of the better parts of town.

Canal life !

We took the trip (with ALL the other tourists) to the island of Murano, who's main claim to fame is the Venetian glass industry, and this is the closest we got to glass blowing. Which is not very close at all. There was only glass pinching and shaping going on here - to make glass animals.

We tried to look as stylish as the locals, to blend in.

Despite Michael wanting to avoid anything that looked like a tourist photo, I managed to get him and a gondola in the same frame ! This is Michael at the Rialto Bridge - which is behind me.

Light ! lovely light !

Looking back towards the mainland and Mestre.

Now, continuing my effort to capture the full range of
male style across Europe, here's some more !

and now . . . our first Blog Video !

Ok, that's enough for one day !

Here's the last selection of Rome photos !

( *click on the image to see the full-size version )

a bit of Roman street art !

Some of the stuff in the museums . . .

Beardy horse man gets amorous !

With these two faces, I felt they were somehow really modern -
like they could be walking around out in the street.

... this one, with the mist of the degraded image has a bit of mystery about it.
Ponderous !

This was the reformation of a room sized mural.
A room with the birds, flowers and fruit of an orchard.

You just cant surpass Rome on a beautiful warm afternoon as the sun gets low !


and finally . . .

a bit of Rome style.

Next : bits & pieces from our visit to dear old Australia.

* ALSO - If you want to see how my high street documentation project is going -
go here . . . www.glasgowstreet.org

Well ! This trip will take a few separate postings to cover all the gorgeousness of Rome !
So here's the first instalment . . .

( * remember - click on the photo to see the full-size version )

One of the many ancient things in Rome (with Michael and the Colosseum too)

Michael: I don't think I was quite prepared for the scale of the Colosseum (actually the correct name for this structure is the Flavian Amphitheatre). There was a great little exhibition (Divus Vespasianus) detailing the life of the emperor Vespasian who had this built.

Michael: This is a photo of the Arch of Constantine, which was built to commemorate the Battle of Milvian Bridge in which Constantine defeated his co-emperor Maxentius. There is a great painting of this battle in the Raphael Rooms (The Vatican), designed by Raphael but executed by one of his students. The Battle of Milvian Bridge is historically significant because Constantine believed that the Christian God gave him this victory and following this, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Everywhere in Rome - you dont have to worry about getting a drink - it's running the whole time.

Michael: It is quite an incongruous sight in an otherwise dry region, to see potable water flowing straight into the sewer. In any case, it appears that there is plenty of water in Rome and none need go thirsty.

The legend of Rome's founding is that two brothers were brought up by a she-wolf on one of the 7 hills of Rome.

Michael: The brothers were Romulus and Remus fathered by Mars, of a Vestal Virgin, and they were brought up on the Palatine. The founding myth is that they grew up and established Rome. This beautiful statue is near the Campidoglio (Capitol) piazza, which was designed by Michelangelo. Photos of this later.

Fine chiseled features everywhere !

It didn't matter where we went - or what we paid - all the coffee was fantastic !

Michael: Above are Piazza della Repubblica and the Fontana delle Naiadi (Fountain of the Naiads) close to our hotel. Very beautiful at night, as you can see.

Michael: I took the photo above from a vantage point on the Capitoline. The rather ugly white thing to the right is Il Vittoriano, a monument to modern Italy's first king, Vittorio Emanuele II. The buildings in the distance are set around the Piazza Venezia.

Lovely coconut gelati !

There was this restaurant in Trastevere where we found such a great atmosphere. It's a rather bohemian area.

Michael: Unfortunately we both forgot to photograph the interior of the restaurant, which was charmingly decorated with Chianti bottles (like this one). (Ian: in fact there weren't many surfaces not supporting a bottle of wine.)

This is one of the Quattro Fontane, four fountains on each corner of a busy (but narrow) intersection in central Rome near the Quirinal hill. This particular fountain represents the River Arno, symbolising Florence.

and the Colosseum at night.


O O O

Back to Glasgow for a tick - We had Guy Fawkes nite here on November 5th.

Brought back memories of 'Cracker night' in Brisbane. Of course, fireworks in the hands of the public were banned in the 1980's in Australia.