Venezia, Italia - The Maze to Piazza San Marco

This I believe is my all-time favorite photo that I took.  It was a slightly drizzly fall day in Venice, and I was going around in a maze trying to find Piazza San Marco.  The map I bought at the railway station didn't help any even if it cost me €11 or €18 (whispers:  pretty souvenir though, with a high quality plastic packet/cover, hehe!).  But losing my way was still worth it 'cause I ended up exploring other areas and streets in Venice and came across the scene above.

It was of two people walking ahead of me.  They were in coats and hats.  And given the gloominess of the day, the aesthetics of Venice, and some dark underpinnings in the atmosphere of the scene, I had to capture this very Venice but not touristy scene (with a cellphone cam, alas, 'cause it was faster to just flip it out and shoot); before the two people walking ahead of me totally disappear from view.

I just love this photo and the characteristic Venice scene I feel it was able to evoke.  Glad the shot made it in time. And yeah, I made it to Piazza San Marco eventually.  :P

See my other Venice trip photos here and here.

Venezia, Italia - The Surreal Train Ride

After a Eurostar Trenitalia train ride from Florence, the scene above was what greeted me as I stepped out of the railway station in Venice.

Railway stations are of course similar wherever I went in Europe.  But on this Venice trip, I was really unprepared and quite stunned to behold the scene I captured above once out of the station.  Really unexpected, unique, and beautiful I just had to photograph it.  Hehe!

However, I must also say, there was one other moment I wish I had thought to photograph on this Venice trip. Like railway stations, a train ride is just about like any other train ride, except this one I took to Venice.  Because in the train on the way, as it got nearer to the station, there was an absolutely surreal scene.  So surreal and rather incredible that it just totally failed to enter my mind to photograph it.  It was like a scene off Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away...the train ride over the sea, minus the characters of course, hehe.  My train was seemingly gliding over the waters off Venice.  And I saw some gondolas and Venice structures afar.  Incredible.  I was really awed, so awed I failed to photograph it.  Lol!  Worth a return trip one day though, if only to record that train scene.  Perhaps next time.

Firenze, Italia - Of Whimsy, Cafe Bars and Gelato

Below are some of my favorite Florence, Italy trip pics.

I arrived in Florence on a rainy October night, after a long bus ride from Avignon, France.  I must say that my Florence trip is among my favorites.

The place is full of character.  Even the pension I stayed in used to be a religious property, along Via dei Seragli.  It's situated just across one of the old bridges spanning the Arno River.  And along the way, you get to walk past a few antique and design galleries with pieces I think you'd only find in Florence.  Very interesting indeed.

I like this photo 'cause it's a bit whimsical.  The Duomo is behind me and amid the gloom, there comes this burst of color and even more character from a lady's umbrella behind me; an umbrella with clouds against a sky blue background.  It's colors broke the gloominess of the photo's color theme as a consequence of the day's rainy fall weather -- a clean pop of white and blue against this gloomy backdrop.  Pretty fun seeing it.  Only in Florence I guess.  Lol.

2.  My cafe bar breakfast

Villeneuve Lez Avignon, France - A Recollection

Below is a collection of favorite photos I took while exploring the old part of the little town of Villeneuve Lez Avignon in France.  It's just across the River Rhone from the city of Avignon.  Avignon is actually the first city I went to on my first trip to France during the fall of 2005.  Not Paris.  So it has quite a memorable hold on me.  It also wasn't very touristy around that time I arrived, as compared with Italy, or Paris itself.  I was the lone tourist exploring the place, except for 3 Swiss visitors at Fort St. André.  Hehe!

 me and my map in hand, at the portal to Fort St.  André

1.  What seems to be an old church

Above is a bit of an arresting site.  I had to stop in my tracks and take a shot.  It seemed to be an old structure that was probably a church some long time ago, given the presence of a belfry at its top.  Or maybe it was actually still a church.  Add to that the structure of a low stone well in the foreground and I just had to photograph it.  hehe.


2.  Perspective of two schoolgirls walking

Two French schoolgirls probably walking home.  I like this scene and perspective when I chanced upon it.


3.  Old provincial French street