Sharing

I always look upon these Sharing posts as a two-fold opportunity - I can bring your attention to some of the wonderful posts I've found in the past few days and put up some of the photos that I'm frankly too damn lazy haven't had time to get to as photo essays. This time around its some photos from my Torino, Genova, Parma opera week back in late October.

This fascinating bronze entitled "Out of Africa" was prominently placed in the lobby of the Teatro Regio di Torino. I have mixed reactions to it - it is a beautiful piece but something about it disturbs me.

More often than not the holy water fonts in churches here are either dry or have a small bowl of water placed in them. But in Torino's Chiesa di San Filippo Neri the font was more a fountain of holy water.

• And talking about sharing, Michelle at Bleeding Espresso has been good enough to share her nonna's polpette (meatball) recipe. Guess what we're having for dinner on Sunday night?

Il Museo Egizio in Torino has one of the finest - and stunningly displayed - collections of Egyptomania in Europe. I was particularly taken with this gold and lapis necklace. The pyramid as a display may be the obvious choice but it is subtly handled. Click for a close up.

The gates of the Palazzo Reale in Torino are a direct steal from Versailles but wasn't every palace in Europe?

• My friends Larry and Vincenzo spent Capodanno (New Year's) with Vin's family in Sicily. They made a trip over to Taormina to see the sights and Larry found some rather pretty, if unusual, Christmas decorations.
  

That's the house of Christopher Columbus in Genova sticking up in middle way back there. His front yard is now a parking lot for motorinos - that's one way to destroy the lawn and bring down prices in the neighbourhood.

This altar in il Duomo di San Lorenz once held relics of San Giovanni Baptista, the patron saint of Genova. His story is retold in the stone carvings in and around the altar. I'm constantly fascinated by the use of coloured marble throughout the churches in Italy - designs and colours always created to take the eye to a focus point.

• Evilgnome calls the Fenway home in Boston, sadly last week he saw part of what makes his neighbourhood so unique destroyed by fire. And as he remarks when the Mom and Pop stores leave a neighbourhood so does much of its character.
  

Though the waterfront in Genova has been restored - and magnificently - its is still separated from the historic centre by an elevated freeway. There is no way to see this fascinating painted facade the way it was meant to be seen - approaching from the water.

A complete replica of a Turkish galleon is moored beside the Aquarium on the waterfront. It was original created for some Roman Polanski film and is now a tourist attraction. The Neptune figurehead is a great example of the carver's art.

• My darling Dora introduced me to two of the feistiest ladies in Blogdom: Margaret and Helen are two 80-somethings who chat on their blog - Margaret from Maine and Helen from Texas. They've known each other for over 60 years and their outspoken - often salty - take on the world is often amusing, always insightful and invariably controversial. They even have their own on-line store.

The Cross of St George (red cross - white background) features in the coat of arms of many cities throughout the world. It's the municipal coats of arms in both Milano and Genova in Northern Italy - as in the New World it is in Montréal

I only intended to pop into the Aquarium in the harbour for a few minutes and ended up spending over 2 hours. Though not a fan of zoos or the like I found a peaceful fascination in the unusual sea fauna. I really must post a few more to these shots of jelly fish, I found them incredibly beautiful.

• And speaking of beautiful, my friend Lotus Green is constantly revealing the beauty of the Japanese influence on our world. Her December 30 post on Fireworks is as spectacular as New Year's Eve display. And her post naked is a enchanting mixture of the visual and the aural.

08 gennaio - San Lorenzo Giustiniani

Christmasy Things - Sharing

Once again many of my blog buddies are posting items special to the time of year - oh hell let's call it what it is: Christmas. Its not the Holiday Season, its not the Festive Season, its Christmas damn it! C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S!!!!! Okay sorry I promise not to rant but this bloody PC attitude to my religious (and secular) traditions is really starting to get to me. Anyway as I was saying quite a few friends are posting some great Christmas memories and items and I'd like to share them - plus it gives me an excuse to post some of my Munich Kristkindlmarkt photos.

Unfortunately the rain made photo taking a bit difficult without magical settings and an expensive camera but the entrance to the fair in the Marienplatz at night was quite magical.

Though only one of the 16 or 17 Christmas Fairs throughout Munich, the one in Marienplatz is the most well known ... and photographed. We also managed to see the Airport Kristkindlmarkt, the charming childs market in the Residenz Palace, the Medieval Market in Wittelsbacher Platz and the wonderful Creche market in the Ridderplatz. We missed the Gay Christmas Market but that will have to wait until next year.

You want decorations? They got decorations! Cookies? Yep! Candies? You betcha! 1/2 metre long hot dogs? You should ask! And while you're shopping have a hot spiced wine. Sorry guys but Walmart just ain't the same.

• Some of you may have met Doris before - she would be EG's mother and to quote him, " Just remember though, Doris is only funny when she isn't happening to YOU!" One of my favorite Doris stories involves the Christmas tree, a gin bottle and some nails. But don't let me spoil it, just go over to EG and read all about Doris and Oh tannenbaum!

And of course the many shops and department stores have their displays and windows. How about a lego Santa? Why not Neiman-Marcus is selling life-size lego statues as their His and Hers item this year.

There may not be quite the same flair up North as we see in Italy but every so often a window would jump right out at you!

And there was the occasional display that suggested there might be, what could be thought of as, an Italianate influence.

• And another Boston buddy RG has once again shared his story of the first Christmas he and his mom, Justine, were on their own. As I said to him: good stories are worth repeating, great stories are worth repeating again and again. Between EG and RG they've given us two great stories.

One of the market stalls had every type of mold you'd want for stamping Springerle, those wonderful sugar dusted cookies sometimes scented with cardamon other times with anise.

They even had one for Struwwelpeter (Shockheaded Peter) - that slovenly anti-hero of German childrens' books. Laurent had never heard of him and the punishments meted out to misbehaving children. Good solid lessons to be learned by good boys and girls.

But most of the wood carvings were of a religious nature and meant for home creches.

• Jeff has been posting a riot of Santas over at his world. There's a sackful of great videos, songs and proof that Santa's a Meany. ; There's so much I can't single out one so just go over to World o'Jeff start at the top and work your way down - sort of like Santa coming down the chimney.

Laurent seems to have a thing for bears and 1/2 metre long rotwurstl!

13 dicembre - Santa Lucia da Siracusa

Mercolidi Musicale

Today's Mercolidi Musicale is dedicated to my blog buddy the notorious EG. Last week Tony wrote a great piece on music, memories and aging. I tried to think of a comment - you know something witty, wacky and wild but decided this number from Stephen Sondheim's Follies was the best comment to make.



In 1971 I gave up a chance to see a matinee of Follies to go to the 55th Street Playhouse and see Boys in the Sand - talk about the stupidity of youth!

In Everything Was Possible, his remarkable book on the making of Follies, Ted Chapin recalls how as the run progressed Yvonne De Carlo had trouble remembering her lyrics. She encountered problems in this clip but still gives a powerhouse performance.

And Tony, those last lines are for you:

Lord knows, at least I was there.
And I'm here!
Look who's here!
I'm still here!

20 agosto - San Bernardo

Un Piccolo Giardino nella Citta*

*That's a close as I can come to a translation of a PBS programme - A Small City Garden - I use to watch every Saturday morning about 15 years ago. A clenched jawed Boston matron, Thalasa Caruso if memory serves because a Google search doesn't, dished out advise on how to make your little corner of urbana green and floral.

When I look at EvilGnome's gardening pictures I get a real twinge of regret that we left our beauitful but large garden behind. About this time of the year - even before the snow had completely gone - the wonderful smell of regeneration was in the air. I knew it would mean a great deal of work in the days ahead but it also meant a great deal of pleasure.

Well that's in the past and I'm now tending a 6' by 20" blue-tiled balcony pot garden four floors up. I guess the nice thing is that garden clean up took about an hour today and most of that was spent sweeping up the dirt left behind by the heavy rains and city pollution. That and attempting not to send dust and debris floating down onto the Fascist Grouch's balcony below - if our upstairs neighbours do it that's okay they're Italian but we are stranari (foreigners)and uomosexuale and since the Fascists are now in power ...
There is still a good deal of pleasure in seeing plants that had been dormant over the winter break into leaf. And even in my pot garden, as so often happened in the past, I am finding things that I don't recall being there last fall.
While digging around in one of the jasmine pots I came across what looked like a clump of clover that had hitched a ride from somewhere. A bit of research suggests that since it is springing from a bulb it is probably a type of woodland sorrel. Whatever it is I've put it in a pot - every little bit of green helps!
The day lily, which had its last blooms in early November, has already sent out four flower stalks and seems to have its share of hitchhikers. As well as a very health ivy, a slender tendril festooned with round leaves and tiny snapdragon-like blossoms has made an unexpected appearance. The flowers have a faint purple throat with a splash of yellow and are half the size they appear in the enbiggened photo.
I've never been very good at remembering the names of plants but given the fragrance and the appearance of the flowers I would say this is either jasmine of some type or frangipani. Can anyone tell from looking at the pictures? There is a massive bed of them below us and even four stories up we get the incredible scent.The only thing that appearance to have been lost over the winter - and yes we get winter here - was the hibiscus but I'll just wait and see. Meanwhile the cascading plant around it - again be damned if I know the name - is sending out delicate white flowers, individually and in clumps.

I've just noticed that our ground floor neighbour - a charming lady - and her two boys have been out raking the leaves in their garden and the maintenance staff have been cutting the grass. Two less things I have to do in my piccolo giardino - hmmm that twinge of regret is getting less and less noticeable.

01 maggio - San Guiseppe di Antioch

Oh Lord I Am Not Worthy

My friend Tony over at EvilGnome scored pretty high for a heathen on this Bible Quiz; not being competitive or anything but:

You know the Bible 93%!

 

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

Sorry that wasn't very Christian was it????? And like Tony I'm wondering why I can remember those things but not my Bancomat pin number!

29 aprile - Santa Caterina da Sienna

Sharing

It's been a while since I've shared the wealth of postings that are out there on my favorite blogs, not because I haven't been checking things out but mostly because I've gotten lazy. There's been a kind of lethargy settled over our place the last month or so - call it the post-winter blahs, big-city depression, whatever but its certainly had its effect on my blogging activity. It took me almost a week to get a posting done on the very exciting Fidelio I experienced two weeks ago; and I still haven't posted anything about the two Vatican visits last weekend - but they are in the works. Maybe by Pentecost???

Here are a few things that I've read and enjoyed over the past few weeks.

• One of my great inspirations when I first started blogging, the incredible Lynette over at Big Ass Belle posted a piece on prayer God's Golden Spotlight back at the end of March - yes its been that long since I shared. It came at a time for me when prayer seems to have, in a small way, reentered my life. And it's great to see Lynette posting again, even if for the moment it is only off and on.

This alms slot is at the portal of the now closed Church of St Giacomo in Augusto which was built to serve the former hospital for the incurables.

• The newly shaven EvilGnome had an unusual sighting in the middle of Boston earlier this week. And his camera has come in handy for capturing the birds that are flocking to his neighbourhood. And in his wry way he shared his thoughts as he looked in the mirror razor in hand.

This funeral monument set in the floor at Santa Maria dei Aracoeli was commissioned to commemorate the burial spot of an important personage for eternity. Ironically their name and face has been erased by the footsteps of centuries of worshipers and tourists.

• As well as changing her profile picture (you can't mistake those naughty eyes) Sageweb had a transcendental experience in the grocery aisle that had me in stitches. And she ended the week with two great videos that are touching and reaffirming.

Just off Campo di Fiori this stable/coach house dates from the 1500s - its now a beauty salon. Sic Transit Upsweep!

• That master storyteller Tater tells us about a bitter realization that changes a boy's life.

We saw this famous map of Venice last Monday during our private tour of the Vatican Museum - its on the wall at the end of the incredible Map Room. Venice is one of our favorite cities and we'll be there next week just in time for their Patronal festival. Don't even ask about the cost of hotel rooms!

• Foodie Jonathan at Around Britain with A Paunch praises the joys of Heinz 57 and unveils a new upscale version that's coming on the market.

For any of you who think you want might want to relive those moments from Three Coins in the Fountain - here's the crowds at the Fontana di Trevi on a quiet day in late February. You won't want to see it now that the warm weather is here. Actually you may not be able to see it.

• For the past few weeks Jeff has been taking us on a Sunday drive through his neighbourhoods. It reminded me of the Sunday drives we often took when I was young - only in this case the driver is a heck of a lot better looking.

When we were having lunch with friends at Bleve, a great little wine bar near San Andrea delle Valle, Laurent noticed that this Bacchus seemed just a little bit tipsy. I must say his eyes do have that slightly unfocused look I remember - says he very self-righteously after over six weeks without a drink - from my drinking days.

• And Elizabeth has been keeping us posted, as her time allows, on how things are progressing with KH after his surgery. Though I've removed the candle from the sidebar I'm still stopping in to light a candle for his recovery and to remind myself of the needs and concerns of so many of my friends.

After the Papal audience on the Wednesday following Easter newly married couples were lining up for their photo-op. Couples come from all over to re-don their wedding finery and receive the Papal blessing during the general audience. The couple waiting their turn were from Spain.

You may have read some of these posts already - if not give them a visit. And if you have, what it would hurt you to take a second look?

19 aprile - Sant'Emma

4 X 10

So here I am in the middle of working on a few posts appropriate to Holy Week and doesn't Lorraine come along with a bit of memish distraction. Well I'm easily distracted and I wanted to post a few pictures from Athens so:

There isn't a cafe in Athens where you won't find a Coffee Frappe - sweetened ice coffee with a delicious foam on top. My favorite is at the Cafe Metropole in the Cathedral Square.

Four jobs I’ve had in my life:
Airline Employee (33 years) - Clerk, Customer Service Agent, Training Instructor, Project Manager
English Teacher to the Polish Armed Forces Chiefs of Staff
Web Editor of an English Language Business Paper in Poland
Security Screening Officer with the Government of Canada

Four Movies I Watch Over and Over Again
The Dead – a beautiful, simple, touching film - Walter Huston’s last based on the James Joyce short story
Raise the Red Lantern – a classic of the Chinese cinema with the incredibly beautiful Li Gong as a young girl brought into a merchant's household as the fourth wife.
Dumbo – What you ain't never seen an elephant fly?
Some Like It Hot – Well no body's perfect!

This tinsmith's shop is located just on the edge of Psiri.

These iron work swans grace the balconies of the Spanish Embassy on Dionysos Areopagitou; and yes, that's the Acropolis across the road reflected in the windows.

Four Places I Have Lived
Toronto, Canada – born and bred
Ottawa, Canada – home base for most of my adult life as I travelled around the world
Warsaw, Poland – our first real diplomatic post together, I was more a visitor in Mexico City, Amman, Cairo, Chicago and Beijing.
Rome, Italy – our current home

Four TV Shows I Watch
(We have 500 channels here – 100 in Arabic and 50 of those are for sex chat lines???? - and there is still nothing to watch)
The Simpsons (I Simpson)– you know its reruns when you can say the English dialogue over the Italian dubbing.
Ugly Betty – reruns on Fox here and we still don’t have this season yet!
Family Guy (I Griffin) – you know its reruns when you can say Italian dialogue over the original English
Law and Order: SVU – reruns but who bothers with dialogue when you can watch Chris Meloni or Mariska Hagerty for that matter.

Sunday around noon the cafes near the Agora where filled with a few tourists but mostly locals enjoying those wonderful frappees and early lunch. Adrianou St. was crowded with street sellers and entertainers including this old man with his antique hand organ.

An open air cinema on Apostolou Pavlou. Its like a drive-in without the cars.

Four Places I Have Visited
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
Aix-en Provence, France
Mount Sinai, Egypt
Skagway, Alaska
Okay I’m not bragging here but on one of those map programmes I’ve clocked up 195 cities visited, now mind you that includes a restaurant stop at St. Tite so maybe I should make that 194.

Four People Who E-Mail Me Regularly
Linda Gagne
Charlie Knight
Bev Toomer
Robert Mickens

Many of the houses on the upper reaches of Monastiraki and the Plaka seem derelict.

However this building very close to the Cathedral has been beautifully restored.

Four Favourite Foods
French Fries
Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
Scalloped Potatoes
Roast Potatoes with Rosemary and Olive Oil
And yes I am Irish and yes there is a theme here!

Four Places I Would Like to Be Right Now
(Okay I’m going to cheat on this one and going to include places I'd like to be in the coming months)
In Punta Cana for our nephew Andrew and Jessica’s wedding in April
At Mount Tremblant for our friends Martin and Robert’s wedding in June
In my old garden, once the 52 cm of snow has disappeared, to watch things begin to grow
In Rome with Laurent – oh wait a minute I am but I honestly can’t think of a 4th place.

There were many small chapels and churches throughout Athens, many like this one adorned with mosaic tympanums.

This group of cub scouts where playing a round game of some sort on Dionysos Areopagitou on Sunday afternoon. I'm still not sure how the guy in the Asterix helmet was involved.

Four Things I Am Looking Forward to this Year
Our trip to Salzburg in May
Our trip to Venice and Vicenza in April
Maybe, just maybe, a trip to Malta
Celebrating our 30th anniversary in November.

Four People I'm Passing this on to:

Evilgnome
Tater
Subtle Knife
Cowbell

The area surrounding the Theatre of Dionysos was a mass of poppies and the gentlest breeze sent them dancing.

21 marzo - Venerdi Santo