Rome Tourist Blitz

We just arrived in Florence, having walked 15 minutes from the train station. We have three days in Florence in a grand apartment with a view across the Arno (thanks Air BnB!), and tonight we’re off to a cooking class (thanks Christine and Mike!). Anyway, I thought I would post a few images from yesterday’s tourist blitz through Rome. We started the morning at the Forum and Palatine Hill, then hustled through the crowds into the Colosseum, then bussed across the city to the Vatican Museums, finishing things off with a visit to St. Peters, and dinner and wine (and, uh, beer too). It was a long day, with miles of walking and blistering heat (37 degrees C), but we kept our spirits up by reminding ourselves that being in Rome is a major privilege. And by laughing a bit at the miserable looks on the faces of many of our over-walked, over-heated…Continue Reading

Roma

After getting settled early yesterday and dropping off our (too-heavy) bags in our hotel, we hit the streets to reorient ourselves with this great city. After walking (and walking, and walking), we managed to take in the major sites. Today, we’re off to St. Peter’s and the Vatican museum. For now, enjoy a few of yesterday’s photos from the streets of Rome.  

Lanciano, Laura’s old stomping grounds

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter.  Here in Lanciano, Easter is a pretty big deal with parades and marching bands going around the town nearly everyday since last Thursday. Chris captured some amazing shots of the Easter parade this past Thursday. We’ve been relaxing in Lanciano with my good friend Cristina (who I call “Cris)  and her family. I met Cris when she was 13-years old and I was 16-years old. We hit it off from the very beginning. Some of you might recognize her because she was one of my bridesmaids.  Her family runs the high school here, called Canadian College of Italy the Renaissance School, where I attended grade 10, 11 and half of 12. Here are a couple photos of this beautiful Italian town and the people I love. The bell tower rings every 15-minutes. First it rings one tone of bell for what hour it is,…Continue Reading

Documentary Photography: An Unrealized Ambition

I hate when people ask me if I’m a photographer. Sometimes it’s the gear that prompts this. They see the expensive looking camera, or maybe pick up my kit for a moment and are taken aback by how heavy it is. “Whoa! You must be a photographer.” Maybe it’s the final shots that have them whoa-ing, but the gear still takes centre-stage: “You’re camera takes great pictures!” But no, the reason I hate when people ask me if I’m a photographer is because I’m not sure what to say. On the one hand, I most certainly am. I’ve shot weddings, portraiture, and used my photography as the foundation of several paid graphic design projects. I’ve been paid money to shoot. Simple. But on the other hand, I feel like I’m not really a photographer at all. To date, photography has only been a small part of what I do, and after…Continue Reading

24 hours in Roma

Laura and I are killing a few hours here in Rome before catching a bus to Lanciano. We had about a day to take in a few sights and pasta dishes here. After almost 2 months in Turkey, the food here has been a huge delight for us. Pizaa, pasta, beef steak! And the pork! (as a Muslim nation, pork products simply don’t exist in Turkey) Delicious! Don’t get me wrong, Turkish cuisine is great, but any food will get tiresome after eating nothing but for two months. Rest assured, we will be resting and regrouping here in Italy and will catch up on our blog posts, so expect more photos and stories from Turkey as well as the 3rd and probably final instalment of the Turkish food series. Here are a few shots from beautiful Roma. I have several more street photography shots from one day in Rome, but…Continue Reading