Asheville Wedding and Portrait Photography - Tuesday's Frog Photography

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

a favorite photo from Italy

Ran across this photo taken in Venice the other night...
(forgive the scratch marks - I was playing with clipping masks in Photoshop.)
It's been almost 3 years since we went to Italy. No current plans for traveling out of the country anytime soon, so I'll just appease my wanderlust by looking at pictures.
Actually, I'm thinking about making an Asuka album with our photos from that trip.

Or maybe we should at least print some of them out, eh? Technically, I do have this photo framed on a shelf in my office.

Random tangent: While I'm looking around and counting, I just noticed I have 7 framed or mounted photos of Cole and/or Harper, all in my little office. Plus 3 more of Harper that I'm trying to decide where to hang. I guess I like those kids a bit...I need more picture space.

Random tangent #2: Did you notice? I spruced up the blog a little... Also made a new homepage. Just a little spring...er, rather, winter, cleaning while I'm avoiding the things I'm supposed to be doing!

Labels: Italy

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 10:14 PM 3 comments

Friday, March 11, 2005

Venice: Day 2

We arrived in Venice around 9:45 am on Day 7, and promptly purchased 2 tickets for the water buses that run throughout the city. This is a cheap and easy way to get around in Venice, and much easier to navigate than the tiny alleyways and unmarked streets.

Our first stop of the day was the island of Murano, which is about a 30 minutes ride from the bus station. Murano is home to many Venetian glass blowers and artists who have passed down their trade from generation to generation. We watched a few glass blowing demonstrations (with Mark narrating for me, since he does know a bit about glass himself!) and then wandered throughout the town. Murano is like a smaller version of Venice, with canals and bridges and fewer tourists. Most people were busy going about their regular business: running small shops, hanging laundry, or pushing baby strollers throughout the streets.

Returning to Venice, we enjoyed a few cones of gelato before perusing the markets below the Rialto bridge. Along the way we took many, MANY photos of the architecture and atmosphere intrinsic to this wonderful place. We also splurged on a ride in a gondola down one of the quieter canals the flows into the Grand Canal, listening as our gondolier pointed out the former homes of Mozart and Marco Polo and enjoying the calmness of being on the water.

By evening we were tired but happy to have thoroughly our last day in Venice. We dined at a restaurant along the Grand Canal again and took parting shots of the city while aboard the water bus that returned us to the bus station. Soon we would be returning home to Cole and all of those conveniences we take for granted, such as drinking fountains, free public restrooms, and normal food (okay, that last one is just my personal preference.)

Labels: Italy

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 8:38 PM 0 comments

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Venezia

Day 6 took us through many twists, turns, and tunnels as we drove through the snow-capped Apennine Mountains en route to Venice. We arrived at our hotel outside of Venice by early afternoon after a few pit stops and a leisurely lunch. Our poor tour guide was under the impression that the hotel was “just outside” of Venice, but considering the fact that there is a two-mile-long bridge that connects Venice to the mainland the hotel was not necessarily within the walking distance that he had promised us! But the hotel staff assured us that it was really “no problem” to walk directly beside speeding traffic along the 4-lane highway that led to the nearest bus stop! So after giving the highway a few looks, and telling each other “no problem” we walked single file to await a bus to take us to Venice.

Once in Venice (I would probably recommend arriving by train for the best initial views of Venice) we left the bus and consulted our handy-dandy hotel map. Upon some investigation, we decided it was a not-so-handy-dandy map and instead just followed the signs for Piazza San Marco and the Canal Grande. The weather was in the upper 30s and fairly chilly, especially when we reached open water. But we warmed ourselves in the fading sunshine at Piazza San Marco (home to many, many overfed pigeons among some beautiful architecture) and warmed up with cups of hot chocolate and a filling meal at a restaurant along the Grand Canal (fresh seafood for Mark!). After sunset we navigated our way back through the narrow streets to the bus stop, determined to get a good night’s sleep before enjoying our very last free day in Italy.

Labels: Italy

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 7:47 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Pisa & Siena

On Day 5 we headed out early for Pisa, which is a little over an hour’s drive east of Florence. After warding off some umbrella vendors motioning to the gray skies overhead, we headed to Campo dei Miracoli, or the field of Miracles. After seeing the leaning tower, we thought that perhaps it had started leaning because it wanted to be sure that everyone would notice it, since if had indeed been straight most of its design would be hidden behind the duomo and baptistery positioned in front of it. At any rate, it is indeed a leaning tower, and we resisted the urge to take photos of ourselves pretending to hold up the tower (though we caught numerous other tourists posing this way.) In actuality, the tower has more of an “S” curve or banana shape to it, as architects built the middle tiers to compensate for the initial tilt of the base. As a result, the very top of it is nearly straight.

After enjoying a short tour of the Campo and the beautiful architecture of each of the three buildings, we settled on hotdogs for lunch. I asked for a “plain” hotdog for Mark and one with ketchup for myself, unaware of the fact that apparently in Italy “plain” means with mayo, which is the way it was prepared for Mark. But he didn’t seem to mind too much, which may have been due more to the fact that we were pretty hungry than to its actual taste!

Shortly after noon we boarded the bus for a longer drive to Siena, which is considered by many to represent “Old Italy.” The town itself is built on three hills, which means the streets can be quite steep (and narrow) and which left us wondering how in the world cars managed to get around in that area. Siena was probably one of our favorite towns on the trip, and it was certainly one where we wished we could have stayed longer than just a few hours.

The Campo is a main attraction in the town, circular in nature, and surrounded by lots of little shops. Twice a year the Campo hosts a horse race which is viewed in person by thousands and yet lasts for only 2 minutes. If you’re ever there in July or August, you should be sure to check it out! Up the street (literally) from the Campo is the beautiful Duomo with a façade of black-and-white marble, and though we didn’t have time to go inside we heard from others that it is beautiful. Our time in Siena ended all too soon as the setting sun shone on the buildings, and we returned to the bus (after frequenting a great ceramics shop) for a short drive home and another stop at our favorite restaurant.

Labels: Italy

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 3:06 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Firenze

Our day in Florence began with a visit to the Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore. I’d visited this duomo seven years ago on my first trip to Florence, and I wanted to be sure to see it again with Mark (and take better photos this time!). After exploring the cathedral we decided to climb the 463 steps to the top of the cupola (that’s 463 – one way!). At times climbing these narrow, tightly enclosed stairs can make you feel as if you’re in an episode of “The Twilight Zone,” as you go round and round and round without an end in sight. But although the climb is tiring, the view from the top is definitely worth the trip, as you can see red rooftops for miles and the mountains in the distance. The climb also provides an excellent bird’s eye view of the painted ceiling of the church as well as the large glass-stained windows.

After returning to ground level we decided to take a walk to the flea market near by. What fun to bargain with vendors selling their wares – except they didn’t seem to be that willing to bargain on this day. So we didn’t leave with that many purchases, though we did enjoy the colorful stalls stacked high with scarves, all sorts of leather goods, watches, stationery, and more.

We do have to confess that we didn’t make it to see Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria Dell’Accademia. There’s just something about climbing 463 stairs that makes you a little bit tired for the rest of the day. But we did walk over to the bridges that cross the Arno River, and window shop at the many gold and silver jewelry stores that line the Ponte Vecchio, the most famous bridge in Florence. Apparently there’s a tradition where couples secure a lock around the metal grates on the bridge and throw the keys into the river, thereby “locking” their love for years to come. Since we did not realize that this was the reason for the locks until later, we did not “lock” our love, but I think we’ll still be okay.

We finished the evening by eating at our very favorite restaurant on the whole trip, La Grotta di Leo. We dined on Florentine steaks, yummy risottos, and fresh garden salads for two of our nights in Florence. We were feeling a little silly for eating at the same place twice until we met a couple of sisters from Scotland who were eating there for their third night in a row! The restaurant even has its own website, with directions in case you’re planning a trip to Florence soon: lagrottadileo After enjoying a few cups of hot chocolate (made with dark chocolate) at the bar in the hotel it was off to bed in order to recover from our early morning climb and also to prepare for our trip to Pisa and Siena the next day.

Labels: Italy

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 9:01 PM 0 comments

Monday, March 07, 2005

On to Florence

Day 3 began with an early breakfast and a busload of suitcases and people. Before driving to Firenze (Florence) the plan was to make a stop at the Vatican to catch an early-bird tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. However, we missed that early-bird tour by about 15 minutes (one of the negative aspects of traveling with a group, I suppose), and waited in line for about an hour behind every other hopeful tourist within several blocks of the museum. But collectively we decided that the wait was worth it, and finally we were allowed to enter the building.

Once inside, we viewed many elaborately decorated ceilings as well as sculptures, tapestries, and other artwork that had been collected throughout the years or sent as gifts to various Popes. Everyone was told to be quiet as we entered the Sistine Chapel, which was restored recently to the tune of 8 million dollars (donated by a Japanese company who holds the rights to any published images of the Ceiling until 2007.) Some of the reverence of the chapel was lost due to the fact that there were approximately 200 other people viewing the chapel at the same time as us, but the true colors in the frescoes were magnificent to see in person.

With a crick in our necks from looking up for so long we then made our way to St. Peter’s Basilica. Originally designed by Michelangelo in the 1500s, it is impressive both for the sheer amount of artwork it contains as well as for its vastness – a fact that you don’t realize when you first enter because of Michelangelo’s perfectly proportional design. It isn’t until you search for the front of the church and view the tiny people standing near the altar that you can begin to comprehend just how large the building is in its entirety.

After spending the morning at the Vatican it was time to depart for Florence. Driving through the regions of Umbria and Tuscans allowed us views of empty vineyards, pastures dotted with sheep, and the Apennine Mountains in the distance.

Labels: Italy

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 7:59 PM 0 comments

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Roma: Day 2

Waking to the sounds of traffic, Mark and I ate a late breakfast (hard breads, cold eggs, and thick, warm milk) and then ventured out on the streets of Rome on day 2. A brief rain gave way to sunshine and bright skies in the morning, for which we were grateful. We soon discovered that the streets were not as far apart as they appeared to us on the map, which gave us the opportunity to take in many sights throughout the day.

Our first stop was at the Fontana di Trevi, or Trevi Fountain, which is apparently the most photographed fountain in Rome. We’re not quite sure why it deserves this reputation, but it iss certainly frequented by many tourists! Venturing on we enjoyed a rendition of “La Vie en Rose” from an accordian player who played under the Tempio Adriano (who knew that marble columns provided such good acoustics?)

Soon the Pantheon loomed before us, and we were able to enter the building even though there was a Sunday mass being performed. After admiring the gorgeous design and vast amount of marble, we headed on to the Piazza Navona. If you’ve seen the movie “Return to Me” I believe one of the ending scenes was filmed from this location. At any rate, it’s filled with artists displaying their paintings as well as pigeons and a miscellaneous statue or two. (It’s amazing how blasé one can become about statues when being surrounded by them all day!) We stopped for two hot chocolates (did I mention it was cold while we were there?) and some more “Spaghettio pizza.”

After lunch we crossed over the Tiber River and discovered that we were very close to Vatican City. Bypassing the many peddlers selling rosaries, knock-off Gucci purses, and what-nots, we entered the square overlooking St. Peter’s Basilica. We decided to send a few postcards from this location as well, since the Vatican Post is more reliable than the notoriously slow Italian postal service.

Crossing back over the Tiber, we continued back downtown to view more of the Roman ruins and rest for awhile (we’d been walking all day!). We noticed a large crowd of people gathered around the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II (pictured in the last photo from day 1) as well as several news crews. Later while watching (and attempting to interpret) the Italian news we discovered that the Monumento was the location of the wake of the Italian spy who was shot by American soldiers while attempting to rescue a journalist.

After wandering a bit more, and stopping at a small trattoria to warm up and eat dinner, we headed back to our last stop of the evening. Just as we set up the camera across the street from the Colosseum it began to rain again, but after cleaning off the lens a few times I think we got a pretty neat parting shot of Rome.

Labels: Italy

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 9:43 PM 0 comments

Saturday, March 05, 2005

Roma

We arrived in Rome on Saturday morning around 11 am. After retrieving our luggage we headed out for our introductory bus tour of Rome. The drive into the city was rather underwhelming, as we viewed many run-down apartment buildings with laundry strung out on the line and what appeared to be junk yards galore. (I suspect that this area of the city is not as well preserved as its ancient buildings!) We were excited to learn that our tour included a walking tour of the Colosseum with an English-speaking guide named Marinella, which commenced after we enjoyed our first Roman food: a pastrami-like sandwich for Mark and a doughnut for me. : )

The weather was chilly (40s) and windy, though the sunshine warmed our faces as we walked around the Colosseum, Forum, and a few of the other Roman ruins. It was amazing to see such large, thousand-year-old structures littered throughout downtown Rome. They seemed to pop up around every corner! We retired to our hotel room after an early dinner of what I refer to as “Spaghettio pizza” (Roman tomato sauces are not my favorite due to their lack of substance and watery taste) and slept soundly for 12 hours. Thanks to a comprehensive hotel map we decided to spend Day 2 walking throughout Rome and taking in the many, many sights.

Labels: Italy

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 4:56 PM 0 comments

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Off to Italy!

"Tomorrow, tomorrow..." We leave for Italy tomorrow afternoon, and I'm so excited! I'm looking forward to the photo opportunities and spending time with Mark. Hopefully the weather won't be too chilly and the flights will be enjoyable! I'm sure we'll be arguing over who gets to use the Digi Rebel and who gets stuck with the "old" SLR...I also bought a new book for the flight called "Honeymoon with my Brother." Can there be anything better than quiet time to enjoy a good read? Ahh, peace and quiet, for 8 whole hours!

Labels: Italy

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 7:34 AM 1 comments

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