Florence Remembered Part One

Pizzalle Michelangelo 

Piazalle Michelangelo is a square of a panoramic view 

of the city of Florence.  It's located in the Oltrano district of the city.

 Bronze cast of David facing Florence from the center of the square.

The glory of the city and its expanse.  From this point you can see the wonder of Burnelleschi's dome over the Florence Cathedral (Cattedrale di Santa Maria Fiore/Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower)

View of the Ponte Vecciho and the Arno River from the Piazzlae.

As I looked at these photos I remembered the awe I felt when I saw the city of Florence from this advantage point.  There is such beauty in its antiquity.  I wonder about those who live there and in all of Italy as in the rest of the world at this time of world wide illness and deaths from the corona virus.  It's history has been full of plagues, epidemics, and wars, and yet it still stands.  

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

Please join me for Mosaic Monday, image-in-ing, and Our World Tuesday.

Romantic Sea Coast

Amalfi coast, Italy

Beautiful blue bay

Glorious coastal mountains

Romantic vistas

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

 recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Off On a Great Adventure

As we leave today for Spain and Portugal I am reminded of our trip to Italy in November.  The memories of walking down to the coliseum in Rome.  It was just a few blocks from the hotel.  What a thrill!  We walked the Palatine Hills, visited the Pantheon and had a delightful lunch at a sidewalk cafe.  We chose to walk back to the hotel.  It was a grand adventure.  Just crossing the streets is a thrill in Rome.  That night after dinner we walked down the street again to visit the Coliseum lit up after dark.  It was just breathtaking!  I'd go again in a heartbeat.  So now on to another Great Adventure!!!

"I think risk taking is a great adventure.  And life should be full of adventures."
                                                                                Herbie Hancock

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy 

                              

Companions on the Journey

I'd like to introduce you to Super Pup and Buddy.  I met Buddy last summer when we were looking at photos of "his" trip to Hungary and Austria in November the previous year with his owner, my sister-in-law, Linda.  What a great idea, I thought.  What if Buddy could accompany us to Italy and then he could share his adventure with others.

Well, pretty soon, after we continued our travels to Yellowstone, I realized I'd have to be sending Buddy home and it would be so hard to part with him.  We met Old Faithful and I fell in love with him.  What better companion for Buddy than this delightful grizzly bear.  He had such a wonderful personality and he'd be a great protector for Buddy.  Well much to my chagrin, that just wasn't going to work.  There just wouldn't be enough room for this bulky friend of ours.  

So, to my delight, I was introduced to Super Pup.  Yes, this handsome fellow said he'd be glad to accompany Buddy to Italy and watch out for him.

So it was that Super Pup and Buddy journeyed with us to Italy.  They were together through thick and thin.  Whether they were confined to a purse or backpack.  They never complained.

They would chat about the days adventures or sit quietly just reflecting on the day.

  

They listened intently to the tour guide as we walked the streets of Italy's ancient towns.  The view of Florence was captivating.  On the steps of the Duomo Church in Amalfi they waited for their gelato while we took photos.  They were amazed by the ruins of Rome and awestruck by the Coliseum.  

In November Super Pup and Buddy parted ways when we traveled to New Mexico to attend a memorial for a cousin of the family.  They traveled through an ice storm and into the night, these best of friends.  And so it was that Super Pup returned home alone, resting in the back pack to which he had become so accustomed.

Smile, though!  There is good news.  I learned yesterday that Super Pup's cousin Vagabond (Vaga) will be arriving on Wednesday.  He's agreed that he and Super Pup should be traveling companions and he'd accompany him to France in March.  Super Pup is looking forward to his arrival.

I just couldn't leave today with our sharing another photo from our Italian adventure.  This is a panorama of the Bay of Naples with Mount Vesuvius in the background.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

 I'm here to play and invite you to join Mersad at Through My Lens.  Should be fun!

Please visit Judith at Lavender Cottage for Mosaic Monday and share in the beauty offered there.

I think you should take some time to visit Imagin-in-ing.  You're sure to enjoy it!

Sunset Over the Bay of Naples

Sunset on the Bay of Naples

~~~

 Sun rises and sets

It sinks lower and lower

And disappearing

Hope in the sunset

In all its wonder and awe

Tomorrow will come

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Cathy

It's new for me, but I have been invited to join Jutta at Natur-Donnerstag on Thursdays. Visit and Enjoy!


Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Finally, I am joining A Soulful Life for Soulfood Friday

Bay of Salerno

Gulf of Salerno

My goodness how time flies. I have been away for some time now and hope I'll be able to post more often. Being retired I've had little time to sit and play at the computer. I often ask myself how I managed to post daily when I was working. This photo was taken in November, 2015 on our way to Amalfi, Italy. What a joy that journey was! Perhaps there will be more to come!

I'm here to play and invite you to join Mersad at Through My Lens.  Should be fun!

~~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God

Cathy

~~~

Treasures of Italy

We were in Italy for 10 days.  It was not nearly long enough to travel this beautiful country.  I'm still recuperating from jet lag.  So today, because there are literally hundreds of photos, I thought I'd show you photos of our first  introduction to Italy.  The town in called Montepulciano.  It is part of Tuscany and so we stopped here to get our first taste of Italy, no pun intended.  We had a tour of a winery.  

It was amazing!  The winery itself was once an ancient castle. And it was built over the remains of an Etruscan burial site.  It was quite an adventure.  Going down into the lower levels of the winery and seeing the artifact that have been found there. 

Largest of the wine casks

And it all begins here.

The Etruscan burial chamber

Steps to the tomb.

It was amazing to see how the remains of two thousand years of history can be maintained and continued in use at the same time.  

Oh, and did I mention the wine?  Oh, my goodness!  It was just delicious.  I also had my first taste of pecorino cheese (cheese made from sheep's milk).  It was wonderful.

When we had finished our stop in Montepulciano we were off to some serious touring. . .Florence.    I will try to share this adventure in more detail, but right now my head is still spinning!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

I have found a new place to play and invite you to join Mersad at Through My Lens.  It's inviting and fun!

And as an added treat perhaps stop by NC Sue's Image-in-ing.

River Walk

On a river walk

It was beauty all aglow

Sky was shimmering

The glow of the sky

 Mirroring its very light

Lights us on our way

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God

“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints” ~Wilfred Peterson

I'll be gone on a great adventure for the next two weeks so I'll not be visiting you all until I return.  It's the adventure of a lifetime for me as I will be traveling to Italy.  So, if you will pray for me, I will be praying for all my friends who is on this blogging adventure with me.  So until I return, God be with you all!

Please visit Rebecca at recuerda mi corazon for Haiku My Heart. There is always more beautiful words  there to enchant and encourage!!! 

Finally, I am joining A Soulful Life for Soulfood Friday

I have found a new place to play and invite you to join Mersad at Through My Lens.  Should be fun!

And as an added treat perhaps stop by NC Sue's Image-in-ing.