Tuesday, August 26, 2008

La Tarasque- the medieval monster of doom also known as the spiky turtle


"La Fete Medieval"

...Upon arriving in humble sleepy Tarascon we were
found ourselves amongst medieval vagabonds monsters 
and rogues....Below-the view from the top of the Castle
it seems tame from so far away but dont be fooled...    


Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Cinque Terra: sun, sand and debauchery

Cinque Terra= Five Towns- Rio Maggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso...
Rio Maggiore was our abode for the three nights, I am standing in a daze staring at the flowers i collected straight from a dip in the ocean, it wasnt all perfection...the swimming spots were rocky and my bum was washed against the rocks on the first day, the ocean was luring us with "come in the water's fine" and then of course it took control of the situation and i was buffeted around like god knows what...    





Thursday, June 19, 2008

The art of Italian window dressing....


The first two shop fronts are located in Prato, i still dont really know what to make of them and to be quite honest they scare me... A knight defending the valour of some incredibly tacky craft lamps???... ...Italian Michael Jackson Mannequin meets Captain Snooze or something more sinister...??? 








...The hog head hanging outside the deli , in case its not clear, is wearing spectacles on the end of his snout, it was a disturbing find, him glassily staring, his leg hanging separately nearby...








...the strapping young lad in green velvet is, like the hog, a Sienese resident, these encounters took place whilst rambling in the gothic splendour of Siena...





..........a giant Sienese steak dressed in the fruits of nature as an enticement to enter the restaurant it was arranged in the window in such a way that is was like a shrine which demanded reverence....

 








Sunday, June 15, 2008

a horn to die for and some of Prato




The bike horn we came across in Milan... The next day i was sitting at a fountain, in a Piazza, in Prato.  Not really knowing what to do next we took some shots, we were being rained on by the fountain and the clouds, then all of a sudden some fairy folk were milling around a bus in yellow and red outfits, i managed to capture a wee man in his haste to get on the bus... 

Friday, June 13, 2008

Impending image bombardment hope you are ready

Yeh so im feeling a tad delirious... i will blather on for a bit to make up for the lack of blathering so far... Have any of you checked this so far??? I think it is an easier way to disperse my pictorial/ verbal reports than facebook etc.  

In case you were concerned or curious, i think the delirium is being caused by a combination of jet-lag, fantastic coffee, blocked sinuses and sensory overload- a 600g steak cooked in the traditional florentine way, super delicious vino- rosso (red) and bianco (white)  whilst watching soccer match in square and at other times, pastries, tomatoes that are so red and succulent it is as if they were grown in the gardens of the gods, Buffalo mozzeralla i would like to roll around in and eat at the same time until obese..... 

Im heading off for a tuscan wine tour soon which is great but im feeling sorry for myself.  Why you ask??? Well i wont get the full experience because of my sinus situation and cold.  The nose of the wines will not be available to me in my compromised state... 

anyway here are some photos....     

  


Tuesday, June 10, 2008

I attended a screening of a soccer match last night, it was amusing.  We all stood in a square parking area backing on to a Cathedral.  People's Vespa's were being collected by trucks if they hadn't moved them.  We drank delicious vino from the bottle which we had purchased at the local supermarket for something like $7 (it is as good as the $20-35 bottles at home).  So the wine is amazing and comes in prima packs for convenience, the Italians are very thoughtful and practical when it comes to consumption.         

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Prato Bedroom Soundtrack

1. churchbells 
2. vespa whine 
3. intermittent rain 
4. silence and wind