All roads lead here. To Rome. And now, here we have come. We all have our own visions of The Eternal City. What you think of Rome may or may not be true. My own notions of a city I’ve had dreams of visiting since childhood stood both verified and delightfully proven wrong. Rome is quite possibly the most historically compact, deep, and dense city in the world. I’ve been around the world but Rome was incredibly impressive in both its modernity and antiquity. Some cities have either but I feel the most special places possess both. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Europe
From London to the sky
How I got this shot so many years ago. Travel back to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. As amazing this was, I remember being as sick as a dog but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. This photo of the northern side of the Palace of Westminster actually came from a bit of luck. As it was the host city of the Olympics, the touristic microcosm of the world were out in full force so there wasn’t much time to stop on the congested sidewalks of a truly world class city to take pictures. Continue reading
Millennia in the Window
The sound of the shut door and electronic lock brings a welcomed sanctuary from a day that began in Omonia, one of the rougher parts of Athens. An area recovered but still bearing the sorrowed scars from its drug and volatile underbelly past from the 1960’s. There’s a strong and deep Spartan-like chant in eerie unison bellowed by a proud crowd of frustrated Greeks. We’ve been warned by our guide and by the police of Athens to avoid what breathes before us and take a detour around the riot and protest in the street. Continue reading
Una lliçó de la cultura.
“Well you said you were excited to see if the hype was real about Spanish women and you couldn’t possibly be more surrounded by Spanish chicks than you are right now, Tommy.” “Yup.” Is all he says with a smile. He’s one of the tersest and most reticent guys I’ve ever met but it’s part of his charm and makes for easy travel company. “I expected they’d look similar to the girls we saw in Monaco but they look a little different. They’re not as tan and their hair seems to be a little lighter.” I say as we walk away from the Aerobus and into the beautiful square before us. “Ya.” “We probably only have time to get lunch then snap a few pictures before we have to catch our next flight.” I suggest. “Okay.”
What did that lady say to me at the airport? Was that even Spanish? Why did she only address me? Continue reading
Broken glass
“68th floor” with a short pause between the words in an English accent, the elevator announces with a calming woman’s voice. Exiting left out of the elevator I’m instructed to take another left and find an ascending stairway to the 69th floor. The attendant turns back and says “enjoy your time here, sir. The city lies just up those steps.” For a few seconds I hear beautifully orchestrated, ethereal music but it fades away under the voices and echoes atop the illuminated path to the sky. Continue reading
Blue if by sea
Everyone remembers their first and mine was a steamy and sultry Monégasque beauty. This picture was taken at the southern end of Port de Fontvieille near the Héliport de Monaco. It looks to be an almost perfectly centered, vertical slash between the sky and sea though I think the sky covers a bit more of the picture. I took this freehand with no tripod or any kind of horizon leveling assistance and from the smartphone I had at the time. It was an HTC Sensation and I really hated the camera on that phone. It took far too long to focus, write the information to the phone’s memory and reset the shutter before I could take a new photo. Sometimes I would have to wait five or more seconds between actually being able to take a new picture and on top of that, most of the pictures came out blurry. Back then I didn’t exactly care about taking beautiful photographs. I mean I tried but I only cared that my phone was conveniently on hand and took “good enough” pictures. Continue reading
Küçükçekmece
The doors shut and the aggression and anger of the other 300 worried, disgruntled people in the lobby is immediately silenced. It’s quiet until the whir and dull hum of machinery lifts me into the guts of the hotel. When the doors open, I walk into the middle of a dim but contemporary hallway with plush carpet and soft light looking left in silence and right in solitude. It’s eerily dark with no music playing, no sound from the TV or voices behind any of the other doors. I’m on the fourteenth floor but I could be on the 200th for all I know. Coming to my complimentary room, it’s another key card in another lock hearing another beep and click to open the door into another world. Continue reading
