Today is our last day at the cottage and will return home tomorrow. It has been a great 2 weeks and the weather has been generally warm and sunny.
Cavendish National Park
Here are some nice photos the first one is the old Roman road known as the Via Flaminia which was in antiquity an highway into Rome proper and entering the City at Piazza del Popolo. The modern Via Flaminia is on top of the ancient road, and turns into a city streets once it crosses the Milvian Bridge.
Nice to see the old pavement and the quality of roman construction.
This photo shows the Museum Island in central Berlin and the park surrounded by a colonnade next to the Lutheran Cathedral of Berlin. A peaceful area of the city made for walking.Here is another shot this time taken from the roof of the Imperial City Palace in Berlin known today as the Humboldt Forum. The Lutheran Cathedral was heavily damaged in 1944-45. It has been restored completely as it was before the war. The crypt is interesting to see, where the coffins of the members of the old Prussian Royal family are kept. The inside of the church also has the old balcony with pews for the Kaiser and his family came to worship and a special section for the diplomatic corps. The lantern of the dome is modern, the communist regime did not want to rebuild it as it was before the war.
This being Summer and mid-July we are having some lovely weather on PEI. So far we have avoided completely the scorching heat with an average temp of 24 C. always with a nice breeze. Here are some photos of places I have visited and seen.
In the news from Italy, it was reported that last week a silly American tourist who ignored all warnings decided that he would take a dangerous path up to the crater of Mount Vesuvius above Pompeii. He jumped over fences and gates and reached the summit at 1218 meters or 3996 feet. Vesuvius remains a very active volcano and is far from extinct.
Once on the edge of the crater our tourist wanted to take a selfie and in so doing fell into the crater several meters deep. He was unable to get out and but luckily only had a few bruises. Lucky for him another group of tourist and a guide where in another authorized area and heard his cry. He was rescued by the Italian mountain brigades.
Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples.
Keyholes with a story
In this photo you see the keyhole of the Gate of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. The Gate keyhole of the Villa del Priorato di Malta stands on the Aventine Hill. It is the historic seat of the Grand Priory of Rome of the Knights of Malta. By looking through it you can enjoy one of the most evocative views of the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, perfectly framed at the bottom of the villa’s garden. The door is rarely open outside of Official business, it houses the Embassy of the Order of Malta to the Italian Republic since 1869. It was in antiquity the site of a Temple and a Festival dedicated to the god Mars and to the Roman Army, called the Armilustrium held in October.
View from the inside the Garden.
Speaking of Domes here is a rather beautiful photo of the Dome of the Berlin Palace at sunset. The Palace is now known as the Humboldt Forum, a museum dedicated to civilizations. The outside is in the original Baroque style while the inside is very stark and modern.
The Ceremonial Entrance to the Berlin Palace in 1930. The Palace was demolished by the Communist in 1958 to make way for a Bus Parking lot. The entire palace has now been re-built and opened as a museum in 2021. The only difference with this photo, the wrought iron gates are gone and replaced by modern glass entrance. The inside courtyard is also very modern now and not as can be seen here. The various bronze inscriptions on the portal sing the praise of the Hohenzollern Dynasty, 1415-1918.
Finally Istanbul, the Suleymaniye Mosque. Sultan Suleyman The Magnificent chose the architect Mimar Sinan to create a mosque in remembrance of his son Shehzade Mehmed. Suleyman was beyond impressed with Sinan’s completion that he decided to have him design a mosque after himself. This mosque would represent the eminence of the Ottoman Empire.
The foundation inscription above the north portal of the mosque is carved in Thuluth script on three marble panels. It gives a foundation date of 1550 and an inauguration date of 1557.
Courtyard of the Suleymaniye Mosque.
Beautiful tyle work and rich colours with verses of the Coran inscribed all around the walls. The dimensions of the rooms are truly gigantic. There is an atmosphere of peace and quiet in this sacred complex.
We are settling down into the Summer mood, the weather is starting to get warm in the low 20 C. There are not as many tourists in town as expected and I think that the price of gas and the cost of hotel and air B&B is a factor in keeping people away. We got our 4th shot against Covid Monday, happy I did it.
I also have the impression that the real estate market is about to crash in Canada, the Governor of the Bank of Canada warned that he will be raising the interest rates and mortgage payments will go up by about 30% in the next 5 years. Many people have paid way too much for their homes and the value is simply not there.
Here are some photos which I have been looking at lately.
An iceberg floating by, the house is on the Rock aka Newfoundland which is used to seeing such a sight each Spring.Portrait by renowned photographer Yusuf Karsh of Ottawa. He took pictures of many famous people including the photo of Winston Churchill visiting Parliament in Ottawa during the Second World War without his cigar. To get the shot Karsh snatched the cigar from his mouth. My parents were friends of his and he took pictures of my mother on her wedding anniversary in the mid-1980’s. Baby Max and me, visiting his parents who are both musicians. Max took a shine to me, he is only 2 months old but he babbles a lot.I like this photo, a subtle way to entice people to be more mindful, seems difficult sometimes.A funny picture, I always wonder how anyone can walk in such shoes without falling flat on your face.Crows and a Fox painted mural near Barrington Street in Halifax. Two things you see a lot of around here.A smiling Nicholas II in St-Petersburg around 1900, a rare sight indeed.A bald Eagle on PEI, they are quite common in rural areas and near the coast.Something I should wear as a T-shirt, self-promotion. LOL!!!!
The first one is Canada’s High Commission to the UK in Trafalgar Square. This building was built as the Residence of our Canadian High Commissioner, today it is the Chancery of our mission to the UK. We do not call it an Embassy because the Queen is our Queen so like all Commonwealth Countries we call it a High Commission, quaint name that dates back to Imperial times when Canada was the first Dominion of the Empire.
The second photo is a favourite of mine, Sans Souci the private palace of Frederick II the Great of Prussia. It is more a mansion than a palace and the interior are high german baroque with lots of gold leaf. It was decorate to reflect the personal taste of Frederick and it can surprise visitors. It sits at the top of 6 terraces use as a vineyard. Frederick so loved this place that he asked to be buried with his whippet dogs in the garden on the top terrace. He was finally buried there in 1991.
Sans Souci in the great royal park in PotsdamA lovely tradition, a crown of Laurel for a University Graduate in Italy. Very festive, worn by all those who graduate, flower shops will make them for you. Families to out to restaurant to celebrate.
From the Italian word Laureato, crown with laurels. This is far nicer than the silly mortar boards we wear in North America.
This photo taken in London just recently shows how the city is changing in terms of its architecture and urban design. The photo shows a cluster of tall modern towers next to the ancient Tower of London, it is utterly strange to me and not an image shown in tourism promotion. If those modern towers had been built across the river I would have said ok there is distance and perspective but in this case, no I do not like it at all.
La Toussaint or All Saints day is 1 November on the liturgical calendar. The Feast day of all saints in the Catholic Church. Then All Souls day is 2 November, a day to commemorate all those who departed this life.
So I thought I would post some nature morte or still life paintings which I always like as a category of paintings in Museums. It requires a great deal of dexterity to be able to put on canvas such complex subject matter or to compose a tableau for the camera.
Here are photos of 3 cities in the world this morning. I have visited and or lived in these capitals.
A fountain in Trastevere, Rome
A view of St-Petersburg, Russia with of the St-Nicholas Naval Cathedral
A view of the dome of the Lutheran Cathedral of Berlin, extensively restored after the Second World War. The modern wall on the left is the East side of the City Palace being rebuilt now. The interior of the Cathedral are as they were in 1918.
Jerry and I get around. In 2011, we moved from the USA to Spain. We now live near Málaga. Jerry y yo nos movemos. En 2011, nos mudamos de EEUU a España. Ahora vivimos cerca de Málaga.
Tutto iniziò con Memorie di Adriano, sulle strade dell'Impero Romano tra foto, storia e mito - It all began with Memoirs of Hadrian, on the roads of the Roman Empire among photos, history and myth!
Telling the stories of the history of the port of Charlottetown and the marine heritage of Northumberland Strait on Canada's East Coast. Winner of the Heritage Award from the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation and a Heritage Preservation Award from the City of Charlottetown
Larry Muffin At Home 