Category: travelPage 1 of 2

Bryant & May: Peculiar London

A most peculiar book about a most peculiar town

The House of the Camel, Venice

Palazzo Mastelli, in the sestiere of Canareggio, is a peculiar and characteristically Venetian mélange of Roman fragments, Byzantine elements, and a lot of sixteenth-century construction, all topped with a Gothic balcony. On its walls is a depiction of a camel. Why?

Ponte Santa Trinita, Florence, Italy

Just downstream from the Ponte Vecchio, the Ponte Santa Trinita, the world’s oldest elliptic arch bridge, was constructed from 1567 to 1569 by Bartolomeo Ammannati. The bridge was…

San Giorgio and the Giudecca from Riva degli Schiavoni, Venice

The cupola of the Redentore is visible beyond San Giorgio Maggiore. The modest-looking piers in the foreground are used by the Marco Polo Boat Club. GPS: 45.433732, 12.345992

A Section of the Grand Canal in the Dorsaduro Sestiero of Venice

The Palazzo Genovese, Palazo Benzon, Palazzo Salviati, Palazzo Barbaro, and Palazzo Dario make up one of the finest stretches of Venice’s Grand Canal.

Beech Forest, Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts

The sole remnant of the original arboreal landscape of Cape Cod is a beech forest preserve at the northern end of the cape.

Vegetable venders near the Ponte dei Pugni

So convenient to pop down to the canal and pick up a few fresh fruits and vegetables. The nearby bridge is called the Ponte dei Pugni (Bridge of…

Ca’ Farsetti, Venice

I have been researching the interesting history of Venice and the Veneto, and will be posting a few entries, mainly incorporating photos I’ve taken during visits there. (This…

Claude Lévi-­Strauss on Travel

Warren, Rhode Island

Warren, Rhode Island, is a town where the somewhat dumpy downtown seems frozen in the 1950s. In other words, my kind of place.

To The Lighthouse: Nubble Light House, Cape Neddick Light Station, York, Maine (and a few other lighthouses)

Recently I visited Sohier Park in Cape Neddick, York, Maine (near Ogunquit). About 100 yards offshore on a small rocky island perches one of the prettiest lighthouses I have…

Fun with panoramas

Stitching together photos can be great fun in the proper context. I think the Piazza del Duomo in Milan counts as one of these. This photo was taken…

Travel photo: Castel Vecchio Museum courtyard, Verona, Italy

While we’re in Verona, here’s a picture from the courtyard of the Castel Vecchio, which is a handsome museum indeed. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect…

Travel photo: Venetian gondolier

This photo amuses me because the gondolier reminds me of the Eric Blore role in the Astaire/Rogers film Top Hat.

Travel photo: a street in Verona

Please bear with me while I post a few photos from my recent trip to the Veneto and Upper Adige. I travel with a little (maybe 12-inch) tripod,…

It’s a small world aperol

During our recent visit to the Veneto I developed a taste for spritzes, which were being drunk everywhere. When we checked into our vacation rental in Venice our…

Motorized paraglider

I don’t know what you call this — it appears to be some form of motorized paragliding. There were a couple of guys taking off from Anna Maria…

Monsoon

This brief video is for James Higham, who loves thunderstorms. It’s a glimpse of a monsoon thunderstorm seen from my guestroom at CS Graphics in Singapore, where I…

Hiatus

When this post publishes I will be on  a plane to a distant press check. I will miss being with family, who will keep the home fires burning…

Goatherding in Agerola

Recently we stayed in Agerola in the Lattari Mountains overlooking Amalfi. Our place was down a narrow, semi-dirt road that wound around the side of the mountain above…

Driving from Furore on the Amalfi Coast to Agerola in the Lattari Mountains

While driving the Via Amalfitano has its motoring excitements as well as its famously spectacular views,

Ten tips for visiting Rome

1. At the airport, do not wait it the long queues for train tickets. Instead go to the tobacconist’s and get your ticket without waiting.

A universal story

As I have mentioned, I’ve just returned from a vacation in Italy, and some posts will be a little off-topic for the next few days. Somewhere along the…

The Path of the Gods

Okay, I guess I’m still a little jetlagged — or maybe just worn out from coming back to an office in crisis mode. Anyway, too tired to do…