Travelling in Italy, destination Rome

I've been away for a bit so I wanted to come back with some pictures from one of the most historical and vibrant cities in Italy.  I loved Rome and it was the second stop on our trip to Italy in 2010.  We spent three wonderful nights in the city and arrived in the evening to a somewhat intimidating train station.  Before we arrived in Rome, we took a train trip from Siracusa, Sicily.  The trip lasted 12 hours but it was wonderful to see southern Italy and all the great coastal cities that Italy has to offer.  A friend of ours mentioned that our train was going to ride on to a boat in Messina, Sicily and I couldn't believe it until it actually jumped on.  It was a quick 45 minute ride and we were off to Rome.  We met a wonderful couple from India and they had mentioned that there son was marrying in Europe and they had already been to Rome earlier.  It was great to meet them and they were able to tell us what to watch for and visit the great tourist spots in the city.  We arrived at night and we followed them to the taxi stand. Just as an fyi, we were told to take the taxi's from the taxi stand because if you take a random cab, you could pay a high price to your hotel.  Our taxi fare was 18 euros and about a 20 minute ride.  The first thing we noticed was the vespa drivers. We were going to rent them in Florence but quickly changed our minds.  We stayed in a B&B just outside of Vatican City and our host Stefan, a sailor was very accommodating and made some great recommendations while we were there. The name of the B&B was Villa Pamphili - Piccolomini.  The website is http://www.b-b.rm.it/. We stayed in the Levante Double Room with a cute terrace to sit out and enjoy the views.  The breakfast was very personal with an assortment of pastries, cereal, espresso of course and juices.  Our first day started in the Vatican City and I'll be honest, I was glad we had reserved tickets for the tour because the lines were very busy.  We had a wonderful tour guide from Fort Lauderdale who was doing an arts degree in Italy and her Italian was amazing.  She was very informative and knowledgeable to say the least and kept us entertained throughout the tour.  I can't express how beautiful The Vatican museum is and St. Peter's Basilica.  I think I took 700 pictures alone in Rome.  A short ride to a piazza and we visited The Coliseum and The Forum. Incredible to think that this structure is in the middle of a very busy street in Rome.  We were told by our guide Christine, originally from Rome that this city has 2700 years of history.  Unbelievable!  The next two days would take us to The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the neighbourhood of Trastavere and the many incredible restaurants Rome has to offer with some stops at a Gelateria.  We had Gelato in every city we visited, delicious!  Please enjoy my pictures of Rome and make this one of your next stops when you travel to Italy.  Make sure you take the time to enjoy each location and plan your trip well.  You don't want to jump from place to place too quickly as you will miss many opportunities to see the locals, the architecture, the piazzas and the many wonderful pictures you will take. Buon viaggio!

Macro Photography - Hydrangea Flower

I started experimenting with macro photography quite early with my original Panasonic Lumix camera and when I purchased the Canon Rebel XSI, my macro lens was one of my first purchases.  I am fascinated by the explosion of colours as well as the close-ups you can achieve with this great lens.  Off and on I will be showcasing these wonderful variety of flowers on this blog and I wanted to start with the Hydrangea because of it's vibrant colours and the way it's presents itself.

We move to Cinque Terre Italy

What a fascinating group of villages in Northern Italy.  Cinque Terre is known world wide for its wonderful vistas as well as its amazing hiking.  As a photographer I can assure you that you will get some of the best pictures that you can imagine.  The idea is to start at Riomaggiore and hike to each of the cities on the way.  The next is Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and finally Monterrosso.  Each of these tiny village offers the same luxuries as a major city with some wonderful restaurants, shops and the amazing locals of course.  It is impossible to compare the differences because each one is so unique.  Monterrosso offers two beaches with a great backdrop and Corniglia is way up on the cliff of Cinque Terre.  In my opinion Riomaggiore and Vernazza offers the best views and of course the best photos.  So many colours it's hard to keep track of which village your in and what landscape you're looking at.

In Toronto I have visited quite a few unique shows showcasing artists and everything you can imagine under one roof.  I remember years ago being fascinated by a specific acrylic picture and I recall it being Riomaggiore from above.  This picture could only be taken by a hiker and someone is not afraid of heights!  Please enjoy the selection of my pictures of Cinque Terre and fall in love with Italy again.

I want you love Italy!  Gondola's, many gondola's!  Take a walk throughout the day and late into the evening and you can find these gondola's everywhere.  We quickly realized that black was the colour of choice and the interiors vary.  It's very surreal to see these gondoliers attract couples, families and others to enjoy the gondola trip through Venice.  Sometimes you may get lucky and find a gondola with an accordian player or a gondolier singing "O sole mio".  Truly romantic and an important part of your trip to Venice.

This picture of a canal in Burano, Italy is what your eyes will see when you get off the water taxi.  A short walk down a street and through a small park, you walk right into a maze of colours.  Impossible to count how many, you can't help but be amazed at how much effort is put into the painting of these houses.  You have to wonder if there is a board of directors or even an application to decide what colours to use and which houses get them!  Don't forget to check out the many beautiful lace shops at every corner and look in amazement at the detail on this women's clothing.  Patience and dedication would be the best way to describe it.  Enjoy this island to its fullest.

Italy and France pictures, Sept 19, 2010 to October 9,2010

Recently I have had the pleasure to travel to Europe the first time as a photographer.  I wanted to let everyone enjoy the pictures of the cities we visited.  We travelled from Southern Italy starting in Siracusa, Sicily and north through Rome, Firenze, Cinque Terre and Venizia in Italy with Paris being our final destination.  I brought quite a few lenses with me to get the most out of the experience but found that I tended to gravitate to my Sigma 18-200 mm lens which is a combo wide angle and telephoto lens.  I was able to take some great candid shots as well as a few night shots which I really like.

My experience in photography has spanned over two years and I have taken a few courses in Toronto Ontario, Canada at Henry's.  I will include links below so you can check out their sites.  I am also doing an online training course which is based in the United States and is a wonderful site to help the amateur photographer and the advanced photographer.  The name is Kelby Training.  It showcases some of the best photographers in North America as well as some cool techniques you can use if you are an owner of Photoshop with all the updates.  The price per month is very reasonable and very essential if you want perfect your skills.

Feedback on the pics is more than welcome as I think it's great to share any tips one might have about photography.

Below are some of the links listed above so you can check them out.

http://www.kelbytraining.com/
http://www.henrys.com/


 Picture of St. Mark's Square in the evening shortly after a rain shower.  If you're lucky you may get to experience a flood when the tide comes in.  Venice, Italy is vibrant with so many wonderful restaurants, great shops and if you want you can wear a great and colourful mask from one of the many stores on the street.  Famous glass shops from Morano are scattered all over the streets of Venice which just happens to be a short distance from the main island on one of the water taxi's.  Oh! and there is another island named Burano which is famous for its lace.  The streets are laced with colourful houses pardon the pun and you will feel you are in Santa's Village or some sort of Wonderland.  A picture below will be the best way to describe it.



As mentioned above this picture was taken on the island of Murano, Italy.  This island is famous for its glass chandelier's, jewellery and georgeous vases.   Some pieces of art are made by the owner of the gallery.  The island much like
Venice but on a smaller scale, you will find the same canals but unfortunately
no gondolas.  This particular picture is a unique look at some of the residential buildings by the water.  The colours  are not quite as dramatic as Burano, but the feeling is the same.