Some Photos of Maria Maggiore In Rome.

This churchs' dome dominated some of the skyline in the area where we stayed,
and we heard the church bells ring in the morning.
 These were taken on our second day in Rome,
 some from the bus, and some from a late afternoon visit.

The dome.
 In these places so much of your time is spent looking up.

Some of the detail of the building.

Mary, sitting way up high.

More building....it's pretty huge.

Mary and Jesus.

Papal keys.
So much gold it was mind boggling.

The mosaic in the apse.

One of the colonnades.

Stairs down to the crypt.

The relic of Jesus' manger is inside this golden casket.( that's the story, anyway.)

A shaft of afternoon light in one of the chapels.

The many visitors.

Some More Snaps Of How Rome Looked To Me,

These pics were taken on our second day. We caught a 'hop on hop off' bus, and to begin with sat in the open air on the top deck, however the day got so hot we ended up underneath in the shade.

Typical balcony under a window on the first floor, lots of stone, carving and wrought iron.
There are always shutters, and Marg was in love with the beautiful windows, which were all double glazed and had lots of practical features.

Typical doorway, more stone and carving.

Some buildings had a colourful surfacing, usually warm colours, ocre tones of red and yellow.

Quick snap of a window in a window, colour, carving,and shutters, as usual.

Miss Margaret sightseeing. Note the earplug for the guide information.

Complete with reflections from the bus windows, a typical street corner.

Every so often a door, or archway appeared on the street, which gave a glimpse into an internal courtyard, apparently they were originally built so that you could drive your horse and cart through.

What all the paths and roads are made of,
along with the typical pattern or arrangement of the stones.
Can you imagine negotiating these with high heels? lots of Roman ladies do.

This is a bit more from my first night in Rome....

This was part of my walk home in Rome, it was warm and balmy and beautiful, the lights and the ambiance were fantastic.

I'm back....

It's been wonderful to be away, but it's lovely to be back.
So many things to remember and share.
Here's a bit of a start from my first night in Rome

First night in Roma, the 'Piazza De La Republica', at twilight.
The fountain, the buildings, the traffic...amazing.
The place that we had coffee, was under the colonnade...or ground floor arches on the left.

Light feature over the cafe.
(We came to judge the cities by their light fittings.)

even more detail.

Flower on the table.

With three different types of Biscotti.

Such a beautiful end to an exciting day,
and the most expensive coffee that we had, ( I think 18 euros for two)
 but so worth it for the beautiful setting.

Still waiting...

I'm packed and ready and just waiting for a lift to the airport.

I've been looking at stuff around the blog sphere, and yes, playing with photo booth, 

wearing the big necklace....
and an extra cardigan,
so hard to pack for warm, when it's cool today.

Bon Voyage.....

I'm off to see the big wide world, there will be adventure aplenty,
 and I'm sure, many a story to tell.
All of this means dear reader that I'll be 'off the air'....until mid October.

Forget me not...

I'm hoping to take lots and lots of pics,
which I will no doubt torture you all with on my return.
Stay safe, and well, and I'll be thinking of you.
Love Jo.
ps...I'm hoping Rozie will have lots to talk to you about as well.

One More SleepTo Go...

The trip awaits,
with lots of nervous excitement and anticipation.

Can't wait....

I'll see you in my dreams.

Alex sent me these photos thismorning,

They were taken on a medium format camera by one of her bosses.
Love the black and white mood.
I'll see if I'm exceeding my space on blogger, as I can't seem to minimise the quality

Max

Grant

Georgie and Max

The Traveller has returned...

Sneak a peak at the travel pics...

In London

Cobble stones, and shadows

Grant and Alex

Buskers three 

Alex, Max and Georgie

My Favourite New Cookbook

Last weekend I became the proud owner of the Peter Gilmore cookbook Quay,

 it's so beautiful. As a book the production is superb, the whole feel of it is amazing.

When I first encountered this book last year (at christmas,while brousing in a bookshop.)

I had such an emotional reaction.

Which was a bit over the top, but I do love a good cook book.

This is a little look

The cover

                                                                         

Beautiful photography.

lots of his famous sea pearls.

This is a 'tapioca sea pearl' with octapus.

Does Love Win, Or Does Hate Win..

Last night I watched a programme on SBS that told a bit of the story of a woman who was 14 at the outbreak of WW2, she ended up working in the house /villa of a Nazi official and witnessed terrible events during that time.


The programme was really about a meeting she had with this officials daughter (she was born to his mistress at the end of the war), 
The whole thing was so sad, these were people who were caught up in terrible events, that really stemmed from prejudice and hatred. 
However they were looking at how to go forward under the circumstances, with forgiveness and understanding. 


At work today I heard a song that reminded me of all the misunderstanding and hatred that people, particularly minority groups suffer. It struck me as I listened to the words, that I'm closely aligned to some of those minority, or marginalised groups....not that I'm Jewish, but my surname is, and My children have a mix of Jewish blood.....


This is the song that got me thinking. 


(Hope no ones offended by some of the language)