Giotto and grottoes

Giotto - words to express - ummmm!

How incredible to see the Capella Scrovegni in real 7pm life! Bit weird to be herded through with strict and holy order but hey! Giotto!!!!!

Lovely ladies of Belleville at the hotel. OMG! It's 8.15 am!! Must go to Venezia!! Red dress day! No bici! Venezia Venezia alora!!!

Riding home on the train let me tell about Venice...
Great feeling arriving! I just new it as a beautiful place!! Oh yes! Sunny warm autumn day and every tourist in the world has arrived! It's like arriving at the Royal Easter Show ... all excitement and colour and anticipation.

Vaporetto to piazza San Marco for HIGH morning tea at Florians oolala!

Then slowly slowly the tide comes in. Water rising; pants rolled up; out come the boardwalks. Brave or ignorant - some people wade through as the sea comes in to the piazza.

Doge's palace - words can not describe the - GRANDIOSITY!

Hanging grapes and apple harvest

Grapes hangin down heavy under vines and ancient rocks and paving. Marble. Red. And white.
The perfect pink rose against a rock wall ancient.

The scent of autumn flowers in the air of aged castle towers.
When pots were first made discovered in musee ... Cooking vessels. The will to make art abundant since the dawn of time. How wonderful. Surprise.

Ride past vineyards and apples. Piste ciclabile very easy and flat. Dolomites mountains majestic and grande!!!
Bicci grill en way for espesso. Haha! Thought I'd be stuck in the loo forever 'cause the door wasn't easy to open. Haha, it did but!
The most amazing gelato in the world was devoured at Rovereto... Mille foglia big lunch groan!
Hotel find fabulous and tasteful tiles in bog!
Vegetariano per favor!! Well well well. Apple harvest five courses of apples; rolled like an apple off to dream apple dreams!! Note to self ... make apple cream and amoretti icy drink sometime!! And pasta simple with just cream, curry powder and sliced apples.

Is that another roman ruin?

Up up up up on on on
Going up up up hill one one one
Hesitation... shut-up mind
Ride ride peddles turnin
Don't look up don't look down
Just momentum on on on!

Big castle, new nicks, gelato, pizza, red wine, Internet euros! Bella giorno!!!

Ariverderci [22/09/10]

Arriverderci Lanfranco and Federica
Hello bianchi factory en route to Verona and Bolzano. Oh! Who is at the station? Lanfranco going opposite way to Milano.
Lunch in a bag today!
Bolzano... To give respect to the 10000000 year old man, we didn't go to visit him.
Pretty on the outside. Facade life. Convent life. Dormitory hotel with smiley man who annoyed monkey. The best moment in bolz was buying cheese at the market and riding along alto adige bike path. Piste ciclabile all the way to Trento. All you can eat at the two giants . Make up the blues...
Piste ciclabile
Bicci grill
Piste ciclabile

Bicci grill....

Whacky frescoes [20/09/10]

The old castle at Lurano is majesty and ancient beauty with some very whacky frescoes! Deep soft bed and antiquities, collections, books and books and books.

 Extraordinary age I cannot describe. But I'll try. The cellar looks like it was built on another castle. "The earth rises" says Lanfranco. How many centuries have filed marching and dancing with the turning circles of antiquity with the sun rising each day and leaving it's notch on the layers of history?
Alta bergamo the city on the hill, narrow streets, esoteric church of mystery and bibliotecia with coffee.
Sitting in the garden at Lurano watching the little dogs walking in and out of the castle doorways, recalling Lanfranco's wonderful account of Alta Bergamo history. Stand up walking pizza lunch and Federica not feeling the best we wandered up and in and out of narrow cobbled streets of history's wonder.

I spy [17/09/10]

I spied a beautiful moment in the world and sat amongst it. Brought out my pencils and drew while I ate lunch at lakeside ristorante at Bellagio. Musings with monkey via SMS and delicious champagne oolala and spaghetti with cream and tomoto sauce and little roasted grape tomatoes placed. Something about bellagio - the narrow streets and old rock walls; the flowers sprouting everywhere; the boats; the fishermen; the love; the rain!!

Now in Bergamo- best cake in the world Bergamo!! Bottle of chianti and race through the rain.

To wake with the sun shining on our bikes and destination Lanfranco and Federica!

come ride with me

rain rain go away come again another day!

bellagio downpour 

ferry train wet wet wet

arrived in bergamo like a couple of wet cyclists in a downpour

soggy soggy soggy

but oh so happy and still laughing

ha

stairs

Oolala stairs stairs stairs! Time for a bier!

pencil shop in paris

I have walked past an art supply shop each day but it hadn't been open. I wanted some pencils to use in my journal. I love artist shops. I always say ... "i could die in an art supply shop!' ... 
So at 7pm tonight I go there and it's open. I don't die, I buy pencils, crayons and a beautiful orange pen with a wide calligraphy brush on one end and a pointed end the other.


I was inspired. I saw my cultural history , all upon the walls of the Pompidou Centre. I grew up with this art. This art made me., and once again, it inspires. Pencils to paper, tyres to the cobble stones, Paris is creeping in. How wonderful!

riding in the streets of paris

Lessons learned long ago come to life! We rode in the streets of Paris today and found the Pantheon, the Rue Mouffetard, the Luxembourg Jardin. Je suis la tourist! Fell in a jetlag heap after lunch and put my sights on monkey's bottom to get us home. Well, that's what you do when cycling behind someone. I'll try to be awake long enough to have afternoon tea tomorrow! We have bread, cheese and fruits for our dinner and I think a bottle of red may appear sur la table aussi. Paris is warm and delightfully full of flowers.

Hotel view

Lovely sleepy first day in Paris. Must have slept for most of it!!!!

'Before'

Bonjour mes amis!!!! J'arrive en Paris!

bird-show window