Few things meet expectations as much as Monte-Carlo and Monaco. We cruised there after two days of rainy and windy weather and it was sunny and beautiful. We have all seen many movies including two featuring James Bond that featured the exquisite Casino. It did not disappoint. A beautiful temple of bankruptcy, we did opt play but appreciated the venue.
To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.
Casino of Monte-Carlo
Casino of Monte-Carlo
Lady Luck
We have made an effort when traveling through Europe to not only visit famous Churches but also the Synagogues. In each city we find the ancient ghettos and houses of worships that our ancestors visited. Tempio Maggiore di Roma is truly one of the most magnificent Synagogues on the planet. Like most Synagogues and few Churches it is guarded by the military the necessity of which makes me sad.
Our tour was allowed in at the end of a wedding which made our visit even more special. There is also a wonderful Jewish Museum which I will cover in a future post.
To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.
Tempio Maggiore di Roma
Tempio Maggiore di Roma
Tempio Maggiore di Roma
November 9, 1938
Americans have some dates burned in their memory. September 11 and December 6 are two notorious dates where Americans were attacked, killed and suffered extreme hardships. It is important as Americans to remember these dates and honor the fallen.
However, as citizens of the world we MUST remember today as well because it is the anniversary of Kristallnacht. Tonight were the first attacks on Jewish homes in Germany. At least 91 Jews were killed in the attacks, and a further 30,000 arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. Jewish homes, hospitals, and schools were ransacked, over 1,000 synagogues were burned and Jewish businesses destroyed or damaged. Millions of others experienced death and torture by the lunatic Hitler.
We must never forget and always honor this day. Things are much better in Europe now for Jewish people that have remained or returned over all these years. However, this year when visiting Italy I saw it was still necessary for soldiers to guard the synagogues.
Synagogue in Milan Italy
Barcelona is a vibrant and culturally diverse city. Nobody expresses the soul of the city better than Antoni Gaudí. He was a Spanish architect known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí’s works have a highly individualized, one-of-a-kind style. Casa Milà was one of his last works and is commonly know as La Pedrera which means the stone quarry. Its rough hewn appearance is seen throughout the building.
The picture below of the model shows the scope of the building which was designed as a private residence but has a total of eight floors and many separate apartments.
To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.
Model of Casa Milā
The Roof Top
The Courtyard
After four days in Rome seeing antiquites and monuments we decided to do something different and went to The Macro. This is the nickname for Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Rome or the Museum of Modern Art. It was a great place to cleanse your pallet of the ancient. The elevator itself is a work of art inspired by the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rope.
To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.
Rome’s MACRO
Rome’s MACRO
Rome’s MACRO
We traveled for a week aboard the Azamara Pursuit cruising from Barcelona to Rome. It was an awesome experience and I am sure I will write more about it over the next few weeks. There was a lot of good entertainment onboard but our favorite was the captivating Maryfer. Playing a grand piano and singing in a beautiful clear voice with great range.
The video is her singing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. It doesn’t do justice to the power of her voice but you get the idea.We also got to know her and her boyfriend a little. He accompanies her on guitar and also is a vocalist. A lovely young couple.
To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.
We got lucky on our visit to Monaco and arrived at the Palace when they were changing the guard. Of course there were a few thousand tourists lined up in front of me but I still managed to get a few images. Not as dramatic as Prague Castle or Tomb of The Unknown Solider but still dramatic.
To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.
Monaco Palace
Changing of The Guard
