Still cold in Almaty, not just as cold. We warmed up to 16F today! Only a couple of inches of snow on the ground here. We drove to Pompei on Day Six. It is quite magnificent and fairly large. Only 2/3 is uncovered. ...
See this website for excellent information on Pompeii ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
Saturday, 28 January 2012
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Capri - Day 5
We froze yesterday at -23F/-25C ... thinking WARM THOUGHTS is not working! Continuing our Amalfi Photo Tour ...
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
We took the boat to Capri (no other way) ... The island has a long history - most interesting is that Tiberius ruled the Roman Empire from there. You'll notice in the pictures the shopping area - locals call it their version of "Rodeo Drive." We took a single chair chair lift to the highest peak, then walked down (45 minutes). This was the least interesting day of our visit to me ...
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
We took the boat to Capri (no other way) ... The island has a long history - most interesting is that Tiberius ruled the Roman Empire from there. You'll notice in the pictures the shopping area - locals call it their version of "Rodeo Drive." We took a single chair chair lift to the highest peak, then walked down (45 minutes). This was the least interesting day of our visit to me ...
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Amalfi Town - Day 4
Its now -11 F/-24C ... trying to think WARM THOUGHTS! Continuing our Amalfi Photo Tour ...
Day Four - Amalfi Town
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
We took the boat to Amalfi Town ... very crowed with all the tour buses. Our main object was a hike. A friend recommended one that follows a stream up into the hills, through olive groves and lemon orchards. Along the way, we saw several paper mill ruins.
Day Four - Amalfi Town
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
We took the boat to Amalfi Town ... very crowed with all the tour buses. Our main object was a hike. A friend recommended one that follows a stream up into the hills, through olive groves and lemon orchards. Along the way, we saw several paper mill ruins.
Monday, 21 November 2011
Camryn Arrives!
I'm a new grandfather! Camryn was born at 10:12 am, 8 lbs 1.5 oz, and 21 inches long. Rachel and Chase went to the hospital last night at 5 pm. Contractions began about 6:30 pm last night, but really got going about 5 am this morning. Once her water broke, it was a race ... would Camryn arrive before the doctor? Doctor was 12 minutes early. Anyway, Camryn is heathly and Rachel is doing fine.
I have not cleaned these photos up ... just wanted to share the moments quickly!
I have not cleaned these photos up ... just wanted to share the moments quickly!
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Italy - Sorrento
In September, Lauri, Meg, and I experienced an enchanting vacation to Italy's Amalfi Coast. This region is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula in the Province of Salerno in Southern Italy, about 1 hour south of Naples.
Day One - Positano
Day Two - Positano
Day Three - Sorrento - We drove back over the hill to visit Sorrento which is on the bay looking at Mt. Vesuvius. Towards the end of our leisurely stroll, we happened upon an art gallery. The featured artist gave us a personal tour of his paintings - all retro to Greek Mythology.
Sorrento (Neapolitan: Surriento) is a small town in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri. Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
More photos to come ... (click on the picture to watch the slideshow by itself)
Day Four - Amalfi Town
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
Sorrento (Neapolitan: Surriento) is a small town in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri.
The Amalfi Drive (connecting Sorrento and Amalfi) is a narrow road that threads along the high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Ferry boats and hydrofoils provide services to Naples, Amalfi, Positano, Capri and Ischia. Sorrento's sea cliffs and luxury hotels have attracted notable people, including Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti.
Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
Day One - Positano
Day Two - Positano
Day Three - Sorrento - We drove back over the hill to visit Sorrento which is on the bay looking at Mt. Vesuvius. Towards the end of our leisurely stroll, we happened upon an art gallery. The featured artist gave us a personal tour of his paintings - all retro to Greek Mythology.
Sorrento (Neapolitan: Surriento) is a small town in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri. Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
More photos to come ... (click on the picture to watch the slideshow by itself)
Day Four - Amalfi Town
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
Sorrento (Neapolitan: Surriento) is a small town in Campania, southern Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination which can be reached easily from Naples and Pompeii, as it lies at the south-eastern end of the Circumvesuviana rail line. The town overlooks the Bay of Naples as the key place of the Sorrentine Peninsula, and many viewpoints allow sight of Naples itself, Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri.
The Amalfi Drive (connecting Sorrento and Amalfi) is a narrow road that threads along the high cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Ferry boats and hydrofoils provide services to Naples, Amalfi, Positano, Capri and Ischia. Sorrento's sea cliffs and luxury hotels have attracted notable people, including Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti.
Sorrento is famous for the production of limoncello, a digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Brown will request billions for high-speed rail project « Hot Air
A bullet train to default ... then California will want the rest of us who balance a budget to pay for their excess .... a good reason not to go to CA and a good reason to leave ... the State is in the hands of idiots ....
Brown will request billions for high-speed rail project « Hot Air
Brown will request billions for high-speed rail project « Hot Air
Saturday, 12 November 2011
Amalfi Coast - Itlay - Positano
In September, Lauri, Meg, and I experienced an enchanting vacation to Italy's Amalfi Coast. This region is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula in the Province of Salerno in Southern Italy, about 1 hour south of Naples.
Day One - Lauri & Robin arrive from Ankara, Turkey and got settled in. Our home away from home is in Positano. Positano was a prosperous port of the Almalfi Republic in the 16th and 17th centuries. But by the mid-19th century, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to Australia.
Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century. It began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."
One of the main sites is the church of Santa Maria Assunta features a dome made of majolica tiles as well as a 13th Byzantine century icon of a black Madonna. According to local legend, the icon had been stolen from Byzantium and was being transported by pirates across the Mediterranean. A terrible storm had blown up in the waters opposite Positano and the frightened sailors heard a voice on board saying "Posa, posa!" ("Put down! Put down!"). The precious icon was unloaded and carried to the fishing village and the storm abated.
Positano has been featured in several films, including Only You (1994), and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003). It also hosts the annual Cartoons on the Bay Festival, at which Pulcinella awards for excellence in animation are presented. From July of 1967 and through most of the 1970s, Positano was home of singer-songwriter Shawn Phillips and was where most of his best known work was composed. Also, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones wrote the song "Midnight Rambler" in the cafes of Positano while on vacation.
We rented an apartment for the entire week. The landlord told us to stop at the Poseiden hotel, give her a call, unload the bags, and park the car. I did, then walked about a half mile back to Lauri and the bags. She called the "porters" to carry the bags. Usually I am VERY cheap about such things, but was glad she did it without asking. Our apartment was down 70 steep, narrow stairs! This meant that anytime we wanted to access the street, we climbed the same stairs back up. Of course, the beach was down another 265 steps. Feel bad for us? We talked to another couple who dealt with 500+ stairs. Positano sits on a steep mountain with only one, one-way street winding along the hillside. You will see it in the photos.Our apartment was wonderful! Up on the deck, we could look out over the town - you'll see numerous photos from that vantage point. At night, we would hear a band playing at a local restaurant.
Day Two - Pick Meg up at the Naples Airport - We showed her around town for the afternoon. For dinner, we took a quick boat ride to another beach to eat an interesting dinner. This was the annual Festival of Pesce (fish).
More photos to come ... (click on the picture to watch the slideshow by itself)
Day Three - Sorrento
Day Four - Amalfi Town
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
Day One - Lauri & Robin arrive from Ankara, Turkey and got settled in. Our home away from home is in Positano. Positano was a prosperous port of the Almalfi Republic in the 16th and 17th centuries. But by the mid-19th century, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to Australia.
Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century. It began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."
One of the main sites is the church of Santa Maria Assunta features a dome made of majolica tiles as well as a 13th Byzantine century icon of a black Madonna. According to local legend, the icon had been stolen from Byzantium and was being transported by pirates across the Mediterranean. A terrible storm had blown up in the waters opposite Positano and the frightened sailors heard a voice on board saying "Posa, posa!" ("Put down! Put down!"). The precious icon was unloaded and carried to the fishing village and the storm abated.
Positano has been featured in several films, including Only You (1994), and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003). It also hosts the annual Cartoons on the Bay Festival, at which Pulcinella awards for excellence in animation are presented. From July of 1967 and through most of the 1970s, Positano was home of singer-songwriter Shawn Phillips and was where most of his best known work was composed. Also, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones wrote the song "Midnight Rambler" in the cafes of Positano while on vacation.
We rented an apartment for the entire week. The landlord told us to stop at the Poseiden hotel, give her a call, unload the bags, and park the car. I did, then walked about a half mile back to Lauri and the bags. She called the "porters" to carry the bags. Usually I am VERY cheap about such things, but was glad she did it without asking. Our apartment was down 70 steep, narrow stairs! This meant that anytime we wanted to access the street, we climbed the same stairs back up. Of course, the beach was down another 265 steps. Feel bad for us? We talked to another couple who dealt with 500+ stairs. Positano sits on a steep mountain with only one, one-way street winding along the hillside. You will see it in the photos.Our apartment was wonderful! Up on the deck, we could look out over the town - you'll see numerous photos from that vantage point. At night, we would hear a band playing at a local restaurant.
Day Two - Pick Meg up at the Naples Airport - We showed her around town for the afternoon. For dinner, we took a quick boat ride to another beach to eat an interesting dinner. This was the annual Festival of Pesce (fish).
More photos to come ... (click on the picture to watch the slideshow by itself)
Day Three - Sorrento
Day Four - Amalfi Town
Day Five - Capri
Day Six -Pompei
Day Seven - Amalfi Coast Cruise
Day Eight - Ravello
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