A perfect day in Rome

Clear blue skies and 18C, a perfect day to be walking around Rome.

In the morning we had a coffee at a nearby bar then walked to Campo de Fiori and sampled some delicious focaccia  at Forno Campo de' Fiori for breakfast. After spending some time at the markets we went to Largo  Argentina to see if there had been any new excavations or rebuilds and also checked out the cats.

We passed by the Pantheon -not so many tour groups around earlier in the morning

It is such an impressive structure from any angle

The Area Sacra di Largo Argentina site seemed a little more organised than last year.  We also looked for cats -a bit like "Where's Wally", as usual they were initially well hidden

Chris, Sarah and Paul looking for the cats

Rob, Jules & I went for a walk along the Tiber in the afternoon on the way we stopped in to Roscioli near Campo de' Fiori for a focaccia snack

There are so many surprises along the streets of Rome -this fountain sculpture was not far from Campo de' Fiori

A perfect October day

Rob & Jules took the photos

While we were walking along we saw a group of tourists looking down to the river so we joined in.
One guy told me that what we were looking at was a large river rat.  It was huge but didn't look much like a rat to me.  There were plenty of rats running in and out of burrows near it and they looked quite different.

When we got home Rob checked online and found that it was a large  Nutria or Myocastor coypus
They are an introduced South American species and are commonly called  Nutria or Coypu
 They are supposed to have large orange teeth -none of us are going to get close enough to check them out.

You can get an idea of how big the animal was by the size of the backpack in the foreground

This guy was feeding the nutria and the many rats!

Jules went down to take photos- I stayed as far away as I could.  In the middle of the right of this photo you can see the nutria swimming away.  It was slow moving on land but really quick in the water

The nutria was much larger than the large rats that were running around.

Castel Sant'Angelo

The river was quite still

The sellers are back, fake bags everywhere. This time last year the bridge was clear. The police have a blitz for a while, the sellers go away for a while, then they come back.

On the way back to the apartment we passed by this beautifully decorated old building near the Teatro dei Satiri

We had drinks at La Buvette in Via Vittoria, 44/47. Enjoyed their chiccetti or snacks (can't remember what the locals call them. Well made drinks and very tasty snacks.

Venezia: gondole, canali e calle

A selection of photos from our last few days in Venice. Mainly canals and gondolas.

An old well in a courtyard

i liked this lamp -a hand and forearm holding the lamp

Aqua alta: water seeping up from under the pavement

Two gondoliere hanging around waiting for customers - not trying too hard as the footpath was submerged by aqua alta

Another two having a chat in the middle of the Grand Canal :)

Time out

I've been out of action for a few days with a gastro bug.  Haven't seen much of Venezia other than out of the bedroom window.  

It sounds like Daniele de Rossi from AS Roma had the same attacco gastroenterico yesterday:
"un attacco violento di nausea, l'allenamento interrotto appoggiandosi  un muro vicino al campo"  I know how he felt :(  It was reported in La reppublica yesterday.  

Fortunately none of the rest of the family have caught it. 

 They have been out and about and have taken some good photos etc and I will post them soon.  We are catching the train to Rome today so will post again when we are settled in.

Another lazy day in Venice

We went to the Accademia gallery  (Gallerie dell'Accademia) yesterday and enjoyed wandering around looking at the fabulous collection. In the afternoon we walked around the St Marco/ Rialto side of the canal and went to a few favourite shops and bars.
We ended up in San Marco around 4.00pm so sat in the warm sunshine at Gran Caffe Quadri and enjoyed the beautiful view.  The light from the setting sun was perfect and the light/shadow contrasts were amazing. A very pleasant break. The photos are a mixture taken with our fuji by Rob, Jules and me.

The antique market in Campo S Barnaba. I really wanted to buy some of the glass lamps hanging on the right but getting them home in one piece is a bit problematic.

Next to Accademia bridge

It was impossible to get this shot without a tourist in the way

From Accademia bridge

From Accademia bridge

This one as well - there is a reason there are always heaps of people on the Accademia bridge, the views are always fantastic

Another one of my favourite spots

Looking in a shop selling beautiful paper and pens

Gondola traffic- tutto era bloccato

Ammonite in Piazza San Marco

and another one

Blue skies and a prime spot at Gran Caffe Quadri

I was busily checking my phone - just for a short while, I did take in my surroundings :)
 Sarah enjoyed just being there -as  you should

The contrast between the light and shadows was stunning

San Marco

Heaps of tourists

It was good to relax in the sun

Sardine tourists all crammed into the one spot -it's good for us because other areas are easy to walk around.

The pink lights are great

Jules took this photo -with much direction, neither of us will ever make it in TV :)