When in Rome

Like most travellers in this modern digital age, I took possibly thousands of pictures while travelling through Europe a couple of years back.  Apart from the usual touristy shots, I loved capturing candid images of the local population.  My favourites were the Romans.

Everyone in this shot is caught in intense conversation, save the gentleman to the left.  Here's what I like to think is really going on.  He has taken delight in inviting his secretary out to lunch, not knowing that his wife (in the pink cardigan) has chosen the same restaurant to dine with her bridesmaid, who is filling her in on his every move.

Don't you wish you had the courage to get away with this?  I can just hear her: "I mean, like, what's the point?"

I love the way Roman women dress up, even to do their local shopping.

While the parents are distracted, this little prince is plotting his escape.

Meanwhile in Piazza Navona, these two residents are flirting outrageously with each other high above the crowded piazza.  Note the clever hand signals of the gentleman.  Thumbs up for dining out tonight, while pointing to the chosen restaurant.  Let's hope his wife and her bridesmaid don't pick the same place. 

Shadow Shot Sunday # 76

I came across this image of the Colosseum which I took on our recent trip (sorry ... haven't had time to shoot any local shadows since we've arrived home!) and was intrigued by the two shadows coming from different directions. 'Tis a puzzle.




Have you seen the wonderful Shadow Shot Sunday images on Hey Harriet's blog yet? Do yourself a favour and take a look here at what all the fuss is about - you won't be disappointed.

Jetlag - what's that?

Jet lag, also jetlag, medically referred to as "desynchronosis" is a physiological condition which is a consequence of alterations to circadian rhythms; it is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Jet lag results from rapid long-distance transmeridian (east-west or west-east) travel, as on a jet plane.

- Wikipedia

Tell me about it. Having travelled 25 hours from Rome to Brisbane, with a four hour wait in Dubai to change aircraft and another couple for good measure in Singapore while the plane was being refueled, our six weeks of adventure came to an end at 20 minutes past midnight at Brisbane International Airport on Wednesday morning. To put on my Pollyanna hat, it was the best time to arrive home, as the customs crew plus one very sleepy sniffer dog wanted to get to bed as much as we did and we were ushered through without delay. Here I am nearly five days later and I'm still walking around in a fog.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Behind us lie such wonderful adventures ...

A wedding in Orkney

Men in kilts ... mmmmm ...

Paris ...

breakfasts

parking

A quaint German castle ...

reveals an amazing piece of family history

Rome ...

City of our dreams

Back to my opening paragraph. It's heading towards midnight and I need to break the jetlag syndrome. We have memories of the six weeks away that will stay with us forever, or at least until that senility thingie kicks in (can't remember its name). For now it's back to reality, but ah, what a trip