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1.) bluecat - 07/15/2019
Spent two weeks with the family touring some of the Greek Islands and Italy. My wife has had a burning desire to see the Greek Islands so she planned the whole trip. I simply nodded a lot when she gave me the itinerary. I made the request for a more intensive tour through the Roman coliseum which was way too brief when I visited twenty years ago. I really didn't have much knowledge of Greece before the trip so I had no expectations. The only thing I knew was to stay clear of the Ouzo which is a particularly nasty licorice flavored liqueur made on the islands.

We'll review the trip, focus on some of the answers to questions I had along the way, provide back stories and interesting experiences that happened along the way. So put your tray table in the upright and locked position, get your passport out and don't forget to tip your tour guide. Andiamo!

Verb. andiamo. first-person plural present indicative of andare - we go. first-person plural present subjunctive of andare - that we go. first-person plural imperative of andare - let's go!
2.) DParker - 07/15/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58569]I simply nodded a lot when she gave me the itinerary.[/quote]

Good move. You're not half as dumb as I look.

[QUOTE=bluecat;58569]The only thing I knew was to stay clear of the Ouzo which is a particularly nasty licorice flavored liqueur made on the islands.[/quote]

It pairs well with grilled octopus though.

[QUOTE=bluecat;58569]Andiamo!

Verb. andiamo. first-person plural present indicative of andare - we go. first-person plural present subjunctive of andare - that we go. first-person plural imperative of andare - let's go![/QUOTE]

All the Italian you need to know (once you get past the French). Sono affamato!!

[video=youtube;NMTfBjOzUSc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMTfBjOzUSc[/video]
3.) bluecat - 07/15/2019
Lol, +7
4.) Swamp Fox - 07/16/2019
[QUOTE][B][I]What Have The Romans Ever Done For Us
[/I][/B]
--By Swamp Fox


[I]Veni, vedi, vici ...

Amo, amas, amat ...

Pop quiz on Tuesday--

A "C" is what you got.


[/I][/QUOTE] ....
5.) Swamp Fox - 07/16/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58569] The only thing I knew was to stay clear of the Ouzo which is a particularly nasty licorice flavored liqueur made on the islands.

[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=DParker;58570]

It pairs well with grilled octopus though.

[/QUOTE]

My best friend got into a bottle of ouzo in high school ... I wasn't there, but on the morning after he looked like an octopus had tried to have its way with him with two or three or eight pipe wrenches under the stars at the marina, so I do have a clue what BC means, and it is a powerful warning.

6.) bluecat - 07/16/2019
[B]Santorini[/B]




My view out my window as we took a cruise ship. I wondered if I would get sick on the trip but it never happened as we had calm seas the whole time. It was an enjoyable experience and a great way to move around with minimal fuss. The food was great, the people were nice and accommodating.

There is lots to do on a cruise ship, however, at the end of the day, you just want to eat, watch a little Australian rugby and go to sleep. There are a lot of activities on a cruise ship. Ninety five percent are pretty lame. Rooms were nice, cruise ship was clean. No complaints. It was better than expected.
7.) bluecat - 07/16/2019


Santorini, like all Greek islands is hilly/mountainous and rugged terrain. The economy is based on tourism but it is still a thriving little island with little cities sprinkled throughout. The Greek Islands don't get much rainfall and so at this time of year it is dry. Water is not easy to come by. The islands have not been scarred by resorts and high-rise hotels. There are resorts but they are small and tasteful and blend in with the countryside. You won't see any structures that aren't the typical white stone or concrete like substance quarried from island. Very quaint and I can see why it is a honeymooner's paradise.


Yes, I know, I'm not in Kansas any more...
8.) bluecat - 07/16/2019
9.) DParker - 07/16/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58574][/QUOTE]

That's [I]exactly[/I] how I imagined the view from a cruise ship would look. It's uncanny.
10.) bluecat - 07/16/2019


Really, you mean you envisioned this island?
11.) bluecat - 07/16/2019
The first morning, I threw open the shades to reveal the image above.

Conversation:

Wife: "Close the shades."

BC: "Why?"

Wife: "They can see us."

BC: "You mean the dolphins?"

Wife: "No, people."

BC: "What people?"

Wife: "The people on the ship."

BC: "What ship?"

Wife: "That ship."

BC: "You mean the island?"

Wife: "Yes."

BC: "So you think there are people on that distant island with a Hubble telescope trained on our room?"

Wife: "Yes."

BC: While closing the shades, "Ok."
12.) DParker - 07/16/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58578]Really, you mean you envisioned this island?[/QUOTE]

Oops...I thought that was a really big mermaid.

[QUOTE=bluecat;58579]The first morning, I threw open the shades to reveal the image above.

Conversation:

Wife: "Close the shades."

BC: "Why?"

Wife: "They can see us."

BC: "You mean the dolphins?"

Wife: "No, people."

BC: "What people?"

Wife: "The people on the ship."

BC: "What ship?"

Wife: "That ship."

BC: "You mean the island?"

Wife: "Yes."

BC: "So you think there are people on that distant island with a Hubble telescope trained on our room?"

Wife: "Yes."

BC: While closing the shades, "Ok."[/QUOTE]

You know that raises some questions you probably don't want to answer...right?
13.) bluecat - 07/17/2019
lol, -2.3
14.) bluecat - 07/17/2019
...and speaking of rugby, if I want to watch a game where there is no strategy beyond running straight ahead into a wall of people in 2 yard increments until you give up and punt, I can watch the Jayhawks play football for a lot less hassle. Tickets are basically free.
15.) Swamp Fox - 07/17/2019
:-)


I'm not sure the Mediterranean ever gets really rough for a big ship. The newer ships have stabilizers nowadays that really smooth things out, anyway, particularly on the ocean liners. I've been on several cruises in various waters and if I ever felt more than a brief gentle rocking, I can't remember it. NY or Boston to Southampton might be a challenge, or the Caribbean during hurricane season ...


I get seasick in a heartbeat anytime I'm outside the jetties in a small-to-mid-sized boat, but I've never had a problem on a cruise ship.



[QUOTE]"Hey, Swampy... You're lookin' a little green around the gills. Wanna head in?"



Me: "Well that's 15 minutes of my life I'll never get back ..."

[/QUOTE]
16.) bluecat - 07/17/2019
If you see cabin 1642 a rockin' don't come a knockin'.
17.) DParker - 07/17/2019
Gas, grass or ass...nobody rides for free.
18.) bluecat - 07/17/2019
Don't worry Swampy, there will be plenty of naked people pictures to come.
19.) bluecat - 07/17/2019
[B]Mykonos[/B]









Another beautiful sleepy little island. Enjoyed a real gyro at a little restaurant by the water. It was so much better than the gyros I've had here.
20.) DParker - 07/17/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58588][B]Mykonos[/B][/quote]

My Sharona.

[video=youtube;g1T71PGd-J0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1T71PGd-J0[/video]

[QUOTE=bluecat;58588]Enjoyed a real gyro at a little restaurant by the water. It was so much better than the gyros I've had here.[/QUOTE]

Please tell me you pronounced it [SIZE=4][B]"jī-rō"[/B][/SIZE], just to screw with them.

Seriously though, that looks like it was a fun trip.
21.) bluecat - 07/17/2019
I think I said to the waiter, "Can I get one of you guys' wrap thingies?"
22.) bluecat - 07/18/2019
[B]Athens[/B]

Visited the Acropolis. Acropolis simply means city at the top of the mountain (acro = top) (polis = city). There are many Acropoli (?) in Greece but this is most famous. After a steep climb.


This is the parthenon which sits at the top of the hill. Massive. Probably the most impressive thing was what you didn't see. Apparently within the parthenon, there was a 40-foot gold statue of Athena. Can you image that! It was taken down and melted years after but just the thought of that great statue inside the columns is breathtaking.

The guide mentioned that if the columns were perpendicular they wouldn't look straight at a distance. So the Romans used the mathematical constant "phi".

[I]Phi for “Neo-Phi-tes:”
Phi ( Φ = 1.618033988749895… ), most often pronounced fi like “fly,” is simply an irrational number like pi ( p = 3.14159265358979… ), but one with many unusual mathematical properties. Unlike pi, which is a transcendental number, phi is the solution to a quadratic equation.[/I]

By using this constant the columns appear perfectly straight from a distance. Amazing. Have no idea what any of that means but just wow.

[I]The Parthenon is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power. Wikipedia[/I]
23.) bluecat - 07/18/2019


Looking down at the amphitheater where several performances are given each year.
24.) bluecat - 07/18/2019


If you look carefully you can see another structure with columns in the picture that sits below the acropolis.
25.) bluecat - 07/18/2019



I asked how the were able to cut all that stone and the guide said with chisels. If you look at the massive blocks it looks like they were cut with a high-powered saw. I just can't see a chisel being that precise.

I'm going with the alien theory personally.
26.) DParker - 07/18/2019
27.) bluecat - 07/18/2019
Exactly! ^^^^^^^
28.) Swamp Fox - 07/18/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58590]I think I said to the waiter, "Can I get one of you guys' wrap thingies?"[/QUOTE]

Did he ask, "Do you mean a device used for measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocity, esteemed and very desirable American tourist?"

If not, I think you were justified gypping him on the tip ...
29.) Swamp Fox - 07/18/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58591][B]Athens[/B]

Visited the Acropolis. Acropolis simply means city at the top of the mountain (acro = top) (polis = city). There are many Acropoli (?) in Greece but this is most famous. After a steep climb. [/QUOTE]

I think you can also take a bus that drops you right off.


[QUOTE=bluecat;58591]

This is the parthenon which sits at the top of the hill. Massive. Probably the most impressive thing was what you didn't see. Apparently within the parthenon, there was a 40-foot gold statue of Athena. Can you image that! It was taken down and melted years after but just the thought of that great statue inside the columns is breathtaking.

The guide mentioned that if the columns were perpendicular they wouldn't look straight at a distance. So the Romans used the mathematical constant "phi".

[I]Phi for “Neo-Phi-tes:”
Phi ( Φ = 1.618033988749895… ), most often pronounced fi like “fly,” is simply an irrational number like pi ( p = 3.14159265358979… ), but one with many unusual mathematical properties. Unlike pi, which is a transcendental number, phi is the solution to a quadratic equation.[/I]

By using this constant the columns appear perfectly straight from a distance. Amazing. Have no idea what any of that means but just wow.

[I]The Parthenon is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. Construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the peak of its power. Wikipedia[/I][/QUOTE]


Now my head hurts. When I was there no one ever explained this.


Bastards!
30.) DParker - 07/18/2019
How soon you forget...

31.) Swamp Fox - 07/18/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58593]

If you look carefully you can see another structure with columns in the picture that sits below the acropolis.[/QUOTE]

Is that the Temple of Hephaestus?

Basically, the temple of arts and crafts... Never made it over there but it would be something nice, and not too expensive.

[QUOTE]The Temple of Hephaestus is the best preserved ancient temple in Greece. It was dedicated to Hephaestus, the ancient god of fire and Athena, goddess of pottery and crafts. According to the archeologists, the temple was built around 450 B.C. at the western edge of the city, on top of Agoreos Koronos hill, and it is a classic example of Dorian architecture. The temple was designed by Iktinus, one of the talented architects who also worked on Parthenon. [url]https://www.greeka.com/attica/athens/sightseeing/temple-hephaestus/[/url]

[/QUOTE]
32.) Swamp Fox - 07/18/2019
[QUOTE=DParker;58600]How soon you forget...

[/QUOTE]

I missed that lesson completely... LOL ....Prolly was playing with Hot Wheels ... Or maybe Matchbox ...
33.) DParker - 07/18/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58602]I missed that lesson completely... LOL ....Prolly was playing with Hot Wheels ... Or maybe Matchbox ...[/QUOTE]

You never saw [I]Donald in Mathemagic Land[/I]? It's the only reason I know anything about math at all. They covered geometry by calculating the angles of bank shots on a pool table. But it was released in 1959, and math is racist, sexist and homophobic...so I probably require some time in a reeducation camp.
34.) Swamp Fox - 07/18/2019
I hate Donald Duck.

Donald Duck should be shot by Elmer Fudd during rabbit season and dressed out on an instructional Youtube video for millennials, with no warning about graphic material.

I wouldn't listen to a word Donald Duck says.
35.) bluecat - 07/22/2019
Our first day in Santorini, we went to a restaurant that was catered for several tour groups. It was complete with authentic Greek food, singing, dancing and the breaking of the plates. Opa!

There was rice wrapped in grape leaves. Egad. Then there was a big bowl of a pink creamy stuff with little round pearly things in it. It was labeled fish egg salad. I figured it was a play on words and would be a fruity concoction with tapioca in it.

Nope, it was a salty mixture of fish eggs. Plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers.

I was stuffed.
36.) bluecat - 07/22/2019
[B]Rhodes[/B]





The Acropolis on top of Rhodes dedicated to Poseidon


Carving of a ship at the top of the Acropolis 200 B.C. Amazing.
37.) DParker - 07/22/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58617]There was rice wrapped in grape leaves. Egad.[/quote]

Dolmas. One of my favorite Greek foods.

[QUOTE=bluecat;58617]Then there was a big bowl of a pink creamy stuff with little round pearly things in it. It was labeled fish egg salad. I figured it was a play on words and would be a fruity concoction with tapioca in it.
Nope, it was a salty mixture of fish eggs. Plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers.[/quote]

That one I don't know.

[QUOTE=bluecat;58617]I was stuffed.[/QUOTE]

As it should be.
38.) DParker - 07/22/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58619][B]Rhodes[/B]

The Acropolis on top of Rhodes dedicated to Poseidon

Carving of a ship at the top of the Acropolis 200 B.C. Amazing.[/QUOTE]

Cool stuff.
39.) bluecat - 07/22/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58601]Is that the Temple of Hephaestus? Basically, the temple of arts and crafts... Never made it over there but it would be something nice, and not too expensive. [/QUOTE]

It might have been. Trying to keep up with the tour guide with little crappy radio headsets, tunneling through all the people and getting information fed to you by firehose, I simply can't remember.


[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58601]but it would be something nice, and not too expensive.[/QUOTE]

+ 1.61803399 lol
40.) DParker - 07/22/2019
So...did you take the donkey or the tram to the rim of Santorini? After all, it is the same price.

[video=youtube;ZiIiL-JIcN4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiIiL-JIcN4[/video]
41.) bluecat - 07/22/2019
That's funny. We took the tram. I felt sorry for the donkey.
42.) bluecat - 07/23/2019
[B]Crete[/B]

Only had a few hours in Crete so took a bus to this town market.



Fun just to walk around and see what they had for sale.




Gotta tell you this didn't smell too good.



Yum



This was absolutely nasty. I kept smelling this horrible smell and finally I located it.
43.) bluecat - 07/23/2019

I was deliberately wasting your time...




Welcome to the party, pal.
44.) DParker - 07/23/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58627][B]Crete[/B]

Only had a few hours in Crete so took a bus to this town market.



Fun just to walk around and see what they had for sale.




Gotta tell you this didn't smell too good.






This was absolutely nasty. I kept smelling this horrible smell and finally I located it.[/QUOTE]

You never should have left the baklava.
45.) bluecat - 07/23/2019
Your assuming I left it.
46.) DParker - 07/23/2019
BTW...is the price on that baklava per piece? And if so, is that 4€ or 9€?
47.) bluecat - 07/23/2019
I think it was 4. You just wanted to post your little symbols, didn't you?
48.) DParker - 07/23/2019
Nah...I just thought stuff was cheaper in Greece these days.
49.) bluecat - 07/23/2019
That's not to say that those prices weren't high because of all the tourists. A little out of the way store may have been a lot cheaper.
50.) DParker - 07/23/2019
Damned tourists always ruin everything. Wait...what?
51.) bluecat - 07/23/2019
Water was at least 6 Euros a 12 or 16 oz bottle.
52.) DParker - 07/23/2019
Ouch. At those prices I'd just stay plastered on Retsina.
53.) bluecat - 07/23/2019
I just looked that up. Not familiar with Retsina. We went to two vineyards with pics to come.

[url]https://winefolly.com/review/retsina-wine-making-surprising-comeback/[/url]


Salty wine? Um, okay?


[I]Aromas of linseed oil and lime peel lead into flavors of apples and roses, a perfume that ends on a pine-and-lime, saline finish.[/I] lol
54.) DParker - 07/23/2019
I don't know how accurate it is, but the story goes...

Beginning a little over 2,000 years ago the Greeks used pine resin as a sealant on the amphorae (clay jugs) used to store and transport wine. Over time compounds leeched from the resin into the wine, imparting the characteristic aromas and flavors. The Romans developed a taste for it as well when they began importing Greek wine in large amounts, so even after amphorae began being replaced by wooden barrels the Greeks just put chunks of resin in the barrel to produce the same effect.

It's a bit of an acquired taste for many, but I actually like it.
55.) bluecat - 07/23/2019
That makes more sense. I think I've actually tried that here at home and thought, Okay now that is different.
56.) Swamp Fox - 07/24/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58627][B]Crete[/B]

This was absolutely nasty. I kept smelling this horrible smell and finally I located it.[/QUOTE]

C'mon man ... For only 11 something-0r-others it HASTA be nasty ...

You should study Greek economics ....
57.) Swamp Fox - 07/24/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58628]
I was deliberately wasting your time...




Welcome to the party, pal.[/QUOTE]


LOL ... Combined +11.5 ...


Nothing like a shot of Hell to perk you up ...
58.) Swamp Fox - 07/24/2019
[QUOTE=DParker;58637]Ouch. At those prices I'd just stay plastered on Retsina.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=bluecat;58638]

[url]https://winefolly.com/review/retsina-wine-making-surprising-comeback/[/url]


Salty wine? Um, okay?


[I]Aromas of linseed oil and lime peel lead into flavors of apples and roses, a perfume that ends on a pine-and-lime, saline finish.[/I] lol[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=DParker;58639]I don't know how accurate it is, but the story goes...

Beginning a little over 2,000 years ago the Greeks used pine resin as a sealant on the amphorae (clay jugs) used to store and transport wine. Over time compounds leeched from the resin into the wine, imparting the characteristic aromas and flavors. The Romans developed a taste for it as well when they began importing Greek wine in large amounts, so even after amphorae began being replaced by wooden barrels the Greeks just put chunks of resin in the barrel to produce the same effect.

It's a bit of an acquired taste for many, but I actually like it.[/QUOTE]


As a side note, Amphora pipe tobacco is back in the U.S. ...


If anyone ever goes to Turkey, try all the gallon jugs of lunch wines you can until you find the one I had on a road trip once upon a time ... If nothing else, this is a challenge ... A quest, if you will ... It will be worth your while ...


The bourbon-and-cherry-coke of lunch wines ...


59.) bluecat - 07/24/2019
"I bet your gay"
60.) Swamp Fox - 07/24/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58657]"I bet your gay"[/QUOTE]


"You're" ...
61.) bluecat - 07/24/2019
"I bet your gay friends enjoy that scene."

That's what I was trying to say.
62.) bluecat - 07/24/2019



Speaking of foods with questionable flavor, I took this pic in a winery in Sicily for DP. I fully expected the flavor to be bold and tangy. It was bland and almost flavorless. What's that about?

It was salami made the old fashioned way.
63.) Swamp Fox - 07/24/2019
LOL ....



64.) Swamp Fox - 07/24/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58661]"I bet your gay friends enjoy that scene."

That's what I was trying to say.[/QUOTE]



.....
65.) Swamp Fox - 07/24/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58619][B]Rhodes[/B]





The Acropolis on top of Rhodes dedicated to Poseidon


Carving of a ship at the top of the Acropolis 200 B.C. Amazing.[/QUOTE]



Likin' those pics from Rhodes.
66.) bluecat - 07/24/2019




Here's two more from Rhodes.
67.) bluecat - 07/24/2019
I was shocked to see the wheel chair ramp that the Greeks put at the top of the acropolis.
68.) Swamp Fox - 07/24/2019
[QUOTE=DParker;58633]Nah...I just thought stuff was cheaper in Greece these days.[/QUOTE]


I have a balaclava from Cabelas that was around $36 .... Worth every penny, though ... Also a version in Advantage with a breath filter that warms up the air going into your lungs ... I've recommended it to Luv2 ...I've used it in the mountains around here on cold days, so he should be golden ...
69.) Swamp Fox - 07/24/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58670]I was shocked to see the wheel chair ramp that the Greeks put at the top of the acropolis.[/QUOTE]


I'm never sure if it was the Greeks or Romans who calculated ramps .... I no it wasn't the Irish ...
70.) bluecat - 07/24/2019
I love balaclavas, they are so yummy.
71.) Swamp Fox - 07/25/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58662]


Speaking of foods with questionable flavor, I took this pic in a winery in Sicily for DP. I fully expected the flavor to be bold and tangy. It was bland and almost flavorless. What's that about?

It was salami made the old fashioned way.[/QUOTE]




You got a problem with that?


72.) bluecat - 07/25/2019
Lol, this thread has gone international.
73.) bluecat - 07/26/2019
[B]Malta[/B]


Visited a winery





Olives are harvested in the fall between October and December. Most households have a few olive trees for their own personal use.


Stopped at a glass blowing shop and saw some of their artwork. Don't know if I"ve seen multi-colored glass quite like this. Unfortunately we visited on a Sunday and didn't get to see any glass blowing demonstrations.
74.) DParker - 07/26/2019
That reminds me of our vacation in Tuscany.

You've got to admire the ancient people who first tasted an olive right off the tree (which is utterly inedible) and decide that they were going to find a way to change that...and did.
75.) bluecat - 07/26/2019
Did you see that picture of the salami? I really thought it was going to taste fantastic. Not so much.
76.) Swamp Fox - 07/27/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58726][B]Malta[/B]


Stopped at a glass blowing shop and saw some of their artwork. Don't know if I"ve seen multi-colored glass quite like this. Unfortunately we visited on a Sunday and didn't get to see any glass blowing demonstrations.[/QUOTE]



Would like to see that too I've only seen short video clips and nothing like that glass. I wonder if the deep color adds weight and makes it harder/different to blow. That clear and tinted glass seems pretty airy.
77.) Swamp Fox - 07/27/2019
[QUOTE=DParker;58727]That reminds me of our vacation in Tuscany.

You've got to admire the ancient people who first tasted an olive right off the tree (which is utterly inedible) and decide that they were going to find a way to change that...and did.[/QUOTE]


Pickled in a martini?
78.) DParker - 07/27/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58731]Pickled in a martini?[/QUOTE]

I see no reason to drag Nancy Pelosi into this.
79.) bluecat - 07/29/2019
[B]Sicily[/B]



The best pizza I ever ate. Wanted to make sure I had an authentic pizza from the area that is credited for inventing them. At first look, the pizza looks rather sparse - not the cheese infused, deep pan, multi topping behemoth pizza you see in the US.

The flavor was amazing, the crust was perfect, the sauce tasted like they made it at the restaurant from locally grown Roma tomatoes. All the pizzas were cooked in a fire brick oven. By the way, this was my pizza and I ate every bit of it.
80.) bluecat - 07/29/2019


Not sure if this is some sort of Italian phrase.
81.) DParker - 07/29/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58739]

Not sure if this is some sort of Italian phrase.[/QUOTE]

LOL! The Italians can be rightfully accused of many things...but being prudish ain't one of them.
82.) bluecat - 07/29/2019
I tried looking up the phrase or whatever it is and gave up. I know the gist of it. Kinda surprised to see this after eating the pizza.
83.) bluecat - 07/29/2019
So we walked into the restaurant. We only had about 45 minutes before we had to meet up with the group. Got seated and they put down a bottle of water and some bread with olive oil for dipping. I didn't know until the bill came that we were already into them for 20 bucks before we ordered.

I just wished they would have asked or made that known.
84.) Swamp Fox - 07/30/2019
Not sure if that's an Italian thing or a European thing. Now that you mention it, I remember learning not to accept bottled water and bread ahead of the meal, but I don't remember where. They'll sneak it in on you, and sometimes you have to put your foot down.
85.) Swamp Fox - 07/30/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58739]

Not sure if this is some sort of Italian phrase.[/QUOTE]




That's amore!


"When the moon's in your eye like a big pizza pie" ... LOL
86.) Swamp Fox - 07/30/2019
I always thought Naples was the birthplace of "pizza."

Does Sicily make a claim?



[url]https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/11408256/Was-pizza-not-invented-in-Naples-after-all.html[/url]
87.) DParker - 07/30/2019
Wars have been fought over lesser matters.
88.) bluecat - 08/05/2019






Some final pictures of Sicily. The soil was very fertile here.

A lava flow that happened maybe 50 years ago. Although it looks black and fluffy, you couldn't walk on that without shoes or you would cut your feet. It can take 10 years after an eruption for the inner lava to completely cool.

Drove by the place where the wedding scene from Godfather was filmed. It was up on top of a little mountain. You might recall this from the movie.
89.) bluecat - 08/05/2019
[B]Sorrento[/B]


Sorrento is known for their inlay work.


Serving Limoncellos which is an extremely intense lemon liqueur made from local lemons. When life gives you lemons...
90.) DParker - 08/05/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58829]Drove by the place where the wedding scene from Godfather was filmed. It was up on top of a little mountain. You might recall this from the movie.[/QUOTE]

I presume you're referring to Michael's marriage to Apollonia in Godfather II. Cool. Well...until she blew up, that is.

91.) bluecat - 08/05/2019
I believe that is it. I confess, I haven't seen it.
92.) bluecat - 08/05/2019
Another interesting tidbit, the film was originally shot in Sicily proper but the mob didn't appreciate that, so the filming was moved to another locale nearby.
93.) DParker - 08/05/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58832]I believe that is it. I confess, I haven't seen it.[/QUOTE]

:tap:
94.) bluecat - 08/06/2019
[QUOTE=DParker;58831]I presume you're referring to Michael's marriage to Apollonia in Godfather II. Cool. Well...until she blew up, that is.

[/QUOTE]

You mean she gained a lot of weight? :wink
95.) DParker - 08/06/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58835]You mean she gained a lot of weight? :wink[/QUOTE]

Actually, she lost quite a lot. When it was over she was just a ghost of her former self.
96.) bluecat - 08/06/2019
So what you're saying is that it[B] is[/B] possible for a women to lose weight after marriage?
97.) bluecat - 08/06/2019
[B]Pisa[/B]







The bell tower was built on an unknown drainage which slowly caused it to lean.

HERBERT: B-- b-- but Father, I don't want any of that.

FATHER: Listen, lad. I built this kingdom up from nothing. When I started here, all there was was swamp. Other kings said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So, I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp, but the fourth one... stayed up! And that's what you're gonna get, lad: the strongest castle in these islands.

HERBERT: But I don't want any of that. I'd rather--
98.) Swamp Fox - 08/09/2019
LOL ...

+ 5 for the reference.


Is the building to the left on the second picture askew too, or what's going on there? The only thing straight in that photo is the guy working the camera, and maybe he had a snort for lunch. (Not that there's anything wrong with that,)
99.) Swamp Fox - 08/09/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58837]So what you're saying is that it[B] is[/B] possible for a women to lose weight after marriage?[/QUOTE]


I've heard that wedding cake has all sorts of negative side effects on a woman ...
100.) bluecat - 08/09/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58839]LOL ...

+ 5 for the reference.


Is the building to the left on the second picture askew too, or what's going on there? The only thing straight in that photo is the guy working the camera, and maybe he had a snort for lunch. (Not that there's anything wrong with that,)[/QUOTE]

That whole city leans 20 degrees.
101.) bluecat - 08/09/2019
Just kidding, I straightened up the tower and so the other structures look wonky. Can we say askew or have the libs banned that word yet?
102.) bluecat - 08/09/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58839]LOL ...

+ 5 for the reference.


Is the building to the left on the second picture askew too, or what's going on there? The only thing straight in that photo is the guy working the camera, and maybe he had a snort for lunch. (Not that there's anything wrong with that,)[/QUOTE]

I've been accused of being a little light in my loafers.
103.) bluecat - 08/09/2019
[B]Pompeii[/B]




Certainly an unexpected highlight of the trip for me. I wasn't expecting much but what I've learned is that it was a vibrant city and is almost a snapshot in time regarding preservation.
104.) bluecat - 08/09/2019


Fresco inside house.


Didn't realize they had an amphitheater.
105.) bluecat - 08/09/2019


They continue to unearth the city.
106.) bluecat - 08/09/2019




Entryway artwork. I got a sense of a simple joy from this city. First picture was taken from an elevated scaffold. Second picture was taken through glass as they were trying to limit exposure of foot traffic of the artwork.
107.) Swamp Fox - 08/09/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58845]

Fresco inside house.

[/QUOTE]


Originally that fresco had 30-50 wild hogs ...


108.) bluecat - 08/09/2019



This is for the 78 guests who are trying to figure out the reference.
109.) bluecat - 08/09/2019
The tiled dog had a profound impact on me. It wasn't just a page in a history book any more. It's hard to explain but I saw more than facts, I saw human feelings and emotion. I saw a family with a well-loved little playful dog that liked to greet neighbors. I felt like I was a visitor in their doorway. The family that lived there wasn't so much different than a family today. Really narrowed the gap of time. I don't remember being moved in that way by history.

The coliseum was like that as well. We'll get there eventually.
110.) DParker - 08/09/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58844][B]Pompeii[/B]




Certainly an unexpected highlight of the trip for me. I wasn't expecting much but what I've learned is that it was a vibrant city and is almost a snapshot in time regarding preservation.[/QUOTE]

I'm a bit Jelly. We originally planned on taking a day trip from Rome to Pompeii, but had to cut it while we were there due to unplanned time constraints.
111.) Swamp Fox - 08/10/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58845]


Didn't realize they had an amphitheater.[/QUOTE]

Well, it was a small one ...







I put up something on the Music Thread one or two of you might find interesting, about the first concert at Pompeii's amphitheater since 79 A.D.


Post 1111.
112.) bluecat - 08/12/2019

I took this one for you Swampy.
113.) bluecat - 08/12/2019


Grist mill



Oven


I know this isn't a good picture but I thought it was worthy of showing you anyway. This is a storage area that they were apparently using that had the bodies recovered. From what I understood, these aren't casts as they were basically formed from the ash. You can see the dog in the background that is curled on it's back with it's mouth open. It's a picture that you see quite a bit with respect to Pompeii. Not sure why they didn't have them on display right then.
114.) bluecat - 08/12/2019
[QUOTE=DParker;58851]I'm a bit Jelly. We originally planned on taking a day trip from Rome to Pompeii, but had to cut it while we were there due to unplanned time constraints.[/QUOTE]

I totally get that. There were several different excursions to each city and you can't do it all. There were things I would have like to have done but you have to pick and choose due to time constraints.
115.) crookedeye - 08/12/2019
Don't you have any Greek girls in bikinis are nothing?.
116.) bluecat - 08/13/2019
That Limoncella server was fine, no?
117.) bluecat - 08/14/2019


Vesuvius looming in the background.


I wonder if bringing a volcano cake to a party in Pompeii is in bad taste.
118.) bluecat - 08/14/2019
....
119.) DParker - 08/15/2019
Did you bring your guitar?

[video=youtube;L9r-NxuYszg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9r-NxuYszg[/video]
120.) bluecat - 08/15/2019
The official guitar solo of Pompeii.
121.) bluecat - 08/15/2019
When you play that well you get lots of ash.
122.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=DParker;58872]Did you bring your guitar?

[video=youtube;L9r-NxuYszg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9r-NxuYszg[/video][/QUOTE]


Wait .... How did his cigarette move from wherever he tossed it to the neck of his guitar?
123.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58865]That Limoncella server was fine, no?[/QUOTE]

Wait ... What?

Pics, please. LOL

Don't gyp me on the Limoncella girls, now ...
124.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58875]When you play that well you get lots of ash.[/QUOTE]

Also some shellfish ...
125.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=crookedeye;58864]Don't you have any Greek girls in bikinis are nothing?.[/QUOTE]

Some people are never satisfied ...

This was in the news just a few days ago:
[B][COLOR="#FF0000"][SIZE=2]
Pompeii’s Latest Find? Tiny Penises and Seduction Charms [/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

[url]https://www.thedailybeast.com/pompeiis-latest-find-tiny-penises-and-seduction-charms[/url]



ROME–Archaeologists at the ongoing dig in the ancient city of Pompeii, buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D., couldn’t believe their eyes when they found the remains of a wooden box filled with tiny penises carved from stone, buttons made of bones, marble closed fists and even a miniature sculpted skull that are thought to be part of a sorcerer’s treasure trove.

Pompeii’s chief archaeologist Massimo Osanna said the amazing artifacts were most certainly used in rituals tied to seduction, sex, fertility, and even warding off death.

ADVERTISEMENT



Archaeological Park of Pompeii
“There are dozens of good luck charms next to other objects that were attributed to the power of crushing bad luck,” he said, describing the scarabs, or beetle-shaped amulets, that would have been brought from the Middle East that were used to ensure resurrection and immortality in the ancient world.

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The box also contained a minuscule likeness of Harpocrates, the god of silence and secrets, and two small mirrors, pieces of jewelry, and a glass carving of Dionysus, the Roman god of wine, fertility, ritual madness and religious ecstasy. The sheer range of symbolism represented could have meant that the owner of the objects was likely a female sorceress who performed a number of different rituals. This was something akin to her tool kit.
126.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=DParker;58586]Gas, grass or ass...nobody rides for free.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=bluecat;58861]
I took this one for you Swampy.[/QUOTE]



LOL


....
127.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
Hypothetical question:

Does it ruin one's vacation when one is thinking of all the pics and comments one should/could be creating for HuntingCountry... Or does it make it better....?

128.) bluecat - 08/15/2019
Actually I enjoyed the hell out of it. Knowing you and DParker would appreciate some of the pics made it more enjoyable. I knew, as stated by Luv2, that 'no one reads this bullshit'. I knew that you guys would and would enjoy the chance to learn some things like I did.
129.) bluecat - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58878]Wait .... How did his cigarette move from wherever he tossed it to the neck of his guitar?[/QUOTE]

Cool trick, eh?

Hey, he's Eddie F***'n Van Halen.








I think he tossed his pick.
130.) bluecat - 08/15/2019
[B]Florence[/B]



David


You would never know that David is in the museum unless you ask. There is a statue in the square of David and most people think that is the actual statue but it isn't. The museum has almost no signage or advertising. There were other masterpieces in the museum including some musical instruments made by Stradivarius, other works by Michelangelo etc.
131.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58885]Cool trick, eh?

Hey, he's Eddie F***'n Van Halen. [/QUOTE]

:-) True dat.








[QUOTE=bluecat;58885]I think he tossed his pick.[/QUOTE]

Either that or a very tiny room key ... LOL
132.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58884]Actually I enjoyed the hell out of it. Knowing you and DParker would appreciate some of the pics made it more enjoyable. I knew, as stated by Luv2, that 'no one reads this bullshit'. I knew that you guys would and would enjoy the chance to learn some things like I did.[/QUOTE]


How does it feel to know you're a better journalist than Jim Acosta? ... LOL
133.) crookedeye - 08/15/2019
That looks like bullzi
134.) crookedeye - 08/15/2019
I'm starting to think more confident about myself now..
135.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
Confidence is important ...


LOL
136.) bluecat - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58891]How does it feel to know you're a better journalist than Jim Acosta? ... LOL[/QUOTE]

lol, my dog is a better journalist than that A-hole, but I'll take it as a compliment.
137.) bluecat - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58881]Some people are never satisfied ...

This was in the news just a few days ago:
[B][COLOR="#FF0000"][SIZE=2]
Pompeii’s Latest Find? Tiny Penises and Seduction Charms [/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]

[url]https://www.thedailybeast.com/pompeiis-latest-find-tiny-penises-and-seduction-charms[/url]



ROME–Archaeologists at the ongoing dig in the ancient city of Pompeii, buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D., couldn’t believe their eyes when they found the remains of a wooden box filled with tiny penises carved from stone, buttons made of bones, marble closed fists and even a miniature sculpted skull that are thought to be part of a sorcerer’s treasure trove.

Pompeii’s chief archaeologist Massimo Osanna said the amazing artifacts were most certainly used in rituals tied to seduction, sex, fertility, and even warding off death.

ADVERTISEMENT



Archaeological Park of Pompeii
“There are dozens of good luck charms next to other objects that were attributed to the power of crushing bad luck,” he said, describing the scarabs, or beetle-shaped amulets, that would have been brought from the Middle East that were used to ensure resurrection and immortality in the ancient world.

NEWSLETTERS
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Get the entire world in your inbox.
Email Address
SUBSCRIBE

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The box also contained a minuscule likeness of Harpocrates, the god of silence and secrets, and two small mirrors, pieces of jewelry, and a glass carving of Dionysus, the Roman god of wine, fertility, ritual madness and religious ecstasy. The sheer range of symbolism represented could have meant that the owner of the objects was likely a female sorceress who performed a number of different rituals. This was something akin to her tool kit.[/QUOTE]

That's pretty cool Thanks for posting that.

I think I would have like to have met her. I think.
138.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58881]
[B][COLOR="#FF0000"][SIZE=2]
Pompeii’s Latest Find? Tiny Penises and Seduction Charms [/SIZE][/COLOR][/B]


The box also contained a minuscule likeness of Harpocrates, the god of silence and secrets, and two small mirrors, pieces of jewelry, and a glass carving of Dionysus, the Roman god of wine, fertility, ritual madness and religious ecstasy. The sheer range of symbolism represented could have meant that the owner of the objects was likely a female sorceress who performed a number of different rituals. This was something akin to her tool kit.[/QUOTE]



[QUOTE=bluecat;58900]That's pretty cool Thanks for posting that.

I think I would have like to have met her. I think.[/QUOTE]


LOL .... That's a whole lot of cray-cray ...


Ask me how I know...

LOL
139.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=crookedeye;58894]That looks like bullzi[/QUOTE]


You know he's lurking, right?


He'll crush you like a grape.

:fire:
140.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58862]



I know this isn't a good picture but I thought it was worthy of showing you anyway. This is a storage area that they were apparently using that had the bodies recovered. From what I understood, these aren't casts as they were basically formed from the ash. You can see the dog in the background that is curled on it's back with it's mouth open. It's a picture that you see quite a bit with respect to Pompeii. Not sure why they didn't have them on display right then.[/QUOTE]



I had trouble seeing the dog so I looked it up:





[QUOTE]The Cast of a Dog Found in Pompeii.
This Dog died in the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD and was discovered on November 20, 1874. The casts were made by locating body cavities while excavating and proceeding to fill the cavity with liquid plaster so after 48 hours the plaster is hardened and the cast can be taken out, showing the subject in the exact position in which they died during the eruption.
The dog was a guard dog found still tethered to his post in the house of Marcus Vesonius Primus who was a well off Pompeian fuller (someone who sourced and washed cloth). The dog was tied to a post, positioned in his assigned watching place in the atrium of the house. In the atriums of ancient Roman houses their is usually an opening in the roof - a 'compluvium' designed to let rain fall in where it could be collected in the impluvium ( a sunken in pool or tank which captured the rainwater). Through the opening in the roof, the ash and volcanic debris would have began to fill the room over time. The dog would have climbed up higher and higher, but failed to escape as his chain was stretched to the limit, still struggling and trying to flee he was buried alive and suffocated.
The bronze studded collar was for the dogs protection and shows how the dog was a guard dog while his twisted limbs reveal the dog's desperate but futile struggle to escape and get free of his chain as well as the painful death that he suffered. His mouth could be opened as he whined/barked or attempted to breathe in air and prevent suffocation while he was really inhaling more toxic gases from the eruption.

[url]https://moatmtv.weebly.com/pompeian-dogs.html[/url]


[/QUOTE]


Also:
[url]http://allanmccollum.net/amcnet2/album/pompeidog.html[/url]
141.) Swamp Fox - 08/15/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58900]That's pretty cool Thanks for posting that.

I think I would have like to have met her. I think.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58903]LOL .... That's a whole lot of cray-cray ...


Ask me how I know...

LOL[/QUOTE]



142.) bluecat - 08/16/2019
Thanks for looking that up. Great information.
143.) Swamp Fox - 08/16/2019
I'd seen pictures of the cast before but didn't realize it was so iconic.

What does it mean when everything about a catastrophic volcano eruption in 79 A.D. doesn't stick with you?


I'll tell you what: It means we have it pretty damn good these days.



Plus plenty of people to pick the avocados.
144.) Swamp Fox - 08/16/2019
145.) Swamp Fox - 08/16/2019
^^^^


Xray of my brain....
146.) Swamp Fox - 08/16/2019
147.) bluecat - 08/16/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58903]LOL .... That's a whole lot of cray-cray ...


Ask me how I know...

LOL[/QUOTE]

I've never dated a sorcerer, but there was that one time that involved some crystals and a chicken.
148.) Swamp Fox - 08/17/2019
Sorceress, then?


[Is it wrong to assume gender?]
149.) Swamp Fox - 08/17/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58923]I've never dated a sorcerer, but there was that one time that involved some crystals and a chicken.[/QUOTE]

I dated a vegetarian once ...

It wasn't pretty.

The relationship, I mean.

The girl was quite cute.

150.) bluecat - 08/20/2019


More Florence, Poseidon I think.

I didn't realize Yoko Ono was also there.
151.) bluecat - 08/20/2019
[B]Roma[/B]





Trevi Fountain, breathtaking
152.) bluecat - 08/20/2019


The Pantheon. Did not go in as we were running on a tight schedule. I think there were a whole lot of gods in there. lol
153.) bluecat - 08/21/2019


What do you think the waiter's name is? Tony?
154.) bluecat - 08/21/2019


Four Continents Fountain scultpted by Bernini. One of the highlights of the trip. I saw it back in 1999 and hoped someday I'd get back.
155.) bluecat - 08/21/2019


Four Continents Fountain scultpted by Bernini. One of the highlights of the trip. I saw it back in 1999 and hoped someday I'd get back.
156.) bluecat - 08/21/2019
157.) bluecat - 08/21/2019
158.) DParker - 08/21/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58960]">

What do you think the waiter's name is? Tony?[/QUOTE]

I'm going with either "Luigi" or "Giuseppe". Did you remember to tell them "sono affamato"?
159.) Swamp Fox - 08/21/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58962]

Four Continents Fountain scultpted by Bernini. One of the highlights of the trip. I saw it back in 1999 and hoped someday I'd get back.[/QUOTE]


Very cool pic...

Lots of controversy about that fountain at the time, but it seems to have lived up to the hype ...LOL
160.) Swamp Fox - 08/21/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58960]

What do you think the waiter's name is? Tony?[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=DParker;58965]I'm going with either "Luigi" or "Giuseppe". Did you remember to tell them "sono affamato"?[/QUOTE]




His cousin Bruno will beak your legs if you don't have some bread ...
161.) Swamp Fox - 08/21/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58950]

The Pantheon. Did not go in as we were running on a tight schedule. I think there were a whole lot of gods in there. lol[/QUOTE]

Another nice pic. It's one of those places you should visit at least twice, the second time armed with some knowledge of the history. If you ever have a chance to go back and go inside, take it. It's underwhelming if you are expecting a display of ancient pagan life, since it's been a Christian church since something like the 7th or 8th century, but the architecture and decoration is stunning. It was one of the highlights of my visit to Rome, albeit too brief.

I don't know what the Latin is for this, but this would be my inscription: "The inside is freakin' awesome, man."





And oh, by the way, Thomas Jefferson was a great American, even though he was an 18th-century white guy:

162.) bluecat - 08/21/2019
Not sure why the pictures were so grainy. Really disappointed as I envisioned possibly framing them. I stared at the fountain for over an hour. It's just crazy. All the buildings in the background were also Bernini. I remember the guide saying something about Bernini being a bit of a womanizer. Is that that controversy you were talking about Swampy?

Now I wished I'd gone in to the pantheon. We ate at the restaurant pictured which was a stones throw from there and we were in a group so not much time.
163.) Swamp Fox - 08/21/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58969].... I remember the guide saying something about Bernini being a bit of a womanizer. Is that that controversy you were talking about Swampy?

[/QUOTE]

Not that I can point to, but it may have come up, LOL. The fountain was unveiled in 1651.

[QUOTE]In the 1630s he engaged in an affair with a married woman named Costanza (wife of his workshop assistant, Matteo Bonucelli, also called Bonarelli) and sculpted a bust of her (now in the Bargello, Florence) during the height of their romance. She later had an affair with his younger brother, Luigi, who was Bernini's right-hand man in his studio. When Gian Lorenzo found out about Costanza and his brother, in a fit of mad fury, he chased Luigi through the streets of Rome and into the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, threatening his life. To punish his unfaithful mistress, Bernini had a servant go to the house of Costanza, where the servant slashed her face several times with a razor. The servant was later jailed, and Costanza was jailed for adultery; Bernini himself was exonerated by the pope, even though he had committed a crime in ordering the face-slashing.[51] Soon after, in May 1639, at age forty-one, Bernini wed a twenty-two-year-old Roman woman, Caterina Tezio, in an arranged marriage, under orders from Pope Urban. She bore him eleven children, including youngest son Domenico Bernini, who would later be his first biographer.[52] After his never-repeated fit of passion and bloody rage and his subsequent marriage, Bernini turned more sincerely to the practice of his faith, according to his early official biographers ...

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gian_Lorenzo_Bernini[/url]

[/QUOTE]


The Four Rivers /Four Continents fountain project was a competition, a fierce struggle among sculptors.

I don't doubt accusations of womanizing would have come up, LOL, but it was the griping about the expense and economics of the monument I was referring to. (See below toward the end).


[QUOTE]Bernini's design was selected in competition. The circumstances of his victory are described as follows in Filippo Baldinucci's The life of Cavaliere Bernini (1682):

So strong was the sinister influence of the rivals of Bernini on the mind of [Pope] Innocent that when he planned to set up in Piazza Navona the great obelisk brought to Rome by the Emperor Caracalla, which had been buried for a long time at Capo di Bove for the adornment of a magnificent fountain, the Pope had designs made by the leading architects of Rome without an order for one to Bernini. Prince Niccolò Ludovisi, whose wife was niece to the pope, persuaded Bernini to prepare a model, and arrange for it to be secretly installed in a room in the Palazzo Pamphili that the Pope had to pass. When the meal was finished, seeing such a noble creation, he stopped almost in ecstasy. Being prince of the keenest judgment and the loftiest ideas, after admiring it, said: "This is a trick … It will be necessary to employ Bernini in spite of those who do not wish it, for he who desires not to use Bernini’s designs, must take care not to see them."[1]

[...]




The author of the report, Antonio Bernal, takes his readers through the hours leading up to the unveiling. The celebrations were announced by a woman, dressed as the allegorical character of Fame, being paraded around the streets of Rome on a carriage or float. She was sumptuously dressed, with wings attached to her back and a long trumpet in her hand. Bernal notes that "she went gracefully through all the streets and all the districts that are found among the seven hills of Rome, often blowing the round bronze [the trumpet], and urging everyone to make their way to that famous Piazza." A second carriage followed her; this time another woman was dressed as the allegorical figure of Curiosity. According to the report, she continued exhorting the people to go towards the piazza. Bernal describes the clamour and noise of the people as they discussed the upcoming event.

[...]

The making of the fountain was met by opposition by the people of Rome for several reasons. First, Innocent X had the fountain built at public expense during the intense famine of 1646–48. Throughout the construction of the fountain, the city murmured and talk of riot was in the air. Pasquinade writers protested the construction of the fountain in September 1648 by attaching hand-written invectives on the stone blocks used to make the obelisk. These pasquinades read, "We do not want Obelisks and Fountains, It is bread that we want. Bread, Bread, Bread!" Innocent quickly had the authors arrested, and disguised spies patrol the Pasquino statue and Piazza Navona.[7]

The street vendors of the market also opposed the construction of the fountain, as Innocent X expelled them from the piazza. The Pamphilij pope believed they detracted from the magnificence of the square. The vendors refused to move, and the papal police had to chase them from the piazza. Roman Jews, in particular, lamented the closing of the Navona, since they were allowed to sell used articles of clothing there at the Wednesday market.[8]

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontana_dei_Quattro_Fiumi[/url]

[/QUOTE]
164.) Swamp Fox - 08/21/2019
Not a Bernini, but he did sculpt a bust of his mistress. Anybody else see a resemblance?









LOL ...


Too much to think about ...


165.) DParker - 08/21/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58969]I remember the guide saying something about Bernini being a bit of a womanizer. Is that that controversy you were talking about Swampy?[/QUOTE]

When it comes to erecting a statue to a man in Italy, I'm pretty sure that being a womanizer isn't so much controversial as it is a prerequisite.
166.) Swamp Fox - 08/21/2019
Also, don't be like your brother.

(I'll let everyone look that up, LOL)
167.) bluecat - 08/21/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58971]Not a Bernini, but he did sculpt a bust of his mistress. Anybody else see a resemblance?





[/QUOTE]

Mozart had bigger boobs as I recall.
168.) bluecat - 08/21/2019
[QUOTE=DParker;58965]I'm going with either "Luigi" or "Giuseppe". Did you remember to tell them "sono affamato"?[/QUOTE]

sono affamato come un lupo.
169.) Swamp Fox - 08/21/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;58974]Mozart had bigger boobs as I recall.[/QUOTE]



170.) DParker - 08/21/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58973]Also, don't be like your brother.

(I'll let everyone look that up, LOL)[/QUOTE]

Click & Clack?
171.) Swamp Fox - 08/21/2019
LOL ...

Thank you ... Thank you very much. I'll be here tomorrow night, too. Mostly new material ... Tell your friends.


[The true answer is in one of my links above, just after one of my ...'s ... LOL}
172.) Swamp Fox - 08/22/2019
173.) Swamp Fox - 08/22/2019
174.) bluecat - 08/22/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;58983][/QUOTE]

That picture...it's just not that funny.
175.) Swamp Fox - 08/22/2019
I have other stuff!....! You should come see me on the weekend!...!



:laugh::wave::laugh:
176.) bluecat - 08/23/2019


Vatican

A stunning sculpture. The guide mentioned that Michelangelo said the torso was perfect.
177.) bluecat - 08/23/2019


A famous sculture by Michelangelo within the Vatican. The sculpture is behind glass because someone took a hammer to it many years ago.

Going from memory, Michelangelo was in his early 20's and unknown at the time. He carved it and didn't sign it. Everyone was baffled and couldn't figure out who sculpted it. Then after some time, Michelangelo carved, "My name is Michelangelo and I did this." across the sculpture.
178.) bluecat - 08/23/2019


The structure was created by Bernini and comprised 600 tons of Bronze
179.) DParker - 08/23/2019
Did you do the Vatican Museum? Their collection of antiquities is amazing. And that's just counting the stuff they actually show you.

And I don't care what one's religious affiliation (or complete lack thereof) is, or opinion of the Catholic church in general...St. Paul's is an absolutely astounding, jaw-dropping piece of architecture and decor. The markings on the floor showing where the outer dimensions of other large churches would fit completely inside the structure really drives home the majesty of the place.
180.) bluecat - 08/24/2019
Yes, it was amazing. I've got some good pics. Glad you saw all of this too.
181.) DParker - 08/24/2019
Thanks for not dinging me on my calling it St. "Paul's" instead of St. "Peter's". I'm old.
182.) bluecat - 08/24/2019
I deducted 2 points but you won't see it until the monthly statement comes out.
183.) Swamp Fox - 08/27/2019
No biggie... What's a church or cathedral name here or there between martyrs?

It's a lot of paperwork, anyway ...


184.) DParker - 08/27/2019
I really miss the good Padre.
185.) Swamp Fox - 08/27/2019
The good Padre is out there:






"Coming and going at the same time" is an old joke that I remember tore up my best bud in the 70's...


He couldn't stop telling it ... LOL
186.) Swamp Fox - 08/27/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;59024]

Vatican

A stunning sculpture. The guide mentioned that Michelangelo said the torso was perfect.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE] [...]

"I have to tell you, I have acute angina..."

"Well I hope so, 'cause you've got the ugliest boobs I've ever seen ..."

---[I]Punchlines by Swampy[/I]


[/QUOTE] .....
187.) DParker - 08/27/2019
.... :p
188.) Swamp Fox - 08/27/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;59025]

A famous sculture by Michelangelo within the Vatican. The sculpture is behind glass because someone took a hammer to it many years ago.

Going from memory, Michelangelo was in his early 20's and unknown at the time. He carved it and didn't sign it. Everyone was baffled and couldn't figure out who sculpted it. Then after some time, Michelangelo carved, "My name is Michelangelo and I did this." across the sculpture.[/QUOTE]

..
This is the Pietà , arguably one of the the most influential pieces of Christian iconography ever, which you probably knew ... :wink. It is notable for its depiction of Mary holding her son in death. I don't know anything about post-production signing ... Tend to doubt it ....

Also: Friggin' Austrians ... :tap:

189.) DParker - 08/27/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;59040]Also: Friggin' Austrians ... :tap:[/QUOTE]

190.) Swamp Fox - 08/27/2019
:applause::applause::applause:
191.) Swamp Fox - 08/27/2019
They cause a disproportionate amount of trouble for such a tiny little nation ...


192.) DParker - 08/27/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;59043]They cause a disproportionate amount of trouble for such a tiny little nation ...[/QUOTE]

They're no Duchy of Grand Fenwick though.

193.) bluecat - 08/27/2019


This picture was the ceiling within the Vatican museum. The painting is two dimensional. Repeat, two dimensional.
194.) bluecat - 08/27/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;59040]..
This is the Pietà , arguably one of the the most influential pieces of Christian iconography ever, which you probably knew ... :wink. It is notable for its depiction of Mary holding her son in death. I don't know anything about post-production signing ... Tend to doubt it ....

Also: Friggin' Austrians ... :tap:

[/QUOTE]

Wow that is stunning. Thanks for posting that. Amazing. Could not see the detail from behind the glass and ropes.
The guide mentioned that the size of Jesus is slightly smaller than you'd expect and it was surmised that Michelangelo was going for a child-like effect.

Somewhere on that sash, he signed his name apparently.
195.) Swamp Fox - 08/27/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;59048]
The guide mentioned that the size of Jesus is slightly smaller than you'd expect and it was surmised that Michelangelo was going for a child-like effect.

[/QUOTE]

It comes across.

It is a woman grieving, but accepting her child's death for a higher purpose.
196.) Swamp Fox - 08/27/2019
[QUOTE=DParker;59045]They're no Duchy of Grand Fenwick though.

[/QUOTE]

Two-shay--- :grin:
197.) Swamp Fox - 08/27/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;59047]

This picture was the ceiling within the Vatican museum. The painting is two dimensional. Repeat, two dimensional.[/QUOTE]

:tu:
198.) bluecat - 08/28/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;59049]It comes across.

It is a woman grieving, but accepting her child's death for a higher purpose.[/QUOTE]

Well stated.
199.) bluecat - 08/28/2019


Ya'll have suffered enough, here is the colliseum.




Notice the roman numerals above the entrance. They marked the entrances much as we do today in modern arenas.

200.) DParker - 08/28/2019
It's impressive that the colliseum...er, coliseum...er, colosseum....er....Flavian amphitheater...is still standing after all this time, not to mention the attention Rome received from the Visigoths and others. We enjoyed walking around inside, but were very disappointed after we'd been there for 30 minutes and nary a single hot dog or beer vendor made the rounds.
201.) bluecat - 08/28/2019
That's too bad, they were serving wolf nipple chips and otter's spleen when we were there. Very tasty.
202.) DParker - 08/28/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;59066]That's too bad, they were serving wolf nipple chips and otter's spleen when we were there. Very tasty.[/QUOTE]

What? No albatross?

[video=youtube;wrqW_BZu5Xk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrqW_BZu5Xk[/video]
203.) Swamp Fox - 08/28/2019
I hope you got to the Forum, as well.

("A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum ...." :-))

Did you buy the wolf nipple chips from the Centurion or from the gladiator? When I was over there they were about to duke it out over who could park his chariot cart with the red hot dogs in pink water where.


One of them was shouting "Veni, vedi, parki!" and waving his fist on the left and a sword on the right, but I can't remember who ...



Wait, no, that was Times Square ...
204.) DParker - 08/28/2019
[QUOTE=Swamp Fox;59069]("A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum ...." :-))[/quote]

RIP Zero Mostel. He was a funny SOB. Peter Ustinov too. Now I need to rewatch both [I]AFTHOTHWTTF[/I] and [I]Viva Max[/I].
205.) bluecat - 08/29/2019


Was lucky enough to be able to travel the corridor that the gladiators took. Not all tours get to do that. Kinda of a strange feeling knowing that you are walking the same steps that they did so many years ago - wondering what they were feeling and how hard their heart must be beating.

I was looking forward to that from day one on the trip.
206.) bluecat - 08/29/2019


This is where the Senators sat.
207.) DParker - 08/29/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;59072]Was lucky enough to be able to travel the corridor that the gladiators took.[/QUOTE]

Cool. We missed out on that. Did you get to walk into the center of the arena, hold your arms out and yell, "Are you not entertained?!!"

We did get to walk the tunnel the GB Packers take from their lockers out onto the field at Lambeau. That's pretty much the same...right?
208.) bluecat - 08/29/2019
lol, you bet!

My parents actually got to go below level when they were there. There is a waiting list to do that but it takes months I believe.
209.) bluecat - 08/29/2019
One of the funniest/sickest stories of the trip was when the guide was telling us that executions also took place in the arena. Of course my hand dutifully popped up and asked what kind of executions.
The guide studied me for a minute, hesitated, surveyed the group and then said, do you really want to know.

Absolutely I said.

She said that they used to take people scheduled for execution, dress them up in wings to imitate Icarus or some biblical figure and then launch them out of a catapult to entertain the crowd.
210.) DParker - 08/29/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;59076]She said that they used to take people scheduled for executions, dress them up in wings to imitate Icarus or some biblical figure and then launch them out of a catapult to entertain the crowd.[/QUOTE]

Well, you have to admit...that would be a lot more entertaining than any Super Bowl half-time show from the past 10 years, at least.
211.) bluecat - 08/29/2019
Are you including nipple bowl?


So are we assuming the Romans actually invented dwarf tossing? There goes that whole "what have the Romans ever done for us" thing.
212.) DParker - 08/29/2019
I don't know about dwarf tossing, but I seem to recall some ancient mosaics depicting cat juggling.
213.) Swamp Fox - 08/31/2019
Is there anything funnier than a midget in a toga?

I'm not trying to dis the dwarves ...
214.) bluecat - 09/09/2019


This is a model taken in the coliseum showing what it would have looked like in its prime.
215.) bluecat - 09/09/2019


I didn't realize that much of the coliseum was plastered (insert your favorite joke here). Here is a look at some remnants.



216.) bluecat - 09/09/2019





The trap door supports are visible. Look at the little square at the left side of the picture. This what they used to raise and lower the animals.


One of the interesting things the guide mentioned was that archers were stationed on little benches around the arena to kill any wild animals that leaped up into the audience.
(and some people say these threads don't have anything to do with archery)
217.) Swamp Fox - 09/09/2019
That's awesome. I didn't actually get to go inside so I guess technically it's still on my bucket list.

I always thought they should tear out the safety fences and put the gods and goddesses back in the archways in the fresh air where they belong. It would promote hand-holding of children and the Law of Natural Selection, if nothing else, though both are important.

The fences are a bit of an eyesore, and a buzz-kill.
218.) Swamp Fox - 09/09/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;59156]




The trap door supports are visible. Look at the little square at the left side of the picture. This what they used to raise and lower the animals.


One of the interesting things the guide mentioned was that archers were stationed on little benches around the arena to kill any wild animals that leaped up into the audience.
(and some people say these threads don't have anything to do with archery)[/QUOTE]


ooof! ...


Nice save ... LOL
219.) bluecat - 09/09/2019
A lot of the fences are because it is still under reconstruction. We were actually watching some of the workmen while we were there. Just like Pompeii, it's ongoing.

And in case anyone was wondering, The holes (pock marked walls) that are present around the arena contained iron support rods that were later reclaimed after the fall.
220.) DParker - 09/09/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;59154]

This is a model taken in the coliseum showing what it would have looked like in its prime.[/QUOTE]

221.) bluecat - 09/10/2019
+6 lol
222.) Swamp Fox - 09/10/2019
:grin:
223.) Swamp Fox - 09/10/2019
[QUOTE=bluecat;59159] The holes (pock marked walls) that are present around the arena contained iron support rods that were later reclaimed after the fall.[/QUOTE]


Freakin' Vandals ...