Sunday, July 18, 2010

From Greece to Sicily

Nauplia, Greece to Taormina, Sicily was a 2 day voyage in rough seas. At Nauplia we travelled to Mycenae and though we'd been there before, and have planned another trip that includes this site, we were awed by this Gate of Atreus (bottom photo). A marvelous Greek, then Roman theater, whose backdrop is Mt. Etna, was the highlight in Taormina, but this artist was content to sit in the shade of a tree in the cathedral square, perhaps thinking of the marvelous pottery sold in the shops along the narrow cobbled streets.

That evening we dined on the after deck looking at the buildings of Naxos along the coast, and Taormina, perched on the mountain above as the sun set. Yes! I have a video but haven't edited it yet.

The top photo is the side of the huge cathedral in Syracuse, actually on the island of Ortygia, the original Greek settlement. Note that the walls are built between Doric columns. The columns are apparent in the interior as well and comprise what was once theTemple of Athena. After viewing the original Arethusa fresh water spring, the reason Syracuse became an important port in ancient times, we returned to the square, entered a small church that had the greatest treasure of all: Caravaggio's wonderful "St. Lucia at Her Burial", commissioned by this church and set in place there by the artist. It was a great end to a marvelous day of touring in Syracuse.


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Wednesday, July 14, 2010

More Acropolis

Still finding my way through PhotoshopCS5, but I liked these two that I shot on that very brilliant w. sunshine day. I noticed that the Erecthion porch and building had been well cleaned since our last visit and the revealed golden tones of the stone are beautiful. The original caryatids are in the new and wonderful Acropolis museum...these are excellent copies.
The details of the shadowed arch with that jutting out fragment in bright light make for an interesting study. The lovely, distinct acanthus decorations are also on on that very top cornice of the Erecthion photo.

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Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Going to the Acropolis

Finally bought that Mac computer, the new Photoshop too, and am now going through the photos Ira and I shot during our last voyage on the Aegean Odyssey as we sailed from Athens to Rome.
I think this is an Odeon that we passed on our way to the Acropolis. You can see that tiers of seating are being built so that the site can again be utilized for performances. I liked the view of the city beyond and the green hill that's to the right. The old arches of rough stone contrast nicely with the white stark cotemporary urban architecture. The sun was really too strong...I think I used an ISO of 100 on this shot.
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