Worth a Thousand Words

Thursday, March 31, 2005

SICILY

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NOTE: I lived in Sicily for three years, compliments of the U.S. Navy. They were some of the greatest years of my life as I'm sure these pictures will show. These are but a tip of the iceburg...

Dinner one evening as seen from my balcony, Motta St. Anastasia, Sicily.

The town of Motta St. Anastasia, built atop a molton palisade beneath the shadow of Mt. Etna, seen smoking in the background. This would be my home for three years.

The road to Motta, Sicily.

Fruit sold on the side of the road.

Lemons growing in my backyard.

Oranges growing in my backyard.

Sicilian roof tiles.

Flag-throwers at a Motta Middle-Age fair.

Fire-eater at one of the island's many festivals.

"Geep" (mixed herds of goats and sheep) graze on a hillside outside Motta St. Anastasia.

When I was told that I would be living at the base of Mt. Etna, Europe's most active volcano, I had no idea that I would be treated to nightly displays of exploding lava and coursing rivers of magma.

Mt. Etna releases a smoke ring!

Someone didn't pay attention to the whole "Europe's most active volcano" thing.

Mt. Etna rises above the clouds.

One of hundreds of Nazi pill-boxes that still dot the island to defend against the American and British invasions of WWII.

Mounted on a basalt rock, this Norman fortress lends its name to the town of Aci Castello.

The Aci Trezza rocks as seen from the Aci Castelo fortress. These are the rocks which, according to Homer, were hurled into the sea after the fleeing Ulysses by the blinded cyclops, Polyphemus.

Built on a bluff above the Ionian Sea, Toarmina is Sicily's most famous tourist resort city. Note the Greek theatre.

An island home outside Taormina, rumored to once belong to Sofia Loren. I used it as a snorkling base.

Lovers chat beneath the shadow of a grove of Taormina trees.

A typical Sicilian decorated horse and cart.

Ceramics shop in Caltagirone, Sicily.

Built in 1608 to link the Cathedral with the town center, these 142 tiled steps are one of Caltagirone's most impressive attractions.

A peice of church statuary in Caltagirone, Sicily.

Cefalu's beautiful Norman Cathedral dates back to the 12th century.

The largest necropolis in Sicily, Pantalica's thousands of rock cut tombs, dwellings, and temples (look closely) are a product of the Medieval locals hiding from Arab invaders.

The Cathedral in Palermo, Sicily's capital city.

With better preserved Greek temples than Greece itself, Agrigento's Valley of temples (this one is the Temple of Concord) dates back to the 5th century.

A house-front in Syracuse, Sicily.

The Duomo of Syracuse, a Christian church built atop an ancient Greek temple, the massive pillers of which are integrated into the outer north wall.

Syracuse's town center, Sicily.

Detail at the church of St. John, beneath which are the catacombs where St. Paul spoke on his missionary journey through Syracuse.

Ancient Christian art still adorns the walls of Syracuse's catacombs.

The entrance to the Ear of Dionysius, a quarry carved entirely by slave labor. The pick axe marks still scar the walls. The tyrant Dionysius used to put his most dangerous prisoners here, because the acoustics inside the quarry allowed him to hear their every whisper.

Sicilian sunset.

ITALY

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A Carnivale reveler poses for a photograph in Venice.

One of the most famous views of Venice from the Grand Canal.

Detail of a house, Venice.

Built in 1591, The Rialto bridge was the only way to cross Venice's Grand Canal until 1854. Providing one of the most striking views of the canal, the interior is lined with shops.

The Palazzo Ducale, which used to house the rulers of Venice, appears to float on air, its massive bulk supported by a laticework of stone loggias and arcades.

Mixing West and East, Venice's Basilica di San Marco, seen here from the rear courtyard, is one of the most beautiful structures in Europe. St. Mark's body rests inside.

Detail of a house, Venice.

A small girl plays with the pigeons in Venice's Piazzo San Marco.

Venice under snowfall.

Just outside of Venice's Piazza San Marco, Harry's Bar was a famous haunt of such authors as Henry James and Ernest Hemingway.

Venice's Santa Maria della Salute, a church supported above the water by thousands of wooden pylons.

A Venician gondelier. Gondeliers do not apply for the job--they are passed down through the generations.

A Venician gondelier waits in his boat for the fog to lift.

Venice's Bridge of Sighs was built as a passage-way between the Palazzo Ducale, where prisoners were tried, and the prison. The small windows afforded thier last views of the outside world; hence the name.

A Venician gondola moves from the shadows into the brilliant setting sun.

A gondola, which costs as much as a German luxury car, bobs in Grand Canal, Venice.

From the top of Basilica di San Marco's campanile one can enjoy sublime views of Venice and, on clear days, the Alps. This is, obviously, not one of those days.

Detail of gondolas, Venice.

Venice's Piazza San Marco, described by Napoleon as the "most elegant drawing room in Europe."

Window, Venice.

Gondelier, Venice.

A priest relaxes with a book on the Vatican steps, Rome.

Detail of the Trevi fountain. According to myth, a coin thrown over the sholder and into the water ensures a return trip to Rome.

Capable of holding up to 55,000 people, the Roman Colosseum was home to deadly gladitorial combats, wild animal fights, and, when flooded, even naval battles!

Detail of the Arch of Septimius Severus, the Roman Forum.

The gorgeous "Flavian Lady" at the Capitoline Museum, Rome.

The buildings of the Roman Forum, "main street" of ancient Rome.

Piazza San Pietro as seen from the top of St. Peter's Basilica; the Vatican.

A view of the Palatine, once the resisence of the emperors; Rome.

The Pantheon, Rome's best preserved ancient building, was a temple to all the gods; now a Catholic church.

The magnificent "Dying Gaul" at the Capitoline Museums, Rome.

Two watchful Carabinieri officers, Rome.

A woman begs for money on the streets of Rome.

The Leaning Tower of Piza is seen creeping out from behind the city's Duomo for which it was originally built to complement but now overshadows.

The Leaning Tower of Piza from which Galileo once conducted his famous experiments on the velocity of falling objects.

The delicious white, green, and pink marbled Duomo of Florence, the fourth largest cathedral in Europe, is topped by Brunelleschi's magnificent dome.

Storm clouds enshroud one of the many statues that line the historic Piazza della Signoria in Florence.

Michelangelo was only 29 when he chisled the breathtaking and colossal "David" -- The Galleria dell' Accademia, Florence.

The Campanile, the bell tower of Florence's stunning Duomo, overlooks the city.

Statue, Vicenza.

Manarola, the Cinque Terre.

A lone fisherman navigates the waters off Manarola.

Vernazza is one of five towns in the Cinque Terre perched dramatically along the side of cliffs. Self-contained, no roads lead to or connect the towns. Each is accessible only by foot, train or sea.

Detail of boats, Cinque Terre.

A small girl leans against a boat in the Cinque Terre town of Vernazza.

One of the largest Gothic cathedrals in the world, Milan's stunning Duomo took 500 years to complete.

A worshiper in Milan's Duomo.

The glass ceiling and dome covering Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, an ornate shopping arcade. The designer, Giuseppe Mengoni, fell to his death from this spot shortly before construction was completed.

Leonardo di Vinci considered this massive statue his finest work. However, it was never made during his lifetime. Using his original notebooks, sculptors recently helped di Vinci's horse greet visitors to Milan.

Milan's Duomo.

Candles burn inside Milan's Duomo.

The extraordinary rooftop of Milan's Duomo is covered by 135 spires, innumerable statues, and gargoyles.

A courtyard of Milan's imposing Castello Sforzesco, the interior of which is decorated by Michelangelo and di Vinci.

Caribineri officers, Milan.

A stone angel perches atop Milan's Duomo.

Pigeons taunt an irritated marble lion in front of Milan's Duomo.

BURKINA FASO, WEST AFRICA

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NOTE: These pictures represent a trip I took with my mother and grandparents to Burkina Faso, West Africa where they were missionaries. It was their first time back since the 70s and my mother's first time back since leaving at the age of 16. I played the part of impressed son/grandson as well as avid photojournalist.

Burkina Faso village.

Young girl

One

Young girl with food

Boy with tire

Old woman

Young girl

Young boy

Village glimpses

Young boy

Village glimpses

The Gods Must Be Crazy

Bath time

Playing hard to get

Benjamin with food

Shy boy

Woman with child

First balloon

Village

Young girl with tama seeds.

Young man

Girls

Kids

Brothers

Young girl and her sister.

Boys

Children

All smiles

Drummer

Old man

Young boy

Young woman

Woman with baby

Old man in traditional hat.

Little girl

Colorful girl

Building a church

Young girls

Desperate to see inside church.

Man with tribal scars.

Doing laundry

Young boy

Lots to carry

French fry?

All giggles

Young woman

Burdened family

Looking back

Young woman

Young boy

Dirty boy

Sisters

Young woman in a crowd.

African woman.

Young girl against washed-out sand.

Boy at play.

Old man by tree.

Old man with beard.

The Boromo church

My grandfather kneels beside the cornerstone of the Boromo Assemblies of God church, one of dozens he built.

Reuniting with their former housekeeper.

A man shakes the hand of my grandmother while holding a bookmark of she and my grandfather from four decades earlier.

Church service

Grandpa

The matriarchs of the family.

My mother sees the house she grew up in for the first time in over 40 years.

Sometimes it's the simplest things that entertain the kids.

Mr. Paparazzi

Too bad there aren't more opportunities to wear this.

Missionary grave marker, overrun by flora.

Now there's something you don't see everyday.

Tracking animals through the game reserve.

Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are II

Croc

Titanic of the jungle.

On safari

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

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From a position high above the city, a Bosnian War-era Serbian sniper's bunker overlooks Mostar, the unofficial capital of Herzegovina.

When it's tread was damaged beyond repair, Serbs used this now immobile tank as a stationary peice of artillary, raining down fire on the city of Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

An all too typical building facade in Mostar, Bosnia.

One of the worst assulted cities in the Bosnian War, much of the capital city, Sarajavo still lies in ruins.

One of tens of thousands, this sign warning of a mine field was the perimeter of a jogging path; Mostar, Bosnia.

FRANCE

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The gorgeous 700-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.

Despite living in an era of skyscrapers, the Eiffel Tower is guaranteed not to dissapoint. The 1,000 foot high edifice (six inches taller in hot weather!) is massive. Appearing delicate and whispy from afar, it seems to take forever to reach. It's hard to believe that this symbol of Paris, built for the World's Fair, was once despised by many of the city's residents.

The Eiffel Tower rises from the Parisian fog as seen from the top of l'Arc de Triomphe.

The greatest palace and kingly residence on earth, Versailles, also boasts one of the most magnificent gardens; Paris.

Planter on the grounds of the Versailles Palace, Paris.

An angel watches over the tomb of Napoleon in Les Invalides, Paris.

Montmartre district's Sacre-Coeur church, with its impressive Byzantine architecture, is, in fact, only 130 years old; Paris.

Detail of the magnificent and massive l'Arc de Triomphe, which Napoleon constructed to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. At 50 meters high and 40 meters wide, there is no arch larger in the world. It sits at the center of Europe's largest traffic circle, feeding the tributaries of 12 converging boulevards.

l'Arc de Triomphe, Paris.

Detail of the l'Arc de Triomphe, Paris.

Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.

Mont St. Michel, in Northern France, was once one of four primary Christian pilgrimage sites. At low tide, the causeway allows visitors to access the abbey; at high tide, the abbey becomes an island.

Mont St. Michel, France.

Cross inside Mont St. Michel, France.

The exquisite Renaissance chateau, Chenonceau is the finest palace in France's Loire Valley.

Moored boats, chateau Chenonceau; France.

Built as a simple hunting lodge, chateau Chambord is surrounded by a lush park teeming with wild dear and boar.

Hundreds of antlers line the walls of the hunting lodge of chateau Cheverny, France.

Planter, Loire Valley, France.

The monolithic Pont de Gard is a Roman aqueduct built before the time of Christ. It once fed 44 million gallons of water a day to Nimes by dropping one foot for every 300 over its 35-mile span; France.

Pont de Gard, France.

Europe's greatest walled city, Medieval Carcassonne is a marvel of 13th century towers, turrets, and cobblestone streets; France.

Archway in Carcassonne, France.

Crosses marking the final resting places of thousands of American G.I.'s (including General Patton) involved in the Battle of the Bulge line the sacred grounds of Luxembourg American Cemetery along the border with Germany. I had the honor of retiring the colors during my visit here.

Tour de France racers roars through Amboise on thier way to Paris, and yet another Lance Armstrong victory!

Window in Cannes, French Riviera.

SPAIN

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A field of sunflowers carpet the Spanish countryside.

Andalucia is to Spain what Bavaria is to Germany. Here, a whitewashed town spills down a hill.

Andalucia, Spain.

Plaza de Espana, Seville

Formerly a Moorish minaret, Sevilla's Giralda Tower rises above the third largest cathedral in the world and the final resting place of Christopher Columbus.

Detail of the Giralda Tower, Sevilla Cathedral.

Candles found along a bridge in Cordoba, Spain.

A Christian angel appears to watch over the Islamic Mezquita mosque, Cordoba, Spain.

The Mezquita mosque in Cordoba, Spain. The third largest mosque in the world, Mezquita was the gem of the ancient Islamic empire when Cordoba was her capital. The city was the largest, most prosperous city in Europe, awash in science, culture and the arts. The city's library was without equal in the world.

Mezquita tower, Cordoba.

Inside the rapturous Mezquita mosque, Cordoba.

Interior of the Mezquita mosque, Cordoba.

THE NETHERLANDS

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Amsterdam's primary mode of transportation, the bicycle, rests against a railing overlooking one of the city's hundreds of canals.

Vondelpark bridge, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

A Dutch East India Company ship docked beside the Maritime Museum reminds visiters to Amsterdam of Holland's rich naval history.

THE CZECH REPUBLIC

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Changing of the gaurd, Prague Castle, Czech Republic.

St. Vitus Cathedral, Prague Castle, Czech Republic.

Vines begin to swallow one of the structures contained within the Prague Castle.

Flanked by Gothic tower gates, Charles Bridge in Prague is lined with statues and one of Europe's most delightful strolls.

Tyn Church, Prague.

Building facade in Prague, Czech Republic.

Prague, Czech Republic

Detail of a chess set in Prague's Jewish Quarter.

From 1439 to 1787, this small cemetary was the only resting place allowed Prague's Jewish residents. As a result, the 12,000 tombstones do not begin to mark all the bodies buried 12 layers deep here.

Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague.

Estates Theatre in Prague. It is here that Mozart premiered "Don Giovanni."

Statues, like this one from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and others from various productions surround the Estates Theatre in Prague.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

GERMANY

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Detail of a fountain in Dresden, Germany.

King John and his faithful steed thunder past Dresden's Semper opera house on thier way through the Theaterplatz.

Mad King Ludwig's gloriously overblown fairytale castle, Neuschwanstein. The most popular destination of Bavaria and the inspiration for Walt Disney's castle, Neuschwanstein is, in fact, only 120 years old.

Neuschwanstein Castle in fog, Bavaria.

Neuschwanstein Castle as seen from Marienbrucke bridge.

The Koln Dom is Germany's most impressive Gothic cathedral.

A street artist chalks the square in front of the Koln Dom.

Detail of a stained glass window inside Koln Dom.

Unknown statue in Humboldt Square (?), Berlin.

Cocooned within the glass cupola of Germany's Parliament building, the Reichstag.

The last of 14 original city gates, Brandenburg, which once seperated East Berlin from West Berlin, now serves as a busy thoroughfare.

Detail of the Goddess of Peace atop the Brandenburg gate, Berlin.

Berliner Dom; Berlin, Germany.

Once 160 km long, the infamous Berlin Wall is now a sort of goodwill, public art gallery.

Berlin's bombed-out Kaiser Wilhelm Church now stands as a memorial to WWII, shattered and broken.

Passing the town of Bacharach while lazily drifting down the Rhine River in Germany.

Germany's Black Forest.

A tiny chapel on the perimeter of the Black Forest, Germany.

Swaddled in a mysterious forest, Castle Berg Eltz is one of Europe's most breathtaking structures; Mosel Valley, Germany.

Berg Eltz Castle; Mosel Valley, Germany.

Dachau concentration camp, outside Munich.

"Work Makes Free" The doors of Dachau Concentraion Camp mock its prisoners.

The foundations of one of the barracks at Dachau.

Interrogation chair, Dachau Concentration Camp.

Human ovens are now cooled in Dachau, Nazi Germany's first concentration camp.

Detail of a memorial statue at Dachau Concentration Camp outside Munich.

AUSTRIA

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A row of benches line a boulevard beside the Volksgarten, Vienna.

A Baroque dream perched over the Danube river, Melk Abbey is a fortified Benedictine monestary and quite possibly my favorite piece of earth in Europe.

A streetcar surges past the Staatsoper opera house in Vienna, Austria.

The Rathaus, Vienna.

A fountain catches the light in front of the Rathaus in Vienna, Austria.

The only European palace magnificent enough to rival Paris' Versailles is Schonbrunn in Vienna.

Emperoor Franz II charges toward the Imperial Hofburg Palace, Vienna.

Detail of St. Stephansdom, Vienna.

Votive Church, Vienna.

An aged military veteran watches a street performer in Vienna, Austria.

Lens flare creates a perfect aura of light around my friend and traveling partner, Matthew.

SWITZERLAND

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Pausing during a hike to look out over the Berner Oberland, Switzerland.

Tundra meet ice in the Swiss Alps.

Swiss Alps.

Alpine cabin, Swiss Alps.

Moon rise over the threshold of the Swiss Alps.

The dungeon of Chateau de Chillon, inspiration for Lord Byron's "The Prisoner of Chillon."

A swan floats sereanly over the waters of Lake Geneva.

Lake Geneva, Switzerland.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

THE UNITED KINGDOM

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Jagged coastal rocks along the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland.

Looking out on the Irish countryside from the Rock of Cashel.

Celtic cross at the Rock of Cashel, where St. Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, baptised King Aungus in the fifth century.

Killarney countryside, Ireland.

Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin is the oldest building in the city, built atop the original Viking settlement.

Stained glass detail from Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland.

The titanic Caernarfon Castle in Northern Wales.

Conwy Castle, Northern Wales

Loch Ness, the third-deepest lake in Europe is said to be home to the fabled Loch Ness monster.

Edinburgh, Scotland lies under the gun of its imposing castle perched high on a volcanic outcropping overlooking the city.

Stryker Castle, Scotland. Look familiar Python fans?!

Scenery from the Lake District

Yorkshire chapel

It wouldn't be the U.K. without a red telephone booth.

Tele, London.

Hadrian's Wall was built by the Romans, partly to keep the barbarians out and partly to keep the troops guarding the northern edge of the Empire busy. Stretching coast to coast for 74 miles (in its day), the wall was garrisoned by 20,000 troops.