For about ten years now I've dreamt of doing a trip like we've just done. When I met Dave and we discovered our mutual love of travel he convinced me to throw in my job and trek through 11,000 kilometres of Africa with him. It was incredible, not just the countries or the animals but the freedom of travel itself, the random experiences you have when you're out if your daily routine. But most importantly, the people we've crossed paths with along the way... A lot of the people we enjoyed late night gins with around remote campfires in Africa are still wonderful friends of ours today.
Like Africa, our TOAL 2 adventure has been life changing and inspirational. In Africa Dave and I would always compete to get the best shot of the wildlife (and it needs to be noted here that one of my African photos ended up in the Bangkok Post with the editor saying, "the best photo by a non-National Geographic photographer I've ever seen". I think that means I won round one!!).
Italy was inspirational from a photographic point of view. Everywhere we looked there were amazing skylines of ancient churches showcasing domes high above the cities. Or the rolling, dusty coloured hills of Tuscany with their vineyards and olive groves. The cobbled, narrow streets with piazzas around each corner... it's been a playground for the lens of our little Panasonic Lumix!
Since Dave is writing a blog I thought it might be nice to share a few of my favourite shots with you and explain the thought process or the moment I experienced when I clicked the camera shutter...
Apologies for the length!
One of the things that The Six Senses promotes is 'slow life'. As part of this slow life all of the resorts have chess and backgammon boards around the restaurants, bars and even in your villa. I took this shot of Dave during one of our chess matches, I think by this game we were 3 : 1.
The sun setting behind our water villa at Soneva Gilli. If only we could capture the sound that goes with some moments (actually, I think our camera has that feature, I'm just not sure how to work it) because in this moment the water lapping around under our villa was so calming and added to the serenity... Pedro? How is it?!
Credit for this shot goes to Dave. From the bar you could swim out to this little spot and just sit but certainly not after a few drinks! It's much further away than you realise! We swam it and thank god for the hammock allowing a quick rest before the return journey!
This little fella was running backwards from me, I think he thought I was going to steal his shell... as that's what most of the hermit crabs we're fighting over on the beach! Not completely creative but Dave liked it and wanted it included :)
Ahh... this moment was pretty special. We'd been out on the snorkelling trip (the first one when everyone but us were stung by blue bottles) and this was the view upon our return. There were actually two rainbows and depending on where we stood, the rainbows did in fact touch down at our villa - what are the chances?!
What a spectacular city Rome is. Dave commented at one point that it was like a movie set... because the old buildings, statues and intricacy of it all is very hard to believe it was created soooo long ago around every corner you turn. I think they still believed the earth was flat way back when this was being created. Anyway, the bridge (Ponte S. Angelo) in front of the Castel Saint Angelo is filled with angels that look down upon you and it's quite something to walk along under, towards the castle. The things those angels must have seen...
Standing in the Roman heat, I looked up through my sweat stained eyes to see the sun and the lit up arches...
Then we moved inside and I discovered the black & white feature. It felt so dramatic and again, I wished the walls could talk because like the angels on the bridge, the hallways of the Colosseum would have a lot to say!
There's something about the shape, lines and space in this photo that I love. The greys and black make it feel very smooth but in reality the side of the coliseum is anything but smooth.
I love this photo. It's the front left pillar to the Monument Vittorio Emanuele II and when I was first in Rome, 9 years ago, the building was a stand out for me. It is beautiful and oversized and grand in every way. This pillar has an angel, possibly for protection and as I walked towards it and looked up the sun was glowing behind the angel in just the right place. I snapped the shot right before an old Italian man ran into me with a pram He was pushing his twin grand-babies and nothing was going to get in his way!
This face is amazing... as we were being herded like cattle through the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel you pass through a courtyard where this head looks out. It's got an amazing view of the tourists who walk through every day. I wonder what he thinks of the groups who walk around following a guide with a stick in the air?
Inside the Vatican itself the ceiling is amazing. I actually think reclined chairs would be a great addition to the church so people can sit and fully appreciate the artwork above them! This dome reminds me of a fine bone china cup... pretty enough to drink tea out of.
Love this shot... It's got an MC Esher style about it with the arches crossing over and going in different directions. The light inside the Vatican was beautiful. Without the tourists this really would be a wonderful place to just sit.
While in Piazza Del Popolo we played around with perspective and light. I love the golden colour this Egyptian structure has even though it was carved out of marble... or maybe it was some other stone? Clearly, the material wasn't important to me! It might have been if it was gold!!
The hole in the Pantheon is incredible, in fact the Pantheon itself is simply amazing. How they managed to build that dome with the tools they had all those years ago...
Dave, Andy and I standing on the eyes in the centre of the Pantheon.
Posing (not very well!) in front of the Pantheon.
This was taken at a church in Florence. We'd just been to meet Venus and were having a de-brief wine. Looking up to see the sunshine spilling over the top of the church was beautiful.
One of my favourite holiday shots. Dave took this after a long boozy day with Anne & Andy. The square is called Piazza San Giovanni and the church is known as Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, located in the centre of Florence. After we got over planking we moved on to owling, but the phase didn't last too long! I love the colour of my cardigan against the washed out church and the movement of the people behind me. It's got this real 'moment in time' feel about it.
This is by the entrance to the Uffizi... So cute!
Love this shot - It was so random, I was taking a picture of the life sized replica of The David and looked down... There we were, retro style cartoon characters stretched out on the Piazza della Signoria cobblestones!
A quick shot of the barrels at the vineyard we rode bikes to in Tuscany.
This is the wall in the arch as you enter the courtyard where Juilet's balcony is in Verona. There are messages upon messages that have built up over time, all romantic and notes of love. I love the movement in the foreground of the people passing by, with the messages in focus... The tourists will come and go, but the notes of love will remain for years to come. :)
This is Dave... and his new sunglasses in San Gimignano :)
Love this door. It's the front of a typical building in Venice, you can see the slime almost a metre up the bricks and the base of the door has rotted away. The colours are amazing; the pale green of the canal water, the lime green of the slime, the bottle green of the door. Beautiful! Would look lovely framed in Pedro & Cazza's green home! :)
This is in my top 3 photo's from Italy. I took it in a small church that Dave and I had just enjoyed a bottle of red out the front of... decided to hop inside for a quick look and it was beautiful. The colour version is lovely too, but I love how dramatic the black and white makes it. The light on the wall to the left of the crucifix helps drag your eye through the picture. I just love it.
Another beautifully coloured door but this time at the end of a gorgeous yet narrow street... The Venetians really know how to colour their city, it's so pretty!
A typical canal in Venice, the arched door frames, the windows at different levels, a boat... and a balcony.
I'm not sure what it is about this picture, but I love it! It's stand out for me among my arty farty collection. We were racing back for our train and we passed this door (which was beautiful on it's own without the watermelon!) and there was this half eaten watermelon, with a juice stained step. You can imagine some kid sitting there five minutes earlier, fruit all over his chin... bless!
More sun, another castle!!
Ahhh... Florence! As we walked up to the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore for the first time, it was something else. It was so peaceful, a tad on the cold side but it was stunning.
A quiet San Gimignano street that we watched the sun pour it's warmth over after a cool afternoon, the time was spent enjoying a very special Borollo.
A cross in Umbria, high above the cemetery and beside the Monastery. Amazing, we sat there and listened to the hymns being sung on the sunny Sunday morning... it was so peaceful.
This shot is of me and the gorgeous bronze wild bore that sits in the centre of Florence. He brings good luck to those who put a coin in his mouth. :)
So that's it... I hope you enjoyed my attempt at a blog!
Thanks for reading - ciao!
xA
Location:Oman
