Ravenna

WOW!

We had a very brief but awesome visit to Ravenna today. We only had time for lunch and a visit to the Byzantine Basilica di San Vitale and the Roman Mausoleum of Galla Placidia.

 

The mausoleum contains the oldest mosaics in Ravenna. Ninety-five percent of the mosaics are originals, dating from the late Roman period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The basilica, a 1,400 year old church, is covered with lavish mosaics: gold and glass chips the size of a small fingernail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It also has some very nice murals.

 

 

 

And very cool floors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Padua

Another great day in Padua. We went back to the market and saw this neat measurements standard built into the wall which dates from the middle ages. The left one is the grain container standard, the middle is the circumference of a bucket or a loaf of bread, the rectangle is the size of a brick, the top one on the right is the length of a forearm, and below it is the standard for a width of cloth.

 

 

This is the city park where Paduans go to 'see and be seen'. Lots of people run or walk here or just relax with friends.

 

 

 

And this is the other Basilica in town.

 

 

This is one of the buildings that faces the park.

 

 

Wandering through town we saw these great faces above some of the doors.

 

 

 

 

 

We spent a few hours in the afternoon wandering around the five-acre botanical garden. Founded in 1545 to cultivate medicinal plants, it’s the world’s oldest academic botanical garden still in its original location.

 

 

 

 

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Padua

We arrived in Padua last night around 7 pm. This is the view from our room on the fourth floor of the hotel. The elevator only goes as high as the third floor so access to the fourth floor is by the stairs.

 

 

We spent the day today wandering around Padua. First we visited the beautiful open air fruit and vegetable market.

 

 

 

They also sold herbs and every kind of grain.

 

 

 

Then we went to the indoor market which sold meats, cheeses and pastas.

 

 

 

 

 

The indoor market is on the first floor of a beautiful old palazzo and has been a market for 800 years.

 

 

 

We had lunch in a beautiful square with a great old clock.

 

 

 

Then we visited St Anthony's Basilica which is the one we can see from our room.

 

 

 

 

No photography was allowed inside so here are some pictures from postcards.

 

 

 

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Folkestone

We have been visiting our friends in Folkestone for several days now and I thought you might like to see what it is like in this area.

 

This is Mary and Graham's house.

 

 

The glassed in porch is a lovely place to have meals. This is the kind of 'simple' meal Graham just tosses together for lunch.

 

There is a view from the porch of the English Channel and occasionally of France.

 

 

The Channel is just beyond the end of the land but unfortunately it is nearly the same color as the sky so you will just have to take my word for it. That rounded little bush just to the left of the bird house is a favorite perch for the local pheasant.

 

 

We've been out for several long walks this week. The road their house is on is quite narrow and lined with trees, hedges, and wild flowers. Periodically there are widened areas to allow cars to get by each other.

 

 

The most abundant wildflower at this time of year is called cow parsley.

 

 

Some of the trees have a really interesting branching structure.

 

 

If you are a fan of British novels you have probably read about hedgerows. Hedgerows separate a road from an adjoining field. Further along on our walk we saw some proper hedgerows.

 

 

Also along the way is this tiny church.

 

 

 

And, of course, the local pub.

 

 

 

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