12 Wednesday Jun 2013
Posted in Photography, Travel
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The Bridge of Sighs is a major landmark in Venice, Italy. It connects the Doge’s Palace with the New Prison. Legend has it that the bridge was so named because prisoners sighed as they crossed, enjoying a last look at the beautiful city.
For this particular shot, I wrapped my camera strap around my wrist and stuck my arm out a window. I particularly like the angle of the shot. I’m also quite thrilled that I didn’t drop my camera into the canal.
20 Monday May 2013
19 Friday Apr 2013
Posted in Photography
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365, italy, photography, travel, venice
17 Wednesday Apr 2013
Posted in Photography
23 Saturday Mar 2013
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01 Friday Mar 2013
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A small church in the square where we stayed, San Giovanni is the site where composer Antonio Vivaldi was baptized. The Church was and is a central part of life in Venice. Often you find a church with a nearby well as main features of a square. Even today, these squares are a center of city life. Friends and family come out after work and school to play and socialize.
06 Wednesday Feb 2013
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365, iPad, italy, Nikon, photography, travel, venice, Wordless Wednesday
Posted by Clara K. Showalter | Filed under Photography
11 Tuesday Sep 2012
Posted in Current events, Photography, Travel
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9/11, germany, italy, Reformation, Switzerland, terrorism, travel
Today marks the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the US. In an interesting bit of kismet, today landed your intrepid traveler in Basel, Switzerland. Basel was one of the sights of major fighting during the Protestant Reformation . In essence, it was ground zero for a major shift in the way Western Europe practiced religion.
Going through old churches here is sobering. As part of the break with the Catholic Church, old churches and cathedrals were literally gutted. All the painting on the inside of these buildings was whitewashed over. One old church is now the site of a museum. Another is still in use by the Anglicans. There has been some minor restoration of the historical paintings which were covered. Not much, but enough to see the scope of the damage.
You can also see where folks hacked off pieces of statues to eliminate faces.
In place of the statues and paintings of the Catholics, you got plain text quotes.
It’s a significant difference when you compare this church to its equivalent in Italy.
I’m reminded that those who don’t learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it.
11 Saturday Jun 2011
Posted in Photography
04 Saturday Jun 2011
Posted in Photography
Bridge of Sighs- Clara K. Showalter 2010
The Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy connects the Doge’s Palace with the old prison. Legend has it that the convicted would look through the grates as they were transfered to the prison. A last sigh, and the beauty of Venice would be lost to them.
Clara Showalter 