ThereseG

And that's why I said METRO. lol

Those are great photos and ironically enough, my trip to SF in October will bring us down the PCH to LA. I've driven part of the PCH before, from LA up to..Malibu and...? Zuma, I think...so I'm looking forward to the trip (without rushing the summer away!).

here are a couple pics from previous programs:

i like city island!

ahhhhhhh.....gotcha.

i didn't see the new thread at all but i'm just curious as to why it wasn't just merged with the other?

no, but perhaps I should have kissed or rubbed the feet of St. Peter as these folks were waiting in line to do! Did you?

oooooh, very nice. I did not see the Capri you saw. I like yours much better (although I realize I didn't go ALL the way to the top since you can hike (?) the rest of the way up, which I heard is fairly grueling if you're not in shape.

There's already a Hard Rock, isn't that enough? :)

well..you can't do your best Sarah Jessica Parker-as-Carrie Bradshaw-on-the-balcony-in-Paris imitation from ANY location in Crocker Park (like you can from the Westin in Rome)!!! a lil blurry, but across the street from "Crocker Park" :) :

lol, thanks :)..but I can't take credit for that comment; I really heard it somewhere! Here're a couple examples: and the blue in this one is lapis lazuli...

We did. One friend and I took the finicula to the most important part of Capri (the shopping!) while the other two opted to see the Blue Grotto. Our original plan, though, was to go to Ischia (spend the day there at one of the natural thermal spas and hot springs, and volcanic mud baths) instead of Capri but since we were slightly ahead of "season" there was only one ferry per day, to and from. The times just wouldn't work out. I didn't take many pics while on Capri but here's one. It would have been so much nicer, save for the ferry. On the other hand, the boats are a good visual in reference to the Blue Grotto (for those who want to know!): the large ferry is what brings you over from Sorrento. You get on the medium-sized boats with the smallest ones trailing, to the Blue Grotto. You have to get in the teeny boats to get in the cave that is the Blue Grotto (the cave opening is so small you have to lie down in the teeny boat).

we did tour the Vatican and St. Peter's but didn't go underneath St. Peter's. I wasn't all that interested in St. Peter's for some reason (except to see the Pieta), and the Vatican was nice in its own way (considering that there's so much gold in various places in the Vatican, that if you removed it, youd actually have enough money to stop world hunger)...plus it was a long tour and I was anxious to get to the Sistine Chapel, which is the final destination of the tour. I did get some nice pics in the Vatican (even one in the Sistine Chapel where they monitor like hawks :evil: )

very cool!

You're welcome and I'm glad you enjoyed! Very interesting information, too! The information I have on Pompeii's history is not much is known, but that the oldest reports date from the end of the 7th and first half of the 6th century BC. It received a strong push towrd urbanization in the 5th century BC, entered Roman political organization in 90-89 BC, was "downgraded" to a colony in 80 BC but was enhanced with private and public buildings. There was a violent earthquake in 62AD and was still under re-construction when Vesuvius erupted.

The only recommended "major" attractions I didn't get to see in Rome were the Coliseum and the Forum (my friend was more upset about it than I was) but in the end, our cab on the way to the airport took us past them anyway! So technically, I did see them. We also checked out the Bones Church or Chapel of Cappuccini monks which is right across from the hotel on Via Veneto. The monks give their bones to the church and they make these large (maybe 6' x 6' ?) "dioramas" out of their bones.... Cameras weren't allowed in the church so I took a pic of the postcard:

"The perfect lover is one who turns into a pizza at 4:00 AM." - Charles Pierce (sorry, I had to! now back to our regularly scheduled programming)

This is more an event than a discussion topic: Independent Pictures will teach marketable filmmaking skills to local residents this summer by giving them hands-on experience in the production of an original short film. Independent Pictures, the nonprofit parent organization of the Ohio Independent Film Festival, is looking for students age 17 and up for its 2008 Film Production Internship program that will teach Cleveland students the basics of working on all aspects of a film. Dedicated to enlivening the arts world and improving the community, Independent Pictures will provide classroom instruction and on-the-set experience to 20 interns who will gain valuable entry-level job skills they can use in Northeast Ohio's developing film industry. The four-week program culminates in the actual film shoot of "Wall of Fame." This original short feature film written by Carolyn Jack tells the gently comic story of a young man who learns that the hardworking people who stayed in his hometown may be more important than the famous people who left. Intern classes begin July 7, 2008, and will end around Aug. 1, 2008. Applications for the program are currently available by email, ohiofilms@yahoo. com <mailto:ohiofilms@yahoo. com> , or by calling 216.651.7315 . Independent Pictures' Film Production Internship Program is supported by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, Tellite Productions, Ward 17 Neighborhood Equity Fund and The Plain Dealer. ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ Independent Pictures 1392 West 65th Street Cleveland, Ohio 44102 USA (216) 651-7315 Ohiofilms@yahoo. com www.ohiofilms. com Please pass this information on to anyone you think may be interested! It's an intensive program but the skills that will be learned are immeasurable!

I made sure I threw a coin in the fountain (didn't want to take any chances, being a lil superstitous :) ). I know what you mean, though, about the nostalgic effect the pics have. The friend I travelled with gets insanely jealous when anyone else talks about an upcoming trip to Italy, and he's been there 5 or more times. A funny story from Pompeii: walking to the amphitheatre we passed two Italian workers. As I passed I heard one of them reference "melanzane" or eggplants...gee, I wonder what they were referencing! I had learned a little Italian so I turned back to give them my best "I know-exactly-what-you-said" look and we kept walking. Certainly they weren't talking about my friend, who is a tall, lanky male :)

Pompeii is huge (66 hectares/approx. 163 acres total, of which approximately 45 hectares have been excavated). We only spent about a half-day there so we did not see every highlight. Although I didn't go, my friends travelled to Herculaneum after we left Pompeii. Herculaneum is the "next city over" that was also devastated by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. In contrast to Pompeii, Herculaneum was covered in lava rather than ash, actually better-preserving the city and providing for new growth years later. Here are the pics I took, although some may seem relatively boring :) Ancient "speed bumps" for chariots! This is entering into the ruins. this is the Basilica which was basically a courthouse and business and negotiations center Temple of Jupiter Same temple (again, Mt. Vesuvius in the background. Yikes!) well-preserved mosaic in the entrance to a home a garden erotic frescoes in the brothels (no comments from the peanut gallery! :) ) and....low-relief sculptures on the streets, pointing the way to the brothels (literally). Can you tell what it is? plaster casts of bodies found in the Stabian Baths This is a small theatre, used for poetry readings and the like. It was covered at the time of the eruption. A snack bar! This is a <i>thermopolia</i> which served hot food and drinks. Jars containing the food would be placed in the pits. Garden of the Fugitives, which houses several of the plaster casts of bodies found during excavation. a 20,000 seat ampitheatre, used for gladiator battles The "outside" of Pompeii And Rome... <i>Via Veneto</i> at night Triton Fountain in Piazza Barberini Trevi Fountain (of La Dolce Vita fame). Isn't it beautful? The Pantheon, "temple of the gods". Sorry, no pics of the dome, don't know what I was thinking! I happened to be in St. Peter's on a day when the Pope was naming cardinals or something. Piazza Navona (it was actually much more crowded than it looks. There are million-Euro+ apartments in this piazza, as well as terrific tartufo dessert (basically, chocolate heaven)! Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona (under construction at the time) Triton Fountain at night. I like this one for some reason. Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps)

new and improved (it was buggin me that they were so small!)! Yes, we rented a car from Naples (we flew into Naples) and drove to Sorrento (where we stayed), then drove the hour-ish (if I remember correctly) to Amalfi and down the coast. It was a little nerve-racking at times, especially with the buses sharing the road (and the hairpin turns!). Buses are only allowed to travel "up." I "reminded" my friend (who did the driving) that he promised my mom he'd bring me home safe (he didn't recall that conversation :) ). He reassured me beforehand that if his cooky co-worker could drive it, so could we. The day we did the coast was the worst weather-wise as it was drizzling and slightly overcast but turned out to be in our favor as the traffic might have been worse if the weather was better. Other than that first day, we "endured" a 5 minute hailstorm our first day in Rome and then sunny temps in the 70's-80's. We only kept the car for the day then used rail to travel to Pompei for a day (let me know if you want to see the Pompei pics?). Sorrento is small enough that you can walk most places (or taxi, in which case, it's a crap shoot regarding your fare as the cabbies randomly decide where the meter starts!). Rambling, sorry :)

Great pics! I'll actually be making my first trip to San Fran this October.

Thanks! The pics definitely don't do it justice, though, especially since I reduced the size so much. Here's one of the road on the coast (also doesn't do it justice. Literally, the coast gradually begins to drop off just on the other side of the yellow building. Somehow three widths of cars or BUSES (plus an occasional motorcycle parked, as you can see on the far left) fit across the road and you often see tin sheds as a garage built on stilts over the cliff. and one more of this peninsula-type formation that has some sort of structure built on top (?) and I believe that's a swimming pool down below (can you imagine?)...

^oops, sorry!! anyway, good to know you're not like that!

a few of my faves... The infamous drive down the Amalfi Coast Positano on the Amalfi Coast the road is up there somewhere.... lemon groves in Sorrento (limoncello!) Sorrento at night Bay of Naples at night (that's Mt. Vesuvius in the background) overlooking Sorrento