Take your time to read my travelog. It contains some 300 photos that I selected from my collection. I promise that I will not test your memory.

17 Sep 2005

My trip started with a midnight flight from Hong Kong and waiting in Heathrow airport for 3 hours [Heathrow Airport. London]

When I arrived Paris finally by 3pm, after checking in hotel, went to check out the Louvre, my big-time favourite in Paris. [The Louvre. Paris]

My most favourite amongst favourites - the inverted pyramid inside. [Louvre Carrousel. Paris]

The sun is very strong, sky very blue, but there is a tinge of coolness in the air - Paris in fall. [The Louvre. Paris]

Strolling along the river, the earliest signs of dusk appeared. [River Seine. Paris]

Not long after, we actually approached Ile de la Cite, thus took a small detour to pay Notre Dame Cathedral a visit. [Notre Dame. Paris]

Details, details, details. What is noted on the facade aside from the famous twin towers. We eventually did not go in because it was closed, but took a lot of pictures outside. [Notre Dame. Paris]

Time for dinner because guess what?! It's already around 8:22pm when I took this picture. En route to Champs-Elysees, we were greeted by this stunning view of Louvre against sunset. [The Louvre. Paris]

... not to mention I believe the digicam lens only captured like 50% of the original atmosphere. [Louvre. Paris]

We were not able find the desired restaurant, thus took the Metro to another one close to our hotel. Authentic subway, nothing like the MTR, as we learn to crawl through its web-like maze. [Metro at Concorde. Paris]

18 Sep 2005

Today was a Paris city day tour for us as we shall be leaving for the Provence tomorrow morning. First stop- Montmartre. Walked through these typical side streets to reach there after getting off the Metro at Lamarck-Caulaincourt. [Montmartre. Paris]

Little shoes that French kings and queens wore adorning the shopping windows. [Montmartre. Paris]

Can you imagine the bakery selling all sorts of cheesy toasts and bread? And can you imagine a cheesy hotdog cost 4 Euros (~HK$40). But I must admit the warm cheesy toast was yummy. [Montmartre. Paris]

The famous Montmartre marketplace, with many artists showing off their works, many painting on the spot. [Montmartre. Paris]

The pictures were very typical Paris scenes. There were even some "artists" who cut out silhouettes with their nimble fingers. [Montmartre. Paris]

East to Place du Tertre, the market place, is the famous white church frequented by tourists. [Basilique du Sacre Coeur. Montmartre. Paris]

Candles donated by Christians...

Beautiful glass-stained windows...

Statues...

Angels...

Starking colour contrast of church vs the clear blue sky. [Basilique du Sacre Coeur. Montmartre. Paris]

Church seen at a distance [Basilique du Sacre Coeur. Montmartre. Paris]

The good... now the bad. After having lunch, strolled along a street full of sex shops which lead us to Moulin Rouge - guess it is only full-house during the evenings. [Moulin Rouge. Paris]

... where it starts at Place de la Concorde, and ends at L'Arc de Triomphe, or the other way round. [L'Arc de Triomphe. Paris]

Nice carvings as seen underneath the monument. [L'Arc de Triomphe. Paris]

Champs Elysees actually starts from L'Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde. Shops of top labels, roadside cafes line up along the famous route. [Avenue des Champs Elysees. Paris]

They have this nice Peugeot showroom in the avenue which featured one of their first models. [Peugeot showroom. Champs Elysees. Paris]

... and a beetle-like concept car, Peugeot 4002, attracting all the attention it deserves. [Peugeot showroom. Champs Elysees. Paris]

Le Tour Eiffel was a bit further off across the river. [Tour Eiffel. Paris]

A closer shot. [Tour Eiffel. Paris]

Looking at Tour Montparnasse at a distance. [Tour Eiffel. Paris]

In the Metro subways, occasionally there are amateur singers demonstrating their talents or trying to earn a buck or two. [Metro. Paris]

We couldn't resist going back to the Louvre again to take some night shots because it is so beautiful. [The Louvre. Paris]

Returning to Champs Elysees at night, we had dinner at Leon du Bruxelles, belgian cuisine. Ate a full course which consisted of grilled cheese as appetizer, a pot full of moussels, french fries, ending with a creme brulee. Here's their website: http://www.leon-de-bruxelles.fr/. Recommended to one of my colleague as well. [Leon du Bruxelles. Paris]

19 Sep 2005

Morning trip for us via TGV to... the Provence finally! [TGV. France]

Enjoying sunrise while heading south. [TGV. Paris]

This is the TGV that gave us a ride. [Marseille St Charles Station. Marseille]

The place that made Marseille a famous port in history since 600BC. [Vieux Port. Marseille]

Arriving Marseille [Marseille St Charles Station. Marseille]

Me overlooking Marseille. [Vieux Port. Marseille]

Nice mirror images of boats aligning the harbour. [Vieux Port. Marseille]

Lunch with shrimp risotto. [Vieux Port. Marseille]

After lunch, we drove around Marseille in our rented car and went to the highest point in Marseilles to visit the church and have the best view of Marseille. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

You see... moussels again! Since Marseille is famous for seafood... [Vieux Port. Marseille]

Mimicking the small sweet angel. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

The interior is less elaborate than Notre Dame in Paris, but still the solemn religious atmosphere overwhelms the place. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

"This wall bears marks for the liberation of Marseille." referring to World War II. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

On the bridge overlooking the city. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

Sweet angel guarding the city. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

Vieux Port in full view - where all the boats are anchored. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

After some light showers, the sky portrayed a glamorous blend of cloud, light and sea found in Renaissance paintings. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

Beyond Marseille lies Iles du Frioul, a group of islands. The middle islands contains Chateau d'If, which was used as a detention center for political prisoners from 1634. It's most famous and romantic prisoner is the fictional inmate Edmond Dantes, the hero in Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo". [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

To illustrate, the islands actually contain a quarantine port and a hospital, besides the chateau. [Notre-Dame de la Garde. Marseille]

We drove to Aix-en-Provence at twilight hours. Stunning street view as we searched for a restaurant to fill our stomachs. [Aix-en-Provence]

20 Sep 2005

Aix-en-Provence is famous for its university, and the fountains. Here's the first one we saw at a huge roundabout. [Place du General de Gaulle. Aix-en-Provence]

Another one, looking like moss over a potato. [Aix-en-Provence]

The Cezanne trail, leading to landmarks of Aix's famous artist. [Aix-en-Provence]

We visited a marketplace just off Palais de Justice. [Aix-en-Provence]

Selling lentils and beans...

and spices...

and snacks / appetizers like Spanish tapas...

Not to mention the different types of olives...

and cheese...

and mushrooms...

and tomatoes... the kind that we immediately want to take a bite.

and sausages... which look like they are coated with mould (maybe preservatives)

and different kinds of bread... but they do look sort of hard...

and fruits... the William Rouge looked like a crossover between a pear and a Fiji apple...

We passed the fountain with three dolphins on it.

Cute dolphins...! [Aix-en-Provence]

These were some really huge burges, fries and salad. [Aix-en-Provence]

We were on N7 highway leaving Aix for Arles, an old town with long Roman history. [En route to Arles]

Vast plains with houses here and there were a common sight in Provence. [En route to Arles]

Even military jets...

Along the way, there were interesting statues...

Finally arriving at Arles. After entering its old city compound as defined by city walls, we immediately found our hotel. [Arles]

Here's supposedly the old city entrance. [Arles]

Having settled down, we took a stroll for 5 minutes, and the Amphitheatre already appeared before our eyes. What a small town! [Amphitheatre. Arles]

The giant structure dated back 2,000 years ago where gladiators fought with the fiercest animals. [Amphitheatre. Arles]

A typical Arles apartment. [Amphitheatre. Arles]

Following an ancient trail from Amphitheatre to Place du Forum, where the bars and restaurants were. [Arles]

An authentic window. Note: Vines attaching to windows is a popular sight here. [Arles]

In the Place du Forum, here's the famous Van Gogh Cafe, well-known because Van Gogh supposedly frequented this cafe when he was staying in Arles, and that he produced the most work in this town during his stay. [Cafe Van Gogh. Arles]

The Van Gogh painting associated with the cafe on display - fake one of course. [Cafe Van Gogh. Arles]

Strolled along the River Rhone awaiting sunset. [La Rhone. Arles]

"All directions" this sign was commonly seen in Provence, as if it really pointed to "some" direction at all. [La Rhone. Arles]

Along the riverbank. [La Rhone. Arles]

Another Van Gogh paintings referring to this river. [La Rhone. Arles]

Some Roman structure we detected along the river. Actually these structures were everywhere. [La Rhone. Arles]

Interesting lamp posts, making the whole walk more interesting. [La Rhone. Arles]

Sunset over the river. [La Rhone. Arles]

Another sunset view. Just love the contrast it projects on the photo. [La Rhone. Arles]

Returning to the centre-ville, took some nice pictures of a chapel...

... and hotel de ville.

We didn't manage to try out Bouillabaisse in Marseilles, but we succeeded in Arles! A specialty in Provencal cuisine, it consisted of a heavy fish and seafood soup cooked with three types of fish, and on top we put a piece of crouton (stale baguette) which was spread with raw garlic juice and some cheese). The French emphasized it took a lot of hours to brew a true-blue bouillabaise. Here's a recipe I found in BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/bouillabaisse_6973.shtml [A Provencal restaurant near Roman Arena. Arles]

Amphitheatre at night was impressive with the lights. [Amphitheatre. Arles]

21 Sep 2005

Enjoying my morning coffee while studying the LonelyPlanet bible on France. [Arles]

Avignon, guarded by a city wall all around, with many access points though. [Avignon]

Off to Avignon. The French also had got roadworks in France... [Enroute to Avignon]

Approaching Avignon's landmark. [Palais des Papes. Avignon]

Through the narrow castle alleys... [Palais des Papes. Avignon]

What are these modern mosiac tiles doing on the walls of the Palais? [Palais des Papes. Avignon]

Finally the entrance of the palace. The Pope elected in 1309 was French, and he decided to live in Avignon instead of Vatican City. This is known to be the biggest surviving Gothic palace in Europe. [Palais des Papes. Avignon]

A peep at the "courtyard". [Palais des Papes. Avignon]

A church next to the palace with praying angels. [Palais des Papes. Avignon]

Another monument for commemorating the World War I victims. [Palais des Papes. Avignon]

and the church interior. [Palais des Papes. Avignon]

Back to the centre of the town where all the cafes are, with the local theatre and a merry-go-round. [Place de l'Horloge. Avignon]

A square with history. [Place de l'Horloge. Avignon]

A shop full of candied fruits, all with crystallized effect. [Avignon]

Not Tabasco. A kind of European chili + olive oil to spice up our pizza. [Avignon]

We decided to catch some time until sunset to go to the Pont du Gard, featuring the second highest standing Roman structure in the world (second to the Colosseum). Here's the map at the entrance, seeing the bridge spanning across the 30-mile aqueduct. [Pont du Gard]

The setting sun cast golden light on the massive structure. [Pont du Gard]

Watching the dusk appear. [Pont du Gard]

Enjoying sunset through the arches. [Pont du Gard]

This French keyboard with the A, Q, W, Z in confusing locations was a hassle when we tried to book hotel in Venezia at an internet cafe. [Avignon]

22 Sep 2005

Our plan this day was to visit as many neighbouring towns as possible after setting off from Avignon. The first destination was Gordes, a small and old town situated on top of a hill. It was also made famous by Hayao Miyazaki, referring to this town when he converted Howl's Moving Castle into the popular Japanes animation picture. [Gordes]

Another view of Gordes behind the pine tree. [Gordes]

We do see sprinkling of lavender bushes, typically Provence, along the way. [Gordes]

Roussillon, our next stop, was famous for the red clay cliffs. The red clay in the vicinity was actually used in paintings long time ago. [Roussillon]

Another friendly marketplace. Lots of yummy stuff. [Roussillon]

Looked like Provence was famous for honey products. [Roussillon]

Pretty pansies.

Home-made jam, with photocopied labels and a nice rag touch at the top.

Moussels... fresh and raw this time.

We actually bought a dozen fresh oysters for 7 Euros at the seafood stall and the guy was kind enough to lend us his oyster knife so that we can enjoy the oysters on the spot! By the way, that crab was for decoration only...

We bought some of the boiled shrimps as well (the ones at the back) and they were delicious!

The red clay cliff. [Roussillon]

Note the clouds made everything look like a Windows landscape. [Roussillon]

Typical Provence - flowers against blue sky. [Roussillon]

On the way to Sault, passed by some vineyards which we sneaked into, and took pictures with some small dark bunch of wine-to-be grapes. [En route to Sault]

Ok, we nipped a bunch into our car as well... [En route to Sault]

Finally to Sault. The town was famous for lavender, however, it was already past season (Jul/Aug), thus everything was harvested. We were only able to see rows of bushes with a faint aroma of lavender. [Sault]

Vast plains that farmers used to grow lavendar. [Sault]

Beyond should be the town of Sault, but being past peak season, it was a dormant town with just a few shops open. [Sault]

Funny feather-like seeds...

A drive-in Mac whilst on highway. Had a "high tea" there. [En route to Fontaine de Vaucluse]

Underground spring flows out to River Sorgue in this spot. [Fontaine de Vaucluse]

Spring water and the plants underneath gave the stream a beautiful shady green. [Fontaine de Vaucluse]

Actually the source of spring water went way down beneath the ground. Could even go deep sea cave diving, given proper equipment. [Fontaine de Vaucluse]

This wheel was actually for a paper mill where handmade paper was produced mimicking 15th Century methods. [Fontaine de Vaucluse]

I suppose the spring water must have a lot of rich minerals in it, or else the moss would not have attached itself to the wheels...

The source, though a bit dried up. [Fontaine de Vaucluse]

A paradise for ducks. [Fontaine de Vaucluse]

Morning glories in various colours on the window sill. [Fontaine de Vaucluse]

Back to Avignon. This sculpture was on some guidebook and we took pictures of it anyway. [Avignon]

This is no commercial shot. The grapes we took in an unknown vineyard (yes, that same bunch), and wine we bought along the route upon our return. The lighting, well, just made use of the bedside lamp in the hotel. [Avignon]

Landmark of Avignon, the bridge was the only one crossing the Rhone in the Middle Ages until it was knocked down by a flood. [Pont Saint Benezet. Avignon]

Time to return our car... [Gare de TGV. Avignon]

Here's the avant-garde TGV station in Avignon, which is actually 10 minutes by bus from city centre. [Gare de TGV. Avignon]

23 Sep 2005

We left Avignon for Nice. Took a picture of Cannes station during a brief stop. [TGV. Cannes]

These little glaciered mandarin is synonymous with those in the Avignon shop. [Nice]

A busy street in Nice. [Nice]

The famous Cote d'Azur beaches... the topless sunbathers were few though. Maybe too many tourists were watching... [Nice]

Some parts belonged to the beachgoers, others to hotels and restaurants thus the umbrellas. [Nice]

Strong sunlight penetrating the parasols. [Nice]

Moussels for lunch again at Lido Plage restaurant. [Nice]

Must mention why stopped at Nice. We were aiming for Italy, but all trains from Avignon had to go via Nice, thus we had extra time. How to spend time then catch the 9pm train to Italy? We jumped on a train to Eze-Sur-Mer, which on the hillside existed a small village known as Eze. [Eze]

Things became interesting - we missed the bus, but finally hitchhiked with an American lady up the village. Two French were kind enough to deliver us to their best ability up the long and winding road to the village.

Eze was a picturesque town, "the most charming perched medieval village" as a leaflet put it, with pebbled lanes, ancient churches... we were halfway up to final destination Jardin d'Eze and a last bus to catch to Nice in an hour's time. [Eze]

Narrow winding steps crowded with houses. [Eze]

This blooming lily caught my eye. [Eze]

Finally to Jardin d'Eze! Captured the vast Mediterranean Sea with the village in the foreground. [Jardin d'Eze. Eze]

In time to watch the sun set. The clouds were fascinating. [Jardin d'Eze. Eze]

Figurine solitaire against the heavy dusk. [Jardine d'Eze. Eze]

Back to Nice in time to catch the twilight, and the train to Italy. [Nice]

We were only able to reserve a couchette in 6-in-one-compartment type, so pretty cramped. [EuroStar. Italy]

24 Sep 2005

The land beyond was actually Venezia. We had finally arrived after a night's sleep! [EuroStar. Venezia]

Venezia in the morning, and I was still on the train crossing over the sea. [EuroStar. Venezia]

Typical Venetian masks. [Venezia]

Note the delicious gelato luring me to buy a cone... [Venezia]

My first canal sighting! By no means the last... [Venezia]

My first gelato in Venezia... of course by no means the last as well. [Venezia]

Glass-making was famous in Venezia, and this modern art application was particularly cute as well. [Venezia]

The gondolas. This type was more like water taxi, where a loadful of people set in. [Venezia]

The Rialto Bridge - should be the busiest bridge in Venezia, with shops situated on the bridge. [Rialto Bridge. Venezia]

The main canal in Venezia dissected the city into two. [Grand Canal. Venezia]

Parking places for gondolas along the canal. [Grand Canal. Venezia]

Is this a lamp, cornerstone or what? [Venezia]

Venezia's landmark - St Mark's Square and Basillica. [Piazza San Marco. Venezia]

Pigeons were intelligent. They knew where the food source was... [Piazza San Marco. Venezia]

And the little girl was kind enough to give me some of the dried corn to feed the pigeons, so that I was so attractive to these birds. [Piazza San Marco. Venezia]

Beyond is Bridge of Sighs. It was the link between Palazzo Ducale and the prison opposite the canal. Heard that this was a private passage for the duke to torture his prisoners. Scary. [Ponte dei Sospiri. Venezia]

The Ducal Palace was just next to the Basillica. Massive structure. [Palazzo Ducale. Venezia]

Gondolas parked along the quay. [Venezia]

Looked like this male sculpture was just hiding around the corner of Bridge of Sighs. [Ponte dei Sospiri. Venezia]

Took the ferry to the opposite side of Grand Canal. Visited the interior of another church landmark. [Santa Maria della Salute. Venezia]

Nice flowers along the promenade. [Venezia]

Santa Maria della Salute at dusk. [Venezia]

The Grand Canal at night, still busy as ever. [Grand Canal. Venezia]

25 Sep 2005

Arrived at Firenze and started our day tour around the city. The famous Il Duomo sighted. [Firenze]

Candle-tree in the church. [Il Duomo. Firenze]

The exquisite dome. Originally the Italians had a vision that they wanted a dome in the church, even before it was feasible technically. So they must have tolerated a church with a hole for years... [Il Duomo. Firenze]

Il Duomo is so massive that it was impossible to take a picture of the whole church unless I was in a helicopter. [Il Duomo. Firenze]

Facade of Il Duomo. [Firenze]

Giotto's Tower just beside Il Duomo. [Campanile. Firenze]

Took a train to Pisa to visit of course the famous Pisa Tower. The sun was setting so we had to hurry because that was quite some distance from Station at Pisa Centrale to the landmark. [Pisa]

The tilted tower of Pisa. [La Torre Pendente. Pisa]

Up on the Leaning Tower, overlooking the Cathedral of Pisa and town. [La Torre Pendente. Pisa]

Well, I was trying to support it. [La Torre Pendente. Pisa]

This is just to demonstrate that the Leaning Tower had a hole in the middle. [La Torre Pendente. Pisa]

26 Sep 2005

First thing in the morning was to visit the famous old bridge of Florence, where jewellery shops lined the bridge that people hardly noticed they were crossing the river. [Ponte Vecchio. Firenze]

That was what the entire bridge looked like, at a distance. [Ponte Vecchio. Firenze]

In Hong Kong, we would have called the structure not safe to live with the "add-ons". [Ponte Vecchio. Firenze]

Me and my favourite bridge. [Ponte Vecchio. Firenze]

Lots of old bridge in Firenze, but it's the reflections of the water that made the whole picture look so interesting. [Ponte Vecchio. Firenze]

The locks symbolized locking up the love between lovers at Cellini's statue on the bridge. [Ponte Vecchio. Firenze]

Another gelato shop, but this one's with cones dipped in chocolate and multi-coloured sugary bits. That could top up a single ice-cream cone to 4 Euros. [Firenze]

The famous David statue by Michelangelo outside Palazzo Vecchio. Heard there are four Davids in Firenze, and no one knew which was the real one. [Palazzo Vecchio. Firenze]

The square outside Palazzo Vecchio where lots of statues on display, so no need to queue up. [Piazza Signoria. Firenze]

Walking from Palazzo Vecchio to the riverside, there was a passageway full of famous Italians - Leonardo da Vinci for example. [Firenze]

Looking back to the tower belonging to Palazzo Vecchio. [Firenze]

Amazing reflections of Ponte Vecchio. [Firenze South]

Different ways to use Balsamic vinegar. Found in a local grocery store. [Firenze South]

Pity that Pitti Palace was closed Mondays. Its Raphael collection was the largest. [Palazzo Pitti. Firenze]

Caught sight of a mansion with the cutest well in the courtyard. [Firenze South]

I "met" David again, at Piazza Michelangelo, after a short walk uphill. Looked like it was made in green copper. [Piazza Michelangelo. Firenze]

Here's more of the Michelangelo square. [Piazza Michelangelo. Firenze]

The best place to see Firenze, with Il Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio all in the picture. [Piazza Michelangelo. Firenze]

A beautiful flower garden awaited. [Piazza Michelangelo. Firenze]

With baby blue flower shrubs. [Piazza Michelangelo. Firenze]

We experienced one of the best Italian dinners during that night when we visited "Otello" restaurant. A very nice old gentleman who was owner of the restaurant designed a sampler menu for us. Full course at 40 Euros. [Othello Restaurant. Firenze]

Everything was fresh, and I must mention about this dish - Florentine-styled tripes! [Otello Restaurant. Firenze]

Mixed green with vinegar dressing. [Otello Restaurant. Firenze]

And we got to choose our desserts in bulk (the nice old gentleman at the side). [Otello Restaurant. Firenze]

Here's the dessert selection we chose. [Otello Restaurant. Firenze]

27 Sep 2005

We arrived at Rome! This shop was at the underground shopping centre of Roma Termini. Interesting that it just sold one commodity under different brands and packaging designs - water. [Roma Termini. Firenze]

Flowers in pots sold in supermarket. [Roma Termini. Firenze]

Contrary to my earlier perception that Roman metro was old and dilipidated, the train compartment actually looked like that of West Rail in Hong Kong. [Metro. Rome]

The fountain just opposite Spanish Steps. [Piazza di Spagna. Roma]

The famous Spanish Steps. [Piazza di Spagna. Roma]

A nicely decorated baked chestnut stalls. [Via Condotti. Roma]

Had lunch in this small Italian restaurant which served authentic local cuisine. It was over 100 years old and had been frequented by artists, writers before. [Roma]

Another delicious Italian cuisine experienced. [Roma]

Passed by a shop window which featured these little black mushroom called truffles, very expensive stuff in French and Italian dishes. Think it said 34 Euros per piece or something like that. [Roma]

We rushed to the entrance of Musei Vaticani as the sign stated gate would close at 3:20pm, and we were still at the end of the queue at 3pm. [Vatican City]

Don't worry, we managed to slip in. Everything was exquisite, including ceilings. [Vatican City]

Statues were in abundance in the museum. [Musei Vaticani. Vatican City]

Not to mention paintings. [Musei Vaticani. Vatican City]

Particularly like this statue of child wrestling goose. [Musei Vaticani. Vatican City]

This featured how elaborate it could be (and crowded). [Musei Vaticani. Vatican City]

We had hoped to send a postcard via Poste Vaticano but it was closed! Finally we bought our stamps outside the Basillica. [Musei Vaticani. Vatican City]

Looked like a statue, but in fact was a painting! [Musei Vaticani. Vatican City]

The circular staircase in the Sistine Chapel. [Musei Vaticani. Vatican City]

The "rose window" in plain view in the ceiling. [Musei Vaticani. Vatican City]

Full view of the Vatican circle and the obelisk. [Vatican City]

Another shot - bottom-up this time. [Musei Vaticani. Vatican City]

... and the nicely carved ventilation shaft at the floor. [Basilica di San Pietro. Vatican City]

The high-as-sky ceiling of the Basilica... [Basilica di San Pietro. Vatican City]

The extravagant altar directly above St Peter's tomb. [Basilica di San Pietro. Vatican City]

"Pieta" by Michelangelo 1499 - 1500, showing Mary iwth the dead body of Christ taken down from the cross. [Basilica di San Pietro. Vatican City]

Catholics attending a mass while tourists with cameras lurking in the background. [Basilica di San Pietro. Vatican City]

The interior of the basilica is soooo big. [Basilica di San Pietro. Vatican City]

The statue of St Peter ,with a kissable toe. I merely rubbed it. Don't know whether it would do wonders to me or not. [Basilica di San Pietro. Vatican City]

Angels guarding the entrance. [Basilica di San Pietro. Vatican City]

All the saints lined up at the top surrounding the square. [Vatican City]

It was already dark when we left Vatican City. The last thing we did in the vicinity: mailed postcards to ourselves so that we could own the Vatican post stamp! [Vatican City]

One last look at the colonnade. [Basilica di San Pietro. Vatican City]

Went to this restaurant recommended by the guidebook near the Spanish Steps. The dish at the centre was actually an all-you-can-eat buffet plate for 9 Euros. Food was so-so, but note the thick cheesy risotto at top right hand corner which made us so full! [Ristorante alla Rampa. Roma]

This mushroom twin-colour spaghetti was delicious though. [Ristorante alla Rampa. Roma]

Spanish Steps at night was a place for youngsters, university students to have fun, sing, dance, get drunk... [Piazza di Spagna. Roma]

28 Sep 2005

The day started off by visiting famous Roman ruins. [Palatine Hill. Roma]

The 2,000 year-old Colosseum. This was THE amphitheatre, much larger than than of Arles. [Colosseum. Roma]

A roadside drinking fountain cum washing basin, with water spouting from the top and bottom of the dog's head. [Colosseum. Roma]

Mounted police... in Italy. [Colosseum. Roma]

Took a quick snapshot of the interior. [Colosseum. Roma]

The Roman Forum, the ancient Rome's birthplace and civic centre. [Foro Romano. Roma]

The Colosseum was initially built as a complete oval, but throughout the years, it was partially damaged in wars. So here at the entrance actually show the layers of the Colosseum, like a snail's shell. [Colosseum. Roma]

This huge white structure was a monument to Italy's first king. [Victor Emmanuel Monument. Roma]

Looked like another building, but actually... it's the famous fountain! [Trevi Fountain. Roma]

For the record, I did throw in a coin which meant I would be going back to Rome in 10 years' time. [Trevi Fountain. Roma]

Lunch time again. Fillet and some very delicious fried potatoes... [Roma]

Forgot the Italian name but actually it's grilled eggplants. [Roma]

Some very fresh green salad. [Roma]

As a nice touch to round off an already good lunch, a cappucino. By the way, the Italians used white sugar, not brown. [Roma]

Another example of the old merging with the new. They built buildings leveraging the ancient Roman pillars. [Roma]

A specialty shop selling handmade puppets. [Roma]

... even life-sized ones. [Roma]

The houses just opposite the Pantheon. [Pantheon. Roma]

Another famous landmark of Rome, which became a church dedicated to the martyrs after the fall of Rome. [Pantheon. Roma]

Fountain with fishes spurting water... [Pantheon. Roma]

The dome inside the Pantheon was Europe's biggest until the Renaissance. Not to mention the skylight that shines through it is a real hole - no cover for the interior! [Pantheon. Roma]

Here lies my favourite Renaissance artist - Raphael, who painted the beautiful angels. [Pantheon. Roma]

At a square, saw this Adam's family look-alike with this cat who screeched when people threw in coins. Some people earned a living by being a statue! [Piazza Navona. Roma]

The castle of angels that guarded the Vatican just across River Tiber. [Castel Sant' Angelo. Roma]

Thought this was "wallpaper material". [Castel Sant' Angelo. Roma]

Angel guarding against the dark clouds. [Castel Sant' Angelo. Roma]

Bits and pieces of sculptures taken down in the castle. The castle was in fact a tomb for an emperor, has been a castle, a prison, and a place of last refuge for popes under attack. [Castel Sant' Angelo. Roma]

A better view of angel guarding the castle. [Castel Sant' Angelo. Roma]

Did they really take so much effort in trimming a mushroom-like tree? [Castel Sant' Angelo. Roma]

Time to take our night train to Paris, which meant end of trip in Italy. Isn't this a good-looking roast chicken take-away? [Roma]

29 Sep 2005 Back in Paris. Louvre again. Through the pyramid glass. [Louvre. Paris]

Speed god with wings on feet. [Louvre. Paris]

Took this picture purely because the stoned owl looked so cute. [Louvre. Paris]

Adonis. The handsome god. [Louvre. Paris]

The winged goddess looked like she would like to reach for the sky. [Louvre. Paris]

This statue holding a head was very eerie. [Louvre. Paris]

Thought this looked so familiar. Second time saw kid wrestling with goose. [Louvre. Paris]

The Napolean apartments. Highly extravagant. [Louvre. Paris]

How did Napoleon talk to the person at the end of the extra long dining table? [Louvre. Paris]

Venus de Milo statue. [Louvre. Paris]

Some artist association was holding a demonstration in the square just off the Louvre. [Louvre. Paris]

And these four ET-like stooges were joining clumsily. [Louvre. Paris]

The beautiful dome at one of Paris' largest department stores. [Lafayette. Paris]

The whole interior reminded me of a grand theatre. [Lafayette. Paris]

30 Sep 2005

Last day in Paris. Some form of technology not available yet in Hong Kong. GPS system in a taxi. [In a cab. Paris]

Returned for a good moussel meal in Leon du Bruxelles. Note that little "cooked" crab in-between the empty moussel shells. [Champs Elysees. Paris]

Our last breakfast in Paris - Vietnamese Pho i.e. beef noodles with lots of herbs, veggies. Around 5 Euros for each big bowl. [Paris]

Tried Vietnamese spring rolls as well. Good presentation. [Paris]

Here ends my trip. Thanks for having the patience to read all this stuff, and hope you enjoy it as much as I do regarding my trip!