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Yesterday's post with glowing edges, full color.
Inspired by this post taken in France some time back, I played with the outer ring, making it black and white as seen below:
The subject here, of course, is the metalwork on this staircase. When I lifted the camera to snap the picture, the face of the priest in the confessional underneath was visible. Before shutter release however, through the lens, I could see him very slowly lean back until he was fully hidden behind the wall, leaving only the pages of his Catechism visible in the frame. Very, very discreet, but mission accomplished.
What a death He suffered! And it's fascinating to me that they recently found an actual heel bone, with a nail driven through, of someone that had been crucified during those days.
It was a challenge to shoot hand-held in the light that was available, but managed to wring out a few keepers, and this was one.
Once inside we were not disappointed. The quiet, beauty and sanctity of this place were awe-inspiring. Adding to the positives for me was the fact that, because the place was not overrun by tourists, there weren't a lot of people to dodge as photos were captured.
Even though I entitled this post "Sanctuary Bible", it could've been a psalter or any other liturgical text.
...and finally the complete facade, at a very oblique angle. These structures are amazing, and just as intricate in every town of decent size. One thinks of the great cathedrals of London, Paris or Rome, but this is in the town of Como. Whoever heard of a town called Como in Italy? Yet the architecture is just as amazing as any else on earth.
I was with my daughter on this jaunt, and the next thing to do was step inside to explore. As we did, something surprising happened. Allison was dressed as a typical American would be on vacation, with shirt and shorts for hot weather. However, because her shoulders weren't covered they would not allow her to enter this sanctified place. Fortunately they had shawls on hand for American tourists like us who don't know better or think of such things. Allison donned the shawl and was thus dressed appropriately as we slowly made our way through the empty, tourist-free sanctuary.
A couple more photos of the outsides of the church...
Swinging the Big Cahoona around to the left, this is the reflected column with statue on top...
Stepping into the middle of the plaza featured yesterday, this pic captures a reflection of the church that will be the subject of the next dozen or so posts. One wonders what life is like for the folks that live in this apartment, who enjoy a permanent view of the church directly across the plaza and the lake beyond every time they open these doors!
This plaza was just a few blocks from the hotel, an active scene of life and culture in Lake Como, populated by mostly locals and a smattering of tourists such as ourselves. Shifting the Big Cahoona on its side and zooming in yielded the photo below, capture from the exact same position:
Though a bit wilted, this bouquet is a typical ingredient of street life, reflecting European fastidiousness in sprucing up curb appeal.
Bicycles are serious transportation in Europe, the quasi-pedestrian way of getting around. Women and men alike of all ages weave through sidewalk and plaza traffic, expertly ringing the little bell at just the right moments. Don't remember seeing anyone wearing a helmet, though...
Another shot at black and white...also "inland" from the hotel, near the university campus.
Walking the other direction from the hotel - that is, "inland" - discovered that there is a university nearby, complete with its share of manicured open spaces and ornate structures.
We've all asked the question when seeing something odd being pulled down the highway by an 18-wheeler...what does this thing do?
As I like lamp posts, reflections, and color, this scene fit the bill in many ways. After capturing this one I zoomed in as quickly as possible and snapped the photo below while the cyclist was still reflected in the water sloshed onto the surface by the wakes of passing vessels:
Do ya' think they don't want people in there when the door's closed? Fortunately on this afternoon it was open and I took a gander onto the pier, but not before capturing the pic below through the wheelhouse-themed ornamentation:
On the way over there I saw this and laughed out loud - isn't it the silliest thing you ever saw? Little did I know that those selfie sticks were made for the purpose and had just begun taking on the world by storm...
I left the girls to themselves and took off just to take pictures one afternoon. This vantage point was a quarter-mile or so from the hotel. Didn't think much of it at the time, taking a picture of what I saw as just a weird boat, but it turns out that this type of craft is famously unique to the Lake Como region. I was lucky to get this guy by himself.
The line that's going up the hill at center right is a trolley leading to the top. We inquired about it at the hotel and were told that it's not commonly used by tourists, the reasons for which Allison and I discovered when we looked for it one day (see post dated November 10th).
Just a few moments after taking the pic above I zoomed to get a closer look:
...some odd (to us) chimneys jutting from the rooftops.
This scene was captured going the other way, in the more "touristy" areas. Indeed most of the pics in these posts are a bit postcard-ish, but it's worth capturing and sharing the beauty of these old structures along the quaint, narrow streets. We often wondered aloud what it was like to live in one of these apartments in such a beautiful setting.
Moving down to street level, this is but a few steps from the hotel doorway. The buildings and houses on the opposite hillside are beautiful and compelling. However our daughter Allison and I walked through its streets and found a seedy neighborhood, complete with abandoned structures, graffiti and pervs patrolling for the occasional wandering tourists. We high-tailed it out of there as quickly as we could.
A short walk down the street yields this view of the same hillside:
This is a sight that greeted us every time we stepped outdoors at the Metropole Suisse.
One of the best images captured of a very pretty lady, the rock of my life, in just the right light...
This is inside our room, looking through the doorway out onto the lake...
Swinging the Big Cahoona in yet another direction from the balcony yielded this view, captured on our last day at Lake Como. We were very fortunate to have a good travel agent help us plan so that we could enjoy these awesome spots.
Swinging the camera to the left, this was also taken from the balcony of our hotel room. One wonders - is this a hotel? A mansion? Wow either way...
The weather cooperated beautifully for the duration of the trip...
This and the next shot were taken from the same position on the balcony.
In 2009 I took our son Andrew and a cousin of his to Europe because of his awesome performance in high school - those pictures are posted in July, August and September of 2009 on this blog. Five years later we did the same for our daughter Allison for the same reason, this time accompanied by Mom. For Allison's trip we chose an itinerary that included Northern Italy, Switzerland and France. This is her on the balcony of the Hotel Metropole Suisse in Como. Having a room that faced the lake was a real bonanza for picture-taking...
