Top Ten in the “Italian Architecture” challenge in Italy and All Things Italian December 23, 2009.
Top Ten in the “Post Card Europe” challenge in a Europe! challenge July 29, 2009.
Featured in _FEATURED ONLY! July 19, 2009.
Featured in Friends of Bangor and North Down Camera Club, Northern Ireland July 11, 2009.
Featured in The Compact Group May 30, 2009.
Featured in Unique Buildings Of The World May 22, 2009.
Featured in Italy and All Things Italian May 21, 2009.
Featured in Which Way? May 21, 2009.

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This image is also available at Lois Bryan at fine art america in an exciting variety of framing and matting options.

One of my favorite images from Venice … which reminds me of our gondola ride the evening before. Just the thought of it will always bring a smile.

We left from the center of town with a group of about 20 other couples from the ship. As we pulled away, each couple with their own individual gondola, we overheard that another of the couples, lovely young newlyweds, had been given an accordion player and a singer for the evening as a wedding present. I remember trying not to roll my eyes. As we were rowed through the “streets” … above … each of the gondoliers passed out bottles of Asti Spumanti and paper cups to their patrons. Soon the singer and the accordion player began to serenade the newlyweds, and the rest of us as well. And as the delicious fruit of the vines began to do its happy work, Venice opened her arms to us all. By the time we made it to the Grand Canal, we were all singing along at the tops of our voices. The gondoliers performed some magic with their magnificent, gleaming black boats, forming a fan shape and then a starburst with them all … one never touching the other. It must have been an extraordinary sight from the upper floors of the beautiful old dwellings lining the canal. I know it took our breath away!!

A little Mario Lanza, anyone?? Enjoy and dream!!
O Sole Mio … oh, sing along … you know you want to!!!

Image taken with my little Olympus C-5000Z point and shoot. Post processing included hdr from a hand-held single image in Photomatix Pro, at +/- 2 1/2, Orton in Photoshop, and some touch up of the flowers in Corel Paint 11 with the Wacom Intuos 4 tablet.