My Monthly Archives: April 2018

Tiles of Santa Chiara

One of the great sights in Naples is the cloister of the nuns of Santa Chiara. There are thousands of colourful tiles decorating the benches and pillars, with plants and flowers and scenes of daily life from the 18th century, Neapolitan scenes such as fishing, life by the sea, peasants in the countryside enjoying music and dancing, hunting scenes, and so on. Even one panel that shows Vesuvius erupting.

Duomo San Gennaro

The patron saint of Naples is San Genarro (St. Janarius), whose relics are kept in the Duomo, the cathedral of Naples. He has a large chapel dedicated to him, where the miraculous vial of his blood is kept. It liquefies at designated time of year. This magnificent chapel has this dome hovering overhead, the trompe l’oeil painting making it look even higher than it really is.

Neapolitan Books

Around the Porta Alba and the Piazza Dante in Naples one finds many bookstores for the students who study in that area. I took this picture of some volumes in the store window. As time goes on, books seem ever more quaint objects of the past. Old books seem like antiques.

Napoli Bella

A woman heads out to the market early through the Porta Alba, Naples, in front of a still shuttered bookstore. If you’re a store owner in this area  and you don’t want graffiti all over your storefront, it’s best to hire an artist to decorate your doors, then the other artists will respect the paintings. Note, however, around the doors is still fair game.

Looking Back: Sorrento

A view of Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula, with its dramatic cliffs and backdrop of the mountains that lead to the Amalfi Coast, Italy.

Looking Back. Burma/Myanmar

I took this picture of a young monk in a monastery in Thanlyin, Myanmar. His warm smile made it all happen.

Looking Back: Burma/Myanmar

I took this picture in Thanlyin, Myanmar, of a bicycle parking stand. I remember the days when many people in India also got around by bicycle and cycle rickshaw. Cities like Delhi and Agra were quite clean as a result. Now automobiles have made the air unhealthy to breathe. In the small towns in Myanmar, cars are more and more common every year. Soon they, too, will be choking in the exhaust and the roads will be too dangerous for the bicycle, one of history’s greatest inventions.

Looking Back: Burma/Myanmar

A display of Bohdi tree leaves. This is the type of tree that the Buddha was said to have meditated under when he gained enlightenment. Its connection to the event is found in its Latin name, ‘ficus religiosa‘, a type of fig. Open air market Thanlyin, Myanmar.