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Sunday, May 3, 2009

A mystery gentleman appears

Have we found our photographer? Can it be this dapper gentleman wearing a boater hat? He looks to be the same age as "Mother", so he could be "Father", or perhaps Mother met up with a gentleman friend along the way.

The statue in the pool behind them is also a mystery as is the building. It is nowhere to be found in Rome or in Venice, our next stop on the tour. If any of you lucky world travelers recognize it, please enlighten me!

 


I wonder if the gondoliers sang romantic songs to their passengers in those days. If they did, I think it would probably be a popular aria from their favorite opera.

 


We make our way to St. Mark's Square and several points of interest.
The Doge's Palace is Venice's most famous and recognizable building. Although I didn't recognize it and had to look it up. On the website, it appears the canal has disappeared, or are we looking at the palace from the other side? In the other photo is St. Mark's Campanile, the famous bell tower of San Marco.

 
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On the other side of the piazza is the Gothic masterpiece, the Basilica of San Marco.

 


It appears to have been a windy day and the pigeons outnumbered the tourists, which leads to the next photo of the ladies feeding said pigeons. Apparently, the government of Venice has now outlawed that tradition.

And it seems they got their pictures a little out of sync. On their gondola ride they snapped a photo of the Rialto Bridge

 
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The Bridge of Sighs

The name is an invention of Romantic literature; legend says that from this bridge one could hear the sighs of the condemned as they were being led to prison.


One can almost hear the sighs of the mystery ladies as they come to the end of their days in Venice.


 


The ladies leave you with a mystery picture, the large estate on the left and the very nice closeup of Mother and Grandmother seaside. Between the two chairs on the building in the distance is a sign hanging askew. The three visible letters are LGA. I would love to know what the rest of that sign says.

 
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Tomorrow we head north again, way north.

23 comments:

Char said...

loving this

California Girl said...

nice way to end the Italian tour. I loved Venice. I appreciate your architectural info.

Ruth said...

These pictures are just wonderful! The ones I like the most are of the ladies, and now the gentleman. It shows me that photos with people really are the most interesting - I need to remember that, especially when documenting a trip. The one of the ladies by the sea - imagine if it was warm. Their bibs are something else, aren't they?

This has been so very interesting, Susie, I've loved it. Now when I go to antique stores or flea markets I'm going to keep my eye open for photo albums. This one is a treasure.

California Girl said...

Hi There! you are now tagged. am paying this forward from Red Red Whine.

Cindy said...

So much fun! You've got me thinking of Italy! I was so excited to see another post here this morning! Last night, since I couldn't locate "Three Coins in the Fountain," I watched "Roman Holiday," and with new eyes for all the sites and details. I recognized the Trevi Fountain in the scene where Gregory Peck tries to get a camera from around the neck of a school girl to photograph the princess getting her hair cut.

Looking forward to the ladies' next adventures as they travel north. Will the gentleman travel with them now?

Sandy Nawrot said...

These pictures are fabulous! I agree with Ruth. I'm going to start looking for things like this in antique stories. I am completely entranced.

Delphine said...

I am enjoying your wonderful old pictures-- I think the mystery building at the top of your post is in Florence, but cannot tell you the name of it! What snazzy basket chairs on the beach - helping the ladies to look after their complexions....

alaine@éclectique said...

I was just going to say that the top picture might be in Florence and I see that Delphine's is thinking the same.

I took a LOT of pics there, will take some time to wade through them. Problem is, now have no idea what the buildings are and can only go by date as to where I was at the time!

alaine@éclectique said...

Back again. I found the first pic - it's the Duomo Florence. I have a pic on my sidebar taken at a different angle. LBx

Susan said...

Char, I'm so glad!

Susan said...

Thank you, Cali Girl, I have learned so much about Italy since I began these posts. I really had no idea what any of these places were, except for the Trevi.

Susan said...

Ruthie, you are so right! I have studied the ones with the characters in them over and over trying to see a clue in there somewhere. Whatever their story was, they've taken it to their graves.

I think the one of them in the chairs is my favorite. The "grandmother" looks just as solemn as she did in the first one, but the "mother" seems to really be enjoying herself and loosening up. She isn't wearing a head covering! Those bibs are crazy smart!

Susan said...

Oh, so we're playing Tag, you're it! Thanks Cali Girl!

Susan said...

Cindy, I'm so happy you're enjoying the "Travels with Susan Mystery Tour"!

I haven't watched Roman Holiday in a long time, but I will as soon as I'm finished with all this. I will definitely watch it with new eyes.

I may have to backtrack a little on the travels north, because one of the comments has given me an idea about a few other mystery photos.

Susan said...

Sandy, it has really sparked my interest anew. It had been a long while since I looked at the album and I just happened upon it last week when I was looking for something else. It makes me want to go to Italy and retrace their steps. Hmmmm, there's an idea worth thinking about.

Susan said...

Delphine, those chairs are something else, aren't they? I'd like to have a couple of them for my backyard. Unfortunately, my complexion is beyond help after my teenage suntanning years. I'm now paying the price.

Thanks for the tip on Florence!

Susan said...

Coccinella, thank you for identifying that building! It gives me new scope for my search on other pictures, too! I don't know why I didn't think of it before!

CottageGirl said...

So intriguing, Susan!
Just who is that man and what is his relationship to the ladies?
What a grand holiday they had!

The pictures are priceless! I'm delighted that you are posting them!

Susan said...

CG, I would love to know the answers to those questions myself! It's so frustrating knowing that this mystery has no satisfying conclusion.

VioletSky said...

I think there might have been a hint of an almost smile on the one in white while feeding the pigeons!

And I love the matching "beach wear" complete with lace-up boots!
Hmmmm, you could look up the weather charts for Italy if they kept records that far back (they probably did, it's just us who started record-keeping so late in the century).

Susan said...

Sanna, I think you're right! Under the face netting, I think she twitched her lips!

Yes, that "beach wear" is so fab! I'm guessing by some of the other pics, that it was spring or summer. They probably wouldn't have sailed in the winter, in the pigeon-feeding pic "Smiley" is wearing white, and mystery man is wearing a straw boater. Ooh, maybe I can get a job on CSI!

That is a good idea to check the weather charts though.

Dutchbaby said...

Venice and Assissi are my two favorite cities in Italy. Sheer magic!

The canal in front of the Doge Palace is still there; in fact, it is the Grand Canal. I have a photo from 2005 here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/godutchbaby/3332317766/sizes/l/in/set-72157614758119974/

The other photos in the set show that Venice has not changed much since these ladies paid their visit to this wondrous city:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/godutchbaby/sets/72157614758119974/

Your post makes my yearning to return unbearable.

Susan said...

dutchbaby, your photos are so gorgeous! Is any city more beautiful? I long to go there!

Thank you.