Japanese Garden Shadows

The bright sun yielded high contrast, making photography somewhat difficult at times. But it also yielded some interesting shadows on the smooth moss and raked stones.

Portland's Japanese Garden in Spring

We'll take a break from Italy for a few days and return home to Portland, Oregon. It's been several months since I've been to the Japanese Garden, because we've been traveling a lot, it's been rainy and cold this winter, and the Garden has been closed occasionally for remodeling of the entry pavilions. But last weekend (Friday, April 21 to be precise), was a warm, sunny day, great for a short hike.

Details of the Duomo

Milan's Cathedral is massive and impressively decorated: meant to show that Northern Italy could compete with Rome and Florence.

This is a figure of St. Bartholomeo, flayed by the Romans and draped in his own skin. 

It is a rare example of an otherwise forbidden anatomical study.

Shop Windows and Shadows

Milan shop window decorators seem to try to outdo each other in grotesquerie.

On the street, stores being remodeled contribute their own dramatic shadows.

Milan Fashion

This day was an opportunity to explore some of the fashionable stores in Milan, including shop windows, the Rinascente department store, and a store specializing in soccer gear.

A Day in Milan

We took a day-trip, via train, from Venice to Milan (a top destination for Italian fashion). Right next to the Milan Central train station is the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle II, renowned for fancy architecture, shops, and cafes: an attraction for tourists and locals alike.

And next to the Galleria is the Duomo, Milan's cathedral. 

These are few panels of the main door. More on the Duomo in a few days.

St. Mark's Square Arcade

The north side of the Piazza San Marco is bordered by a long arcade, featuring sidewalk cafes and stylish shops.

Louis Vuitton shop windows often have some clever touch.

Our grandson is interested in legendary watches, so we looked at a display 

advertising that Omega watches went to the moon.

Sidewalk Scenes in Venice

One would normally say "street scenes", but Venice has no streets - just sidewalks along the canals.

Getting a snack in a butcher shop

Carvings Along the Canals

Not all the statuary in Venice is grandiose. As you traverse the canals, small and medium-size carvings catch your eye.

Self Portrait with Mannequins

We enjoyed looking at the display windows in the fashionable stores. This view caught me among the models, looking rather out of place.

Carnival Masks

This year's Carnevale had passed, but the masks are on display and for sale year-round. A very striking art form.

Venetian Twins

These two just seemed to go together.

Venice Doge's Palace: The Prison and the Bridge of Sighs

Not all is ornate beauty in the Doge's Palace. There are rooms where accusations are made, trials held, and prisoners condemned.

Written accusations were put in the mouth of this fearsome face.

The convicted were led to prison across the Bridge of Sighs. 

The stone and iron latticework gave a last glimpse of the outside world.

Iron bars of a cell in the prison.

Doge's Palace Interiors

The interior, now become a museum, is even more elaborate and finely decorated than the exterior.

There were throngs of Chinese tourists throughout our Italian trip. Here they're listening to a tour guide in one of the great rooms of the Palace.

Doge's Palace Exterior

The Doge's Palace on Piazza San Marco in Venice is impressive and ornately carved inside and out, as befits the building that housed the rulers of most of Europe and the Near East for centuries. Here are some exterior views.