Sadness for Syria . . .

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It is hard for me to imagine that just a few short years ago we traveled to Lebanon, and then from there set out to discover some of Syria, visiting the Krak des Chevaliers, Hama, Homs, Aleppo, Palmyra, and Damascus, before returning to Beirut. We had an unforgettable time in Syria. The hospitality was honest, the people we met in shops, restaurants, hotels, and museums seemed sincerely pleased to see tourists like ourselves, as there rather obviously were not a lot. We had entire museums to ourselves, which was a treat.
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So it is with considerable horror these days that I read the stories of current events in Syria. One of the highlights of our trip was the time spent in Aleppo, which is now the site of a major battle between government and rebel forces. When we were there the only aggressive behavior observed was on the part of certain taxi drivers vying for position. Today these streets are raked with machine gun fire, rocket propelled grenades, artillery and tank shells raining down. The horror, the horror.
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Why is it that humans still cannot settle their differences after all these thousands of years of civilization without resorting to bestial brutality ?
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Taxis abounded in Aleppo; and on the heights farther up the street here stands the ancient Citadel, where some parts of the ruins date back to the third millennium BC.
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The Citadel walls...
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Main entrance to the Citadel... (our daughters have grown a bit since then !)
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Even five years ago I was photographing lions...
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Ruins within the Citadel walls...
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If anyone out there has the skills to translate the Arabic text here, I'd love to know what it says.
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Am wondering how many of the buildings visible from the Citadel heights are already in ruins today ?
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Another regal lion...
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A magic lantern ? Make a wish for the end of madness...
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The souk in Aleppo was well worth a visit, it goes on and on, with an amazing array of goods for sale.
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Syrian soap is famous the world over...
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Would love to know what the note on the windshield said...
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This was the view from our hotel window in the morning, before we left Aleppo and took the road across the desert to Palmyra. Satellite dishes everywhere! Guess they were hungry for news from outside the borders. May they one day soon live in peace again.
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PS Am adding this post so soon after the last one (for a change) as am going to be on vacation for the next three weeks, and will probably be blogging even less than usual, and wanted to publish these photos from Aleppo before I left. Best wishes to all...
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Rivers of Reflections . . .

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When I saw on Friday that James had gone back to Florence for his Weekend Reflections, for a stroll along the Arno, I had but little choice to send another echo flying back. James, I'm sure you will know exactly where each of these was taken from. But no two photos are ever exactly alike, so hoping you, and everyone else out there may enjoy another take on reflections on the Arno in that timeless city of Florence, where one can be tempted to stroll along the river until late into the evening when the sky goes to midnight blue.
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Floored By Florence . . .

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It seems like ages since I posted a reflection photo to participate in James' Weekend Reflections, so it's about time I did. And given that James was back in Florence, Italy with his reflection this weekend, it seemed only fitting that I provide a Florentine echo, given that we were strolling around that lovely city just a few short weeks ago. While visiting the timeless Uffizi Gallery we stepped out on the rooftop terrace where the imposing Palazzo Vecchio was reflected in the chrome dome of a trash can. Well, you know I have a bit of a trashy side to me, so there you go. Actually the first one is a double reflection, as the terrace window was also reflected, with its own reflection within; and I'm stuck in the middle of it, hiding behind the black hole of the camera lens, with la Grenouille looking on, perched on her surprisingly long legs... With a surface like this to shoot in one hardly needs a fisheye lens.
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Now these next two hardly qualify as reflections photos, except for the window lights reflected on the edge of the platters, but I just tossed them in here for a little eye candy, spotted in a Florence shop one evening. Very tempting indeed these candied fruits and marzipan.
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This next one, and a couple of details from it, may be one the stranger reflections I've ever come across. The glass door was oddly lit from within, and had some sort of bizarre green tinting in the glass, giving the street scene reflected in it a sort of dream like quality.
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Lionizing Lions . . .

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While we wandered in Italy in June, from Asti to Florence, Siena to Perugia, Assisi to Genoa, and points in between, everywhere we went I was ever more conscious of the crowds, the hardy hordes, the proud prides of lions stalking us, trailing us, stealthily prowling after us, growling even in my dreams at night. They were royal, commanding, dignified even in the advanced state of decay that some had succumbed to over the centuries since their various sculptors patiently carved them from blocks of stone or marble. Some seemed to smile benevolently while others scowled and frowned with haughty scorn at a mere human who would dare to approach to photograph them. They adorned all manner of public buildings, churches, monasteries, and fountains, even the interior of cathedrals. One would think that Italy was once teeming with these regal beasts, though the only live ones there today are in zoos or a travelling circus or two. I would venture to bet that there are far more stone lions than live ones there today. Even in Africa their population is dwindling. One day we may have only these stone beasts to remind us of what once was. While you consider these photographs and the future fate of these tawny beasts, there is a piece of music which could accompany this visual memorial to the Panthera Leo, to quote the Latin name. And believe it or not, this is not by any means all the lions we saw on our travels.
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