The strength of weak links

I believe in "The Strenght of Weak Links" (borrowed from Give & Take- Adam Grant) In every aspect of the quote above, we should strive to adopt this in the new year, 2021 Ponder over this & perhaps it will dawn..

Woke up on Sunday to a world that was so beautiful...

Inspirational books: Educated - Tara Westover

Would you accept without batting an eye, or maybe even after a thought that some one with no formal primary education, could make it into Cambridge and then Harvard and finish of with a PhD. That is the story of Tara W who grows up as a Mormon kid in a dysfunctional family, breaks with the family tradition and finds a life in the real world away from the isolated community that she grew up in. A community that home schooled their children, never visited a doctor, no matter what your ailment was, was deeply religious and had a life centered around a family junkyard!! An inspirational story which reminded me of another book (the Hilly Billy Elegy) about the red necks of the coal belt of America. Both exceptional books which could shake you up and think, why YOU with all that you have cannot seem to make it in the world.

a walk in the fall

I thought I would get back to the blog after a considerable break -- This is Cosby & I on our evening walk

& on to Venice

.. with the camera precariously balanced on the opposite side of the bridge we took a quick picture as we landed on the main island of old Venice.

.. the two large boats are the "vaporati" or water buses-- the main public transit system in Venice. Typically you would expect that these boats would have a max capacity after which the boat could go under --- BUT -- apparently there is no such limit-- the boats keep afloat no matter what and life moves on

...One of the 4500 bridges in Venice that spans the network of canals that criss-cross Venice

.. as one would park his car on the drive , residents of Venice tether their boats in front of their homes

.. the island of Murano in sight ( I wonder if they named the Nissan SUV after this island?)

. what can I say-- its a great place to stroll down their many walkways and shop for trivia that look great but .. ( I will shut up before i get killed)

.. there was not much for Antrix & Aayush to do at Murano & they were eager to get back to the main island -- time was ticking away .. > next Milano> Tirano> & on to Switzerland

The Amalfi Coast

By far the most scenic and beautiful spot I have visited so far-- The Amalfi Coast

This is a scene I stared at for quite some time and then again at dawn as the sun came up.. words cannot do justice

its an hours boat ride from Sorrento di Piano to Amalfi (pronounced Amaa-lffi) on the Tyrrhenian sea coast- some excellent pics are now on my hard drive-- come over to see more..

this is the central plaza in Amalfi -- a very cheery and beer-ie place-- lots of patio's to eat on

-- the entrance to the central market area in Amalfi-- the sea on the south and the plaza to the North

some where between the hotel and the central plaza.. a nice walk..

.. the Italians really know how to make their pizza's-- we ate a lot of them and for once just ignored the voice of caution-- we were on a vacation.. ..next > Venice OR is this enough?

The Vatican & Pompei

To build up a sense of wonder and anticipation for a visit to the Vatican you must see the movie The Da Vinci Code & the Lost Symbol. It adds to the excitement and thrill of walking the hallowed city..

.. from the top of the dome of St Peter's basilica ..you can see St Peter's sq and the city of Rome beyond. In the middle ground is the River Tiber ( remember Horatio holding the bridge -- I think it was on the Tiber-- am I right?)

Soldiers of the Swiss National Guard who serve as the Papal guards. Many years back I would have loved to get a hold of their Kangols (berets)-- in fact it still interests me . These are Hans & Adam who seem to be guarding Anita ( temporarily). I asked them if I could meet with the Pope - they answered very curtly- No!!

. a view of the balcony where the Pope appears - we wondered if he ever just walked on to the balcony to take a whiff of fresh air -- apparently he does not indulge in such mortal pleasures

the Vatican museum and the Sistine Chapel-- unfortunately we planned so well that we arrived in the Vatican the day it was not open.. anyways there was enough to see and appreciate -- i was glad -- maybe it would have been too much for one day..the basilica inside was extremely beautiful-- the cheap camera we had did no justice

a two hour train ride from Rome to Napoli + metro down to Pompeii you must see the movie "the last days of Pompeii" before you visit the Vesuvius / Pompeii combo.

.. the audio devices + the movie ( the last days of Pompeii) were very useful else no one can make sense of the ruins

Anita standing at the entrance of what was supposed to be the local politicians home

& me pointing to a stone - who knows what significance it could have had :) ( before Vesuvius devastated the villages of Pompeii & Herculean)

another pic to give you a sense of what pompeii looked like -- a very well planned city constructed with neat right angled streets and sturdy construction-- obviously no match for molten lava .. next - The very scenic & sun-filled Amalfi coast on the Tyrrhenian sea.