I like the Italian-godfather-silence-before-storm kind of feel over this one.

I first mentioned Arena di Verona in this post. Arena di Verona is an open air, colosseum-like amphitheatre, where they perform opera. I watched a sublime performance of Verdi’s Aida. Here is my most recently processed photograph.

Another shot from the Italy trip three weeks ago.

As I think I already mentioned, I took close to 600 photographs during the Italy trip, so there is more to come. Here is a view from the big bridge connecting San Marco and Academia in Venice.

The first picture I had through PS from my Italy trip.

The building in the picture is not actually in Venice, but on the neighbouring island Lido, which we passed on our trip with the vaporetto (some kind of water bus) from the airport to San Marco.

Finally, I have had the time to look at my Los Angeles (FEB 2005) photographs. Clicking on the link below, will take you to a dozen photos from the below mentioned visit to LA. We were placed among the finalists in the competition ahead of Berkeley, Wharton, and Thammasat.

Photos from LA / click here

Just another picture from our trip.

The picture is taken from a small bathing/boat bridge. We are on are way to Lake Placid from Tupper Lake (this lake is in between).

Without further comments. I’ll tell you more about our trip to the Adirondack Mountains (and with more pictures) later. We missed the peak of the leaves though, but…. ….and maybe the car on the left is an annoying element, and I have another picture without it, but since it was the car we drove, I felt like including it.

Well, obviously, not entirely without comments :-)

The last day before school (read the entry if you do not remember) was not a success in terms of watching baseball (but in terms of many other things). However, on September 23, once again, we went to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

And boy was it fun. The fun part was of course experiencing a different sport and a different culture, because I do not think that I could get used to watching baseball as a spectator sport. But I got to taste a very very salty pretzel, a very very sour Minute Maid ice cream, but it was fun.

In the middle of the game, the entire stadium stood up and sang “God Bless America”. What a great atmosphere in the stadium, and what a great day.

As usual, I attached a few pictures. If you have any doubt (I don’t think you have), I took them myself.

I was trying to find a more attractive title to this entry – but I don’t think I would able to capture all the emotions, the atmosphere, the despair (and at the same time) resolve, which characterize this day, and, subsequent to 9/11 01, Americans.

September 11 started with 4 minutes of silence at Ground Zero, the place where the Twin Towers collapsed – at the time of the two impacts and at the time of the two collapses. Family to the victims and many other people gathered during the day, and the names of the thousands of victims were read out loud. The relatives of the victims were allowed to enter Ground Zero (which is fenced off for the public), and lay flowers in the footprints of the Towers.As the evening came closer, A Tribute In Light started (as the other years), which is two projected light beams (consisting of several smaller beams) vertical into the sky, symbolizing the Twin Towers.

All over Manhattan, flags were half pulled, and there were different kinds of memoralia in stores such as pictures, cards etc – everyone telling their own story. All New Yorkers, it seems, has a story to tell about 9/11.

It is hard to believe that two of the world’s largest buildings stood just where I was taking these pictures. New York is moving on as smoothly as haven’t they been there at all, but they will never forget. Rising from the tragedy, next year the construction of the two Freedom Towers will begin at the WTC site. They will be 1776 feet tall, symbolizing the year the United States gained their independence.