Venice Diary: Of masks, markets and melt in your mouth food

December 6, 2009 by Lavanya

It is inevitable that one speaks of masks when one talks of Venice. Even though masks seem to be hardly a part of  the current ‘Venice experience’. Yet, they hang at every corner shop or stall, a hangover from a past where they had an undeniable role. The masks in the corner are from a shop near the San Marco square called Max Art Shop. Here, masks are handcrafted by local artisans from either ceramic or papier mache.  So ofcourse I had to […]

Categories: Food/Drink, Picture Memories, Travel • Tags: Food, Italy, masks, restaurant, Venice Diary

Venice Diary: In which I walked and was whimsical

December 5, 2009 by Lavanya

What can I say about Venice that hasn’t been said before? It is beautiful and romantic and makes you think wonderful things. It weaves gossamer threads around you that bind you to it, forever. It moves through you, making you aware of your most intimate thoughts. It breathes with the slow lapping of its bobbing boats. Its watery breath holds its night and day together, creating an easy interlocking of its sights, sounds and the feelings they evoke. It lives […]

Categories: Picture Memories, Travel, writing • Tags: Italy, Venice Diary

Bite sized Italy

December 4, 2009 by Lavanya

I’m back from a short but wonderful trip to Venice, Florence and Rome. I have a lot of ‘Italy’ swishing and swirling in my head. My posts in the course of the next couple of weeks are probably going to be full of all the beauty, art, food  and people that I encountered in Italy. You are welcome to stroll by and peek..:) Picture : a lane in Venice near the Cannaregio neighborhood

Categories: Picture Memories, Travel • Tags: Italy, Travel, Venice

Saturday Stroll: Farmer’s Market

October 10, 2009 by Lavanya

One of the rare red leaves, near where I live My local Farmer’s Market Grapes! The different ways of apples One of the sweetest farmers. I chanced upon his stall recently. A new Italian Ice and gelato stall. And Pink! What should we get? We got a Lemon Ice , an Autumn Vanilla gelato and loads of travel tips to Italy Some of my loot: lemon basil, squash blossoms, spring onions,acorn squash, Mejdool dates, kale, some baby patty pan squash […]

Categories: Food/Drink, Picture Memories • Tags: Farmer's Market

Imperfect Memories

October 3, 2009 by Lavanya

We were walking near Charminar, in Hyderabad (India). I remember bright cloth bags hanging at the entrance of the stall-like shops. And gullys containing the sounds of bangles and bangle sellers. People with baskets on the footpath, selling coins, statues and other things. I wanted to buy some coins. My father-in-law wanted to buy me bangles. In the end, we bought neither. Looking up at the sky and moving down, you see this. Moving down further, away from the sky, […]

Categories: Picture Memories, Travel, writing • Tags: charminar, hyderabad, India, sights, sounds, Travel