The Roman Coliseum

It was seriously exciting approaching the Coliseum, as it was the pinnacle of my short stay in Rome.

The Coliseum was also hugely impressive up close, of course:

The Roman Ruins

My trip to Italy in late April/early May was so good that I'm still constantly thinking about it.  In a nutshell, it was incredible, I loved it.

During our last afternoon in Rome, we went walk about, crossing a bridge over the River Tiber, towards the old Roman ruins and, finally, the Coliseum.  Of course, wherever you looked, there were signs of Classical antiquity in the city centre:

But what was the highlight of my afternoon canter round Rome?  Well that would have to be passing the ancient church ruin below:

As we just casually sauntered by, I suddenly remembered seeing pictures of this incredible iconography years ago.  Thus, I was really happy to get a close-up shot of this wonderful religious art.

After the Christian church ruin, we headed towards the Coliseum, passing all sorts of interesting (pagan) statues, old churches, and other ruins:

Finally, we reached our destination, as the Coliseum first came into view, then got gradually bigger as we more quickly strode towards it:

What an incredible experience all of this was!  I'd finally seen Rome, the Eternal City!

Manchester Victoria Train Station

After flying from Warsaw to Liverpool, I usually catch a coach from the latter to Manchester, then make my way towards Manchester Victoria (train station) where I catch a tram back to my hometown of Bury. 

Especially love the Victorian architecture scattered around Manchester city centre.  In the shot below, you can just make out Manchester Cathedral in the background of such an interesting Victorian building:

Just before Victoria train station, I pass some other curious places, such as Chetham's School which seems to be secluded away from the hustle and bustle of it all:

Around here, I also catch sight of an interesting, recently built glass building:

Yes, some modern architecture can be surprisingly tasteful, and this glass building never fails to catch my eye:

Besides this, for me, Victoria train station is always one of the most wondrous sights in Manchester:

Especially love this place as it does after all, lead me back to Bury:

It's always great to be homeward bound, but for not too long.

An Awesome Conservatory Ceiling

The other Sunday evening, I went for a stroll through the local (small) park at Plac Wilsona-Ulica Mickiewicza in the Zoliborz district of Warsaw:

It'd been a few years since I'd last walked through it, and it soon became clear that a few things had changed, one example being the old 2nd World War hospital which had been done up into a kind of cafe conservatory:

The conservatory glass ceiling structure was so impressive that I had to get a closer shot of it:

Yes, it was just awesome to run into such a thing unexpectedly at sundown on Sunday evening.

Warsaw: The Top of King Zygmunt's Column

Was passing through Warsaw Old Town early Saturday evening, and, finally got a shot of the top of King Zygmunt's column at the Royal Palace Square:

Besides this, I also managed to get a picture of the Polish National Football Stadium in the distance over the river:

Yes, it looks a mighty fine specimen in the distance, but I haven't had a close up look at it yet.

Gov't Mule at Warsaw Klub Progresja 1-07-13

What an honour it was to see Gov't Mule at Warsaw Klub Progresja on Monday night.  I've always liked Southern Rock/Boogie (Lynyrd Skynyrd; Blackfoot; Molly Hatchet; 38 Special; Georgia Satellites etc.), so Allman Brothers' spin off, Gov't Mule, were a real treat.

Great to see that someone recorded the opening track of the night, 'Down on the Brazos', and put it on Youtube:

My favourite track of the evening?  Well, that'd have to be 'Beautifully Broken', done immediately after the short mid-set break, but I loved everything, to be honest.  Unfortunately, I had to leave at 10.45 to catch my last bus home, and the band had almost been playing for two-and-a-half hours then.

My fondest memory of the evening?  Well, that would have to be Warren Haynes' wide range of extended guitar solos and improvisation.  Was also mightily impressed with the way the bassist, Jorgen Carlsson, followed Haynes' improvisation around (I had a go at playing bass years ago, so I have some idea about doing this).

Yes, this was a concert to savour.  I'd been running around working all day, and it was a real treat to simply stand back with a couple of pints, and enjoy live music of the highest order.

The Incredible TV Building in Warsaw

Well, after years of passing the Polish TV building (near the Wierzbno metro station) in Warsaw, I finally got off the tram to have a look at it in greater detail:

The reason why I'd never photographed this great building before is that I'd always forgotten my small camera with the zoom, but, at last, I remembered it, and wasn't disappointed.

Not sure what the figure below is supposed to symbolise, but I guess that it adds something to the general mystique of the building:

Yes, for me, this building is something like a magnificent, big, shiny (but dark) glass castle:

While at other times, the building reminds me of a ship, as in the picture above, or a kind of helter skelter ride as in the picture below:

Finally, I've heard some people say that such a public building shouldn't be so lavish, probably at the taxpayers' expense, but, for me, sometimes you've just got to hold your hand up and acknowledge 'Art for Art's Sake'