Erwitt what’s famous for his photo of Marilyn Monroe standing over the draft from the air vent below, probably the subway, which blew up her dress. The photo below is not the exact photo that’s famous but it shows a little bit more action than the more famous one. It was interesting to see his exhibition in the Palermo Royal Palace.
There is another more famous photo of Nixon talking with Khrushchev over some kitchen related equipment and dubbed the “kitchen debate”. This photo I don’t specifically remember. of course you recognize HitchcockThe last movie for Clark Gable and I think also for Marilyn MonroeThis photo I remember will Who is driving? Is it the lion?Andy WarholTypically French in the 1950sThe lady is not impressed Twins? The leap of faith? The most modern of art? Where is the beef? Where is the painting? Where’s the …. anything?
What amazed me about the city is when you’re walking around Palermo you see a lot of things that you probably don’t expect to see. Sicily has been left behind economically in comparison to other places in Italy and the tourism has not been that robust. But I see a big change in that and a great improvement and many new building projects and renovations going on. You will see some poorer parts of the city right next to a newly renovated and beautiful church or a very nicely decorated Trattoria or bar. This is a great city to walk around and to just go around the backstreet to see what you can find. You need at least three days in the center to start to see some of the interesting attractions. Here are some of them.
In Palermo you have many fascinating things to see which I never would have imagined. The last time I visited the city i was trying to enter with a rental smart car. As I got towards the entrance to the city and found a small coffee shop I stopped and walked a little bit and saw cars parked every which way on the street and the sidewalk. Not one car was free of scratches or dents. I decided I didn’t want to have a problem smashing up my rental car so I decided after the coffee not to spend time in Palermo. One very interesting tour I decided to take was the Palazzo conte Federico, the Royal palace of Count Frederick. I highly recommend this tour to you since you might get the chance to meet the prince, which is just one of his titles. You can even book to stay at the palace since it has 25 rooms including many bedrooms.
Plaque on the wall The entrance is very unassuming and looks slightly rundownThe 1930s race car often driven by Conte Federico. You can see the many sponsors of his racesYou see his name on the side of the car You can see this hubcap is clearly marked for the right sideAnd this one is marked for the left side The Federico family crest The princes mother is an equestrian and a performing professional singer this is the future count. His father is still alive and at 87 he is hoping to do some more racing. The future count has many titles depending upon the areas of land they used to own. But in the 1950s with land reform under the republic the king was exiled and the royalty had their land distributed. So the titles reflect no more land ownership except for the Palazzo. He gave us his tour.The family still lives in the palace. Here you can see some of the original but redecorated wooden ceiling. Much of the building was destroyed during the bombing of World War II.The original kitchen with the pizza oven, of course, during World War II a lot of the contents disappeared and we were told a significant amount was hidden in different places and when they went back they found nothing.This is from the original Norman Tower. The family is with origins dating back to Barbarossa and the Viking king Roger from the 900s. This tower was built in the 1100s and is one of the corners of the palace. You have to walk about 1 mile to get to the ocean now but when this tower was built the ocean came up right next to the tower and it was used for defensive purposes. here is some later decoration on the outside of the tower which is now inside the house created by Arabs and Spaniards who occupied the city at one time.
this is in Turkey not too far from Ankara. I recommend visiting here to see the history of the Hittites that would be good to hire one of the local tourist guides waiting at the place where you pay for entrance.
This town in the Champagne area is a really cute town to visit and they have a nice champagne winery to visit. Enjoy the photos with Bill Smale Adventures.
After 10 days in Paris staying with a friendit was time to move on. I had this idea to see a number of castles and this town, Blois, France, seem to have a number of castles in the area so off I went. But when I got downtown the bus schedule seemed to be sparse for the castles. By 11:30 the buses had already left and there wouldn’t be any others until the afternoon at about four or five so I decided to spend the day walking around town. What I found was very interesting. There is a castle here built and occupied by many of the kings of France for the past 800 years and there are different kinds of architecture depending upon when the structures were built to serve the king of the time. And of course there are some interesting churches and a beautiful town with a Tudor like architecture of plaster between wooden beams and supports. So I highly recommend visiting this small and very interesting town.
Here is the explanation of the fleur-de-lis usage by the French royaltyThis is the whitest station I have seen in a long timeThis is a memorial to the 1901 to 1906 conflict possibly concerning the movement to separate church from the operations of government. In 1905 France became a secular country.I think this is the statue of the goddess Diana of wild animals and the Hunt.St. Vincent de Paul Church. I liked the Romanesque statue presentations in various parts of the church. This was a very interesting way to present figuresYou can see the preferred light blue color of the ceiling which was often used by royalty This altar was also very interesting with the various statues and the framing of the portrait in the middleThe church from the outside When you look at the hotel name “Hotel de France” it is reassuring to note that there is a hotel in France Château Royale de Blois
Blois royal château, built on a promontory high above the River Loire, forms the heart of the urban community. Around it is a bustling old town shaped by its history as a 16th-century royal town. There are several ways of getting to know Blois, a town of artistic and historic interest. You can follow itineraries indicated by brass studs on the ground, take a guided tour, or simply stroll along the streets or up and down the steps. Its diverse heritage spanning a period from the 12t to 20mh centuries, its links with. the Loire that is listed as a World Heritage site, its wide range of museums to suit all tastes, and its gardens with their breathtaking views constantly give visitors and locals alike a chance to see the town from a different angle.
The castle entrance The beautiful castle entrance decorations with a king on a horse this structure was built by François I In Blois, France and occupied by Catherine Medici. Catherine left Italy, Florence, to become a queen of France and I believe one of the Strozzi family also went to France with her. My interest in this is that my great grandmother was a Strotz from Luxembourg and my great aunt claimed they were descendants of the Strozzi family of Italy, closely tied to the Medici family. No one has proven either way the veracity of this claim by my great aunt so I am spending time here and there trying to uncover the truth.This is a really beautiful staircase The farthest structure was built by Gaston of Orleans as he laid claim to the title of King after the death of the current king. However, his nephew was born and it was decided he would become the future King, Louis the 14th, the one who built Versailles.You can see the porcupine emblem above the door which it seems indicates the ability to shoot quills and conquer any adversary. in the chapel you see this beautiful ceiling with the light blue of the French royaltyThis medieval structure as a defense battery remainsHey beautiful view of the town The square corner building is left from the medieval times. The structure was built by Louis XIIThe staircase was built recently but the inside decorations were finished before the building was suspended due to the inability of Gaston to become king and inherited enough money to finish the project
The beautiful fireplace on the ground floor of the François structure Some remaining artifacts are displayed here but the explanation says there are not many left since quite a few if not most were badly damaged since the king had to move here and there to remain control of his realm, stashing many objects in trunks and carried by carriages.One of the remaining trunks Day to day life followed a rhythm of daily prayers. The fervently Christian King and Queen attended daily public masses in the chapel and also had an oratory in their residence to allow them to pray in private. The windows of this oratory, commissioned in 1858 by Duban from the master glassmaker Claudius Lavergne, were inspired by Michel Dumas’ sketches. The Saints shown with their symbols all had a link to Catherine de’ Medici and the Valois familv.The King’s bedroom where he used to accept visitors A beautiful view of the town A porcelain violin A very old town A former main street Church of Saint Nicholas under repair The main altar I really love this windowEach of the different alcoves had different color themes for the stained glass windows which I found to be very beautiful and creativeA display of the varying window concepts
Just across the border from Luxembourg and a short train ride you can enjoy a short stay in Nancy France. I had no idea what to expect in the city. It had some fairly interesting things to see so I think it’s worth a day trip. It’s very easy to get around and it’s not a large town center. So at least when you tell people you visited France I think it’s fun to tell people you visited in Nancy France.
when you visit Turkey it’s important to go to one of the greatest sites in Istanbul. The Topkapi palace where the sultans ruled for hundreds of years is a real treasure. One thing you won’t see, however, is the diamond portrayed in the movie “Topkapi”. While you are there remember to spend time Enjoying Topkapi surroundings. It’s a very beautiful and relaxing place to spend three or four hours and maybe more if you’re interested in studying every aspect of the palace.
Entrance to the palace The main gate The palace and its surroundings These chimneys you will recognize from the movieEnjoying Topkapi surroundingsThe center courtyard Enjoying Topkapi surroundingsHey beautiful pool in the back The view from the garden across the strait You could see one of the main Bridges I am fascinated by how artistically Arabic can be written One of the places to wash your feet The archaeologist are still trying to locate places for pieces they have found
Luxembourg is a very small country but it is also the country of my great great grandfather and grandmother. I decided to visit on my way to Paris to see what there is to see and there was an interesting happenstance. I went down one street and then on my way back to the hotel turned right on another and wound up at some barriers with people standing around waiting for something something. I asked a fellow from Italy what they were waiting for and he explained the royal family would be coming by at about three. So I decided to wait to see the Royals. It was a very interesting event, a church related religious ceremony, the itinerary is in a photo below with a mention of when the Royals will show up.
I was able to get out in front and take a better photo of the grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg as they follow the end of the very long procession filled with bands and regional groups participating in the procession. And of course it would not be complete without the Secret Service getting in the way This group just wanted to pose for a photo so they asked somebody in the crowd to use their camera to take the shot Young drummers Photographer is waiting for the Royals One of the provinces or CantonsThis looks like a scouting troop This guy is the head priestIt looks like some deacons in white robes The church service with the Royals sitting in front The schedule for the event Depiction of some famous bishop Every room in this ancient hotel has a telephone And of course we also have Wi-Fi Rides for kids I broke my diet and decided to have a hamburger and then I walked about 50 m and found the big event area with much cheaper hamburgersThis Thai restaurant seems to want to make their traditional food on top of rice like a poke bowl. I decided not to try it since I was skeptical of the flavors and the way the sauces were done bleeding into the rice. Rejecting Hawaiian pizza Kids tethered for acrobatic jumpingThe food court which was dismantled the next day The train station of Luxembourg