Mockzilla

Menrva

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:12:00 +0000

another favorite god for the Etruscans was Menrva

Hercules

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:07:00 +0000

while here in Italy me and Daisy have become fascinated with the Etruscan civilization and have been reading a lot about it

the Etruscan's were a group of people living in Italy arond the time of the Romans. In fact, the romans were very influenced by them, who in turn were very influenced by the Greeks

one of the fascinating things about them is that they treated their women as equals, and many of their tombs show a husband and wife together

most of what we know about them comes from their tombs, because after the romans conquered them, they wiped out most of their culture and rebult over them

Hercules what a favorite of the Etruscans. They elaborated on many of his stories and added to them

Apéritif

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:57:00 +0000

we have gotten in the habit of having an Apéritif before dinner

I like Campari and soda Daisy is more of a fan of the Aperol Spritz

Great Caesar's Ghost!!!

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:53:00 +0000

Rainy day

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:45:00 +0000

after 1 too many rainy cold days, no internet and bad Italian tv, we have a bad case of cabin fever

bbq in the rain

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:39:00 +0000

rain can't stop me from grilling

especially when i have a fold-out awning covering me

Cascini market lunch

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:33:00 +0000

Cascini market is a large open air market held every tuesday morning in Cascini park

it is a great place to find cheap clothes and other cool stuff

after we are done shopping we like to stop at this one lunch truck and have lunch

they have hamburgers and hotdogs, but they are Italian style, eaten on a toasted panini roll with lots of antipasta on it like mushrooms and artichoke hearts.

Also, even if you ask for a piccolo (a little), they will put lots of mayo and ketchup on as well

with a birra (beer) or a coke and some patate frites (french fries), which are also covered in mayo and ketchup, it makes for a yummy lunch

Train lag

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:29:00 +0000

Train lag is what you get after a 12 hour over night train ride

Daisy and the cute hat

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:24:00 +0000

my darling wife as we eat lunch at the musee d'orsay

Cute old french man and dog

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:15:00 +0000

I saw this cute little old man while I was having breakfast he was talkign to a dog that looked like a caterpiller

"Halloween is not very French"

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:51:00 +0000

These are some sketches I did while sitting at a cafe Halloween night in Paris. Although "Halloween is not very French," which we kept hearing repeated to us, we had quite a good time.

Marie Antoinette

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:44:00 +0000

Going to the Louvre and being in Paris has brought out Daisy's fascination with Marie Antoinette (again!)

Paris, je t'aime

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Paris- could there be a more romantic city in the world to go to on your honeymoon?

Café Culture

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:30:00 +0000

After visiting Barcelona, we continued on to Paris.

I have to say, I love the cafe culture in France, sitting at a table for hours, being a voyeur and watching the people walk by.

Palace of Catalan Music lamp

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:24:00 +0000

We visited the Palace of Catalan Music in Barcelona, which also has amazing architecture. They were sold out for tours that day, so we had a nice tapas lunch in their cafe, did some sketching, and got tickets for the next day.

Pastry Envy

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:17:00 +0000

Our friend Romeo recommended a pastry shop and cafe for us to check out for breakfast. I got what is now referred to as the "magic donut," which looked like a pregnant croissant, covered in sugar and filled with amazing.

Daisy was a little jealous...

where's Tom?

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:09:00 +0000

While in Barcelona, we met up with Daisy's parents, who were traveling to a conference in Seville. We had some time to check out some of the sites, including the Sagrada Familia, which is amazing, and my drawing doesn't near do it enough justice.

We also lost Daisy's dad at some point.

Tapa Lunch

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:01:00 +0000

Our first day in Barcelona, we had an awesome lunch of Tapas.

I like the one with the olives and the anchovies.

Star Kebab

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Here in Firenze when i need a quick cheap lunch, i like to get a Döner kebab

it is kinda like a Turkish burrito

Eating well

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:40:00 +0000

one of the best parts about being in Italy for 3 months is the food

just the food at the market is so much better then back at home

me and daisy have been having a lot of fun getting food every day and planning our dinner

Daisy rocking the Euro Style

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:01:00 +0000

Another trip to the Cascine Market and Daisy's European look is almost complete!

Queen peach

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Another person I saw in Venice; I think she's a local. We imagine she looks like what Princess Peach would look like in 50 years- she was very classy!

old Asian tourist in Venice

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:59:00 +0000

I saw this guy in Venice- probably the only person who could pull off this hat other than a gondolier!

Venice, the town of creepy masks

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:58:00 +0000

There are a ton of schlocky, crappy and creepy masks here in Venice, and a few very cool masks. The one that I have on in the picture (with the Simpson like overbite) is apparently a traditional style Bauta mask, and the one Daisy has on is a Columbine. There's also a bird-like mask, which is called the Plague Doctor's mask...

romantice evening gondola ride

noreply@blogger.com (damon) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:57:00 +0000

We had a romantic evening gondola ride in Venice. Incredibly cliche, but worth every euro! Such a wonderful way to spend the evening!