Trio of Artful European Signs

When I get a chance to slow down and photograph the places I travel to for work or for pleasure, I seem to discover my eyes are drawn to the signage I encounter. Big city, small town, shop around the corner, it just doesn't matter. So today, I've got three signs for you. Two from Italy and one from Cardiff, Wales.

This top one was taken at one of the world's most magical cities: Venice. There really is nothing like this anywhere else on the planet. Layers of Italian craftsmanship are everywhere you turn- and then it's all surrounded by water everywhere you look. Trees are few and far between, but the residents of the city find a way to add greenery to their narrow streets.

Next up, Cinque Terra. Five towns of various sizes and shapes and offerings. We stumbled upon this in Vernazza, the largest of the five and the one with the swimming area most loved by the locals. This sign was right around the corner from a small cave everyone was using to change into their swimwear. I wasn't prepared to go into the water, but I realized I had on a pair of dark nylon shorts that would easily make it possible. What a beautiful half an hour enjoying my time with the locals while my wife relaxed on the shore.

Cardiff, Wales may be one of the coolest towns I never expected! The citizens are intent on keeping the Welsh language alive, so every sign is in English and then Welsh. Once you get the hang of the alphabet and what sounds the letters make, it's quite fun to try your hand at speaking out the names. Locals must be very, very patient as well as having a great sense of humor! One of my favorite stops was at a coffee house named "A Shot in the Dark". The old place was filled with books- but only detective and mystery novels. It was also open until late in the evening where the place took on an almost eerie mood. Do you get the play on words? Coffee/ Shot; Murder/Gun, etc. So clever!

I'm sure as I post this, I'll run across even more sign photos and stories to go with them...

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)

The Cool Blues of Cinque Terra

In the long ago and far away category, our trip to Europe in 2007 yielded sweet memories and some equally sweet photographs! We began our trip in Paris, including a visit to Disneyland Paris and the disappointing Walt Disney Studios Paris. We even came upon the French premier of Ratatouille going on across the bank. But then it was on to the real adventure- exploring Europe!

We had scrimped and saved for ten years for this 21 day trip. And it was worth every penny! We had planned to see Italy, Germany, the U.K., France and Wales. Flights were cheap once we got on the continent. (The full trip report with many, many photos is here.)

As we stopped in Cinque Terra, Italy, the day was hot, humid, and sunny and bright. Very hot. The cool blues of the water below called out to me. But what was a guy to do without a swimsuit? Hmm. Thankfully, I remembered I had wisely packed some multi-purpose synthetic trunk style underwear and was in fact wearing them that day. So, I ducked into a nearby cave after watching a few men go into it fully dressed and then come out in their swimwear. 

Once I got past my shyness, I was rewarded! The water was crisp and refreshing! Eventually, I discovered this cluster of small fishing boats, so I grabbed my camera and headed back into the water. What you see is the end result.

After that swim and some time on the beach, we headed way, way, way up the cliffs to a small restaurant and had a late lunch. With a summery salad, a little pasta, and a glass of wine, me and my favorite gal enjoyed a slice of Italy that stays with us to this day!

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Memories of Venice

Just thinking about our trip to the incredible city. It was several years ago, but every time I think of Venice, Italy, I am so blessed we were able to travel there. In fact, our trip was about 5 years ago, just after the beginning of this blog. This photo is not mine, but if you'd like to see some of our European travel photos, go here.

Fresh Beginnings

Cool article about a gal with friends in our city...
The full article and video is here.
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The current affairs series examines the rise of evangelical churches in Wales for BBC One Wales on 3 November.

Becky is not a typical 25 year old - while most people her age can be found down the pub a few times a week, she attends Rhiwbina Baptist Church.

It's one of several evangelical churches in south Wales which regularly attract several hundred worshippers.
After her recent baptism, Becky said: "I'm being obedient to God … God says get baptised when you believe and I believe in Jesus, that's why I'm getting baptised today.
"You can have this freedom and amazing love that's unconditional as well and it gives you, not rules for life because it's not like living by rules ... it gives you something to live for as well."

Evangelical churches may have more worshippers than the Church in Wales. 

She added: "I'm trying to change the way I think. I'm not saying that I'm perfect … in that I'm never going to do anything wrong, and I'm never going to go out again and go out to bars and not be able to drink too much.

"I'm not suddenly this magic person that's going to do everything right. I'm still working on a lot of changes.

"You can't just say, right I'm not going to do this now. It's making a choice every day to follow Jesus."

Becky became a member of the church after going on the Alpha course. It's a hugely popular introduction to the Christian faith which more than two million people have completed in the UK.

Taste of Wales

Here's a fun little travelogue photo. Cardiff, Wales is a great place for a visit if you're headed over to the United Kingdom. It's the capital city right on the water, and it has the distinction of being very sophisticated, with a nautical feeling and a very Old World ambience all at once. The people are very friendly, the food is decent, and the sights worth a look. Had the pleasure one night of going out with one of our friends to a coffee house named "A Shot in the Dark". It was open late, much like pub hours, and had a theme of sorts being about mystery novels. A great after dark hangout.

Cardiff is a terrific city for walking. You'll hit signs like the one above all around town. The government is encouraging its citizens to once again learn and use the Welsh language. As you can see by the sign, its quite a puzzle!