Tag: travel photography

Postcard from Campeche, Mexico: Modern-Day Pirates

postcardsfromsanantonioLeave a comment

Following in the tradition of the infamous marauding filibusteros – including John Hawkins, Francis Drake, Henry Morgan and Laurens de Graaf – preceding them, waterbirds appear to have commandeered some of the fishing fleet in Campeche.

The cormorants and pelicans granted us safe passage along the Malecon, a pathway with ample lanes for bicyclists, runners and pedestrians skirting the bay for several miles.

Most importantly, Campeche is proving a safe harbor sheltering us from an over-abundance of political updates.

Postcard from Bologna, Italy: Basilica of San Francesco

postcardsfromsanantonioLeave a comment

A visit by Saint Francis of Assisi to Bologna in 1222 sparked interest in building a major church for the Franciscans serving the city. The Gothic Basilica of San Francesco was completed in 1263.

Enhancements added later include a Venetian marble altar sculpted by Jacobello and Pier Pabla dalle Masegne.

Pope Alexander V (1339-1410), one of the “antipopes” reigning during the time of the schism resulting in competing popes ruling from Avignon, is entombed here. He died unexpectedly one night in Bologna while in the sole company of one of his cardinals. The cardinal was elevated to become Pope John XXIII (1370-1419), leaving a cloud of suspicion lingering in the minds of some.

Aside from a few takeovers for usage as military barracks or weapons storage, including the French in 1796 and an Italian war in 1842, the church has remained under the auspices of the Franciscans since then.

Postcard from Bologna, Italy: Distracting details demanding attention everywhere you glance

postcardsfromsanantonioLeave a comment

Roaming Bologna at a fast pace seemed impossible – so many things demand attention.

Postcards from last summer demand attention even as I launch a new trip. One of the things I wanted to bring home was the leaf design for downtown tree grates.