Amazing Pictures ... well, interesting anyway ...

These are mannequins, taken from a window display in Italy

     Sometimes, a picture opportunity just calls out to you, and I couldn't pass this one up.  This was a shop in Rome, Italy, and we were just walking down the street and this was so cool and striking and looked so realistic. 

     The variety of faces and clothing obviously took a lot of work for someone to produce or set up.  Fiona went inside to have a look (shopping?) and I whipped out my iPhone and snapped this photo. 

     The prices are in Euros, the currency of the European Community - they use comma's instead of a decimal point. 

How would you like to face this in a bathroom?

     Sorry, another mention of plumbing in this blog.  I went into a bathroom in Europe and when I went to wash my hands, I was met with this challenge.  I didn't know what to do. 

     There was no faucet handle, and what the heck are those grab bar things sticking out to the side? 

     Turns out that you put your hands under the center bar and the water comes on.  Then some soap comes out.  Then the side bars start to blow air super intense, like a tropical hurricane, and it's loud!  

     So you wash your hands, with soap, and dry them, all at the same time.  Kinda confusing and a wee bit intimidating ...

This was a garden spot in London, near the Tower Bridge

     I felt like there were a bunch of little purple creatures hiding in the flowers, looking at me ...

The symmetrical ancient Library at Trinity College in Dublin,  where they keep the Book of Kells

     This was such a spectacular building that I had to include another picture.  The Book of Kells is a masterwork of Western Calligraphy and is widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure.  It is housed in this centuries old wood paneled library which is very picturesque. 

Walking around Colombo Sri Lanka, beside a lake in a park

     Sometimes beauty just waits for you to show up.  

     These were two birds, each sitting on a pole in the lake.  The reflection was pretty cool.  Couldn't resist snapping a picture. 

I was rather amazed to see the scene in these last pictures.   

I didn't think large jet airplanes passed under anything

     We were getting ready to depart from Gatwick Airport in London, when we were walking toward our gate and I saw this massive bridge over the runway.  It was gigantic.  I'd never seen anything like it.  

     We made our way up to the top and passed over the bridge on our way to our departure gate. 

     As we walked over the runway, an airplane passed underneath us.  

     It was a unique feeling to be looking over the side of a bridge and a big jet airliner passes below you on it's way out to take off. 

 

     I've been to a lot of airports, but I've never seen a bridge that airplanes pass underneath.  And I've never seen an airplane from this angle, looking down on it from above. 

     Most of the time, airports build underground subway type train shuttles to get you to your gate.  These folks thought of a different way to get you where you needed to go, and still let planes pass through.