Today is Remembrance Sunday... the Sunday closest to November 11th, which in the United States is Veteran's Day. It is a time that commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on November 11th to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918. (World War I was formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)
We just returned from London where we witnessed preparations for today. Paper poppies were being worn by many people and on Friday we saw the preparations for the unveiling of a new military statue in Trafalgar Square.
We also saw this protest against war being staged in the park next to Westminster Cathedral and the British Parliament Building.
Today in Rome there was a large exhibition of the Italian military in the Circus Maximus. It included displays from all branches of the country's armed services. The ruins of homes of Roman emperors on the Palatine Hill are in the background.
The use of a poppy for Remembrance Day is from the Canadian poem "In Flanders Fields." Poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I and their red color is an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of war.
This is a field of poppies in Puglia.
In the background are olive trees, symbols of peace!
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)
The Porta Santo Spirito (of the Holy Spirit) is the only surviving Renaissance gate in the Vatican walls. Construction on this gate began in 1542 by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, but was abondoned and remains unfinished because Michaelangelo suggested that the walls should follow a different course.
Here is the gate to our apartment building on Piazza Oderico da Pordenone in the Garbatella neighborhood of Rome.
Here are some people playing a game in Trafalgar Square that I remember for the era the Beatles we introduced to America on the Ed Sullivan Show.
I was hoping to feed the birds on the steps of St. Paul's, but alas, it is forbidden! (They could do it when Mary Poppins was in town!)
As some know, we have a collection of museum coffee mugs. This week, while we were in London, we added new mugs to remember our visits to The National Gallery and Tate Modern.
This is Christ Church, in the neighborhood of Brent, down the street from where we stayed and across the street from the bus stop where we waited for our trips into central London.
St. Martin-in-the-Fields is an Anglican church at the northeast corner of Trafalgar Square. The current building was designed by James Gibbs and built in 1721. I have had many musical recordings by the orchestra of this church.
This church image is part of a mural in the Tottenham Court Road Underground Station.
This is the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, known to the world as Westminster Abbey. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial for British monarchs. (We all remember Princess Dianna's funeral that was held here in 1997.
St. Paul’s Cathedral was designed by the court architect Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and 1710 after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London.
And last but not least, this is the gate to Lambeth Palace on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Parliament. Lambeth Palace has been the historic London residence of Archbishops of Canterbury since the 13th century. Today it is the London home and offices of Rowan Williams, the current Archbishop of Canterbury and primate of the Anglican Communion.
We also saw this protest against war being staged in the park next to Westminster Cathedral and the British Parliament Building.
Today in Rome there was a large exhibition of the Italian military in the Circus Maximus. It included displays from all branches of the country's armed services. The ruins of homes of Roman emperors on the Palatine Hill are in the background.
I discovered that artichokes were know in Rome before the time of the Caesars and were an expensive specialty. They became popular in Naples in the 15th Century and, from there, spread to Florence and Venice. Catherine de Medici introduced the artichoke to the French Court in 1633 when she married King Henry IV. By the end of that century, it was widely cultivated in Italy, Spain, and France. (Artichokes were introduced by the Spanish to California during the 1700s.)
There are two varieties of artichoke. The one I was familiar with before moving to Rome was conical shaped. We just eat the heart and the tips of the leaves. The Italian varieties of artichokes are globed shaped. Here we eat the entire artichoke. (In Rome you can order fried artichokes, which are delicious!)
