Sunset this evening. This is straight from the camera, no color muckery at all.

'I don't think they're from around here, Harriet.'

I'll be the light in your shadow.

The view from the aforementioned tree-topped tower. You could have a lot of fun up here with a water-balloon launcher. If you were really juvenile. Which I'm not.

The alien turned the blank, pupil-less gaze of its single eye on Captain Dirk's landing party. "Go over there and try to make contact, Ensign Smith," said Dirk, giving the man a firm push between the shoulders.

Italian colors.

Because nothing says "Welcome to our home" like a demon with a metal gag jammed in his mouth.

Sienese sky line.

Recently unearthed, this magnificently preserved skull finally settles the debate that has raged for twenty years over the carnivorous Giant Pac-Man. These incredible beasts did exist, and the cave paintings upon which defenders based their arguments were actually conservative depictions of their size, if not their ferocity.

Ye olde leaning tower. I have to say, it really is impressive. Pictures don't convey the sense you get that this huge thing is really, seriously, leaning.

Leaning tower security.

A break from Italy now. Kids in the park last weekend.

Skyline, Florence.

This glyph found on the outside of the main cathedral in Florence provides evidence that the "flying monkeys" made famous by L. Frank Baum in his Oz books are in fact based on a now-extinct species of winged primate.

I feel like there's some deeper truth about birds, turtles, and life in general going on here, but I can't put my finger on it.

The Ponte Vecchio spanning the Arno in Florence. This medieval bridge is covered in buildings, now mostly gold shops catering to tourists. It's not quite the Golden Gate that William Gibson imagines, but it's nifty all the same.

Saw this on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. Couple's names written on the locks. A token for a long relationship? Or a notice board for the swingin' bondage crowd?

We were visiting a winery when the sun came out and the water in the air refracted the light to create a visible spectrum in the sky.

Found these pudgy jugs out behind the winery.

This tower in Lucca has oak trees growing on top of it. The family that built it back in the 14th century did it to get around the city code that limited tower height to 40 meters. They just built their tower to 40 meters, planted the trees, and then were all, "What? Trees grow? Who knew that?"

Stained-glass silhouette

At the leaning tower of Pisa, everyone poses for a shot of themselves "holding up" the tower (like the woman in the background). The whole area in front of the tower is like some demented amateur mime class. This guy had just finished striking his pose and was very pleased with himself.

I'm back from Italy, ready once again to provide you with your daily dose of eye candy. Here's an obligatory slanting ray of light shot from St John's. This was the Pope's place before St. Peter's stole the show.

I'll be traveling until October 11, so there won't be any postings until then unless I find an unsecured Wi-Fi network, er, public access point.

If you were to have crossed a certain dark field on the eastern edge of Paris at 4 o'clock this morning, you would have found a small herd of camels hunkered down in the sand, watching camel racing on a bank of television sets. I'm not making this up. Just one of the many wonderous offerings of the Nuit Blanche.

The Grand Palais again, this time at night with the lights on. That center dome looks very Deathstar, if you ask me.