an enchanted evening

Enchanted Evenings are held every autumn at Botanic Gardens. For four nights the Gardens are open at night and full of families with lanterns, light-sticks, fairy wings... We're just back from a wonderful evening meeting pixies, Sean Connery the dragon, and the tree lady (above).

Fitzwilliam

Construction has started on the new Fitzwilliam Hotel, in the narrow strip between the Opera House extension and the bottom of the Grosvenor Road. Apparently this hotel will have 131 rooms - I can't imagine how they are going to be fitted into this strip. Perhaps they'll look like this. In any case, this view of the mountain will vanish.

This stiltwalker was haranguing shoppers at yesterday's official opening of Marks&Spencer's main Belfast store, after months and months of refurbishment.

ugly building...

Really ugly. This block of offices/flats has been thrown up on the site of the old Victoria Centre on Chichester Street. Given that it is right beside the new flagship Victoria Square shopping centre, you'd think someone could have tried a little harder. (The oddest thing about this building is that no matter what angle you look at it from, it looks slightly off-balance. )

bird on the bellsbridge bus

This blackbird (?) sat on the bus stop sign this morning for at least 15 minutes (certainly until my bus - heading in the other direction - finally arrived). Maybe he was waiting for a bus too - tired wings maybe? As a regular user/victim of the slow torture that is Belfast's bus service, I think he'd be better off flying.

Bank of Ireland

This art deco building at the top of Royal Avenue used to house a branch of the Bank of Ireland. It is now lying empty - I've no idea what is being planned for the building, but hopefully it won't be ruined by any future development.

One last photo from Rome before I return to rainy old Belfast. This nun was shopping in Testaccio - her carrier bag caught my eye. I wonder what she bought?

Roma

Back from a wonderful holiday in Rome.

We stayed in Testaccio, a really lovely area, just south of the Aventine Hill, not too touristy with lots of really good (and very inexpensive) restaurants, and within easy walking distance of the city centre.

Testaccio has a fantastic market.

This stall sold only tomatoes - there were at least 15 different varieties available.

Of course, like in any market, there were stalls devoted to selling general tat.

Outside Volpetti, a fantastic (but very expensive) delicatessen just down the street from the flat we rented on the Via Marmorata.

I liked the name of this shop.....I guess this is all you need really.

Clearing up after the market in Campo di Fiori.

Cafe on the Piazza Navona.

I'll freely admit that we spent most of our time scoffing excellent pizza and industrial quantities of gelato, but we did manage to visit some of the sights ....

The Colosseum

and the Pantheon