I'll be darned if the Gubbio church bells didn't wake me up at 6:30 this morning! I used to like the sound of church bells in Italy; soothing, romantic, cultural. Now - to heck with all that! If I hear another church bell I may need to damage them all. Italian Headlines: Canadian Woman Goes Berserk Smashing Church Bells with Bocce Balls and Strozzapreti Noodles!
I left Gubbio early and was in Spello by 9:30. But it was when I saw the storm brewing over Spello that I decided to be a Photo Journalist for the day and capture the mood in the clouds and the lighting. I madly drove the car in all directions to try and find the best angle for the shots. I drove under a train bridge that I wasn't sure if the SmartCar would fit under. I got out to check and the bottom of the bridge was a little higher than my head so under the car went. I drove over on a road with 8 inch deep crevices on the left tire side and 10 inch plants growing up between the tire grooves in the road. I finally got the first three shots shown below. But I couldn't stop.... I decided to chase the sunshine that was lighting a couple of mountains in the distance, far over my left shoulder. I pointed the car in that direction. Up and up to the top, studying the light; watching the colours unfold. It was like being in the middle of a Sweet Tart and "Biting for a Burst of Flavour" - but colour was the flavour! Every view was stunning. (I know you're tired of this - but go with me on it...)
By this time, I was starving so I stopped at a small grocery store in Bastardo (I don't know how to say it) . I pulled a strand of grapes off a bunch and put them in the bag. A grocery man flew out from somewhere, grabbed the big bunch and tried to jam the whole bunch into my bag. He was upset that I had pulled some off and not taken the whole thing. So, we had words; his were Italian, mine were English. I'll spare you the details, but I ended up with only what I wanted. He stomped away mumbling.
I continued with my journey as a large cloud swallowed the car, sheets of rain blasted down and nothing could be seen outside of the car except branches blowing across the road. Everything was completely white. I rolled down the car window to take the sunflower picture (the last one posted) and got completely soaked without even getting out of the car. The rain was blasting right into my face. In the sunflower photo, there are mountains in the background, but you can't see them through the rain; if you can zoom in you will see the rain in the shot. I found a safe place to park to wait it out and pulled the grapes out for lunch. They were the most sour grapes I have ever tasted. It's no wonder he wanted me to take the whole bunch because once tasted, no one would eat them! He's probably been trying to sell them for a month!
When the storm slowed and driving was safe again, and I could see, there were sticks, garbage cans and huge branches across the roads. Trees were down. The roads were flooded and it was a mess. The car and I crawled slowly through it all only to be stopped by a transport and tractor that collided during the storm. I detoured through a town around the accident and made it safely to Spello. I got settled in my room when a huge crack of thunder pierced the air and the storm was outside my window.
It's now 3:40 pm. The rain has stopped. Grey clouds fill the sky; the colour is gone. What a day!
I left Gubbio early and was in Spello by 9:30. But it was when I saw the storm brewing over Spello that I decided to be a Photo Journalist for the day and capture the mood in the clouds and the lighting. I madly drove the car in all directions to try and find the best angle for the shots. I drove under a train bridge that I wasn't sure if the SmartCar would fit under. I got out to check and the bottom of the bridge was a little higher than my head so under the car went. I drove over on a road with 8 inch deep crevices on the left tire side and 10 inch plants growing up between the tire grooves in the road. I finally got the first three shots shown below. But I couldn't stop.... I decided to chase the sunshine that was lighting a couple of mountains in the distance, far over my left shoulder. I pointed the car in that direction. Up and up to the top, studying the light; watching the colours unfold. It was like being in the middle of a Sweet Tart and "Biting for a Burst of Flavour" - but colour was the flavour! Every view was stunning. (I know you're tired of this - but go with me on it...)
By this time, I was starving so I stopped at a small grocery store in Bastardo (I don't know how to say it) . I pulled a strand of grapes off a bunch and put them in the bag. A grocery man flew out from somewhere, grabbed the big bunch and tried to jam the whole bunch into my bag. He was upset that I had pulled some off and not taken the whole thing. So, we had words; his were Italian, mine were English. I'll spare you the details, but I ended up with only what I wanted. He stomped away mumbling.
I continued with my journey as a large cloud swallowed the car, sheets of rain blasted down and nothing could be seen outside of the car except branches blowing across the road. Everything was completely white. I rolled down the car window to take the sunflower picture (the last one posted) and got completely soaked without even getting out of the car. The rain was blasting right into my face. In the sunflower photo, there are mountains in the background, but you can't see them through the rain; if you can zoom in you will see the rain in the shot. I found a safe place to park to wait it out and pulled the grapes out for lunch. They were the most sour grapes I have ever tasted. It's no wonder he wanted me to take the whole bunch because once tasted, no one would eat them! He's probably been trying to sell them for a month!
When the storm slowed and driving was safe again, and I could see, there were sticks, garbage cans and huge branches across the roads. Trees were down. The roads were flooded and it was a mess. The car and I crawled slowly through it all only to be stopped by a transport and tractor that collided during the storm. I detoured through a town around the accident and made it safely to Spello. I got settled in my room when a huge crack of thunder pierced the air and the storm was outside my window.
It's now 3:40 pm. The rain has stopped. Grey clouds fill the sky; the colour is gone. What a day!
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