I had some short stories, poems and photographs to share ... and so here I am

Fly With Me To Venice !

 
Forget all the stresses of the day; get a cuppa, turn up the speakers on your computer and put your feet up. Fly with me on a short trip to Venice! I have chosen my best photos from a recent trip and set them to an original piece of piano music.

Just click twice on the play button for The Mysteries of Venice:



Please feel free to pass this on to someone who might appreciate a little escape. The link to send in an email is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L01dUJyRbMg

19 comments:

Wanderlust Scarlett said...

The music takes my soul to new places; always so wonderful.

The photos are such a fantastic trip, a tour of Venice, and I kept having to back up to look at some of them for longer periods of time.
I think my favorite, and only just, is the white spiral staircase.

Thank you, that was quite a journey.

Scarlett & Viaggiatore

S. Kearney said...

Thanks Wanderlust,
And that staircase was so hard to find as well .. my partner's father took us to it through lots of nooks and crannies, 30 years after last being there!

Kay Cooke said...

Thank you for a wonderful visual feast - and dream-like journey ...
While in Palmerston North, I read a book set in Venice, so it has been in my mind of late.
However (and I'm sure you can appreciate the irony here) Palmerston North and Venice are so very different!

S. Kearney said...

Hi CB,
I'm glad you liked it. how funny that you'd just read that book. And I know what you mean about comparing Venice to Palmy; I know that city well because my Mum lives in Fielding. My very first journalism posting was at the Manawatu Evening Standard as well, so there's a little nostalgia attached. It probably has some unique charm though that Venice doesn't have .... somewhere. :-)

Anonymous said...

Seamus that was wonderful! I love the picture of the masks. Magnificent from beginning to end.

Vesper said...

Wow, Seamus, absolutely beautiful, images and music together! I will always be amazed at how someone can compose music - it seems like an impossible endeavour to me. :-)
Please, pick up the "Nice" award from my blog. I should've nominated five people - your name would have been among them!!! :-)

S. Kearney said...

Kat, thanks. I hope the moving pics weren't too dizzying. I wanted to give it the feeling of a bird gliding along. :-)

Vesper,
Thanks for your kind words. A nice award? Me? Oh dear, I've let myself in for that one. What can I say? But thanks. That's nice. Oh dear. :-)

Unknown said...

I was also last there 30 years ago - and it was very stinky! Didn't detract from the wonder of the 'City of Water' though. Lovely.

Jon M said...

Wonderful, Seamus. I've never been but those images took me there. The music is quite melifluous too. I posted it to a friend who loves Venice. Thankyou!

S. Kearney said...

Minx,
Stinky? I hear it used to be and can be, but I only smelt nice smells ... but maybe I willed it that way, wanting to smell something magical.:-)

Jon M,
Glad you liked it and hope your friend does. It really is a place to see, if it ever comes up! :-)

Wanderlust Scarlett said...

Seamus,

I think you've probably been gifted with this already, but I have a little something for you over at my page.

Scarlett & V.

PS - 30 years?! Wow! How absolutely thrilling to get to see that and enjoy it! A secret spiral staircase... I didn't think it could get better, but it did! HA!
Thanks!

Unknown said...

My first and last visit to Venice was 37 years ago... But even as I child I was captivated by the air of mystery and magic of the place (despite the fact that it was winter, grey and wet and St Mark's Square was under water and littered with dead pigeons). It has always struck me that it is, in a way, a place that stands separate from the rest of Italy, living its own dreams, dreaming its own memories. It is a place with echoes of evocation and alternate reality. Your music, I think, captures that beautifully.

Unknown said...

Oh this brought back lots of memories. I loved Venice, it was just so full of magic and Chocolate Calde and lions! Glad I watched 'Don't look back' after going to Venice.

S. Kearney said...

Wanderlust,
Gosh, what do I say. Thank you.
:-) I've gone all pink, though I usually am anyway.
Yes, that staircase is a little gem that people don't often see because it's well hidden. I didn't see it when I first went there in 1994, and never saw it in any of my guide books.

Thanks, AV, yes, there's something about having the threat of the water all around, with talk of it rising up and swallowing the city. I would love to be there during the carnival, when everyone walks around in those period costumes with masks on. I've seen photos that sent shivers down my psine. During my first visit there I stayed in an old, spooky building with a dome, which had been converted into a hostel. We swore we could hear ghosts in the night! And you're right that it's a little world in its own right, so different to the rest of Italy. I will always make a point of going back there to visit, even if there is a constant battle to get through the crowds. :-)

V,
Oh, yes, the lions! They are everywhere and each one is so different. I could've filled up the lion page with them! The icecream is what I miss - the authentic, homemade-type stuff that you find in tucked-away places.

Unknown said...

Hey! Lovely music. I started learning the piano as well in school. But somehow couldn't continue for very long. Picked up the flute and drums instead! lolz! Ur piece has this tingling happy feeling and also a little mystery to it. Like something unveiling itself. And the pix are amazing. yeah, the secret staircase, gondola rides... and the busy streets...all very beautiful! Thank u for the visual treat before the monday blues! :)

S. Kearney said...

Hi puresunshine,
I'm glad you liked the little journey. I really enjoyed putting it together and coming up with that piano piece especially for the video. I am going to be writing a part for violin for that piece ... one of my workmates, who's Armenian, has a 10-year-old daughter who is a child prodigy when it comes to the violin. I want to organise a performance with the two of us playing together. She plays like an adult ... lots of complicated classical pieces. Amazing.

Unknown said...

wow! thats cool! hmmm! wud love to hear it some day! :)

Real Live Lesbian said...

Ahhh...that was amazing!

I feel like I've just taken a little mini vacation and am still sitting here at work.

Thanks for sharing!

S. Kearney said...

Hi Puresunshine,
Yes, I will post if it comes together! :-)

Hi Real Live Lesbian. Welcome. :-) Good to have you call by. I'm glad you liked the video ... and it was a pleasure to provide you with a cheap break ... next destination from me will be Ireland; just finishing off the music for that one. :-)