Pictures and Memories

While trying to sort out and label picture discs I came across a picture that made me smile. My guy and I were in Gibraltar and, as the good tourists that we are, we went up to the top of the rock to see the sights and the Barbary Apes. These are really tail-less macaque monkeys but are called Barbary Apes for some reason. No, I did not do extensive research to discover why; shocking, yes, but every once in a while I like to just be the tourist and not the tour guide (quit laughing, it's true!). Anyway...... by law the monkeys are fed and kept healthy and so have grown to a population of over 200 and become quite the tourist attraction. Like everyone else we had a few peanuts to feed to the monkeys so they would sit with us for a minute - just long enough to have a picture taken. But one of these guys decided he liked my husband. He sat on his shoulder long after the picture was taken and played a game. The monkey would elbow my husband in the face knocking his sunglasses askew and then would quickly look away and feign innocence. My guy would say "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" fix his glasses and look at the monkey who would nonchalantly look back with a "Who me?" sort of look. This went on for more than 5 minutes and was too cute for words. Luckily someone grabbed my camera and took a picture. There were a lot of other memorable things about Gibraltar (the caves, the food, the scenery, the shopping, the people) but this is the one memory that is most treasured.



We visited Rome on another trip. It is a city worth visiting. History lives and breathes there. Our time there wasn't nearly long enough - we rushed around hoping to see as much as possible for fear we wouldn't some day return - I want to go back and spend a week just walking and taking in the the feel of the place. We spent one day - again, not long enough - in the Vatican. Breathtakingly beautiful, ancient and alive, and crowded cheek-to-jowl with people. This picture, though, caught my feelings perfectly. No matter how many surrounded me I always felt slightly alone, pensive and quiet in the Vatican.