Moving onwards
Passing others in close proximity
Bells overload the ears
Hammering echoing fluttering feathers as pigeons invade
Beggars blatant direct eye contact, standing directly in front of you
The silence of the bells and then a man starts the group laughing, they had approached during the bells. Appearing silent and quiet, around me
Voices are loud as the group listen
Attentive, captivated by his voice
This facade remained empty with stones . . . we call it the new gothic style . . . the most famous example is in London, the Parliament house
I am sorry to tell you these are copies . . . they were removed because of a terrible flood . . . this is the richest town with libraries, with museums . . . we have lost with the mud a thousand . . .
Grazie señor, the beggar wanders past, ignored, overlooked
It is part of our western civilisation . . . so we are at present very grateful . . . two of the ten panels were detached because of the violence of the water . . . and now they are in the Cathedral museum . . . and they portray the first ten episodes of the stories in the bible
A chuckle from his personal story added to the end of the talk, and the group moves on
Standing still, people filter past me. Spontaneous applause from a group on the steps catches the wandering people by surprise and for a fleeting moment all heads are turned in the same direction.
Sun still shading the space
A beggar approaches the tour guide. He is very clear; No, No. She chastises him and wanders away.
Music
A lady stands, hoping the space will remain between her and the camera held by her husband. Frustrated she huffs, ppphhfffff
A bike rattles by
And you wonder what holds it together
