Contemplations and Ruminations

Chamonix   (shah-mo-nee) is a mountainous town in France situated at the base of the Alps and barely a two hour drive from Geneva. So one weekend we drove down to this beautiful little town, and at first glance we were in love with this place...  First glimpse as you enter Chamonix... The lovely hote l we stayed at...  The dining area at the hotel, ate the best croissant here. Whenever me and Nam went to supermarkets we would always pick up different croissants to eat, some filled with chocolate, others with custard. But the most beautiful croissants we ever had were at this restaurant, delicately flaky burnished exterior coupled with a warm doughy interior.  Entertainment room, with a TV console at one end And a book shelf at the other...  The adjoining bar...   The reception...  The entrance...  View outside the hotel, took this while waiting for the bus.   It was lunch time when we reached, so...

The next day after visiting Mount Saleve , we flew to Venice in Italy. The only reason of going to Venice was to visit the Shrine of St. Antony (San Antonio as he is known over there, Antonio is named after him) in Padua, which is a mere twenty minutes by train from Venice.  The flight was an hour's time with pretty awesome view... Crossing the snowy alps...  The Alps covered in a celestial blanket...  On the first day took a train to Padua and visited St. Antony's Shrine... that's the steeple and dome of the shrine seen at a distance. Entrance to the shrine... we weren't allowed to take pictures inside. The tomb of St. Antony of Padua is inside and people gather round it praying, makes quite a heartwarming sight to see the outpouring of love and faith in this great saint. Papers are placed nearby to write your petitions, after which you drop them in the petitions box. The monks of  St. Antony, and there were many of them in church lighting cand...