I was in Italy on a european tour once. First there was Venice, then Rome and Florence. I never felt like fainting or having a major freak-out, but I called this phenomenon 'beauty overload'. It's hard, especially in Florence, to look in any direction without seeing something that knocks your socks off. Carvings on doors, marble statues flanking parking lots, fountains, paintings, and David bless his little fig leaf, is all over the place. Then, you have a beautiful blue sky with muscular clouds shadowed with umber and highlighted with rose and gold, aqua water that shimmers and sparkles in the liquid gold sunlight, and ubiquitous, fearless pigeons.

I realized early on that I hadn't brought enough money for souveneers. I shot the wad on film.