Woof! Happy Holidays!

Hello Talalay has been hacked. Two factor authentication and endless captchas couldn't stop Sarah and James' new dog, Belka, from taking over their annual holiday post. Wait, dogs can't write or take photos.  Apparently they can use AI. God help us all!

Aren't I adorable? Here I am at Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin. Balls are fun.

What a hoot! I'm now in the Belconnen neighborhood, strolling in front of a strange statue of an owl. Somehow, I grew to be the size of a Tesla. 

Time to eat! Here I am in front of the home center Bunnings. They host sausage sizzles to raise money for charity. This pic is definitely AI, otherwise I would eat 100 sausages and then throw up.

Now I'm pooped. Too many sausages and a long run up Black Mountain to see the Telstra Tower. I did not bring the small Christmas tree, AI did. Yeah, they brought everything.

Go NRL Raiders! That's National Rugby League. I look buff in my Raiders jersey. Thanks AI! But why does AI think no one wants to sit near me? 

I don't have a car. Or a bike. I do have a bus pass and get to wait in Canberra's cute bus shelters. Except that's not me. AI is weird.

Canberra is the capital of Australia. Its Parliament building is amazing. I don't know why AI added so many Christmas trees out front. But don't I look great?

I'm sorry/not sorry I hacked this year's Hello Talalay holiday post. I'm a dog, I don't have moral capacity. 

I do have my own Instagram profile and you should follow me: @belkalakeland

Woof!

Details Of Liguria, Italy

What's going on, Liguria? Time to focus on the small stuff of Northern Italy.

Fun flora in a diorama at the Museo Archeologico del Finale.

It's always warm and sunny in the postcards. At Pietra Ligure. Fire! Fake Fire! Another diorama detail at Museo Archeologico del Finale.

Why one goes to Italy, real tomatoes. And some local news. In Finalborgo.

Quiet Catholicism. An altar in a family mausoleum and a tiny painted door on a church altar.

Getting clichéd. Hey, it was all set up. Fantastical bicycle with flowers along a lane in Finalborgo.

Signs Of Christianity In Northern Italy

Italy is a country of Roman Catholics and one can't go a kilometer without running into a church, cemetery, wine bar. OK, maybe the wine bar isn't purely Roman Catholic.

Humble. Time for Good Friday mass at a tiny, stone, hilltop church in Borgio Verezzi.

Inside the church, the statues, icons are covered for Easter. At a church in Pietra Ligure, an impressive grotto for the Virgin Mary to nest.

Wow. The nave and ceiling of San Giovanni Battista in Finalmarina. Big town, small town, there's always an impressive church with overwhelming craftsmanship, paintings, everything.

Back at Pietra Ligure, Pope John Paul II is honored. A step up from Madame Tussauds. For a church ceiling, gotta go for the gold. The wonderful, domed, double barrel design of the Basilica di San Biago in Finalborgo.

Back to the Earth. Rural cemetery in Borgio Verezzi.

Old Stuff At Museo Archeologico del Finale In Finaborgo

The small town of Finalborgo in the Liguria area of Northern Italy has a nice archeological museum. It turns out, stone age, cave wo/man types were all over. Let's dig in.

Museum entrance, tucked into an old courtyard complex.

Humble beginnings. A display carbon dates the museum's establishment to the year AD 1931. Ancient. Boning up. A skeleton fossil. Maybe they fainted while waiting in line for Cicero tickets.

Diorama of a typical hilltop settlement. 8th century, the Village of Souls. BC, Before Costco.

Re-creating the hard life of labor. Grinding wheat into flour and smelting ore into metal. Hard and heavy.

It turns out that bears are also old. So much learned. Presenting the legendary Cave Bear! Nice bone collection.

Checking Out Medieval Finalborgo

Finalborgo is a small town in the Liguria area of Northern Italy. It's got all the classic touches of a Medieval hangout. Time to stroll and soak.

One of the little piazzas. Keeps the kids busy.

The famous Porta Testa city gate. Open today! Like most old settlements, geographic features steered where to put the town. For Finalborgo, a hilltop and a stream.

Typical, cramped streets. How did they not foresee big SUVs? And getting the stink eye from a woman of a certain age. Timeless.

The town's church has a re-donk marble sculpture of angels stretching some lace. Ethereal. About that hill. A great place for a fort, Forte San Giovanni.

One timeless feature of a fort is good views. From a rampart, looking up the valley on a rainy day.

Soaking Up The Ligurian Coast In Italy

Ahh, the Italian riviera. Sun drenched, beach strolls, fresh seafood, the good life. Sometimes.

Surf's up. Windy day at the beach in Finale Marina.

The stroll is on! And so is the beach bench parking and gawking. A full house.

Not all days get sun. A raw day in March at the beach in Pietra Ligure. "No, you're not playing video games today, we're going to the beach!"

Memorial statue to lost sailors. Hunky. On the promenade, let the colorful games begin.

Another Pietra Ligure view. The sun will come out tomorrow.

Hanging At Luciano Pavarotti's Country Crib

Ahh, to live like an opera rock star! You can pretend for an hour or so, at the country villa of Luciano Pavarotti, near Modena in Italy. Time to go smash a TV or something.

House and grounds. Oh, and a giant Pavarotti portrait, him bursting through a curtain. Subtle.

Living room. Piano, for when inspiration strikes, tuxedo when super hero need strikes. A painting by the master. Pavarotti dabbled.

Big kitchen. Yellow was in that year. Double dishwashers!

Big bedroom and bathroom.

Half the house has been cleared of furniture and is now devoted to trophies and wardrobe. Probably plenty more keepsakes in storage.

Building The Brand At The Enzo Ferrari Museum

Wait, there's more than one Ferrari museum? Yes! So many fancy cars, so little warehouse space. For those people in disbelief, an explanation: The museum in Maranello concentrates on racing while the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena focuses on the man and what he made. Got it?

Enough words, let's see some wheels. Patience, let's start with the original factory building.

Plotting and planning. Globe for taking over the world inspiration. "We need to be dominating Oslo!" Where it all begins, big engines.

The grand showroom. Super cars and super duper cars.

Drawers of finishing options. "Can I get you in some blue leather today?" Getting crazy with performance and body color. No one will see you coming, you'll already be gone.

All excess aside, the Enzo Ferrari Museum features a beautiful parade of iconic street models that span the decades.