Travel theme: Romance

Posted on February 14, 2014 by ailsapm

The first mention of Valentine’s Day as a celebration of romantic love dates all the way back to 1382 when Geoffrey Chaucer penned his ‘Parlement of Foules’ and that well known verse “Roses are red, violets are blue” had its first outing in 1590 in Edmund Spenser’s ‘Faerie Queene’:

“She bath’d with roses red, and violets blew,
And all the sweetest flowres, that in the forrest grew.”

Nowadays, Valentine’s Day has been co-opted by big business and all of the romance that once existed has long since been traded for consumerism. This year maybe we could eschew the boxes of overly sweet candy and the Hallmark cards with soulless verses and instead, reclaim the romance. What do you find truly romantic – a glance, an unexpected gesture, a stolen kiss?

Rome is one of the world’s greatest romantic cities and it is perhaps the most alluring because it doesn’t show off. There is no fanfare; you make your way through a warren of narrow cobbled streets that stretch for miles and suddenly you round a corner and are faced with the impossibly ancient Parthenon or the utterly romantic Trevi Fountain. I didn’t have to look for the romance in Rome; the romance found me.

Piazza del Popolo, fountain, Rome, Italy, travel, photography, travelogue, Ailsa Prideaux-Mooney

carnival mask, venetian, Rome, Italy, travel, travelogue, photography, Ailsa Prideaux-Mooney

coffee, caffe latte, italian coffee, Rome, Italy, photography, travel, travelogue, Ailsa Prideaux-Mooney

Pincio Gardens, Rome, Italy, Piazzale Napoleone I, travel, travelogue, photography, Ailsa Prideaux-Mooney

I’m hoping you fall head over heels for this week’s theme because I’ve had an awful lot of fun with it. If you would like to join in (everyone’s welcome!) here’s what to do:

  • Create your own post and title it Travel theme: Romance
  • Include a link to this page in your post so others can find it too
  • Get your post in by next Thursday, as the new travel theme comes out on Friday
  • Don’t forget to subscribe to keep up to date on the latest weekly travel themes. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS!

Romance me!

xxx Ailsa

“Romance is the glamour which turns the dust of everyday life into a golden haze.” – Carolyn Gold Heilbrun

“Romance is everything.” – Gertrude Stein

Unknown's avatar

About ailsapm

Hi there! I’m Ailsa Prideaux-Mooney. I’ve lived in many places, and travelled to many more. I had a lot of fun getting there and being there, wherever there happened to be at the time. I climbed a castle wall in Czesky Krumlov, abseiled down cliffs to go caving in the west of Ireland, slept on the beach in Paros, got chased by a swarm of bees in Vourvourou (ok that wasn’t fun, but it was exciting), learned flower arranging in Tokyo, found myself in the middle of a riot in Seoul, learned to snowboard in Salzburg, got lost in a labyrinth in Budapest and had my ice cream stolen by a gull in Cornwall. And I’m just getting started. If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read so far, I’d love you to follow my travelogue - wheresmybackpack.com - and remember, anyone who tries to tell you it’s a small world hasn’t tried to see it all.
This entry was posted in Photography, Travel, Weekly Travel Themes and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

115 Responses to Travel theme: Romance

← Older Comments
Newer Comments →

  1. Pingback: Travel theme: Romance | Jejak Langkah

  2. ibuseno's avatar ibuseno says:
    February 15, 2014 at 5:10 am

    great themes in februari Alisa, I try it ini here

    Travel theme: Romance

  3. Pingback: Weekly Photo Challenge: Treasure | Geophilia Photography

  4. Pingback: My Magic Lamp | TRAVEL WORDS

  6. Pingback: 46/365 romance | @vannilla

  7. Pingback: Travel theme: Romance | decocraftsdigicrafts

  8. zuludelta45's avatar zuludelta45 says:
    February 15, 2014 at 5:26 pm

    I’m not sure if it was true, but the best line from Geoffrey Chaucer came in the movie A Knights Tale……” I shall eviscerate you in fiction”………what was true? I liked your post! Zulu Delta

  9. Pingback: Travel Theme: Romance | K2inCanada's Blog

  10. K2 in Canada's avatar K2 in Canada says:
    February 15, 2014 at 10:34 pm

    Now that was a challenge for a practical person :-). But I found some good examples after all. http://k2incanada.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/travel-theme-romance/

  11. Pingback: Weekly Travel Challenge: Romancing the Rose | WordsVisual

  12. Sue's avatar suej says:
    February 16, 2014 at 7:32 am

    Well, here’s mine, Ailsa…you can decide whether the Travel aspect is too tenuous! :http://suejudd.com/2014/02/16/weekly-travel-challenge-romancing-the-rose/

  13. Pingback: Travel Theme: Romance | Sunrise Adventures

  14. sunriseadventures's avatar sunriseadventures says:
    February 16, 2014 at 9:36 am

    Very apt theme for this week! Rome sprung to my mind to!

    Travel Theme: Romance

  15. Pingback: Travel theme: Romance | thechangingpalette

  17. Pingback: Weekly Travel Theme: Romance | Northwest Frame of Mind

  18. Lisa's avatar NW Frame of Mind says:
    February 16, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    What a timely subject Alisa. 🙂 I have an image of my husbands grandparents to share after a picnic in the park 90 years ago: http://nwframeofmind.com/2014/02/16/weekly-travel-theme-romance/

  19. Pingback: Travel Theme: Romance | Patchwork Ponderings

  20. Pingback: Travel theme: Romance | Kerlundphoto

  21. kerlund74's avatar kerlund74 says:
    February 17, 2014 at 12:31 pm

    Rome is a fantastic city, a great choice:) Here is my entry: http://kerlundphoto.se/2014/02/17/travel-theme-romance/

  22. Pingback: Travel Theme – ROMANCE | Isadora Art and Photography

  23. Inside the Mind of Isadora's avatar Inside the Mind of Isadora says:
    February 17, 2014 at 2:15 pm

    Ahhh … Romance is in the air in February. I think we should be romantic all the time.
    Hope you enjoy my entry. Ailsa.
    Thanks for hosting.
    Isadora
    http://isadoraartandphotography.com/2014/02/17/travel-theme-romance/

  25. Pingback: Where’s My Backpack Travel Theme: Romance | Emerald Sky Photography

  26. Pingback: The Lovers of Teruel/Spain | Foto Challenge

  28. Pingback: Ness Walk | northumbrian : light

  31. Pingback: Travel Theme: Romance | The Day After

  32. Pingback: ROMANCING THE…SNOW – Part Two, ENOUGH! | mvschulze

  33. Dauw's avatar Dauw says:
    February 18, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    Romance, while roaming in the ancient city of the Romans it couldn’t be more obvious, this week ‘s theme…

    This is my contribution, Ailsa
    http://lanterfanteren.blogspot.be/2014/02/a-blue-romance.html

    but in order to show you how inspiring this theme really was to me, I have two others as well :
    http://dauwpics.blogspot.be/2014/02/two-lips.html and
    http://lanterfanteren.blogspot.be/2014/02/romance.html

  34. DagEnDauw's avatar DagEnDauw says:
    February 18, 2014 at 1:48 pm

    Could it be, my first reaction just disappeared? (In that case here ‘s a second try …)

    Romance, while roaming in the ancient city of the Romans it couldn’t be more obvious this week‘s theme…

    Here’s is my contribution, Ailsa :
    http://lanterfanteren.blogspot.be/2014/02/a-blue-romance.html

    but in order to show you how inspiring this theme really was to me, I have two others as well :
    http://dauwpics.blogspot.be/2014/02/two-lips.html and
    http://lanterfanteren.blogspot.be/2014/02/romance.html

  35. Pingback: Travel Theme: Romance | Photography Journal Blog

  37. Pingback: Travel theme: Romance | The World Is a Book...

  38. Amy's avatar Amy says:
    February 18, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    Hi Ailsa, Here is my entry for the beautiful theme: http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2014/02/18/travel-theme-romance/
    Thank you!

  39. Pingback: Travel Theme: Romance | Shoot 'N Go

  41. Pingback: Travel Theme: ROMANCE | THE REWILD WEST

  42. TheRewildWest's avatar TheRewildWest says:
    February 18, 2014 at 9:11 pm

    Here’s my always unique take on the theme. Thanks!

    Travel Theme: ROMANCE

    –Love and Liberation–
    Jan, http://www.JanSmitowicz.com

  43. Pingback: travel theme: romance « I used to be indecisive...

  44. Elaine - I used to be indecisive's avatar Elaine - I used to be indecisive says:
    February 18, 2014 at 11:46 pm

    Lovely photos. I’m hoping to get to Rome one day soon. Here’s a romantic photo from my visit to Venice. http://wp.me/pRM20-1ZA

  45. ninanordstream's avatar ninano says:
    February 19, 2014 at 2:10 am

    A purple romance with a sumptuous bedspread from Turkey.
    http://vackrare.com/2014/02/19/purple-romance

  46. Pingback: Travel Theme – Romance | Endless Skys

  48. Pingback: 2-19-14 Travel Theme: Romance 2 | The Quotidian Hudson

  50. Pingback: Travel Theme: Romance | Rainbow Bakery

← Older Comments
Newer Comments →

Comments are closed.