Lili Marlene

After all the chaos, and hustle and bustle of crowds comes the joy of savouring the peace and sublime silence of a winter’s evening in Venice. It's at times like this that the true identity of the city emerges, no longer suppressed by the turmoil of the transient tourist hoards. Your attention, no longer distracted, is free to explore scenes that might otherwise be completely masked or swamped. Sitting outside quietly enjoying dinner at a restaurant in Campo Santo Stefano, I was attracted by this solitary figure standing under the street lamp apparently contemplating something in her hand. The scene reminded me of one that might have been part of an old black and white movie, where a woman stands, waiting for something or someone- what? or who? we're never to know. And as such, a photograph that might have been the perfect cover for the famous song by Marlene Dietrich Lili Marlene :

Underneath the lantern
By the barrack gate
Darling I remember
The way you used to wait
'Twas there that you whispered tenderly
That you loved me
You'd always be
My Lili of the lamplight
My own Lili Marlene