V-J Day in Times Square

We decided to skip the Ultimate World Cruise excursion to Rome today for several reasons. Despite the allure of revisiting one of the world's wonders, we had already explored the city with our grandkids, Jason and Beka, in 2022. Moreover, the lengthy journey from the port for just a few hours in Rome seemed impractical, especially considering the likely tourist congestion. There are at least six cruise ships docked today, and the city center is but a 90-minute drive away, so we decided to visit the local town of Civitavecchia instead.

An original photograph named "V-J Day in Times Square" (Victory over Japan) was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt on August 14, 1945, in New York City. It captured a spontaneous moment of celebration at the end of World War II, showing a US Navy sailor grabbing and kissing a woman in a white dress. The photo became an iconic image representing the joy and relief at the war's end.

Two statues, both created by J. Seward Johnson, exist in the world: one in Florida and the other where we're docked today in Civitavecchia, Italy.
The one in Florida is named "Unconditional Surrender" while the one in this port is "Il Bacio" (The Kiss).

Both of these statues are three-dimensional recreations of the scene captured in Eisenstaedt's photograph, and both closely mimic the pose and composition of the original photograph. Like that photograph, these statues were meant to evoke feelings of joy, relief, and celebration associated with the end of World War II. The presence of these statues in both the US and Italy shows how the image resonated internationally, becoming a symbol of post-war celebration beyond American borders.

Tomorrow we continue our trip through Italy and then on to France and Spain. We're looking forward to connecting again with the Draxler family who sat next to us at dinner from Miami to L.A. on the first leg of our journey. They'll be meeting us in Nice, France for a reunion. Following that we're catching up with our German acquaintance Ulli Huelsmann in Mallorca, Spain. Some of the many benefits of travel include a global awareness that can provide deeper insights into diverse ways of life,as well as meeting people from various backgrounds that can lead to lifelong friendships.