and Paddington Basin I took the bus from Central London to Blomfield bus stop near the Rembrandt Gardens in Little Venice and just strolled nicely to Paddington along the canal..Stopped for a Starbucks coffee near… More
Quirky London Part 2
and a lot of Camden
Sometimes (a lot to be truthful) i like to take pics of quirky crap which catches my eye. London delivers a lot of bizarre visual distractions.
Let’s begin with Her Majesty Elizabeth II The Queen. Her passing brought London and billions around the world to a standstill for the glorious spectacle of Her Funeral.
Unintentionally I was there to witness the event. I took pics of the flower park which was deeply moving..and filled with quirky sights…
Finally, with the famous words of Dr Livingstone: If travel ain’t FUN, stay home!
(He didn’t really say that)
V.O
London Chinatown
Fabulous vibrancy for photography. Playing with light on the lanterns.
FOOD!!!
Tiny area only a few blocks full of restaurants and herbal medicine oh and of course a Casino!
GO GO GO!
V.O
Ice on Lake
Horses of the Pyrénées
The Mérens, Cheval de Mérens or Caballo de Merens, still occasionally referred to by the older name of Ariégeois pony, is a small, rustic horse native to the Pyrenees and Ariégeois mountains of southern France, where the Ariège River flows, and northern Spain, near Andorra.
Monaco Fiasco
I swear it’s the last time i ever go to Monaco.
I had a mini panic attack driving through this grotesque concrete jungle on its minuscule promontory for the mega wealthy of our planet.
A whopping 53,000 euros per square metre for property in Monte Carlo!
Why?
Oh right…low taxes…and a great marina for the gigantic yatch..
Really?!?
I did not even want to stop ! just get me outta here!
V.O
Pink Lotus
The most important lotus, the true lotus of Buddha, is depicted as pink in color.
Stemming from this title, the pink lotus represents the history and essence of Buddha.
My pond has reached enlightenment…..
For further reading on the symbolism of the LOTUS please go to : Abundance of Wisdom
Happy photography!
V.O
Calanques de Marseille-Cassis
Moderate to difficult hike for these two calanques in particular.
Magic all the way.
We camped nearby in a natural setting.
The park is regulating the number of visitors to protect the environment..Hourah!
for Landscape Photography and great hiking..can’t go wrong here.
V.O
Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Not what you SEE but what you FEEL.
My feelings are too personal about this one to share.
It has taken me over a year to revisit and work these shots without being overwhelmed.
Let my photography attempt to show you a tiny glimpse.
Designing the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was no easy task.
It took 17 years of debate before the memorial was finally opened in May of 2005 (Chin).
Designer Peter Eisenman constructed an abstract memorial which avoided all symbolism with the intention of allowing the visitors to create their own interpretation from the absence of the structure.
According to Eisenman, “enormity and scale of the horror of the Holocaust is such that an attempt to represent it by traditional means is inevitably inadequate” (qtd. in Mahlum 282).
The lack of representation and symbolism of this memorial makes it much different than most memorials, which tend to give the viewer a strong sense of identification.
The absence of “symbolism reduces it to pure presence” (Marzynski).
This memorial is not about what is seen but instead what is felt by the viewer.
NEVER FORGET
V.O
Find out about it with these links:
Gordolasque Valley, Alpes
The Valley of Marvels
Located in the Mercantour National Park in the Alpes Maritimes department.
Quite a feat along the windy roads to get there with a worthwhile result.
The hike is splendid, no other words.
These are the summer views..i can just imagine in winter when these peaks are covered in snow.
It is called the valley of marvels..La Vallée des Merveilles..No contradiction here.
Google Advice here
Happy trails!
V.O
Apsaras of Angkor Wat
I fell in love with these ubiquitous graceful hindu goddesses in the various temples of the great Angkor Wat complex in Cambodia.
Apsaras Wikipedia for more info.
Happy Trails!
V.O
Quirky Paris (1)
I miss Paris so much! it’s been 18 months since my last visit…Yes the COVID.
It was a twice a year trip this last decade since moving to the south of France.
From home (Ariège) it’s a 4 hour high speed comfort plus train ride to the centre of my favourite city for walking, exploring, eating, lazying..and just being Parisian.
Quirky Paris Series will begin with the last neighbourhood of the snail shaped centre of the city, the 20th Arrondissement, home of the Pere Lachaise Cemetary, one of the quirkiest sites in the world and “the Campagne à Paris” a quirky country village.
Pére Lachaise Cimetiére
And so many more: https://www.paris.fr/equipements/cimetiere-du-pere-lachaise-4080
A Country Village
“La Campagne à Paris” in the 20th Arrondissement is a housing development dating from the 1920’s for the working class.
Cobbled streets and Country style bungalows with gardens.
Now it is for the rich..from 10,000 euros per square metre!
Walk Paris to dicover the quirky side.
V.O
The “French Tuscany”
Tuscany and Provence seem to be the only regions of international renown for their sunflower and lavender fields in stunning rural landscapes.
However, there exists a small region in the plains of the Pyrénées Ariègeoises with a striking ressemblance to its famous neighbours and locally nicknamed as “The Secret French Tuscany”.
Head on the National roads towards the Pyrénées from Carcassonne to Mirepoix for a few kms and Boom!
V.O
Quirky London!
Quirky series..aaah London ranks high on the “Quirk scale”.
V.O
The Eiffel lights up
The Bastille day favourite for fireworks in Paris..pre-Covid of course..Here is our dame at sunset.
V.O
Quirky Tour de France
The quirky silly nonsense is built into the event.
“La Caravane” is the Big crowd drawing parade of advertisers who throw free gifts at supporters and play loud french party music ..from the disco era of course..Donna Summer etc..and the latest rave music…Cacophony ensured!
Lets get the party going and cheer the cyclists on people!!!
Make sure to stand next to these catalans and the girls and boys will smile straight into your lens and throw you gifts..
(little trick from experienced photographer and fan of “le Tour”)
Million dollar show..Highest rating international TV sports event…yep i get it..
July 11 2021, Mont Louis, Pyrénées Orientales. etape 15 :Ceret-Andorre
V.O
The Tour de France in the backyard
I was swallowed up by the Peloton today up the road in the next village..every year it is a ritual to photograph this awesome event!
This year i was so lucky to be on a bridge parapet and within touching distance from my favs.
“It felt like being shaken inside an M&M box!” lol
Yikes i Love the tour!
Caudeval (Aude/Ariège etape 10 july 2021 Carcassonne-Quillan)
V.O
Mont St Michel
In Normandie, rising above the temperamental tides and famished quicksands, Mont St Michel has dominated the bay since Medieval times. Millions of christian pilgrims and tourists have since been drawn to visit this surreal and powerful site.
Mont St Michel is a Mass tourism Site so pick your time of year carefully if like me you are crowd phobic.
We went by camping car and there are tons of parking sites. As a first timer to the Mont you may want to spend the night. The visit requires a full day..maybe 2 for passionados.
Here is the website…
This is a bit of #travelspam as i was not there at the right time of day for the right light for photography..maybe next time..again..and again…i dont mind going back every few years..Normandy is stunning!!!
V.O
Andorra Summer
The Tour de France is going through Andorra next week!
Soldeu is a winter sports world championship station in winter and in summer a hiking paradise and one of the highest golf clubs on the planet..Jetsetters and “beautiful” people love Andorra..well what’s not to love, really?!
Magnificent Andorra!
V.O
London’s battle of the Highest Rises
Winner is the most omnipresent….
I just went through my London Skyline shots and had a laugh at the visible battle of cocks in London..gotta love it!
but seriously London’s skyline is awesome : look here.
Players: The Walkie-Talkie, The Shard, The Gherkin.
The Gherkin
The Shard
The Walkie-Talkie
Dont worry guys you’re all wonderful!
more London please…
V.O
Quirky Tuscany
The weird stuff you see in the back streets …and the even weirder stuff silly people do on holiday and what silly commerçants do to please those silly people..it’s a synergy…
Freaky Mannequins
Sillyness….
The autos..
It is not the size that counts..but if you can park it..
Bicycles
Street Art ..literally
Bizarre statues
The menus for the touristas..(they are not Davids)
Dante’s tomb
David (the fake one)
V.O
Nothing like a Rainforest…
to cool down in Summer…
New Caledonia..Mont Koghi Tropical Forest where i spent a lot of my early childhood years with my grandparents who lived there..The brilliant red is from the iron ore which is omnipresent on the island.
V.O
V.O. Photo and Travel Blog 