A Photo a Day

Pictures from different corners of the world. This category is HUGE - select a country category to see only images from 1 country.

May 4, 2013

Nightfall in Heraklion

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Taken after Sunset in Iraklio, Crete

December 3, 2011

River Avon

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Avon River Stratford
The Avon at Stratford upon Avon. The crisp morning light made up for the cold…

August 11, 2011

Cowfish

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thornback cowfish in the Frankfurt aquarium
The aquarium of the Frankfurt zoo is a world of its own - especially recommended on rainy days when other animals retreat to their stables…

October 25, 2010

Çay - Turkish Tea

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tea cups on a tray

October 23, 2010

Pamukkale

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Pamukkale is famous for its snow white terraces, but this is not the only attraction - the remnants of ancient Hierapolis are equally impressive.
A very beautiful place. Especially, the old necropolis is very attractive and much less crowded than the terraces and the Roman bath.
By the way, the terraces had almost been destroyed by tourism and only after demolition of some hotels taking their calcium rich water and strict regulation of the access to the terraces (most are completely off limits, you can walk some, but only without shoes) they could be restored to their orginal white splendour.

October 21, 2010

Near Bodrum

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lone tree
a tree trunk seen from the bus, near Bodrum.

October 20, 2010

Ephesus

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Columns in Ephesus
Even the rainy season can create quite attractive light conditions - photographers may be better suited to appreciating this while trudging through the mud.

Eros and Psyche

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One of the many beautiful exhibits at Ephesos museum.

October 19, 2010

Kusadasi Sunset

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Statue of doves flying from an open hand

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October 18, 2010

Trojan Squirrel

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As this animal was very busy excavating items hidden under Trojan soil and inspecting the cravices of the ancient walls, we called it Heinrich after German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann.

Troy

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This is a beautiful place with a special atmosphere - however it is quite difficult to imagine scenes from Homer’s Iliad here…

October 17, 2010

On the way to Troy

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Mosque

Road

Shot from the bus…

October 16, 2010

Basilica Cistern, Istanbul

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Cistern in IstanbulA beautiful sight that is a world apart from the bustle of the metropolis above.

October 15, 2010

Lights of the Orient

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lamps sold at the Egyptian Bazaar Istanbul

October 2, 2010

Coendou

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a Prehensile-tailed porcupine or coCohendou on a small treeendou at the Frankfurt Zoo

September 16, 2010

Mainz at night

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Seen from Wiesbaden.

September 13, 2010

Hill

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trees on a hill
Trees lined up on a hill near the “Bucher Stausee” a water reservoir. (”Ostalb”, Southern Germany).

September 12, 2010

Gallows Monument, Ellwangen

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A big black cross formed somewhat like a gallows
A wooden cross with a diagonal bar like a gallows marks the site where the gallows of Ellwangen stood.
Here, also many “witches” were burned in witch trials in the 16th and 17th century.
The monument commemorating these sinister events was inspired by Sieger Köder.

Church windows by Sieger Köder

More art by Sieger Köder

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church window by Sieger Köder
Church window in St. Francis Chapel of the “Marienpflege Children Village”, an orphanage in Ellwangen.

chapel door

September 10, 2010

Mushrooms

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small mushroom in the forest
Moss and mushrooms in the woods near Neuler, Southern Germany.

Church windows by Sieger Köder

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church window by Sieger Koeder in Ellwangen
Renowned artist Sieger Köder created all the windows for the small, mnodern Hl Geist Kirche (Holy Ghost Church) in Ellwangen, Southern Germany.
More on Sieger Köder at the Website of the city of Ellwangen.

September 9, 2010

Tree spirits

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sculpture path near Neuler
These wooden “tree spirits” are one of the exhibits lining the “sculpture path” at Neuler, Southern Germany.

July 26, 2010

The hare has quit his job?

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hare costume
not that one could blame him - after all, on a hot afternoon it’s not really fun to wear such a costume…
Seen in Frankfurt Zoo

July 25, 2010

Freedom 2

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Looking at the photo I posted yesterday, I thought a tighter crop might be better and actually prefer the cropped result:
Cropped version of the leaves peeking through a fence

July 24, 2010

Freedom!

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Fresh green leaves coming through a massive iron fenceat Yoyogi park (Tokyo, Japan)
Freedom

April 25, 2010

Leaf

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the sun shines through a young leaf in Ritsurin garden

another impression from Ritsurin garden.

Ritsurin Garden

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in Takamatsu (Shikoku):
one of the most beautiful parks in Japan

April 24, 2010

Dogs in a shop

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puppy in Himeji

another young dog in the same shop

There were quite a few puppies in this shop in Himeji, near the famous castle, every one in its own small plastic box, looking outside.
Of course I wish that every one finds a nice home and a good owner, but isn’t it a pity that such shops can make money this way?

View from the Castle

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This picture is the view one has from the top level of Kochi castle.
The castle was never actually attacked.

April 23, 2010

On the move - sometimes it needs a little push

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This historic train in Matsuyama (Shikoku) had to be shifted to the neighbouring track in order to make room for the arriving streetcar.
Obviously, it was easier to move by muscle power than to attach the (also historic locomative) and let it leave under its own power.
I saw the same train in action though, a bit later.
the tram arrives

More pictures:
three men moving one train car

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April 22, 2010

Stairs to the top - Miyajima

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stairs
The easy way to get to the top of the mountain offering a beautiful view of small islands and the coast is, of course, the ropeway.
However, if you take a return, you are missing out on many scenic spots and small mountain temples.
In this little temple hundreds of small Buddha statues line the way.

April 21, 2010

Miyajima revisited

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many years ago, I took a shot of the famous floating Tori at low tide.

Now I visited again at high tide.dsc05556-miyajima.jpg

April 12, 2010

Ikebana

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Impressions from an Ikebana exhibition in Meiji Jingu:

Japanese Flower arrangement

Fruits can be included too

Ikebana at Meiji Jingu

Ikebana at Meiji Jingu

April 11, 2010

Rest in Peace, Turtle

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Seen in Kamakuras Haze Dera temple.

April 10, 2010

Great Buddha at Kamakura

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Great Buddha statue (headshot)

Daibutsu

The great Buddha statue in Kamakura is among Japans best known attractions.
Although the huge structure seems quite compact, it is actually hollow and visitors are actually admitted to enter inside.
Not really photogenic, but quite an experience nevertheless.
Below, you see a shot taken upwards, the black whole wolud be where the neck joins the torso.
Inside the Buddha statue

April 9, 2010

Megurogawa Sakura Matsuri in Nakameguro

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Lampions decorate both sides of Megurogawa river in Nakameguro, Tokyo (Japan):

Megurogawa river, Tokyo

Cherry blossoms in Nakameguro (more…)

September 2, 2009

Woodpecker in Rossitten

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Woodpecker in Rossitten

Rossitten is well-known for the ornithologists who are following the movement of migratory birds by marking them with the usual rings.
However, in today’s world science is not everything -public relations are also important.
While humans may easily understand this concept, this tiny woodpecker obviously was not convinced - the bird was used to demonstrate the technique of applying rings and had to endure several minutes as a model while two busloads of tourists were asking questions…

September 1, 2009

Stork

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A stork sitting in the dunes at Nida (Lithuania)

August 30, 2009

Wilhelm Busch adreaming

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Busch asleep in his armchair
A very lively and impressive short play in Hamburg’s Ernst Deutsch theatre has Wilhelm Busch as the main character, who is asleep in his armchair throughout the play.
The action takes place around him as his ceations start to come alive in his dreams and a charming muse accompanied by two musiciand provides the musical background.

August 28, 2009

Securely locked?

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A piece of red thread “secures” the door of the last cabin in the train from Gdansk to Szczecin, in Poland.
More pictures from Poland

August 25, 2009

Sunflower

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Sunflower in Nikolaiken
I saw this sunflower near my hotel when returning from the lake in the early morning.
It is already past its best and distinctly orange in daylight, but the morning sun made it appear much more powerful…
Sony Alpha 900, Minolta 100 mm (2.8).

August 23, 2009

Sunset in Nida

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Sunset
the sun sets over the baltic sea in nida, Lithuania

August 21, 2009

Baltic Sea and Beach

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Hel Peninsula, Poland.
Baech in Poland

August 20, 2009

A view for the rich

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Swetlogorsk
Swetlogorsk (the former German Rauschen) offers not only a nice view of the baltic sea, but quite a few villas and upper class hotels for Russias rich.
It is situated in the Kaliningrad region.

August 19, 2009

Cathedral in Frombork

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The cathedral is the place where Nicolaus Copernicus worked and made many of his observations.
His grave also was recently discovered inside this church.

August 18, 2009

Dancing House

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Dancing house in Sopot
The famous dancing house in Sopot - a cousin of “Ginger and Fred” in Prague?

August 17, 2009

Shakespeare in Gdansk

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The bard is always up to date and even has a web site and a festival in Poland:
Shakespeare banner in Gdansk

March 21, 2009

Spring - at last

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The first flowers have already been out for a while, but there also are some clear indications that spring has come to Wiesbaden’s “Fasanerie”, a small zoo specialising in domestic animals:
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The goats are enjoying the first rays of spring

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The bears are out - although they are a bit sleepy still

wolves
Love is in the air among the wolves

January 15, 2009

Prague Photos

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I’m currently in Prague - a beautiful city albeit a bit cold at the moment.
Still, some pictures I’ve taken: http://www.travel-photographer.eu/gallery/v/Europe/CzechRepublic/

Modern art in the city centre

September 14, 2008

The walls of Ávila

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Medieval walls of Ávila at night

walls at Night, Ávila, Central Spain
Ávila is renowned for its medieval city walls and rightly so.
The whole old town centre is encircled by the granite city walls and is a truly impressive sight at night.
Ávila is on the world heritage list and it’s not only fun to walk the walls but also to just explore the medieval streets and churches.

August 11, 2008

Karlskrona Lighthouse

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Karlskrona Lighthouse
Lighthouse in Karlskrona (Sweden). Karlskrona is renowned for its baroque buildings in the city centre, but the relaxed atmosphere at the waterside appealed to me even more.

August 10, 2008

Puruvesi Lake: Weeds in the setting sun

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Weeds in Purivesi lake at sunset
This is yet another photo taken at sunset close to the cottage we rented in Finland.
More views of Puruvesi Lake:
Sunset in Finland
Nightfall in Finland
Sunset Weeds

August 8, 2008

Glo Beast

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Glo beast - a cuddly Tiger on Hotel bed
Hotel Glo in Helsinki offers nice rooms with a very special service: when we entered the room, a soft toy tiger was already expecting us.
This was meant to be our companion for the duration of the stay, taking the”Glo Beast”with us would have cost 30 €.
Still, a funny idea and quite a contrast to the very modern rooms fitted with fast internet access…

August 6, 2008

Kalmar Castle

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Kalmar castle (Sweden, photo: Laurenz Bobke)

Kalmar is a pleasant town in Southern Sweden that has many beautiful buildings and one truly historic monument: Kalmar castle, where the Kalmar Union (combining Denmark, Sweden and Norway) was founded in 1397, as a counterweight to the rapidly growing Hanse.
This is one of the most important and most beautiful castles in Sweden.

August 5, 2008

Sunset in Finland

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Sunset, Puruvesi Lake, Finland
I didn’t fiddle with the saturation here - sunsets can be quite spectacular in Finland.

August 4, 2008

Beach at El Tortuguero

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Beach in Costa Rica
El Tortuguero (Limón province) is known for its canals and for the turtles that build their nests on the beaches of this fascinating nature reserve.
Actually, the name of the place is derived from Spanish “tortuga” for turtle.
Even when there are no turtles, the beaches are quite beautiful and the boat tours on the canals are fun.

August 2, 2008

Stormy weather in Söderåkra

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A thunderstorm is gathering
Another case of photogenic “bad” weather. Fortunately, the thunderstorm was a few kilometres away, when we were riding on our bikes through woods and field in Southern Sweden.
This photo was taken near Söderåkra, where we had a nice little holiday cottage.
There are some old windmills in the area, but lots of new ones generating power from wind energy…

July 31, 2008

Young elk at Skansen

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young elk at Skansen

young elk standing

Skansen is a museum village right in the centre of Stockholm showing many wooden buildings from Sweden.
It also has a nice zoo with domestic animals including elk and bears.
This young elk obviously still had some problems to coordinate 4 long legs…

July 28, 2008

Nightfall in Finland.

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Night is falling in Finland
Even when the weather is “bad”, it can be highly photogenic in Finland.
Here, a little bit of rain is falling on Puruvesi lake shortly after sunset (Enanlahti near Punkaharju).
Although it never gets really dark at night, it’s already too late in July for real “midnight sun”.

July 27, 2008

Stockholm Sunset

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Sunset in Stockholm
This is a picture that just happened - I saw the sky turn red and the silhouette of the iron Spire of Riddarholm Church, so I walked over the next bridge and shot this.
I then tried to improve on the shot by using the “Katarina Hissen” (an elevator with a spectacular view) to a viewing platform, but it was not possible to get the setting sun directly behind the church.

July 10, 2008

Sunset Weeds

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Weeds in the evening light, a moment after the sun set seen in Finland.

July 9, 2008

Thistle

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There are lots of flowers near the lake, but I especially like the thistles.

June 1, 2008

Mobile Gallery

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I was quite surprised by the image quality I saw in my Nokia smartphone. Not quite as good as a big photo on a big screen of course, but much better than I would have thought.
So. I’m now trying out a special gallery for use with a cell phone on my site:
http://www.travelphoto.net/m/

One word of caution: the pictures there are meant for devices with 320*240 pixle displays, I don’t have a real way to check smaller sizes anyway.
Of course, all this is quite experimental at the moment - please tell me how you like it and what (if any) bugs you find!

Laurenz

March 23, 2008

Caiman Portrait

Filed under: — www.travelphoto.net @ 11:42 am

Crocodile at Tambor Beach

I spotted this nice fellow under a bridge crossing a small rivulet near the hotel.
As this was the mouth of the small river, and the water presumably quite brackish, I guess that this was a crocodile rather than a caiman, but I’m by no means sure.
Maybe someone more knowledgeable can enlighten me?
Actually, the way this animal looked was quite “cute”, and neither of us seemed to be scared although we were only a few meters away from each other…

March 22, 2008

Evening in Costa Rica

Filed under: — www.travelphoto.net @ 11:30 am

sunset over Tambor Beach
An impressive evening sky seen from Playa Tambor on the Pacific side of Costa Rica (actually located on the Nicoya Peninsula).

February 8, 2008

Water Hole

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Addo Elephant Park
Seen in Addo Elephant park, South Africa.

February 6, 2008

Fountain in San Francisco

Filed under: — www.travelphoto.net @ 9:36 pm

fountain

I was fascinated by the view of the fountain against the sun and tried my best to capture it…

February 5, 2008

Wiesbaden Buddha

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Buddha in a shop window, Wiesbaden
A golden Buddha is contemplating the city life from a quiet spot in a barber’s shop.
Seen in Wiesbaden

February 4, 2008

More carnival Impressions

Filed under: — www.travelphoto.net @ 6:20 pm

Autumn in Winter time? A man (?) dressed up in brownish leaves
This man looks like a figure straight from an Arcimboldo painting…

huns in Wiesbaden
This was truly an international event.
Visitors included a group of huns…

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…and even a squad of imperial military straight from Star Wars.

February 3, 2008

Wiesbaden Carnival 2008

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A glorious winter day provides a good opportunity for the participants to show off their beauty…
Last year’s images:
Wiesbaden: Carnival 2007 - I
Wiesbaden: Carnival 2007 - II
Photos from the Carnival parade 2006
and
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/2006/02/25/carnival-in-wiesbaden/

January 28, 2008

Windmills of San Francisco

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A Dutch windmill in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

January 27, 2008

Coral Bay, Cyprus

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Coral Bay, a beautiful beach near Paphos

Coral Bay, situated north of Paphos.

January 26, 2008

Dance performance at Shamwari Game Reserve

Filed under: — www.travelphoto.net @ 10:53 am

dance performance, Shamwari Park

South African Dance Performance, Shamwari

dancer at Shamwari, South Africa

Dancer at Shamwari

This performance wass held in Shamwari Park, one of the many game parks along the Garden Route, South Africa.
Decidedly touristy, but a very nice photo opportunity and good fun.

January 25, 2008

Egyptian God Bes at Dendera

Filed under: — www.travelphoto.net @ 10:32 am

God Bes, Dendera
Ugly and never shown in profile this dwarf-like god looks very un-Egyptian, and indeed it is suspected that he was imported from somewhere else, maybe other parts of Africa.
Still, as a protector of homes and childbirth, Bes was quite popular although no temples were dedicated to him.
He also acted as god of war and music.
This high relief of Bes (also spelt: Bisu or Bez) is at the entrance to the Dendera temple of Hathor (near Luxor)

January 20, 2008

Gamelan Music

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Gamelan orchestra in Ubud, Bali
A Gamelan orchestra performing in Ubud, Bali.
For ears used to European classical music, this sounds very strange and noisy, but the atmosphere of such a performance is truly unique.

January 17, 2008

Japanese soldier guarding Kumamoto Castle

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well maybe his distant offspring…

January 16, 2008

Near the temple, Dendera

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Everyday life goes on beside the ruins.

January 11, 2008

Colca Canyon

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For a long time, it was believed that the Colca Canyon was the deepest canyon on earth, but it turned out that the nearby Cotahuasi Canyon is even deeper.
In any case, the Colca Canyon is an attraction and walking there is a unique experience.
It is quite a strenuous effort, however, - after all it is situated at a height of approximately 3500 meters and acclimatisation is essential.
More on the Colca Canyon at Wikipedia.
More pictures from Peru on my main site and in this blog:
http://peru.travelphoto.net/
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/category/photos/peru/

January 10, 2008

Another View of the Levada Nova

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Levada Nova
It is a very relaxing experience to walk along a levada through woods and fields.
The levada Nova in the Western part of Madeira is quite an easy walk and very varied.
Local agencies organise the walks, but it is quite easy to do a walk on your own as well: although there are hardly any signposts, the “levada” carrying the water across the island usually clearly identifies the correct way.

More Levada images:
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/2008/01/03/walking-the-levada-nova-madeira/
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/2004/03/22/madeira-levada-wanderung/

January 7, 2008

Castlerigg Stone Circle, near Keswick

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sheep, tourists and a stone circle in Castelrigg (Cumbria, England)

Castle Rigg Stone Circle, England, near Keswick

Castlerigg Stone Circle, United Kingdom, photo Laurenz Bobke

The stone circle is about 5000 years old and today consists of 38 stones of varying size.
I’ve seen it in good and bad weather and don’t know which atmosphere to prefer.

more about the Castelrigg circle and more pictures of the stone ring and the sheep:
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/2006/11/12/sheep-at-castlerigg-stone-circle/
http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/2005/08/21/castlerigg-stone-circle/

Even more facts at Wikipedia.

January 5, 2008

Near Ouarzazate

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In the back, you can see the Atlas mountains…

January 3, 2008

Walking the Levada Nova (Madeira)

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This is a typical Levada - the water runs in the small canal and it is possible to walk on the stones beside it, - even in rough terrain.
The Levada Nova is a very beautiful and easy walk.

January 1, 2008

Strange Creature in Bad Hersfeld

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Sculpture in Bad Hersfeld
A rusty statue seen in a Bad Hersfeld park.
Actually quite cute, isn’t he?

Happy New Year!

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portrait of Senior, an old toy bear
What will 2008 bring?
A happy and prosperous New Year To All - and all the best for any travels you may undertake!

June 20, 2007

Take it from the Hippos Mouth

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hippo in Opelzoo, Germany
This fellow is hoping for carrots and you actually can see a few deep inside the hippos mouth.
The teeth are quite impressive, and fortunately you cannot smell the animal’s breath…

June 18, 2007

A Day at the Zoo

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The Suricates or Meerkats (German: “Erdmännchen”) are everybody’s darlings…

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The Marabou Stork may not be among nature’s most beautiful photo models, but it’s fascinating to watch and seems to be quite intelligent…
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A nice day to relax on the lawn…

I took all these photos (and many more) at the Opel Zoo in Kronberg, not too far away from Frankfurt (Germany).

May 30, 2007

La Koutoubia Marrakesh

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More photos from Marrakesh.

May 27, 2007

Lisbon at Night

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The centre of Lisbon in the blue hour.

May 26, 2007

Electrico - Lisbon Tram

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the famous Electrico (Lisboa / Lisbon, Portugal, Photo by Laurenz Bobke)

An “electrico” or traditional Lisbon tram. There are many expensive tours on double decker buses, but a ride with electrico 28 will also bring you to most attractions and actually get much closer to some of them.
It’s also much cheaper - and more fun!
The sign on the tram says “colinas de Lisboa” - “Hills of Lisbon” and indeed, it has a steep hill to climb.
Like Rome, Lisbon is built on 7 hills and there are “Miradouras” (”golden views”) almost everywhere.

May 25, 2007

Atlas Mountains

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somewhere n theAtlas mountains, Morocco
The Atlas mountains on the way to Ouarzazate.
More photos from Morocco

The photos on this site are copyright by Laurenz Bobke.

Ponte 25 de Abril (Lisbon)

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Sunset over the Ponte 25 de Abril, seen from Cascilhas
A cheap and entertaining way to see Lisbon from another angle is to take the ferry to Cacilhas.
Here I was lucky enough to see quite an impressive sky over the “Ponte 25 de Abril” bridge just before sunset.

May 22, 2007

Suzhou Street

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Suzhou Street, Summer Palace, Beijing

An ancient picturesque “shopping mall” for the imperial household.
Today, you can see only tourists instead of the empress and the imperial concubines - but then who would have had the privilege to see this in the 18th century?
This is one of the major attractions of the Summer Palace where you can easily spend a whole day…

May 19, 2007

St Peter, Rome

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St Peter and Angels' Bridge
St. Peter’s Basilica and the Angels’ bridge leading to it across the Tiber (Italian Tevere) river.

April 9, 2007

Paphos sunset

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 3:56 pm


Paphos sunset, originally uploaded by laurenz.

I watched the sun set 3 times during my week in Pafos (Cyprus).
and two times it was absolutely stunning.

April 6, 2007

Breaking Light

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A moment after a short but heavy rain, light breaks through the clods in the Troodos mountains. A tiny bit of the sea is visible in the background.

April 1, 2007

Agios Georgios

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Agios Georgios is not far from Paphos where I spent a fascinating 1 week holiday.
The water is crystal clear and the coast extremely beautiful - although you do not find the perfect white or golden sand beaches of other holiday locations on Cyprus.
More photos from Agios Georgios.

March 23, 2007

Nubian Museum at Night

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The Nubian museum in Aswan is one of the most interesting museums I have visited -much more inspiring than the famous, crammed Egyptian museum in Cairo.
Here, all items are shown in the best light - very similar to the equally beautiful Luxor museum.
Outside the museum itself, there are some traditional buildings to be seen, like the small mosque on the picture.
Wandering around the compounds at night is an almost magical experience.

March 19, 2007

Diana Fountain, Syracuse

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Fontana Della Diana, Syracuse

The Diana Fountain on Piazza Archimede at night.
Syracuse at night is a photographer’s paradise. The lights of the harbour and the illuminated monuments create a very special atmosphere.
The photo above was taken with my Minolta Dynax 9 in the blue hour on Fujichrome Velvia using the camera flash and a remote controlled flash as fill-in.

March 17, 2007

On the way to Ouarzazate

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En route to Ouarzazate

The drive to Ouarzazate is a standard excursion from Marrakesh - and highly recommended.
There are some breathtaking views from the Atlas mountain and beautiful landscapes anywhere.
The tourist buses are comfortable - but if I ever get there gain, I’ll try to find a taxi instead - so that I can make more photo stops and exactly where I want them.

March 16, 2007

Lynx

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Here you can see the typical small tuft of black hair on the ears of the lynx.
This is easily the biggest cat species in central Europe and a very impressive sight.

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Another typical feature of the Lynx is its short, stubby tail.
Again, these pictures were taken at the “Fasanerie” in Wiesbaden, Germany.

March 13, 2007

Near Clonmacnoise

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When I visited Clonmacnoise, the weather changed rapidly. Here, I got a shot of the surroundings, just a moment before rain started pouring down.
Fortunately, the AV-show was interesting and the rain had disappeared when we came outside again.

March 11, 2007

A day at the “Fasanerie”, Wiesbaden

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The “Fasanerie” in Wiesbaden is home to animals that used to live in the region such as the Wisent (a form of buffalo), wolves and even some bears.

more photos taken at the “Fasanerie”, Wiesbaden: racoon, young foxes.
more photos from Wiesbaden at A Photo a Day.
I also have a special site only showing photos from Wiesbaden.
More about Wiesbaden:
Official website of the city
The salient facts at Wikipedia.

March 10, 2007

The Rhône at Arles

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Arles has many sights to offer - a roman amphitheatre, many churches and an ancient and formerly very important cemetery.
A very good way to relax in between is to take a stroll along the Rhône river.

March 7, 2007

Dambulla: Monkey Business

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A monkey right outside the Dambulla (Sri Lanka) caves.
Looks like he might have been the role model for Mr. Spock?

March 5, 2007

The Tree outside my Window

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I just liked the light on the withered bark of the tree…
Doesn’t it almost look like a face?

March 4, 2007

Lunar Eclipse (Wiesbaden, Germany)

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Lunar eclipse
The lunar eclipse, seen a few minutes ago in Wiesbaden from my kitchen window.
Fortunately the clouds broke although there always was a little bit of a hazy cloud screen making the photo somewhat less sharp than desirable.
Minolta 7d, Tokina 80-400, image cropped.

March 3, 2007

Valle de la Luna (Chile)

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Moon Valley, Chile
The “valley of the moon” (that’s what “valle de la luna” means) is situated in the Atacama desert, not too far from San Pedro de Atacama.
Indeed, some parts of the valley look as though there was no life on Earth…
Oh, and - of course - there are more “valles de la luna” in other Spanish speaking parts of the world (Bolivia, Argentina…), but this is the most famous one.

March 2, 2007

Moroccan Sunsets

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A sunset in the Atlas Mountains, shot when returning from Ouarzazate to Marrakesh.

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Sunset in the “Palmerie” of Marrakesh.

February 27, 2007

Ksar Aït-Ben-Haddou

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Aït-Ben-Haddou maybe is the most famous “Ksar” in Morocco.
This fortified village has been featured in many Hollywood productions although Ksar Ouled Soltane in Tunisia may be even more famous.

February 26, 2007

Peru: Somewhere in the Altiplano

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Seen from the Andean Explorer train connecting Cuzco to Puno (Lago Titicaca).
More pictures from Peru at my Weblog and the Peru country galleries.

February 24, 2007

Bodhgaya

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Just a short distance from the town centre, Bodhgaya looks like just another small village -not like one of the most important religious places on Earth.
More photos from India.

February 21, 2007

Sapporo Nightfall

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A red sky on a slightly rainy evening in Sapporo (Hokkaido, Japan)

February 19, 2007

Wiesbaden: Carnival 2007 II

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Some more pictures of the carnival parade in Wiesbaden.

February 18, 2007

Wiesbaden: Carnival 2007

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Some pictures from this year’s carnival parade in Wiesbaden.

February 17, 2007

Menara Gardens II

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The pavillion and the great water reservoir were built by Saadian Sultan Abd er Rahman in 1870.
I visited Marrakesh in winter-time and the temperature was quite agreeable. However, in the heat of summer, those gardens must have been a veritable oasis and a welcome escape from the city.

February 16, 2007

Menara Gardens

Menara Garden, Marrakesh

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Surrounded by olive groves, Menara Gardens makes for a very scenic change from the bustle of central Marrakesh.
Even though the water of the pool in front of the pavilion looks somewhat murky. it’s still one of the most romantic places the city has to offer.
You can see the door in the red wall on both photos, by the way.

February 12, 2007

Medersa Ben Youssef II

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More impressions from the Medersa, one of the most important sights of Marrakesh.

February 11, 2007

Medersa Ben Youssef

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Medersa Ben Youusef

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Some impressions from the Medersa Ben Youssef in Marrakesh.
This Islamic school dates back to the 16th century and used to be the most important such institution in the whole Maghreb.

February 9, 2007

Punta Arenas

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Punta Arenas is the southernmost city in the world.
Seems that the brightly coloured roofs have to make up for the rough climate…

February 7, 2007

Bunraku in Kyoto

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Gion Corner in Kyoto may not be the most authentic place for Japanese Theatre, but it’s a good way to see different styles of theatre in one evening - and photography is allowed.

Bunraku is the art of the Japanese puppet theatre - one puppet may require several puppet players although there’s always a lead player who sometimes is fully visible.

More about Bunraku
Bunraku at Gion Corner, Kyoto

February 4, 2007

Los Roques… and the Teide

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The Cinchado rock, one of the most famous rocks in Tenerife.
Los Roques are one of the most attractive results of the volcanic eruptions.

February 3, 2007

Picturesque bad weather (Patagonia)

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View of the sea in Patagonia (Southern Chile).
Although the waether is not exactly inviting, the atmosphere is something unforgettable…

February 2, 2007

Tourist bus in Marrakesh

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Quite a nice way to get an overview of the city before diving into the souks of Marrakesh: the tourist bus stops at all the major sites and you can hop on and off as much as you like for 24 hours.
It’s also a good way to shoot some photos that you normally couldn’t but one should bear in mind that most Moroccans prefer not to be photographed.

February 1, 2007

Saadian Tombs

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The Saadian dynasty ruled in southern Morocco in the 16th and 17th centuries.
There are the remains of about 60 members of the dynasty within the mausoleum, outside are the graves of servants and soldiers.

January 28, 2007

Inner sanctuary, Abu Simbel

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When I last visited Anu Simbel in 2004, it was imposible to take photos of the inner sanctuary.
Fortunately, I had already done so 12 years earlier.
In the sanctuary there four seated statues of Amun, Ra-Harakhty, Ptah, and Ramesses.
The temple was constructed in such a way that the sun shines directly on 3 of the statues during two days of the year only the statue of Ptah - the god of darkness - remains in the shadow.
More pictures from Abu Simbel.

January 26, 2007

A rainy night in the Lake district

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rain falls at night in Keswick, Lake district

Nightly rain in Keswick, in the English Lake district.

January 24, 2007

Lotus Bud

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Lotus
A lotus flower in a Fukuoka Temple.

January 23, 2007

Get Well, Andy

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There is a beautiful “get well gallery” for Andrew Davidhazy who is currently recovering from an illness.
Andy is professor at the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences (Rochester Institute of Technology) and founder of one of the liveliest photo forums on the internet whose members now have contributed the works displayed in the gallery.

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January 19, 2007

Canal St. Martin

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Another photo from the
Canal St. Martin in Paris.
The atmosphere here is completely different compare to the more renowned attractions, but I’d prefer it even to a stroll along the Seine.
A notice about homeless people camping in tents along this old canal reminded me of my last Paris visit.

More on this story:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0701/S00176.htm
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,457516,00.html
http://www.paris-link-home.com/news/121/ARTICLE/1580/2006-12-19.html
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070108.wxhomeless08/BNStory/International/home
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5318251

January 17, 2007

Nafplion: view from the mountain

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View from the mountan, Nafplion

View from Akronauplia mountain.

January 16, 2007

Costa Rica: Monkey on the Beach

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Hanging your rucksack from a tree may offer a certain protection against other species, however, the Capuchin monkeys are not easily deterred, especially if they know there are fruits to be found.
Actually, a few minutes later when nobody was looking, a colleague of the monkey in the picture retrieved a shopping bag full of fruit from another traveller and disappeared with it in a high tree.
Seen on a Costa Rica beach.

January 15, 2007

Pharaoh

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:28 am

statue in the Egyptian museum, Luxor
seen in the beautiful Luxor museum.

January 13, 2007

Red, blue and black: evening in Marrakesh (Place Jemaa el Fna)

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Shortly after sunset, Place Jemaa el Fna, Marrakech

Blue hour over Place Jemaa el Fna

Night over Place Jemaa el Fna, Marrakesh
click on the pictures to see a larger version.

I was fortunate enough to get a table with an excellent view of Marrakesh’s main square on the evening before my flight back to Germany.
The sunset itself was not spectacular, but seeing the lively Place Jemaa el Fna and the spire of the Kotoubia Mosque under a rapidly changing sky was truly beautiful.
The square itself is already quite lively during day time and offers many attractions: there are many fruit stalls, musicians, magicians, tea vendors and artisans.
When night falls, however, it becomes even busier: there are long rows of food stall catering to tourists as well as the local population and Many people are passing through on their way to the extensive souks surrounding the square.
On the photos you can see the smoke rise from hundreds of grills.
Wikipedia told me that the name comes from the Arabic for “Assembly of the dead” and indeed, the heads of many executed people were on display here in ancient times.
Today, it is hard to imagine a livelier spot…

I very much enjoy looking at other people’s impressions of the same locations I visited, here are some I found interesting:

http://yourinnervagabond.com/blog//?p=122
http://www.evete.com/morocco2007/2006/09/djemaa_el_fna_s.html
http://blog.flickr.com/flickrblog/2006/08/oj_stand_on_jam.html
http://photosdumaroc.net/

January 12, 2007

Blue, green and yellow

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lush fields on the Isle of Man

A small cemetery between fields somewhere on the Isle of Man.
Seeing all the beautiful landscapes on this island it is very hard to believe that it is mainly known for motor races…

January 10, 2007

Streets of Marrakesh

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a woman with shopping bags in the Kasbah of Marrakesh, watched ba a mule
A street scene in the Kasbah area of Marrakesh, near the Saadian tombs.

January 8, 2007

Paris Lantern

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A lantern in the evening.
Taken on Fujichrome Velvia and scanned.

January 7, 2007

Green tea in the Garden

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woman prepares tea in shinjuku gyoen chaya
Not a full-fledged tea-ceremony - but still a very meditative process: with her back to us, a woman prepares two cups of green macha tea in Tokyos Shinjuku Gyoen Park.
Her silhouette is reflected on the lacquer wood of the table.

More on Shinjuku Gyoen Park at Wikipedia.

January 6, 2007

Jardin Majorelle Marrakech

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 5:36 pm


Jardin Majorelle Marrakech, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Located in the heart of Marrakechs new city, Jardin Majorelle is a beautiful spot to somewhat relax from the other wonders of this city.

It once belonged to the painter Jacques Majorelle who also happened to be interested in botanics.
There is a small museum displaying his paintings as well as some islamic art, but possibly his most amazing work is the way brightly coloured buildings and ceramics blend with the tropical plants.
This very much reminded me of the modern glass installations of Dale Chilhuly in Miamis Fairchild Gardens.
The park was also once owned by Yves Saint Laurent.

Some more impressions from the Jardin Majorelle:
colourfully painted door in the Musee Majorelle

a cat strolls down a small alleway in the gardens

brightly colored ceramics

Website of the Majorelle Garden (French)

Other impressions of the same place were posted in the following weblogs:

http://parisart.typepad.com/d_signe/2006/11/blues_again.html
http://moroccanmaryam.typepad.com/my_marrakesh/2006/09/morocco_majorel.html
http://www.brindilles.net/2006/03/17/jardin-majorelle-a-marrakech/
http://reflets-du-monde.blogs-de-voyage.fr/archive/2006/12/28/2d7d46b95b4e4aa7c633f07fc3cb35cb.html

January 5, 2007

Titicaca Boat

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A few days ago, I posted a rowing boat in Essaouira now here is a slightly simillar small boat in a completely different setting at Lago Titicaca, Peru.

January 3, 2007

Carpet shop in Essaouira

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Moroccan carpet shop

A carpet shop in the old town of Essaouira (Morocco).

January 1, 2007

Blue Boat in Essaouira

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Essaouira is located North of Agadir, on the Moroccan Atlantic coast. It is a very picturesque (albeit touristy) town.
The UNESCO lists its Medina as a world heritage site.

December 31, 2006

Japanese Sushi

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 10:33 am


Japanese Sushi, originally uploaded by laurenz.

eaten together with a portion of “bif-tan” (that is how it appeared on the menu, actually the Japanese version would be “Gyu-tan” and the English one “beef tongue”) as set menu in a Matsushima restaurant.
I preferred the sushi.

December 30, 2006

Marrakesh: Dyer’s souks.

Filed under: — site admin @ 11:26 am

Dyer's Souks

Dyer's Souks II

The souks of Marrakesh (Marrakech) are said to be the most extensive ones in Morocco. In the maze of alleyways and small streets, it is difficult to tell whether this is true, but I am sure that I could spend ages there and still discover new things all the time.
One of the most picturesque parts of the souks are the “dyer’s souks”. If you want to actually see the dying process, Fes is a far better place to go. However, in Marrakesh you come across brightly coloured leather, wool and cloth drying in the sun a truly beautiful sight!

More about Marrakesh (or Marrakech) at Wikipedia
Impressions by other bloggers: http://photosaroundtheworld.wordpress.com/tag/photos/africa/north-africa/morocco/
http://fcandi.com/1998/06/10_tage_marokko.html (in German, fascinating photos)
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/TheCasablancaMarrakechPhotoblog.aspx

December 25, 2006

Photo Experiments: Christmas candle

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Candle - no salt dispenser

Christmas dinner was dragging on in the otherwise good restaurant of the Tikida Garden Hotel (Marrakesh / Marrakech).
Obviously, there were far too many guests for the service, so I tried to kill some time looking at the pictures I had taken with my Lumix that day.
Then it occurred to me to point it at the flame of one of the candles.
As you can see in the above photo, the result was so bad, I immediately deleted it.
The next course still was not coming.
I unscrewed the lid of the salt dispenser, held it in front of my lens and took another shot.
This version was much better (below)
Thinking that I might share this, I retook the original version for comparison (above)

Christmas Candle II

Note: no digital retouching other than a slight crop and resizing to a web-compatible size.
With digital cameras, such experiments cost nothing - and may be quite entertaining.

December 18, 2006

Kibble Palace, Glasgow Botanical Gardens

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Ferns and palm trees in the Kibble Palace

I took this picture inside Kibble palace, a world-famous glass-house in the Glasgow Botanical Gardens, back in 1993. When I revisited the botanical gardens in 2005, this attraction was closed for restoration.
One more reason to return to Glasgow some time later and see what this great building looks like now!

December 12, 2006

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:59 pm

Bodhi Tree, Bodhgaya

Bodhgaya is maybe the holiest place in Buddhism as Siddharta Gautama (the historical Buddha) is said to have attained enlightenment here.
The tree brightly decorated at the Mahabodhi Temple is said to be a direct descendant of the actual one under which Buddha was meditating when this happened.
Bodhgaya itself is a pleasant small town, remarkable for the different temples erected here by the various Buddhist denominations. A very good chance to come and compare…

December 7, 2006

Calcutta Dancer

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dancer in Calcutta
A dancer in a dance show in Calcutta (India).

November 12, 2006

Sheep at Castlerigg Stone Circle

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Sheep grazing in front of Castlerigg Stone Circle

It seemed as though the sheep (unlike tourists) would not really like to wander within the ring. Cosmic energy? Training? Or do they just perceive the stones a sort of solid barrier?

October 22, 2006

Shinjuku Evening

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 5:13 pm


Shinjuku Evening, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Seen from the Century Hyatt, Tokyo, Japan.

October 3, 2006

Clouds

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 11:00 pm


Clouds, originally uploaded by laurenz.

The view from my hotel window in Puerto de la Cruz, (islas Canarias, Spain).

September 23, 2006

Cute Prisoner

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Hungry Prisoner, originally uploaded by laurenz.

A racoon in Wiesbaden’s “Fasanerie” is begging for food.

September 20, 2006

Who’s that?

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 8:55 pm


Who’s that?, originally uploaded by laurenz.

no idea what type of bug this is - but it sure is sitting on a beautiful lotos seed pod in a Fukuoka temple.

September 12, 2006

Chinese Lanterns at Yasaka Shrine

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 9:36 pm


Lanterns at Yasaka Shrine, originally uploaded by laurenz.

in Kyoto.

September 10, 2006

Japanese lanterns at Yasaka Shrine”

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 6:53 pm


Japanese lanterns at Yasaka Shrine", originally uploaded by laurenz.

the way is lit by Japanese lanterns.

September 5, 2006

Seagull

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 6:23 pm


Seagull, originally uploaded by laurenz.

highly recommended: a boat trip on a beautiful day near Otaru (Hokkaido).
Otaru itself is a pleasant enough city, but the colourful harbour is a photographer’s paradise.
One of the attractions aboard are the seagulls which are attracted by crumbs of bread thrown into the air by some passengers.

September 2, 2006

Sapporo Reflection

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 1:22 pm


Sapporo Reflection, originally uploaded by laurenz.

There is a small park with two beautiful ponds next to the old Sapporo government building.
A very meditative spot right in the centre of this Northern metropolis.

September 1, 2006

Sapporo at sunset

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 1:10 pm


Sapporo at sunset, originally uploaded by laurenz.

view from the JR (Japan Rail) Tower.
This building was completed in 2003 and is 173 meters high.
The only thing I hated when going around the 38th storey was the very repetitive background music.

As an aside: when you go there, have a look at the toilets - I do not think that there’s a loo with a better view anywhere on this planet ;-)

August 30, 2006

Crater Lakes of Japan

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 12:40 am


PICT7238-01, originally uploaded by laurenz.

The “Okano” crater lake at Zao San (Near Yamagata, Japan) lies still and displays its incredibly green colour - for a few seconds before it is again covered by mist.

crater lake of Mount Aso on Kyushu (Japan)

PICT6001-01, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Much less peaceful: the crater lake of Mount Aso on Kyushu (Japan), also shows an impressive greenish colour.

August 29, 2006

Japanese Castles

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 12:12 am
Kumamotojo, Kumamoto, Kyushu

Castles of Japan I, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Kumamotojo - the most famous castle on Kyushu (Japan).

Tsuruhajo, Aizu Wakamatsu

Castles of Japan II, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Tsurugajo, Aizu Wakamatsu

August 28, 2006

Mountain Sunset

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 10:26 am


Mountain Sunset, originally uploaded by laurenz.

I saw this on the way back from the termal springs of Zao Onsen to Yamagata.

August 27, 2006

Path in the Garden

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 11:20 pm


Path in the Garden, originally uploaded by laurenz.

a footpath in the beautiful Japanese “Oyakuen” garden, Aizu Wakamatsu, Japan.

August 26, 2006

Celestial Calligraphy

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 8:04 am


Celestial Calligraphy, originally uploaded by laurenz.

interesting clouds seen over Aizu Wakamatsu (Honshu, Japan).

August 25, 2006

Kiyomiza Deara at Sunset

kiyomiza dera, kyoto

Kiyomiza Temple at Sunset, originally uploaded by laurenz.

a magical moment in kyoto, Japan.

August 24, 2006

Japanese Theatre: “Kyougen play”

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 12:07 am


Japanese Theatre, originally uploaded by laurenz.

This is a scene from a funny “Kyougen” play: distrusting his servants, the a master binds them before leaving the house.
However, even bound, they find a way to get to the master’s sake provisions and drink from it.

Gion Corner in Kyoto presents short snippets of Japanese arts including various styles of theatre, the tea ceremony and the art of flower arrangement.
All this is quite touristy, but still fun and a good way to get some fascinating shots (you can even use flash throghout the performance).

August 23, 2006

Fishing Bears

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 2:08 am
cuddly bears in Kyoto, Japan

Fishing Bears, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Ten years ago, when walking tetsugaku-no-michi (path of philosophy), I saw a bear fishing near Ginkakuji temple.
Now upon revisiting the site, I did not really expect to see him again, but when I came to the same site, there now actually was a pair of bears fishing the same waters.
Cuddly continuity…

August 22, 2006

Kinkakuji Temple

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 9:39 am
Rokuon-ji in Kyoto, Japan

Kinkakuji Temple, originally uploaded by laurenz.

This is the famous golden pavilion that figures in Yukio Mishima’s famous novel “the temple of the golden pavilion”.
Like the pavilion in the novel, the real one was burned down by fanatical young man.

Mishima himself tried to stage a coup by taking a Japanese Military commander hostage.
When he realised that hist plans for restoring the traditional Japan would not succeed, he committed ritual suicide.

The real golde pavilion was rebuilt in 1987 this time also covering the lower storey with a relatively thick layer of gold.

Popularly known as Kinkaku-ji, the temple’s real name is Rokuon-ji.

August 21, 2006

Araucaria

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 9:20 am


Araucaria, originally uploaded by laurenz.

quite a big plant?- inviting passers by to enter a flower shop next to Wiesbaden’s “Marktkirche”.

August 20, 2006

Fukuoka Sunset 2

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 2:32 am
sunset seen from Fukuoka Tower, Kyushu, Japan

Fukuoka Sunset 2, originally uploaded by laurenz.

another shot from the Fukuoka Tower at sunset.

August 18, 2006

On the way to Mount Aso

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 6:42 am


The way to Mount Aso, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Mount Aso is one of the largest active volcanoes in the world and the largest one in Japan.
It’s almost 1600 meters high and its caldera has a circumference of 120 km.

August 17, 2006

Dejima: Dutch Factory

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 2:57 pm


Dejima, originally uploaded by laurenz.

For a long time, Dejima (in Nagasaki) was Japan’s only door to the world.
In the reconstructed Dutch factory, you can now see the unique blend of Japanese and Western culture: chairs furniture standing on “tatami” mats that are usually meant for sitting on a small zabuton or sleeping on the rolled out futon mattress.

August 16, 2006

Nagasaki Atomic Bomb museum

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 11:43 pm


Nagasaki Atomic Bomb museum, originally uploaded by laurenz.

next to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb museum is a vault that you reach through grey concrete tunnels while always there is water flowing next to you.
A very impressive place. The racks in the central vault hold the names of the victims of the second nuclear bomb.

August 15, 2006

View from Fukuoka Tower

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 4:35 pm


View from Fukuoka Tower, originally uploaded by laurenz.

taken a few minutes before the actual sunset.
Here I combined two differently exposed versions of the same picture to show the foreground as well as the sky.

August 13, 2006

Lampions



Lanterns at the Shrine, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Now at the time of O Bon, many lanterns are lit all over Japan, - as here in a Fukuoka shrine

August 12, 2006

Lotos Bud in the Tochoji temple, Fukuoka

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 7:59 am


Lotos Bud, Tochoji temple, Fukuoka, originally uploaded by laurenz.

a Lotos Bud, seen in the Tochoji temple, Fukuoka (Japan)

August 11, 2006

Oil lamp in Tochoji temple, Fukuoka

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 4:13 pm


Oil lamp in Tochoji temple, Fukuoka, originally uploaded by laurenz.

This temple is famous for holding the largest wooden Buddha statue in the world, but unfortunately photographing this impressive (albeit recent) statue is not permitted.

August 10, 2006

Somewhere in Fukuoka

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 12:21 am


Somewhere in Fukuoka, originally uploaded by laurenz.

A temple in Fukuoka, Japan.

August 9, 2006

Naka River

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 4:58 am


Naka River, originally uploaded by laurenz.

in Fukuoka, Japan.

August 8, 2006

ACROS Fukuoka

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 7:28 am


ACROS Fukuoka, originally uploaded by laurenz.

I placed my camera on the ground and shot upwards using a delay of 10 seconds.
Konica Minlta 7d Sigma 15-30.

June 30, 2006

Inside the Russian Chapel

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The cupola inside Wiesbaden’s Russian Chapel.

June 21, 2006

Miami Skyscraper

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Skyscraper

A Skyscraper in Coral Gables, Miami.

June 20, 2006

Dove

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dove

A dove sitting on a tree in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Minolta Dynax 7d, Tokina 80-400mm lens.

June 18, 2006

Ducklins

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ducklins in Wiesbaden

In a park in Wiesbaden, Germany

June 15, 2006

Voidokilia Bay

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Voidokilia Bay near Pylos, Peloponnese

Voidokilia Bay is often referred to as “OX Belly Bay”, due to its peculiar Shape.
It is located on the Peloponneses, near the much bigger Bay of Navarino where a famous sea battle took place.

June 14, 2006

Carlisle Hairdresser

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A Hairdresser in Carlisle, Northern England.

June 13, 2006

St. John’s Church, Edinburgh

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St John's Church in Edinburgh, near Princess street

Right next to the main street, with Edinburgh Castle in the background.

June 11, 2006

Theatrium Wiesbaden

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 7:28 am



Merry go round, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Here you see the flags representing the 32 nations participating in the FIFA World Cup 2006.
The photo was taken at the “Theatrium” in Wiesbaden, Germany.

June 10, 2006

Theatrium 2006, Wiesbaden II

Filed under: — site admin @ 1:40 pm

the mushroom collector

Here is a puppet sold by one of the many artisans at the Theatrium festival in Wiesbaden.

June 9, 2006

Wiesbaden: Theatrium 2006

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:17 pm

posing at the cocktail bar

The Theatrium is the street festival of Wiesbaden’s most fashionable street, the Wilhelmstraße.
The name of course is related to the state theatre of Hesse which re-opened in 1977 with a relatively small festival.
Today, there are several music venues, 140 food stalls, lots of street events and many artisans.
This picture was taken at a Brazilian stall where one could buy the cocktails to go with the international speialties sold nearby.

June 8, 2006

Eltville

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A stately knight enjoys his glass of local sparkling wine in Eltville (Rheingau).

June 7, 2006

Monemvasía Evening

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The view from the mountain is spectacular and so are the riuns of the ancient upper town.

June 5, 2006

Chihuly: Arts & the Law

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 10:50 am



Strange Flower: Chilhuly in Miami, originally uploaded by laurenz

When I visited the Chihuly exposition in Miami’s Fairchild garden, I thought to myself: “no way that one man can do all this on his own”,
and it seems Chihuly has a number of other expositions going on at the same time.

It turns out that Chihuly has not blown glass for a long time, but is responsible for the artistic design.
Which brings us to an interesting law case, with Chihuly attempting to assert a copyright on “his” style of glass art and an assistant claiming co-authorship of several of the pieces.

Lots of interesting questions involved here: what makes these sculptures art? The technical perfection? The design, the context in which they are presented? Is it really possible to clearly define a “Chihuly style” that is different enough from other artisans’ work to be copyrighted?
Is “Chihuly” more of a brand name under which other artists’ works can be sold?
Or is glass blowing just a craft and not patentable at all? Especially since Chihuly himself imitates nature just like here in this object resembling a strange flower…

Many interesting questions - and here are some resources I found:

http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2006/06/01/can-you-copyright-nature/
http://www.copybites.com/2006/05/glass_artist_fi.html
http://theartlawblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/through-glass-darkly.html
http://madisonian.net/archives/2006/06/01/chihuly-glass-sculpture/

Regardless of the outcome of these law suits, I’ll vist the nexr Chihuly exposition that I come across…
all my Chihuly photos

June 4, 2006

Heraklion: Harbour at night

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:34 am

Koules Fortress, Heraklion, Greece
The Harbour of Heraklion (or Iraklio), Crete with the Venetian Fortress in the background.

June 2, 2006

A walk on the Isle of Man

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This was taken on a walk from Port St Mary to the “Calf of Man” along the famous Raad Ny Foillan walk.

By the way: I had two cameras with me, the Minolta Dynax 9 loaded with Fujichrome Velvia 50 with which I took the picture above and a small digital Panasonic Lumix FX8.
Hre’s a shot of the same area taken with that camera:
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Interesting, how different the colours are, - nothing really objective about photography…

May 28, 2006

Young foxes

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Today, I visited the “Fasanerie” a small zoo in Wiesbaden specialising in local animals.
There now are many young animals, but especially the young foxes were everybody’s darlings.

May 25, 2006

Quiet before the Storm: Loch Morlich

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yet another shot of this picturesque highland lake.

May 24, 2006

Tell-tale sign

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Seen near Cairns, in the jungle.

May 23, 2006

Train to Machu Picchu

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For most travellers visiting Machu Picchu from Cuzco, the starting point of the train ride is Ollantaytambo.
It would be a pity though to miss out on the Inca ruins in Ollantaytambo itself, which are also very impressive.

May 22, 2006

Chihuly in the Park

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:57 pm

strange glass plants

another beautiful piece by Dale Chihuly

Chihuly Glass Art

Some glimpses of the Chihuly exhibition in Fairchild Garden (Miami, USA).

I found it incredible how well the glass exhibits fit their surroundings and complimented them.
Sometimes, it was hard to tell whether a particular flower was natural or not.

By the way, it seems there is more than one Chihuly exposition going on at the same time:
On another weblog, I found a reference to a Chihuly Exhibition at Missouri Botanical Gardens, as well as quite a few photos with installations ver ysimilar to the ones I saw in Miami.

More on the artist and the glass objects created by him on the official Dale Chihuly Website.

May 19, 2006

Chihuly at Fairchild III

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:23 am

A boat filled with glass plants

And some more pictures (click to enlarge):
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And here some other Weblogs that have photos from Chihuly exhibitions:

I speak of Dreams
Wandering Moose
ritilan
Peter Westwood
PhotoscapeDesign

May 16, 2006

Canal Reflection

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:37 pm

Reflected villa in Miami Beach

Reflection of a villa in Collins Canal, Miami Beach

May 11, 2006

Fort Palamidi, Nafplion

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fort Palamidi Nafplion
Nafplion (also: Nauplion, Nauplia, Nafplio) is a beautiful city on the Peloponnese, which was the capital of Greece from 1829 to 1834.

There are two ancient fortresses with Fort Palamidi towering above the city on a hill top.
This fortress looks especially picturesque in the evening and at night.

May 5, 2006

Cherry Blossom

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cherry blossom

in a nearby park, Wiesbaden, Germany.

April 30, 2006

Luminale Wiesbaden

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 12:46 am



Luminale Wiesbaden, originally uploaded by laurenz.

These are the last minutes of the Luminale for Wiesbaden.
This event took place in most of the Rhein Main area with illuminated buildings and art projects everywhere.
In Wiesbaden, the “Kurpark” was illuminated by many art installations.

April 23, 2006

Goose Family

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 7:20 pm



Goose Family, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Mother goose with her young. A moment later, they all would get under a her right wing!

April 20, 2006

Lugano Art - sculpted head by Igor Mitoraj

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:40 am

Sculpted Head, Lugano
I had been very much impressed by an Igor Mitoraj exposition in Paris, so I immediately recognised his work when I came across it in Lugano…

April 18, 2006

Sligo

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Sligo, Ireland
A very pleasant toen in Ireland.
Mora about Sligo.

April 17, 2006

El Tatio

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El Tatio, a few hours drive from San Pedro de Atacama

There are many volcanoes in the Chilean altiplano, but it is only when you come to the thermal springs that you really get an impression of the volcanic activity that formed these mountains.

April 14, 2006

St Stephan: church window by Marc Chagall

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:07 am

church window by Marc Chagall

church windows in St Stephan, a catholic church in Mainz.
The blue glass windows by Marc chagall are a major tourist attraction.

April 10, 2006

Kiosk of Kertassi

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Kalabsha: Kiosk of Kertassi

This is a Greco-Roman building near the Kalabsha temple.
Actually, the kiosk now stands about 20-30 km from its original site - like many other archaeologic treasures it was moved before the Aswan dam was opened.

April 7, 2006

Glaciar Perito Moreno, Argentina

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:00 am

Moreno glacier in Patagonia
The Moreno glacier, one of the most impressive sights in Patagonia

March 28, 2006

Locarno

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 7:09 pm



Locarno, originally uploaded by laurenz.

It is amazing how fast the colours changed on this misty morning in Locarno.
I took a few shots like this almost “black and white” image and others where the water seemed to be liquid gold.
“Bad” weather can be quite attractive sometimes…

March 20, 2006

Gateway to Nowhere?

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Doorway to the Lake

seen in Lugano, Switzerland.

March 19, 2006

Locarno Sunrise

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 3:48 am
 

Locarno Sunrise, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Sunrise in Locarno on an overcast day.

March 16, 2006

Sunrise Palm

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 6:38 am



Sunrise Palm, originally uploaded by laurenz.

I saw this when I was very early for breakfast in my hotel in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife).

March 12, 2006

Banana leaf

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Banana Leaf

Close up of part of a Banana leaf in the botanical garden of La Orotava.

March 11, 2006

Garachico: the emigrant

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statue of an emigrant, Garachico, Tenerife
This sculpture shows an emigrant leaving (or returning to?) Garachico, a pleasant village on Tenerife.
Garachico lost its economic importance when the harbour was mostly made unusable by a volcanic eruption.

March 9, 2006

Fountain

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 1:23 pm



Fountain, originally uploaded by laurenz.

A fountain in La Orotava, Tenerife.
I tried lots of different exposures with and without flash, but liked the silhouetted version best.

The statue depicts (well, I don’t think anybody knows what she actually looked like) princess Dácil, the daughter of the “mencey” Bencomo, who defeated a Spanish Force.

March 7, 2006

Turtle head

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 8:25 pm



Turtle head, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Shot with a tele lens in the botanical gardens of Puerto de la Cruz (tenerife, Spain).

March 5, 2006

Carnival Procession in Santa Cruz

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:15 pm

An archbishop?
Due to bad weather the main carnival event had to be postponed.
So the procession in Santa Cruz took place in the evening which completely changed the atmosphere.
I had the chance to see the other big corso in Puerto de La Cruz today (in broad daylight) - photos from that event later…

March 3, 2006

Loro Parque

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Jumping Dolphin

Yesterday, I visited Loro Parque - a zoo that once specialised in parrots but now also has a huge penguin area and a spectacular dolphin show.
Beautiful and a good choice if one can’t be too sure about the weather.

March 1, 2006

Tenerife rain

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 9:13 pm



Tenerife rain, originally uploaded by laurenz.

My first day on Tenerife - not quite as sunny as I had hoped, but fortunately the weather has improved a lot already!

February 27, 2006

Carlisle Hairdresser

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A hairdresser in Carlisle North England.

February 26, 2006

Wiesbaden Carnival Parade

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Some impressions from the Carnival parade in Wiesbaden:

February 25, 2006

Carnival in Wiesbaden

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musician from Basle

Even though the big carnival parade in Wiesbaden only takes place tomorrow, there were many international groups to be seen in the city today.
This is a costumed musician from Basle (Switzerland).

clown

a clown selling balloons

February 21, 2006

Vytina, Greece

Filed under: — site admin @ 6:53 pm

This photo was taken in Vytina (or Vitina), a pleasant village in the Arcadian highlands.
The area is notable for its fir trees and the good climate.
A very special treat: sleeping in one of the rooms of the small art hotel Mainalon.

February 15, 2006

Picnic in Bodhgaya

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It just takes a few steps outside town to come to a totally different world…

February 12, 2006

Inverness

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Inverness

St Andrews Cathedral in Inverness, viewed from the bridge.
Inverness is often called the “capital of the highlands” and is indeed very strategically situated if you want to explore the heart of Scotland.
The river you see on the picture is the Ness.

February 10, 2006

Torremuelle

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Torremuelle

Torremuelle, a small place near Torremolinos in Andalucia (Spain).

February 9, 2006

Little Buddhas

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Little Buddhas

Small Buddha statues in Kamakura.

February 6, 2006

Arles

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street in Arles
A street in Arles.

February 2, 2006

Thistle

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Thistle

A thistle, photographed near Loch Ness, Scotland.

January 30, 2006

The Rhine at Biebrich

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The river Rhein

The weather was cold - but beautiful - and a good chance to try out my new toy, a Sigma 15-30 mm wide-angle lens…
(Minolta Maxxum 9, Fujichrome Velvia 100).

January 25, 2006

Monemvasia

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Monemvasia

Monemvasia in the early morning

January 19, 2006

Watching the canyon

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A Llama and a dog in the Colca Canyon (near Arequipa, Peru)

A white llama and a black dog are looking into the Colca Canyon (near Arequipa).

January 16, 2006

Reflection on wet Granite

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:24 pm

buildings reflected on stone

I took this photo on one of those big revolving balls made of granite - the somewhat ghostly appearance comes from the structure of the stone.
Otherwise, this is just a normal street scene on a beautiful winter day in Wiesbaden, Germany.

More photos from the same occasion on a special site I dedicated to my hometown Wiesbaden.
The official page of the city.
Facts about Wiesbaden at Wikipedia

January 15, 2006

Cooinda

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Cooinda, Northern Territory

A great place to see some birdlife - and lots of water after the desert: Cooinda in the Northern Territory.

January 13, 2006

Temple Restoration

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Temple restoration works in Bangkok, Thailand.
Taken with a small point and shoot camera on Agfa film.

January 11, 2006

A morning at the Seine

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The Seine river in Paris

Paris in the early morning.

January 10, 2006

Scrap yard in Glasgow

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scrap Yard

A scrap Yard in the wharf area of Glasgow seen from a river cruise.

January 8, 2006

Passing bus

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Bus in Wiesbaden

A bus paases the railway station in wiesbaden (Germany).

January 7, 2006

Advertisement

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A painted advert on a facade in Montreal.

January 4, 2006

Church in Kriegsfeld

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Church in Kriegsfeld

Church in Kriegsfeld

December 27, 2005

Kriegsfeld

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Kriegsfeld - click to enlarge
Kriegsfeld is a small village in Rhineland Palatinate that is pleasantly situated between fields and woods and has three churches for its 1103 inhabitants, as well as some historic buildings.

December 17, 2005

Bicycle

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bicycle in Montreal

Bicycle in Montreal

December 11, 2005

Stressed-out Santa collapses in Wiesbaden!

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Santa on the lawn

seen on the lawn of a Tae-kwon-Do studio in Wiesbaden (Germany)

November 17, 2005

Luxembourg Reflection

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Houses in Luxembourg reflected in the water
Another shot from the pleasant town of Luxembourg.
The new part of the city is a busy economic centre, however.

November 16, 2005

Dance Group

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Egyptian Dance Group
An Egyptian Dance Group in Aswan, 1992.

November 13, 2005

An unfair comparison

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:09 pm

Comparing an analogue and a digital photograph

Cloud, photographed with a Minolta Dynax 9 on Fujichrome Velvia
How often have I seen a beautiful sky and could not capture it - except in my mind? When I was in Carlisle, I had the luxury to have two cameras with me: my Minolta Dynax 9 (or Maxxum 9 in the US) and a very small point-and shoot Panasonic Lumix FX8 digital camera.

I was quite happy with the result produced by the Panasonic, but I very much prefer the result I got back from the lab when my slide was developed.
Cloud in Carlisle photographed using a Panasonic Lumix FX 8
Actually, apart from the fact that the SLR camera is much bulkier and heavier, it also has a spot meter, which explains the much more dramatic sky. I did underexpose a bit with the Panasonic as well, but I guess to a much lesser degree (one of the disadvantages of analogue photos: no EXIF data…

November 12, 2005

Luxembourg

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Luxembourg
Luxembourg is a very small country, but as a host to many important European instututions it is also one of the wealthiest states in Europe.
Surprisingly, the city of Luxembourg is a very green place and you can see such seemingly “rural” scenes right in the centre of it.

November 10, 2005

Sleepy Dog in Xochimilco

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sleepy dog
A dog sleeping on one of the many rowing boats of Xochimilco (Mexico City).
More about Xochimilco.

November 6, 2005

Valle de la Luna

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valle de la luna - moon valley
The “moon valley” in the Chielan Andes - one of the most spectacular lanscapes I’ve come across on my travels.
If you click on the image and look at the lower right, you may see that the small black dot there is in fact a human figure…

November 4, 2005

Ghats of Varanasi, before sunrise

Filed under: — site admin @ 6:14 am

Ghats of Varanasi
Varanasi is maybe the “holiest” place in Hinduism. Many people believe that “death in Varanasi is Liberation” meaning that if you are cremated here, you have a good chance to escape the cycle of rebirth.
Consequently, many people come here to die, dead are brought here for cremation and there are millions of pilgrims.
There are over 100 “ghats”, some of which are dedicated to burning bodies while others are pure bathing ghats for the ritual cleansing (puja).
There also are plenty of small rowing boats for pilgrims and tourists who want to see this all from the water of the holy river Ganges.

Other names for Varanasi: Benares, Banaras, Kashi.

November 3, 2005

Cemetary, Edinburgh

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St John's
Shot on a graveyard next to St John’s church at the end of Princes Street in Edinburgh.

November 1, 2005

Wiesbaden: Fall in the Park

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autumn colours in Wiesbaden
Aren’t these nice autumn colours? That’s what the local park is like right now….

October 31, 2005

Uluru

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Ayers Rock in the evening. It is amazing how the colours change in the course of a day.
This is due to reflecting particles in the rock itself.

many more pictures from Australia at my website:

October 30, 2005

Galway Rainbow

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Galway Rainbow with swans
When I was in Galway (Ireland), I was lucky enough to see this scene - and have my cameras ready…

October 29, 2005

Greek warrior

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Statue of king Leonidas of Sparti
The statue of Leonidas, the famous king of Sparta (or Sparti) who led his small force to certain death against a huge Persian army at the pass of Thermopylae.

The photo was taken in bad weather using fill flash.

October 25, 2005

Mural in Belfast

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 7:45 pm


now that the “troubles” are (mostly) over, the Belfast murals are mainly a tourist attraction, visited by bus and taxi tours.

There are many modern political references, however, and even paintings by non-Irish underground organisations such as the ETA…

October 22, 2005

Wiesbaden Moon

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 7:37 pm


After my Aswan moon photo I now took a photo in my home town, using the same equipment.

The outcome is totally different(Minolta Dynax 9, Tokina 80-400 mm + 1.7 extender, tripod, cable release)

October 21, 2005

Edinburgh Castle at Night

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 5:09 am


Taken during the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

October 18, 2005

Sydney by Night

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 5:55 am


Taken at the same time as my shot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

October 15, 2005

Fog over the Railway Tracks

Filed under: — site admin @ 3:18 am

Fog in Ingelheim
seen in Ingelheim, Germany

October 13, 2005

Sunflower

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 2:48 pm



Sunflower, originally uploaded by laurenz.

seen in Glasgow botanic garden.

October 11, 2005

Fog in Wiesbaden

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Fog in the park
Another image of the foggy park in Wiesbaden.

October 10, 2005

Fog in the Park II

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 6:34 pm



Fog in the Park II, originally uploaded by laurenz.

also taken in the “Walkmühltal”-Park, Wiesbaden (Germany).

October 9, 2005

Fog in the Park

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 10:06 pm

When I saw the fog in the street this morning, I grabbed my cameras and took quite a few photos.
I hope. I can bring across a bit of the almost mystical atmosphere.

I’ll have to wait a few days to find out what the slides are like, but here already are some shots from my Lumix.

October 7, 2005

Kochbrunnen, Wiesbaden

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 2:57 pm



Kochbrunnen, Wiesbaden, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Although the water of this source does not quite reach boiling temperature (”kochen” = to boil), it’s still steaming hot.
The hot sources have been a major tourist attraction for Wiesbaden ever since the time of the Romans.

October 5, 2005

Night Bridge

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:39 am

Athlone Bridge
Bridge at Athlone, central Ireland, at night.

September 27, 2005

Lake District

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Lake District
A small road in the Lake District.

September 23, 2005

Derwent Water

Filed under: — site admin @ 11:04 pm

Derwent Water, Keswick
and here a shot from the Lake District: Derwent Water, near Keswick.

September 20, 2005

Loch Morlich

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:00 pm

Loch Morlich,near Aviemore
Loch Morlich (Scotland) shortly before sunset.

September 19, 2005

Flower-Power II

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:20 pm


Another shot from the local flower shop.

September 18, 2005

Flower Power I

Filed under: — site admin @ 6:45 pm


A macro shot I took at the next flowershop with my Lumix FX8. No tripod, no filters.

September 14, 2005

Coastline, Isle of Man

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 4:54 am



Coastline, Isle of Man, originally uploaded by laurenz.

You can walk all around the island. I didn’t have the time to do so, but tried a walk around the Southern tip and another one from Ballaglass to Ramsey.
This photo was taken near Ramsey.

September 13, 2005

Galway Reflections

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 11:42 pm



Reflections, originally uploaded by laurenz.

modern houses reflected in the Corrib river in Galway.

September 11, 2005

Passers-by (Edinburgh Fringe Festival)

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 11:32 pm

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Passers-by, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Presumably actors from one of the many theatre performances going on simultaneously in the hundreds of venues.

September 9, 2005

Athlone, Ireland

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:55 pm

Athlone
Athlone is a very pleasant town in the geographic centre of Ireland.

September 8, 2005

French Pyramid

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:42 pm

Pyramid at the Louvre
A nice contrast between old and new: the pyramid at the Louvre, Paris.

September 7, 2005

In the Woods

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 9:25 pm



In the Woods, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Seen in the Lake District, near Ullswater.

South Cross, Clonmacnoise

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 5:06 am



South Cross, Clonmacnoise, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Its setting makes Clonmacnoise a very special photoopportunity.
However, the heritage Centre is also well worth a visit - the original, invaluable stone carvings from the monastery are preserved here and presented in an almost magical light.
The audiovisual about the history of Clonmacnoise is also quite interesting.

September 6, 2005

Clouds and Water

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:33 am

Near Cape Town, South Africa
Beautiful - and a good spot for bird watching.
The surroundings of Cape Town.

September 5, 2005

Tao - Japanese drums in Scotland

Filed under: — site admin @ 6:24 pm

Kodo drums at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
This is a picture from the 2005 Edinburgh Festival.
Flash photography was explicitly prohobited so I took this shot without flash with my small Lumix FX8.

September 4, 2005

Karnak at night

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:36 am

Karnak at night
The temple of Karnak at night.
One of Luxor’s greatest attractions at day, this temple is really fascinating at night.
Like at other Egyptian sound and light shows, you will be guided through the complex in a large group and you’ll hear a recorded commentary.
The light show is much less advanced than the one at Abu Simbel, which means that it also is much more tasteful!
At the end, you are brought to a place where you can simply enjoy the view of the temples and the reflections in the pool.
Highly recommended.

September 3, 2005

Luxor Sunset

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:23 pm

The sun sets behind a palm tree in Luxor
Yet another sunset over the Nile.
taken from the east bank of the river.

September 2, 2005

Cliffs of Moher

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:27 pm

Cliffs of Moher
Another shot from the cliffs of Moher.

September 1, 2005

Working Class Bear

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:53 pm

huge Teddy Bear sitting in an Internet cafe
This was maybe the most pleasant Internet cafe I visited in Ireland: A very nice atmosphere, someone playing on an acoustic guitar and, next to me, this huge bear was sitting on a stool, clutching his International Worker’s paper!
Oh, if you want to meet the bear himself, you have to go to Athlone, in the geographic centre of Ireland.

August 31, 2005

Cemetery, Clonmacnoise

Filed under: — laurenzb @ 6:52 pm



Cemetery, Clonmacnoise, originally uploaded by laurenz.

While the monastery is no longer active, the cemetary of Clonmacnoise is still in use nowadays.

August 30, 2005

Custom House, Dublin

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:23 am

Custom House, Dublin
Custom House is one of the most architecturally important Georgian buildings in Dublin. The house was finished in 1791
To get this night shot, I put my Lumix FX8 on a mini tripod and shot from the next bridge.

August 29, 2005

Oscar Wilde in a Dublin Park

Filed under: — lbobke @ 11:32 pm

Statue of Oscar Wilde in Dublin's Archbishop Ryan Park

For some reason, this relatively small country has produced many literary giants, including 4 Noble price winners.
The one author that is most often associated with Ireland is James Joyce (”Dubliners”, “Ulysses”, “Finnegan’s Wake”) and “Bloomsday” (16 June) celebrating the adventures of Leopold Bloom (the main character in “Ulysses”) in Dublin is a sort of National Holiday.
To name just a few of the other Irish classics:
Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett,WB Yeats, Elizabeth Bowen, Bram Stoker (”Dracula”), Seamus Heaney, James Connolly, Oliver Goldsmith and modern author Brendan Behan.

August 28, 2005

Clonmacnoise

Filed under: — site admin @ 6:55 pm

Clonmacnoise
Clonmacnoise was founded by St. Ciaran about 1500 years ago.
Although the monastery itself was destroyed by the English, it is still regarded as a place of high religious significance - and also is a major tourist attraction.
I especially like the beautiful setting.

August 27, 2005

Schierstein Harbour

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:48 pm


The harbour of Wiesbaden-Schierstein and the river Rhine.

August 26, 2005

Cliffs of Moher

Filed under: — site admin @ 1:25 pm

Cliffs of Moher
The cliffs of Moher and the Burren (the barren landscape next to the cliffs) are two of Irelands major tourist attractions and rightly so.
Unfortunately, a new visitor centre is being built at the cliffs, so large parts are inaccessible now and when the Centre is opened, admission to this natural wonder will no longer be free…

August 25, 2005

Schierstein

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:51 pm

August 24, 2005

Shannon River at Athlone

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:12 pm

Athlone, Ireland
Within a couple of hours, I”ve seen this river in rain, beautiful sunshine and many different lights.
The weather changes rapidly here…

I took this photo only a few minutes ago with my small Lumix - digital photography sure has its advantages.
Still looking forward to the slides from my Minolta SLR though…

Galway Rainbow

Filed under: — site admin @ 1:23 pm

Rainbow over Galway
A rainbow I saw the day before yesterday in Galway, Ireland.

August 23, 2005

Little Monster - spider

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:55 pm

Macro Shot of a Spider
A spider net all but barred my way on the Isle of Man (obviously, no one had walked there for a while), so I took a shot of the spider in its net. (Panasonic Lumix FX8)

August 22, 2005

Sagrada Familia

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:29 pm


One of the spires of the Sagrada Familia, the new cathedral-to-be of Barcelona.

August 21, 2005

Castlerigg Stone Circle

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:48 pm

The Castlerigg Stone Circle, near Keswick, Lake District
There are many little known stone circles found on the British Isles.
This one is only a short walk from Keswick, a pleasant town in the heart of the English Lake District.
The Castlerigg circle may be much smaller in size than Stonehenge, but the setting with its 360 degree panorama is simply breathtaking and its much less touristy than other rings.

August 20, 2005

Laxey Wheel

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:53 pm

Laxey Wheel, Isle of Man
Maybe the most photographed tourist attraction of the Isle of Man, this is one of the wheels in the old mining town of Laxey used for lifting huge quantities of water.

Please excuse the somewhat unusual perspective, but I do not have access toimage editing software while travelling.

August 19, 2005

Atlas Mountains

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:01 pm


in Tunisia…

August 18, 2005

Moot Hall, Keswick (Lake District)

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:34 pm

Moot Hall, Keswick
Keswick is a beautiful little town in the English lake district.
Moot Hall now is home to the tourist information centre.

August 17, 2005

Derwent Water, Lake District

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:32 am

Derwent water, one of the major lakes in the Lake District
A beautiful lake, here seen at Keswick, in the English Lake District.

August 16, 2005

Isle of Man: Calf of Man

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:27 pm

The
The small island at the South tip of the Isle of Man is a prime location for bird watching.

August 15, 2005

“Alter Friedhof”

Filed under: — lbobke @ 5:47 am


Again, the old cemetary, Wiesbaden.

August 14, 2005

Cathedral in the Evening, Arequipa

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:27 pm

Tower of the Cathedral
The Tower of the cathedral eith the Andes as a highly photogenic backdrop.

August 12, 2005

Grave

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:46 am


another grave on the “Alte Friedhof” (”old graveyard”) in Wiesbaden

August 10, 2005

Devil’s Marbles, Australia

Filed under: — lbobke @ 11:50 pm

The famous Devil’s Marbles, Australia

August 9, 2005

Edinburgh Castle at Night

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:35 am



Edinburgh Castle at Night, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Taken yesterday evening after a day of enjoying the madness that is the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh.

August 7, 2005

Angel

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:46 pm


Grave on the old cemetary of Wiesbaden.

August 4, 2005

Wasp

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:57 pm



Cropped Wasp, originally uploaded by laurenz.

a macro shot of a wasp taken in Wiesbaden Schierstein with my tiny Lumix FX8.

July 31, 2005

Russian Church in Wiesbaden

Filed under: — site admin @ 1:06 pm



Wiesbaden: Russian Church, originally uploaded by laurenz.

in Wiesbaden itself, this building is universally known as “Griechische Kapelle” (Greek Chapel).
It was, however, built for Elisabeta Michailovna, the Russian wife of the grand Duke Adolf of Nassau.
There is an interesting small Russian graveyard nearby

July 29, 2005

Durga Puja

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:40 pm

Durga Puja, Calcutta
Durga Puja is the most important religious festival in Calcutta. Idols are carried through the city, people dress up in costumes and dance and there is an incredible atmosphere…

July 27, 2005

Park Bench in Wiesbaden-Biebrich

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:17 pm

Schlosspark, Wiesbaden-Biebrich

park bench in Wiesbaden

A park bench in the Schlosspark (”palace gardens”) belonging to the Grand Ducal palais in Wiesbaden Biebrich.
Across the pool is the “Moosburg“, a ruin that was built as an adornment of the park.

July 26, 2005

Medinet Habu

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:08 pm

colourful paintings in Medinet Habu
Medinet Habu is the mortuary temple of pharaoh Ramesses III.
It is located on the west bank of the Nile, not too far away from the Colossi of Memnon.
For some reason, this fabulous temple is not on the agenda of most tourists who prefer to spend the time in Karnak, Luxor temple and the valley of the kings.
However, missing out on the vivid colours of this temple really would be a pity!

Medinet Habu
The pharaoh and some baboons worshipping the god of the sun.

Medinet Habu
In a great temple such as this, there always are some restoration works going on.
All photos taken with a Minolta Dynax 9 on Fujichrome Velvia.

July 25, 2005

Striped Shield Bug

Filed under: — lbobke @ 5:05 am

Graphosoma lineatum
A striped shiel bug sitting on a flower. Seen on a walk in Wiesbaden-Schierstein.
The scientific name of the animal: Graphosoma lineatum.
Incredible that it is possible to hand-hold such a shot with a tiny camera like the Lumix FX8…

July 24, 2005

Barcelona Harbour

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:18 am

Barcelona Harbour
Barcelona harbour in the late afternoon. Minolta Dynax 9, Fujichrome Velvia.

July 22, 2005

Bad Homburg: Siamese Temple

Filed under: — lbobke @ 5:58 pm

Here’s another shot from Bad Homburg:
Siamese Temple, Bad Homburg
Another test shot with my Lumix.
Quite nice, good colours and resolution, but I don’t really care for the blown out white of the bright parts of the roof…
By the way, I already underexposed by 1/3 (0.33 EV).

July 20, 2005

Bad Homburg

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:56 pm

Today, I had a few minutes time to explore the “Kurpark” (”Spa park”) of Bad Homburg and have a look at the sculpture exhibition currently taking place there:


The Russian chapel, a small orthodox church


The “Thai Sala” a Siamese Temple in German park…
The modern plastic “tent” in the foreground was an attraction for quite a few children who were inside when I took this image.

All pictures taken with my new small Panasonic Lumix FX8 camera.

July 18, 2005

New toy - a Lumix FX8

Filed under: — lbobke @ 5:28 am

While I’m not going to really give up analogue photography any time soon, I also wanted to have a small digital camera to always carry with me.
So I got a Panasonic Lumix FX8.
Here are some shots I took with it:
Steiff Bear in Wiesbaden
A giant Steiff Bear (about 2 metres tall) in Wiesbaden

bumblebee shot with the macro function
I can get much closer to an object than with my current SLR and the image stabilizer of the tiny camera works quite well.
(No tripod used)


Luisenplatz, Wiesbaden
When it comes to dark objects in front of a bright sky, my SLR combined with Fuji Velvia works much better…

July 14, 2005

Felucca on the Nile

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:06 am

Felucca in Aswan
A Felucca cruising the Nile at Aswan.

July 13, 2005

Sunrise Kakadu National Park

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:38 pm

Sunrise in Kakadu National Park
The sun rises over the marshes in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territories, Australia.

July 12, 2005

Yet another blog

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:50 pm

I already mentioned that I have founded a travel photo group on Flickr.
I also have another group, “Outstanding Travel Photos” where only the very best travel pictures are posted.
Now, I have added a blog for the group.
I think this is definitely worth a visit!

July 11, 2005

Sunrise in Kakadu Naional Park I

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:48 pm

Sunrise in Kakadu National Park
The sun rises in Kakadu National Park.

July 9, 2005

Scottish Reindeer

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:09 am

Reindeer
Reindeer in the Cairngorms National Park

July 7, 2005

Balloons

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:54 am

Balloons at the Theatrium festival in Wiesbaden
Balloons at the Theatrium festival in Wiesbaden, 2005.

July 5, 2005

Rubber Giraffe

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:50 pm

Giraffe
The Theatrium is a yearly festivity in Wiesbaden. It started as a small celebration by the state theatre, but now is quite a big affair with many music groups, artisans and international food stalls.
The giant rubber giraffe was part of a playground set aside for the younger visitors.

July 4, 2005

Rethymnon Museum I

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:02 am

Vase in the Rethymnon Museum
A small vase in the museum of Rethymnon (Crete, Greece)

June 23, 2005

Varanasi: Children on the ghats

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:55 pm

Varanasi: playing children
Children inspect the remains of the Durga Puja festivity.

June 21, 2005

Peru: the Coast at Paracas

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:08 pm

Elvira in Paracas, Peru
Tourist enjoing the view.

June 20, 2005

Inside the Inca Express

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:52 pm

Inca Express
A truly fascinating way to discover this part of Peru: the Inca Express from Cuzco to Puno (Titicaca lake).
The historic train in itself is an attraction and you pass through very diverse landscapes.
A golden photo opportunity!

June 19, 2005

Sunset in Darwin II

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:15 pm

Darwin Sunset
and here’s another sunset shot from the same evening.

June 17, 2005

Sunset In Darwin

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:56 am

Sunset in Darwin
On my last day before leaving Australia, I had the chance to take some nice sunset photos.

June 15, 2005

Flickr: travel Photography Group

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:24 pm

A few weeks ago, I created a Flickr Group for Travel Photography.
There are already more than 400 memners and over 3000 images in the group pool.
Here is a list of countries for which there are pictures in the pool.

Here’s a random sample:

www.flickr.com

photos in Travel Photography More photos in Travel Photography

June 13, 2005

Rostrum Columns at Night

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:57 pm

Rostrum Columns, Leningrad (today again St Petersburg)
The gigantic rostrum columns in - well at the time the city was called Leningrad -, but now it’s again St. Petersburg.
The photo was taken in 1980.

June 12, 2005

Varanasi

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:49 am

Varanasi
The ghats of Varanasi, early in the morning

June 11, 2005

Olympia at dawn

Filed under: — lbobke @ 3:46 pm

Dawn in Olympia
This is Olympia (Greece) just before Sunrise.

June 10, 2005

Travel Photography on Flickr

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:59 am

I recently created a new group on Flickr: Travel Photography is for people who want to exchange travel/photo information and it already has a huge “pool” with 3000 photos from all over the world.
Come in and have a look.

June 8, 2005

Rethymnon harbour

Filed under: — lbobke @ 3:41 pm

Harbour of Rethymnon
The tower at the entrance of the harbour of Rethymnon.

June 6, 2005

Paper Bugs in Barcelona

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:23 pm

Paper bugs
This is just one of several windows decorated with origami paper insects. the windows and their “inhabitants” belong to a pub opposite the Barcelona Wax Museum.

June 5, 2005

Old city hall, Wiesbaden

Filed under: — lbobke @ 11:18 pm

Wiesbaden
The old town hall on the left of the picture now is the main registration office for Wiesbaden.

June 3, 2005

Mihintale Buddha

Filed under: — lbobke @ 12:19 pm

Mihintale Buddha
The giant Buddha statue of Mihintale.

June 2, 2005

Mihintale Steps

Filed under: — lbobke @ 11:39 am

Mihintale
Only a few kilometres from Anuradhapura is Mihintale which is generally regarded as the place where Buddhism was first introduced to Sri Lanka.
The stairway leading up to the famous Buddha statue (cf. “Mihintale Buddha“) has 1840 steps.

May 30, 2005

Barcelona. near the Cathedral

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:56 pm


A statue outside the (old) cathedral of Barcelona.
The Sagrada Familia by Gaudí may be the most important tourist attraction in Spain, but Barcelona’s old cathedral is well worth a visit and the surrounding old quarter is much more fascinating than the modern buildings built in the harbour area - at least in my opinion…
BTW: any idea who this is? I found the way that the face remains in the shade quite fascinating…

May 29, 2005

Lucknow residency

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:22 pm

Residency Lucknow
The “residency” in Lucknow was demolished in the Indian mutiny of 1857. The uprising started when Indian soldiers refused to “bite the cartridge”. This referred to the way the paper cartridges containing gunpowder were opened at the time, the problem being that, in order to keep the dry, they had been greased with pork or beef fat.
This, of course, was not in accordance with Muslim and Hindu believes.

May 28, 2005

Barcelona

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:24 pm

Barcelona Skyline
Barcelona seen from a sailing ship.

May 26, 2005

Taj Mahal

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:45 pm


The Taj Mahal in Agra.

May 24, 2005

Maria Laach

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:26 pm

Maria Laach
The famous monastery church of Maria Laach.

May 22, 2005

Montreal skyscrapers

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:25 pm

Skyscrapers in Montreal Sky scrapers in Montreal

May 21, 2005

Laach Lake

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:17 pm

"Laacher See" - Laach lake
The Laach lake - close to the famous monastery of Maria Laach, Germany.

May 18, 2005

High Dam memorial

Filed under: — lbobke @ 6:12 am

Nasser memorial
Not exactly beautiful: the high dam memorial was meant to celebrate Soviet-Egyptian collaboration on the dam project.

May 16, 2005

Salamanca Bridge

Filed under: — lbobke @ 5:39 am

salamanca-photos-0003-500
One of the bridges of Salamanca.
Salamanca is said to be the place where the “purest” Spanish is spoken and therefore many foreigners are inscribed in one of the many language schools.

May 14, 2005

Santa Catalina

Filed under: — lbobke @ 5:49 am

Santa Catalina
Inside the Santa Catalina monastery, Peru.

May 11, 2005

Fog over the Moosburg

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:35 am

rheingau-picture0013a
Fog in the park of the Grand Ducal palace in Wiesbaden Biebrich.
The Moosburg was built as a ruin - to lend a special flair to the park.

May 9, 2005

Small grave

Filed under: — lbobke @ 6:01 am

small grave
A small grave on the Fatimide Cemetery (Aswan, Upper Egypt).

May 8, 2005

Fatimide Cemetery.

Filed under: — lbobke @ 5:59 am

Fatimide Cemetery
Another photo from the Fatimide Cemetery.

May 7, 2005

Yet another Reflection

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:15 pm

Reflection in the water of a small pool in Wiesbaden
One more reflection seen in the Walkmühltal, Wiesbaden, Germany.

May 5, 2005

Feluccas on the Nile

Filed under: — lbobke @ 6:20 pm

Feluccas on the Nile, Luxor
Just about every evening you can see this sort of sunset over the Nile in Luxor and Aswan.
Similar shots on this site:
Aswan Sunset, Luxor Sunrise, Egypt: an evening in Aswan.

May 4, 2005

Bush Fire

Filed under: — lbobke @ 11:42 pm

Bush Fire in Australia
The original owners of the land still know best how to protect it: many of the bush fires are actually started by aborigines to prevent much worse natural fires from spreading.
Also, many of the plants have adapted so well that they actually need such a fire from time to time…
Picture taken in Kakadu National Park, Australia.

May 1, 2005

Elephant Butt

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:35 pm

Elephant's tail
Seen at the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, Sri Lanka.
More photos from the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage

April 29, 2005

Outback Moon

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:34 pm

Outback Moon
The moon seen from a camp in the Australian outback.

April 28, 2005

The Taj reversed / Taj Reflection

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:15 pm

Taj Reflection
Well, even before I took this photo, I envisaged turning it around in the slide tray.
Hard to say which version I prefer, this one where I uplifted the building or the normal view of the reflected Taj Mahal that is upside down, because I did not turn it…
Everything clear?

April 27, 2005

Monemvasia after sunset

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:19 am

Monemvasia after sunset
And another shot taken on the same occasion as yesterday’s.

April 26, 2005

Sunset over Monemvasía

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:55 pm


This was taken from the ruins of the upper town in Monemvasía.
For more on this magic place have a look at my earlier posts “Greek Gibraltar?” and “Greece: Monemvasia

April 25, 2005

Statue in the Egyptian museum

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:42 pm

Statue in the Luxor museum

Museum reflections

How to take pictures when you are in a fascinating museum where only the bare minimum of light falls on the archaeological treasures, - achieving a truly mystical atmosphere?
Normally, I’d just use my tripod, - but this was forbidden as was the flash.
My only “high-speed” film was a 100 ASA Fuji Provia (I usually use 50 ASA Velvia).
So I was a bit apprehensive when I unfolded the small reflector I bought for portraits - sure enough, the wardens looked uneasy, but this was not expressly forbidden, - so I could shine at least a little bit more golden (or silvery, depending on the side of the reflector used) light on the pieces I found most interesting.
It sure seems to have worked!

April 24, 2005

Autumn leaves

Filed under: — lbobke @ 5:46 pm

Autumn leaves reflected in a small pool in Wiesbaden, Germany
Autumn foliage reflected in a small pool in Wiesbaden, Germany

April 23, 2005

Ganges river before Sunrise

Filed under: — lbobke @ 3:19 pm

Ganges river before Sunrise (Varanasi)
The Ganges river seen from a small boat very early in the morning.

April 21, 2005

Heri es Souani, Meknes

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:06 pm

Heri es souani Granaries, Meknes (Morocco)
Very picturesque: the old granaries of Heri es Souani in Meknes.

April 20, 2005

Boy with tin drum at the Louvre

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:06 am

The Louvre in the evening, the little boy sits precariously under a window.
When looking for reflections of the Louvre in the windows of the Louvre, I realized a little figure sitting precariously high under the windows of the world’s most famous museum.
Only when looking at him through my tele lens, I realized that this was art - not suicidal behaviour.
I wonder how many times a day the police are called to help?
Presumably it’s just a reference to Günter Grass’ Oskar Matzerath from the “tin drum”.

Enlarged view of the boy with his tin drum.

April 18, 2005

Sun and Sea

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:51 pm


Seen from the ferry boat on the way to Gythio (Peloponessos).

April 17, 2005

Chipmunk and cigarette butt, Agra

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:19 pm

Chipmunk in Agra
I have seen all sorts of squirrels in parks, but the chipmunks in Agra and other Indian cities were not the least shy.

April 16, 2005

Luxor Temple: avenue of sphinxes

Filed under: — lbobke @ 6:35 am

Pharaoh's Head, Luxor
12 years after my last visit, I was fortunate to see the temple under a full moon - again!
This is one of the sphinxes that belonged to the avenue of sphinxes that once connected Luxor temple and Karnak.
Today, only small parts of this avenue are visible, - it must have been wonderful when it was still 3 km long!
The head looks very much like the head of Ramesses II at the front Pylon, that I photographed twelve years ago.
click to see a larger version of the photo.

April 15, 2005

Sphinx avenue at Luxor temple

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:47 pm

Avenue of Sphinxes, Luxor, Egypt
A photo of the avenue of sphinxes in the evening. There are two types of sphinxes here, the human-headed ones at Luxor and the ram-headed sphinxes near Karnak.
click image to see a larger version.

April 14, 2005

Biosphere in Montreal

Filed under: — lbobke @ 6:00 am

Biosphere, Montreal
The Biosphere in Montreal, seen from the water.
The museum inside is very visible from this perspective.

April 13, 2005

Loch Morlich at sunset

Filed under: — lbobke @ 5:53 pm

Loch Morlich, near Aviemore, Scotland
Yet another shot of Loch Morlich taken at sunset on a rainy day in the Cairngorms.
Also see:
Boat on Loch Morlich, Rainbow in the Cairngorms

April 11, 2005

Fields at Arbroath, Scotland

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:07 pm

Arbroath Fields
Somewhere between Dundee and Aberdeen, there is the small town of Arbroath.
This place is famous for its cliffs where you van watch colonies of puffins at the right time of year.
Even when there are no puffins, the views are breathtaking and walking a bit inland, you’ll see fields, cliffs and water.
Click the image for a larger version.

April 10, 2005

Mistra (Mystras), Sparti, Peloponnese

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:38 am


The archaeological site of Mystras is vast and one should devote at least several hours (better: a full day) to exploring it.
Getting there involves a steep climb but the effort is rewarded by many beautiful views and, of course, the wonderful byzantinic architecture including a castle, several important churches, palaces, convents a museum and some normal houses.
I especially enjoyed the scenic layout and the many overgrown paths, old stairs and dorrways.
Like with many transcribed places names, quite a confusion exists concerning the spelling of the Greek place name ??????? in our alphabet: Mystras, Mystra, Mistra, Mistras.

April 9, 2005

Sigiriya: the lion rock.

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:31 pm

Sigiriya - lion rock
From the lion’s paws forming the entrance, it is a steep climb to a plateau 200 metres above, where you can see the remains of the ancient fortifications.

April 8, 2005

Rainbow over Sydney

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:08 pm

Rainbow over Sydney
This was taken on the same occasion as my rainbow over the Sydney Opera house picture.

April 7, 2005

Niranjana River, Bodhgaya

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:01 pm

Niranjana River, Bodhgaya
Bodhgaya is a pleasant town situated at the shores of the Niranjana river.
There is, however, one thing that sets this place apart from all others: here, under a Bodhi tree, prince Siddharta achieved enlightenment and became “the Buddha”.
So, Bodhgaya is one of the holiest sites for Buddhists and there are monasteries from just about any Buddhist country.
Very interesting to visit, - but exploring rural India is just as rewarding!

April 6, 2005

Boat on Loch Morlich

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:34 pm

a boat on Loch Morlich (Cairngorm National Park)
A fishing boat on Loch Morlich in the Cairngorm National Park.
This picture was taken only a few meters from “Rainbow in the Cairngorms”.

April 5, 2005

Tower, Torremolinos

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:17 pm

Old Tower, Torremolinos, Málaga
A small tower in Torremolinos. The sign says “Hidroelectrica del Chorro”.
This was the first company producing electricity in Málaga.
“El Chorro” is a small village near the dam and hydroelectric plant in Antequera, but the name also refers to the whole “Andalusian lake district” with its famous climbing opportunities.

April 4, 2005

Fatimide Cemetary

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:15 pm

Fatimide Cemetary
Right in the centre of Aswan, between the Nubian museum and the unfinished Obelisque, there is the Fatimide Cemetary with hundreds of graves, some of which date back to the 9th century (others are quite recent).
There are small children’s graves and big tombs for holy men. Hiring one of the “guides” at the entrance is well worth a small Baksheesh.

April 3, 2005

At the beach

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:58 pm

Golden Gate Bridge
Walking the beach near Golden Gate Bridge.

April 2, 2005

Rainbow in the Cairngorms

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:07 am

Rainbow in the Cairngorms (Cairngorm National Park, near Aviemore, Scotland UK)

A rainbow appears over the forests near Loch Morlich in the Cairngorms (Cairngorm National Park, near Aviemore, Scotland UK).
I slightly enhanced the colours using a circular polarizing filter. Depending on the position of such a filter, it will either enhance the colours - or even eliminate the rainbow effect!
(A polarizer actually consists of two glass filters that are rotated against each other and is very useful for eliminating or enhancing all sorts of reflections)

April 1, 2005

Gythio: drying octopus

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:11 am

octopus drying on a washinl line in Gythio, Peloponnese, Greece
Everywhere around the harbour, you can see those lines full of drying octopus.

March 31, 2005

Lazy Time in Australia

Filed under: — lbobke @ 6:23 pm

I never came across as many sleepy animals in one country! Could it be that there’s something in the air? Just a few shots, - I’ve got more…

Sleeping Wombat in a private zoo near Melbourne
Sleeping Wombat in a private zoo near Melbourne

Reclining Kangaroo in a small zoo near Melbourne
Kangaroo in a private zoo near Melbourne

Sleeping frog in the Sydney Aquarium
Sleeping (?) frog in the Sydney Aquarium

March 30, 2005

Colourful Montreal

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:19 pm


Montreal has many houses with wooden or wrought iron stairways, and beautifully painted doors and facades.

March 29, 2005

Baths in the Reales Alacazares, Sevilla

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:22 pm

Vaulted Baths in the Alcázar
Like the other famous Andalusian cities (Granada, Córdoba…), Sevilla also has an “Alcázar” - a Moorish fortress.
The one in Sevilla dates back to the 8th century, but much of the current site was actually built after the reconquista in the times of Pedro the cruel who nevertheless employed Moorish architects and artisans.
The palace-fortress has beautiful gardens and right next to them are some vaulted baths.

March 28, 2005

Varanasi before Sunrise

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:04 pm

Dawn in Varanasi
This photo was taken from a small rowing boat on the Ganges river.

March 27, 2005

Pylos

Filed under: — lbobke @ 12:18 pm


Pylos nowadays is a small, pleasant place with a huge fortress and an interesting museum.
Pylos is very strategically situated with a huge natural harbour, where the famous battle of Navarino took place.
Here, in 1827, a European fleet (England, France, and Russia) destroyed the holed-in Egyptian fleet of Muhammad Ali, who came to the aid of the Turkish Empire in the Greek war of independence.
More on the battle of Navarino at Wikipedia.
In the picture you can see part of the small opening of the huge bay with Sphacteria island to the right.
I took this photo using a polarizing filter on Fuji Velvia.

March 26, 2005

Pop-Art in Montreal

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:28 pm

Graffiti in Montreal
A house that is painted in bright colours with comic-like faces on all sides.

March 25, 2005

Eternal Building Site? La Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudí

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:17 am

La Sagrada Familia
The Sagrada Familia, Barcelonas newest cathedral, has been a building site ever since 1882.
It is foreseen that carrying out the plans of Antoni Gaudí, even using materials not available at his time, will take another 80 years or so.
On the other hand, the first restoration works are already taking place.
The church itself is a peculiar mixture of Gothic and modern elements.
Definitely worth a visit - after all where else can you see a cathedral in the making?
Sagrada Familia from the Inside

Antoni Gaudí (1856-1926= is one of the most important modern architects. In Barcelona, it is hard not to come across at least some of his works: Parc Güell, Palau Güell, many private houses and, of course, his most important project, the Sagrada Familia.

March 23, 2005

Drying Chilies

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:44 am

Drying Chilis
Hot and spicy: chilis drying in the streets of Tozeur.
I was wondering about the name of this spice. At first glance, it looks as though it was derived from the country Chile, especially, as variant (but correct) spellings are chili, chile and chiley (Pl. chilies, chiles, chileys, chil·lies).
Dictionary.com however states that the Spanish word “chile” was derived from Nahuatl “chilli”.

Nahuatl is the Aztec language - so this would point towards Mexico rather than Chile.
I found quite an interesting page on Chili peppers at an MSN group.
By the way, the sight of drying Chili peppers is nothing new to me, - I saw them in Southeast Asia, South and Central America, Egypt, Nepal… . Maybe the most unusual location was on the bow of a ship cruising the Yangtze River in China.

March 22, 2005

Anuradhapura: Abhayagiri Dagoba

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:13 pm

Abhayagiri Dagoba, Anuradhapura
The Buddhist “dagoba” once was among the greatest of its kind, but now it is completely overgrown.
A stupa is a Buddhist monument, normally housing a relic. In Sri Lanka, the stupas are called “dagoba”.
This one once housed the famous tooth relic now venerated in the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy.

March 21, 2005

Sevilla

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:59 pm

Sevilla
Lush green in Sevilla.

March 19, 2005

ghats of Varanasi

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:26 pm

Varanasi
On the ghats of Varanasi

March 17, 2005

Salamanca

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:50 pm

Salamanca
Salamanca is known as the city where the “purest” Spanish is spoken. This may partly explain the large number of language schools.
However, there are many other facets of this city that attract culturally interested travellers from all over the world: the city itself is very beautiful with its traditional architecture that made it a world heritage site and there is always something going on in the historic setting. At the same time, Salamanca with its 180000 inhabitants is not really a big city, but rather a pleasant town. The famous university certainly is a factor - and explains the many pubs, bars and restaurants.

March 16, 2005

Moulin Rouge, Paris

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:15 am

Moulin Rouge, Paris
The red mill is the sign of the famous cabaret.

March 14, 2005

Birdwatching in Cape Town

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:31 pm


I saw this bird near Cape Town - if anyone knows the name, please tell me!

March 13, 2005

Loha Prasada

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:59 pm


Loha Prasada in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

March 11, 2005

Monemvasia

Filed under: — lbobke @ 11:03 am

Monemvasia
The ruins of the abandoned upper town of Monemvasía are a mystical place, - especially if you get there very early in the morning - or shortly before sunset.
This is the silhouette of one of the walls.
More on Monemvasia.

PS: Here’s a tip on how to take pictures of dramatic silhouettes.

March 9, 2005

Cemetary

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:02 pm


Muslim cemetary in Kairouan, Tunisia.

March 6, 2005

Santa Catalina, Arequipa

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:06 pm

Santa Catalina Monastery, Arequipa
The Convento de Santa Catalina is one of the major attractions of Arequipa.
The compound is huge - covering some 20,000 square metres. Built in the 16th century, it was almost a city within the city.
Contact between the 450 nuns living here and the outside world was fairly limited until 1970 when the convent was opened to the public.
The buildings are made of “sillar”, a volcanic material that is readily available near Arequipa and is easy to work with.
This may partly explain the elaborate design of the facades.
There are several distinct styles, including Spanish, Andalusian and indigenous elements.
Walking down the Calle Cordoba, it is easy to believe that this is somewhere in Andalusia…
I especially liked the strong colours used - many buildings are painted in red or blue and there are green plants everywhere…

March 4, 2005

Patagonia

Filed under: — lbobke @ 7:31 pm

Patagonia
Not exactly the right place for a nice beach holiday: Patagonia (Southern Chile)

March 2, 2005

Reclining Buddha

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:50 pm

Reclining Buddha, Polonnaruwa, Sri lanka
a close-up of the famous reclining Buddha of Polonnaruwa.
The Buddha statue lying on its stone cushion is actually 14 metres long.
By the way, the reclining Buddha depicts the moment when Buddha enters the Nirvana - at the end of his life.
A sitting and a standing Buddha statue are nearby.

February 27, 2005

Ksar Ouled Soltane

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:26 pm

Ksar Ouled Soltane
One of the most striking archtectural achievement in Northern Africa are the “Ksour” (plural of “Ksar”), fortified Berber strongholds consisting of many rooms called “ghorfas” used for storing grain.
The structures look so outlandish and bizarre that Geaorge Lucas used them as the backdrop for his planet Tataouine (actually a small city in Tunisia) in star Wars, home of Anakin Skywalker.

February 26, 2005

Pashupatinath: Ghats of Kathmandu

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:53 pm

The ghats of Kathmandu at Pashupatinath
Pashupatinath is the site were the dead are cremated in Kathmandu.
After all, the Bagmati river flows into the holy Ganges!
Pashupatinath, dedicated to the “lord of animals” is the holiest Hindu temple in the Nepalese capital.
There are lots of shops selling colourful powders, incense, holy beads and other offerings.
Cremations take place on the small platforms.

February 23, 2005

Inca fortress at Pisac

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:42 pm

ceremonial center of Pisac
Pisac is about 30 km from Cusco. The place is well-known for two attractions: the colonial village with its market and the Inca fortress overlooking it.
The setting of Inca Pisac is truly spectacular with fantastic views of the Urubamba valley. The site is smaller than much more famous Machu Picchu, but very well preserved and much less touristy.
Like in Machu Picchu, there is a ceremonial centre with a sacred stone (Intihuatana) used for tying the sun to the Earth.

February 22, 2005

Wiesbaden: Park in the Fog

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:02 pm


Thick fog hides the park of the palace in Biebrich.

February 21, 2005

Place Igor Stravinsky, Paris

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:57 pm

Fountain by Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely, Paris
Right next to the gigantic Centre Georges Pompidou, there is the small Igor Stravinsky place with a very colourful fountain.
The sculptures of the fountain are by two well-known modern artists: Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely.

February 19, 2005

Colosseum at El Jem

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 12:34 pm

Amphitheatre of El Jem (Tunisia)
Although this colosseum very much looks like the one in Rome, it’s actually located in the Tunisian city of El Jem.
The contrast between the third largest amphi-theatre of Roman times and the smallish city below it couldn’t be greater.

February 15, 2005

Aswan Sunset

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:43 pm

Sunset in aswan
Seen from the park beside the Old Cataract Hotel, Aswan.

February 14, 2005

Coast at Paracas, Peru

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 1:52 am

Coast at Paracas
Incredible colours…

February 13, 2005

Whirling Dervish

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:49 pm

Whirling Dervish performs at a Christmas Dinner in Aswan
This whirling dervish was truly amazing - spinning forever his clothes being coloured wheels.
Here, I stopped his movement combining a fill flash with a relatively long exposure.
As to dervishes: this originated as a sort of Sufi-prayer in Turkey - but I guess such tourist performances do not really have a religious significance.
Still, a remarkable experience!
more Egypt pictures.

February 12, 2005

Early morning in Paris

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:00 pm

Seine at Sunrise
The Seine, shortly after sunrise. Getting up that early surely was worth it: the light was truly magical.
Again (see my evening bridge with train), I waited for a train to cross the bridge before pressing the trigger.

Guest photos from Greece and Canada

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:51 pm

There are new photos in the Canada and Greece sections of the guest gallery.
The photographers are Benny Everaerts Eleni and Robert Calvé.

February 11, 2005

Rodin Museum

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:30 pm

Musee Rodin, Paris
The Musée Auguste Rodin its holds many sculptures by the famous artist, but the main attarction is its garden where you can see some of Rodins most important masterpieces in beautiful surroundings (including “the thinker” and “Eve”).
You can visit the museum building and the sculpture garden separately.

February 9, 2005

Lago Atitlan

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:12 pm

Lago Atitlan, Guatemala
Another view of Lago Atitlan.

February 8, 2005

Xochimilco

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:43 pm

Xochimilco
When you are in Mexico City, it seems that the noise and the traffic are going on forever. However, just about 20 kilometres from the city centre, there is a totally different place:
Xochimilco was the agricultural centre of Tenochtitlán, the great city of the Aztecs.
In Xochimilco, you can still see the so-called Chinampas - floating islands made of weeds, and earth on which the Aztecs used to grow their agricultural produce.
Actually, this is somewhat similar to the floating islands of the Uros on Lago Titicaca.

Nowadays, Xochimilco is a huge tourist attraction: you can take a boat on the canals and enjoy the atmosphere - while vendors on their boats offer you drinks, food and souvenirs. There are even restaurant boats and swimming Mariachi bands!
By the way: the name Xochimilco means “flower garden” and indeed you’ll see many flowers and bossoms here.

February 6, 2005

Biosphere Reflection

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:59 pm

reflection of the Biosphere, Montreal
Reflection of the Biosphere in Montreal.

Lantern at the Louvre

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:47 pm


The shadow of a lantern against the walls of the Louvre, Paris.

February 5, 2005

Sacré Coeur

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:12 pm


One of the landmarks of Paris, the Basilique du Sacré Coeur looks down on the city from its hill on top of the famous Montmartre quartier.
Looking at the white building that combines romanic and Byzantine styles, it is hard to believe that it was only officially opened after the first World War.
Sacré Coeur is only a very short walk away from Place du Tertre, where you can get a portrait of yourself painted by one of the many artists preying on the truckloads of tourists.
When I visited this time, Montmartre, Sacré Coeur and the Place du Tertre were quite enjoyable - winter is a good time to visit the more touristy attractions of Paris.

February 4, 2005

The Key to Abu Simbel

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:18 pm

The temple warden holds a key in the form of an anch
It is a good idea to be at the site even before the temples open. This gives you time to enjoy the atmosphere and take some shots of the temple walls in the red morning son.
Eventually, the temple warden (here seen wielding a huge key in the form of an “anch” will unlock the door to the temple.
Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures inside…

February 3, 2005

Blue Water

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:12 pm


Seen on a birdwatching trip near Capetown.

February 1, 2005

Clown in the Fog

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:21 pm

sculpture of a clown in Wiesbaden Biebrich
The sculpture “Froschkönigin” (”The Frog Queen”) by Birgid Helmy in Wiesbadem-Biebrich.
It is currently the time of the “5th season” - carnival. Just across the bridge from Biebrich is the city of Mainz, one of the most important centres of carnival celebrations.
Birgid Helmy was born in Wiesbaden and is known for her dynamic sculptures.

January 28, 2005

Luxor Dawn

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:40 pm


and another shot of dawn at Luxor.

January 27, 2005

Balloon over Luxor

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:39 pm

balloon over Luxor
A balloon rises from the west bank of the Nile, a few minutes before daybreak.
This photo was taken from the same position as the previous one (Tokina zoom at 400 mm + 1,7 tele extender).

January 25, 2005

Luxor Sunrise

Filed under: — lbobke @ 11:38 pm


I had to get up pretty early to get this shot.

January 23, 2005

Aswan Moon

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:33 pm

The moon seen from Aswan
The moon seen from our hotel room in Aswan.
For the technicall inclined: Minolat Dynax 9, Fujichrome Velvia, Tripod, Tokina 80-400 mm lens + 1.7* Tele extender (=680 mm focal length).

January 21, 2005

Inside a Nubian House

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:02 pm

Nubian House
Nubian House at the first cataract, near Aswan.

January 20, 2005

Fox in Patagonia

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:19 pm

Fox, Chile
I saw this fox in Patagonia, Chile.

January 18, 2005

Sound and light at Abu Simbel

Filed under: — lbobke @ 6:08 am

Abu Simbel Light Show

There are several ways to see Abu Simbel:
you can take the convoy. This is the cheapest and most popular option, giving you, however, little more than an hour at the site!
The luxury way is to take one of the ships cruising lake Nasser.
We opted for the plane instead: this gave us time to visit the site at daybreak, before the big crowds.
A side-effect of this approach was that we also saw the sound and light show at night.
While we enjoyed the illuminated temple, the laser projections simply were too much!
The picture above shows the Ramses temple with laser beams behind it.
If the statues look a bit blurry: this is due to the fact that during the long exposure time several images were projected on them…

Even worse: The temples were (ab)used as an projection screen! Here you can barely discern the Nefertari temple under the projected image:
Sound and light show, Abu Simbel, Egypt
more photos of Egypt

January 16, 2005

Isis temple, Philae

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:45 pm

Philae Temple

Now, as always, one can only approach this temple by boat.
Looking at it, it is very difficult to believe that the whole complex was moved from one island to another one when the new Aswan dam was constructed. Even the shape of the new location, Agilika island, was changed to make it as similar to the original Philae island as humanly possible.

January 15, 2005

View from Elephantine Island

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:20 pm

the Nile at Aswan

View from Elephantine island at Aswan.

January 13, 2005

Pisac Pig

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:41 pm

Pig in Pisac

This pig was wandering through the streets of Pisac village.

January 11, 2005

Egypt Pictures

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:15 pm

This is the second gallery of pictures from Egypt in this weblog.
There also is another one with Egypt photos taken in 1992.
Also, there’s the Egypt section of Travel Photo Net.

Egypt photos

January 9, 2005

Small Giants

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:33 pm

the Andes from above
Some mighty Andeam peaks appear just like tiny islands…
Seen on the flight from Arequipa to Cuzco.

January 6, 2005

Pyramid at the Louvre

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:00 am

The new entrance to the Louvre
The famous pyramid at night

January 3, 2005

Canal Saint Martin, Paris

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:54 am

Canal Saint Martin, Paris
Everybody knows the Seine, but few people walk along this charming old canal right in the center of Paris.
Highly recommended!

January 2, 2005

Machu Picchu Llamas

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:07 pm

Llamas on terrace overlooking Machu Picchu
Looks as though the llamas had something interesting to talk about…
By the way: I just uploaded 30 pictures from Machu Picchu to my galleries

December 29, 2004

Montreal: Olympia Stadium

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:34 am

Montreal: Olympia Stadium

December 27, 2004

Art in the Park: statues by Igor Mitoraj in the Tuileries, Paris

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:31 am

Statue by Igor Mitoraj, Tuileries, Paris

Statue by Igor Mitoraj

December 26, 2004

Sillustani Chullpas

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:55 am

Chullpas in Sillustani
Sillustani is famous for its Chulpas - the ancient Indian burial towers.

December 25, 2004

Beaver or Rat?

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:32 pm

Beaver or rat?
Couldn’t really see the tail…

December 23, 2004

Juggler in Kandy (Sri Lanka)

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 1:26 pm

artist in Kandy, Sri Lanka
A juggler balances 5 rotating dishes on sticks.
Seen in Kandy, Sri Lanka

December 22, 2004

Gauchos

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:31 pm

Gauchos
Gauchos on the pampas in Argentina.

December 21, 2004

Montreal Botanical Garden

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 4:29 pm

Montreal Botanical Garden
Not in Japan! This is the Japanese garden in Montrela Botanical garden.

December 20, 2004

Paris impressions: Eiffel Tower from the Seine

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:12 am

Eiffel Tower in the evening

December 19, 2004

Quebrada de Jeria

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:28 pm

Quebrada de Jeria

December 18, 2004

Quebrada de Jeria

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 3:27 pm

Quebrada de Jeria

December 17, 2004

Colca Canyon, Peru

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:55 am

Colca Canyon
The Colca Canyon near Arequipa is officially the second deepest canyon in the world.
BTW: the deepest canyon is not, I repeat: not the Grand Canyon.
It’s Cotahuasi canyon, only a few kilometres from the Colca canyon!

The Colca canyon is famous for its natural beauty.

December 15, 2004

Train on Evening Bridge, Paris

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:22 am

Train on Evening Bridge, Paris

December 14, 2004

small fountain in Biebrich

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:56 pm

small fountain, Biebrich, Wiesbaden, Germany
small fountain in Biebrich, Germany

also see: Clown in the fog, also taken in Biebrich and a photo taken in Biebrich Schlosspark.

December 12, 2004

Samaritaine

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:43 pm

Night shot from Pont Neuf, Paris
The Samaritaine is on e of the great department stores of Paris and has a prime location at Pont Neuf.
Now, at Christmas, it is lit in festive colours and al the windows have special decorations.

December 11, 2004

Bowing Dancer (Kandy, Sri Lanka)

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:05 am

Bowing Dancer, Kandy, Sri Lanka
A dancer bowes after the dance in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
The photo was taken on the same occasion as the one of the dancer in motion with and without flash.
more pictures from Sri Lanka

December 10, 2004

Photographic Reflections

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:49 pm

reflections
There now is a gallery with pictures of reflections on glass and water at my Online Photo Galleries.
Here’s more, if you are interested in the technicalities of photographing reflections.

December 9, 2004

Circular terraces of Moray

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:34 am

Dramatic cliffs at Paracas, Peru. Photo: Laurenz Bobke
The cricular terraces of Moray are believed to have been an Incaagricultural laboratory.

December 7, 2004

Coast at Paracas, Peru

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:37 am

Dramatic cliffs at Paracas, Peru. Photo: Laurenz Bobke
Incredible colors and stark contrasts: at Paracas, the desert meets the sea.

December 5, 2004

Nazca lines - Colibri

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:44 pm

Nazca-lines: Colibri / humming bird
There are many theories regarding the purpose of these lines. Were they built for the gods to see? Or for shamans who “flew” over them in drug induced dreams?
Or did their creators already have means to actually leave the ground, such as balloons?
In any case, from the ground there hardly is anything to see: the area is mostly flat and the figures are of a size that makes it impossible to see them whole from this perspective.
From an airplane, however, they are clearly distinguishable. There are a monkey, a spider, a colibri, even a human figure (often called the “astronaut”).

Of course, over time, erosion must have taken a toll on the lines which are believed to be more than 2000 years old.

By the way, while the lines at Nazca are the most famous ones, there are others in South America, such as the Atacama Giant in Chile, which can be clearly seen from the ground.

According to a CNN report, many new, even bigger and older geoglyphs have been found near Paracas - actually quite close to the Nazca lines.

More:
National Geographic on the Nazca lines: “Ancient, Giant Images Found Carved Into Peru Desert“.
Here is an interesting account by someone who visited the Nazca lines several months before me.

A Spanish blog notes that the lines have now been recorded digitally - a way to preserve them for the foreseeable future and maybe the analysis of the data will yield further insights?!

December 4, 2004

Reed Boat, Uros Islands, Lago Titicaca (Peru)

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:32 pm

Uro-indian steering a boat on lake Titicaca
One of the “must sees” on Lago Titicaca are the artificial “islands of the Uros”, made of marsh reeds (totora).
The tradition of constructing such islands dates back to times well before the Inca empire.
The original inhabitants were believed to have black blood and other magical qualities.
When they started to mix with the neighbouring Aymara tribes, however, they were no longer regarded with awe.
Today, the inhabitants of the floating islands no longer are Uros but people from other Indian cultures who speak Aymara or Quechua.
The totora reeds are also used to produce boats such as the one sown on this picture.
The famous Norwegian adventurer/anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl asked Uros from Lago Titicaca to help him with the construction of his reed boat Ra II with which he eventually crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
Although many boats are obviously mainly constructed for the entertainment of the tourist crowds, you can still see many families use them as the traditional means of transport.

more Peru-photos

By the way: I also saw floating islands in Xochimilco, Mexico.

November 28, 2004

Fields and mountains at Moray

Filed under: — lbobke @ 3:16 pm

Fields and Mountains, near Cusco
A few steps from the enigmatic circular terraces at Moray (near Cuzco, Peru), the landscape has a distinct “north Italian” quality, except for the Andes in the background, of course.

November 26, 2004

Blue Mood

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:13 pm


A rather meditative atmosphere…

November 25, 2004

Don’t feed the animals

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:18 am

protesting bird
I was just reading this sign in Montreal Botanical Garden, when a little bird landed right on top of it and protested vehemently…

November 23, 2004

Saqsayhuamán

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:45 pm

Saqsayhuamán fortress, near Cusco
Just outside Cuzco, the huge granite fortress built by the Incas is a truly magical place.
It is said that Cuzco and surroundings were designed in the shape of a Puma with the fortress of Saqsayhuamán (or “Saqsaywaman”) as the Pumas teeth.
The individual stones are already huge, but the scale of the whole site is absolutely breathtaking.

November 20, 2004

Dancer II

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:14 pm

Ceylonese Dancer, Kandy
Another shot of the dancer I portrayed before. This time, I used a flash combined with a long exposure time.

November 19, 2004

Merida Bridge II

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:51 pm

bridge in Mérida
another shot of the bridge at Mérida.
This time, I digitally eliminated a distracting crane in the background.

November 16, 2004

Historic train: the “lezard rouge”

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:33 pm

The Lezard Rouge train makes a photo-stop in the desert.
This is one of the most spectacular train trips one can take: the historical “Lezard Rouge” (red lizard”) train travels through stony desert landscapes, mountains, gorges, but also stops at green oases.
The Lezard rouge used to serve the phosphate mines from Metaloui, but nowadays it is only a tourist attraction.
The ancient carriages are a sight themselves, but the main sight is the scenery the train passes through.
The train needs less than an hour for the distance and then returns the same way it has come - giving you a second opportunity to take pictures of the spots you missed the first time!

scenery near Metloui (Tunisia)
You can see landscapes like this from the train.

PS: I just had the opportunity to undertake two even more spectacular train journeys: from Cuzco to Machu Picchu in a moder panorama train and from Cuzco to Puno (near Titicaca lake) in the Inca Express.
this, however, is a different story and you’ll see some pictures from those trips soon on this site…

Link section updated

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:09 am

I have moved my weblog-links from the right-hand menu to a special page, so there now is space for a short description.
There are many fascinating sites there!
Of course, there also is the photo and travel links section of Travelphoto.net.

November 14, 2004

Plaza de Armas, Cuzco (Peru)

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:12 pm


I have just finished scanning pictures from Cuzco (Peru).
The Peru-pages are far from finished, but visitors who are really interested can already have a preview.

November 13, 2004

Scottish Castle

Filed under: — lbobke @ 10:53 pm


and green gardens…

November 12, 2004

Reclining Buddha

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:28 pm

Reclining Buddha, Sri Lanka
The reclining Buddha of Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka) at night.

First European Month of Photography

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:06 am

The Month of Photography extends today to other European capitals. This first event organised with Berlin and Vienna precedes a great European Month which will join together in 2006, Bratislava, Moscow and Rome. For this first edition supported by the Culture 2000 programme of the European Union, each city organizes in November its own program. Adopting a common communication,

more

November 11, 2004

Olympic Reflections

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:49 pm

Montreal, Olympia Stadium.
Olympia Stadium, reflected in a puddle.
Montreal, Canada

November 10, 2004

Walking on Fire

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:01 pm


Picture taken in kandy, Sri Lanka.

November 9, 2004

Impressions of the Soviet Union

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:28 pm

church converted into a museum
back in 1980, the Soviet Union was still intact. Who would have imagined that this empire was about to break only a few years after?
Here you see a church converted into a museum of the communist revolution.

Leonid Brezhnev
Forever Young…

Only two years before his death, Leonid Brezhnev is presented as a young man.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
… and even Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (name of war: “Lenin” - a reference to the Siberian river Lena…) looks like a young man.
Just to recall: 1980 was the year of the Olympics in Moscow that were boycotted by many Western states.
It also was the year that Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov was banished.
Sakharov was one of the most renowned scientists the Soviet Union ever produced, contributed a lot to cosmology and was responsible for much of the Soviet Unions nuclear programme (actually, he also was known as the “father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb”).
He won the the 1975 Nobel Peace Price for his fight for human rights.
Almost as well known as Sakharov himself was his wife Yelena Bonner, who was also banished at the same time.

I was often approached by Russians who wanted to discuss modern literature, be it Russian, American or German - intellectual curiosity was much stronger than the fear of an autocratic regime.

interesting reads: BOOK REVIEW: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SOVIET EMPIRE
How A U.S. Soldier Ended Up in Soviet Army In World War II
Elena Bonner has a tough critique of Putin’s Russia
In Russia, an alarming retreat from democracy

November 8, 2004

A very green city

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:13 pm

Luxembourg
Don’t think I’ve ever come across a city with more “green” than Luxembourg - including my hometown of Wiesbaden!

November 7, 2004

Plaza de Armas, Arequipa

Filed under: — site admin @ 1:41 pm

Plaza de Armas, Arequipa, Peru
The main square of Arequipa at night.

New Guest Photos

Filed under: — site admin @ 12:25 pm

I have added several new photos to the guest gallery of Travel Photo Net.

There now is a second gallery with photos from India, by Sanne Couprie and Hillary Pugh
Some pictures by Jason Rosen showing San Francisco from the air have been added to the USA II gallery.

Highly recommended!

Laurenz

November 6, 2004

Baby Hippo

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:04 pm


Baby hippo in the Frankfurt (Germany) Zoo.

November 5, 2004

Machu Picchu

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:01 pm

terraces, Machu Picchu
Terraces in Machu Picchu, Peru.

November 4, 2004

Tasty: Japanese Food.

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:05 pm

Japanese Food
Display of Japanese Food in a Kyoto restaurant.

November 3, 2004

Wooden Church, Kizhi Pogost

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:00 pm



Unfortunately, my slides from 1980 are already starting to fade, reason enough to scan the most important ones!
This is a picture I took in Kizhi Pogost (Karelia, Russia) back in 1980.
Kizhi Pogost is a museum village displaying the art of Russian wood archtiecture and was recognised as a “Unesco’s World Heritage Site” in 1990.

All the building, including this 22-towered church, were constructed without the use of a single nail!
The surrounding landscape very much enhances the atmosphere of tranquility.

November 2, 2004

In Motion: Traditional Dance

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:49 pm

traditional dance inKandy, Sri Lanka
Dancer in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

November 1, 2004

Photos from the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage

Filed under: — lbobke @ 9:20 am

bathing elephants at Pinnawela elephant orphanage, Sri Lanka
12 years ago, in 1992, I visited the Pinnawela elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka.
Now, rescanning some images from Sri Lanka brought back some very fond memories!
Pinnawela elephant orphanage is a truly unique institution that raises motherless young elephants.
Of course, there now also are many growm-up elepjants at Pinnawela and it is a special experience to see all the big and small elephants take a bath in the nearby river..
The “stars” of the orphanage are the baby elephants however, who already wait for their bottle(s) of milk and the special treat, a sweet rice ball.
portrait of  a baby elephant
baby elephant at Pinnawela gets his/her bottle
Read about Pinnawela elephant orphanage at the Absolut Elephant
I was glad to read that Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage will not only be maintained but even upgraded.
Also, I was quite surprised to read how the dung produced bythe elephants helps to finance the Pinnawela orphanage - in the form of business cards!

October 31, 2004

Machu Picchu Llamas

Filed under: — site admin @ 3:21 pm

Llama in Machu Picchu
There are some tame llamas in the terraces above Machu Picchu - presumably to provide tourists with a nice foreground for the photographs?

October 30, 2004

Sunrise in Machu Picchu

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:26 pm

Sunrise in Machu-Picchu
It is advisable to take the first bus up to Machu Picchu and be there before sunrise.
At this time there is already surprisingly much light and the place is truly magical.

October 29, 2004

Japanese Theatre

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:25 pm

Performace in a Kyoto Theatre
Yet another scene from a Kyoto theatre performance.

October 27, 2004

Biosphere

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:33 pm

Biosphere, Montreal (Canada)

The attraction of the Expo 1967 by the famous architect Buckminster Fuller has lost its skin, but is still one of the most important landmarks of Montreal.
Today it houses a water exhibition.

October 26, 2004

Titicaca Lake

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:03 pm

Lago Titicaca after sunrise (Peru)
The Titicaca lake seen in the early morning from a boat.

October 25, 2004

Hundertwasser-house

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:20 pm

Hundertwasserhaus, Vienna
This was the first public project of the famous artist/architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

October 21, 2004

Chonqing: stairs.

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:20 pm

stairs Chongqing, China
stairs leading up to an old house in Chongqing, China.

October 19, 2004

Piglets

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:29 am


Suckling piglets at Puerto Fuy (chile).

October 15, 2004

Kyoto Theatre

Filed under: — site admin @ 6:26 pm


And another photo from the same theatre performance in Kyoto (Japan)

October 13, 2004

Reflections

Filed under: — site admin @ 3:59 am
I posted something on photographing
reflections
. There are many types of reflections: on water, metallic
surfaces, glass, even stone…
If you are interested in this subject please have a look at my photo tips

October 11, 2004

Altiplano, Chile

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:56 pm

Altiplano, Chile
Village in the Chilean Altiplano.

October 10, 2004

Japanese Park

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:15 pm

park in Takayama
The pond in Hida Folk Village, Takayama, Japan. Already, you can see the first autumn colours.
Hida folk Village is worth a visit anyway as youi can learn a lot about traditional Japanese architecture and see demonstrations of traditional crafts.

October 9, 2004

A Kyoto Theatre

Filed under: — site admin @ 6:59 pm

The gold fish and the crane, - theatre performance in Kyoto
Visiting a theatre performance can be quite an experience - especially if this takes place in another culture.
I’ll never forget this performance in Kyoto - the colourful costumes, the light, the traditional music.
The short piece here is about a Koi (goldfish) and a crane.

October 8, 2004

Boat in the Desert

Filed under: — site admin @ 11:18 pm

rowing boat on the salt lake
A small rowing boat on the salt lake near Douz (Tunisia).

October 5, 2004

Lantern in the Park

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:29 am

Japanese Stone Lantern
Stone lantern in a Kyoto Park.

October 3, 2004

Bridge in the Evening

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:15 pm


Bridge in Mérida, Spain.

October 1, 2004

Travel Photo Net: Guest Gallery updated

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:27 pm

There are some excellent new images in the Australia I, Thailand and Tibet galleries.
The photographers are Ben Weldon and Gil Mandelbaum .

Definiteley worth a look!

Laurenz
PS: I also added something about making a photo site search engine friendly.

September 27, 2004

Street scene in Guatemala

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:13 am


Maya culture still is very much alive around Lago Atitlan (Guatemala).

September 24, 2004

Personal Favourites

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:41 am

You may have noticed that in addition to the country folders, I have added some thematic ones, so you can now look for sunsets, night photography or animals. Usually, these pictures will also be in the respective country galleries.
There now also is a category “personal favourites” with some of the pictures I especially like myself.
Have Fun!

Laurenz

September 22, 2004

Sunrise over rice paddies

Filed under: — site admin @ 4:48 am


It is a long night trip with the train between Bangkok and Koh Samui, but quite comfortable. When I woke in the early morning, a while before reaching Suratthani, I was amazed to see this view of a sunrise over rice paddies.

September 18, 2004

Evening Ship

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:28 am

Brooklyn in the evening
A feryy boat in front of Brooklyn in the evening.

September 16, 2004

Granada

Filed under: — site admin @ 4:50 am

Granada (Andalusia, Southern Spain)
View over the Gardens of the Generalife, Granada (Southern Spain)

September 14, 2004

How to build a photo page on the web

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:44 pm

I have started a section on building your own photo site in my photo tips.
The first short articles are supposed to help future webmasters decide what type of page they want to have (web gallery? photo-log? a personal domain?), how to plan the site and what to consider when actually designing it.
Maybe, I’ll add something on promoting a photo-page lateron.
If you find this helpful and actually put up a site: please dont forget to link to Travelphoto NET! ;-)

September 11, 2004

Aikido Training

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:19 pm


A photo from the Aikido training in Wiesbaden, Germany. More Aikido-photos at Online Photo Galleries.

September 9, 2004

Japanese Snacks

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:55 pm


Very tasty, and also quite decorative.
Seen in Kyoto, Japan.

September 8, 2004

Atacama Giant

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:49 pm

In the Peruvian and Chilean desert, there are numerous, gigantic drawings made by carefully moving aside the dark pebbles thereby exposing the brighter soil underneath.
The most famous examples of this technique are the so-called “geoglyphs” in Nazca Peru.
As the area is mostly flat, these can only be appreciated from a plane!
Did their builders already have the technology to take to air either with a balloon as some believe or even using alien technology as others imply? Or were the images only supposed to be seen by the gods or shamans who could “leave their body” in a state of trance to “fly” over them?
(Personally, I wonder why the drawings are often very crude - if they were produced by aliens capable of interstella travel, it must have been their pre-school children who drew them!).
A slightly less famous (and less enigmatic) specimen is the so-called “Atacama Giant” in the Chilean Atacama desert: this figure is 115 m tall, but can be viewed quite well without leaving the ground as it takes up the slope of a hill.
If the photos fom my Peru travel turn out well, I may be able to post pictures of the Nazca lines as well, - which actually are quite different in style.
Atacama Giant, Atacam desert, Chile

September 7, 2004

Cinema

Filed under: — site admin @ 4:38 am


Advertisement of a cinema in Montreal, Canada. Note the typical mixture of French and English…

September 6, 2004

Copán

Filed under: — site admin @ 4:25 am

Another Maya figure in Copán (Honduras)

September 4, 2004

Salt Lake in the Chilean Altiplano

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:49 pm

Salar de Surire, Chile
Another picture from the Salar de Surire in Northern Chile.

September 3, 2004

Azulejos

Filed under: — site admin @ 4:48 pm

Azulejos in Fuengirola, Andalusia (Southern Spain)
The elaborate tiles are omnipresent in Southern Spain and Portugal: you find them as decorative elements on houes, but also as street sign, on park benches, in churches and many other likely and unlikely places.
The plaza des España in Seville is full of them and even the “Torre del Oro” (Golden Tower) gets its colour from gilded azulejos!
Usually, azulejos are mostly blue, as the name seems to indicate (azul=blue), but just about all other colours may be present as well.

As to the origin of the name azulejo: although the connection to the Spanish word for “blue” seems obvious, experts come up with a different etymology - from Arabic “Al Zulai” meaning brick.
Now, these tiles are neither completely blue nor bricks, but in any case truly photogenic!

August 5, 2004

Gate

Filed under: — site admin @ 3:01 pm



Seen in Meknes, Morocco.

August 4, 2004

Agaves

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:44 pm

Torremolinos
Agave plants in Torremolinos (Southern Spain)

August 3, 2004

Winter in Wiesbaden

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:23 am

It’s quite hot now, so here’s a shot from cooler times.
You find more photos from Germany over at the main site.

Snow and ice in a park in Wiesbaden, Germany

August 1, 2004

Near Wuhan

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:31 am


When approaching Wuhan, it seemed that water was everywhere - after all, lotos roots are a local delicacy…

July 31, 2004

Mountain River

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:04 am

Mountain River, Japan

July 29, 2004

A coast with a view

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:07 am

Coast (Gozo, Malta)
Typical view of the coast on Gozo (Malta)

July 28, 2004

Photos from India

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:47 pm
I did not scan any additional photos from India lately, - however, as you
may have arrived via a search engine, you may be interested in the existing
photo galleries:
Varanasi:
the shores of the Ganges, portraitsof sadhus and pilgrims.
Agra: Taj Mahal, streets, temples.
  Agra: in
the morning
Bodhgaya: stupas, rural India.
Lucknow: great Imambara, impressions of the city.
         
Delhi: Humayun
Mausoleum. Ancient Observatory.
Calcutta: harbour, Fairlawn Hotel.
Bikaner: camel farm.
Jaisalmer: castle, streets.
  Jaisalmer:
buildings, in the desert.
Jodhpur: inside the Maharajah’s palace, vultures, traditional
music, market.
         
To take the "guided tours" of Northern India, click on any of the
above images to select a photo gallery, then follow the arrow keys.
Point the mouse cursor on an image to see a short description or click on
it to view a larger version.

July 26, 2004

Giant Bell

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:20 pm

millennium bell (Wuhan, China)
Millennium bell in Yellow Crane Tower Park, Wuhan.

July 24, 2004

Shinto Shrine

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:16 pm

Shinto Shrine
Shinto shrine in Miyajima. The ceremony performed there was solemn and impressive - although I didn’t understand it at all…

July 23, 2004

Quadriga on Monumemto Vittorio Emmanuele

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:12 pm


The Monumemto Vittorio Emmanuele dominates the Piazza Venezia.
It was built in 1885 as a symbol of the unity of the country. This is one of the quadrigas on the top of the monument.

July 22, 2004

Autumn in Wiesbaden

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:46 pm

Autumn in Wiesbaden, Germany

Autumn in a park in Wiesbaden, Germany

July 21, 2004

Markets of Meknes

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:56 pm



typical view of the markets of Meknes.

July 20, 2004

Peace Cranes

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:03 pm

Photo of paper Cranes in Hiroshima

One of the most impresive sights in Hiroshima are the innumerable brightly coloured paper cranes at the Children’s Peace monument.
I was told that the origami cranes had become a powerful peace symbol because of the story of a little Japanese girl who developed leukemia 10 years after the nuclear bomb had been dropped.
She had begun to fold 1000 origami cranes but died before she could complete her task. Others continued for her and there are thousands and thousands of new cranes every year.

July 19, 2004

Palermo: Monreale

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:32 pm


The cathedral of Monreale was built by king William II who wanted it to be a sign of his power and sovereignty - outdoing the existing basilica in which the bishop (Walter of the Mill, an Englishman) resided.
A few years later, the bishop ordered his basilica to be torn down - and a new one to be erected in its place.
In any case, the cloister of Monreale is a beautiful place - and you can spend lots of time examining the architectural details: almost every column has an individual design..

July 16, 2004

Palermo: Cathedral

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:26 am

The Cathedral of Palermo in the blue hour
The Cathedral of Palermo at night

July 12, 2004

Stromboli

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:27 am

Stromboli, Sicily
This volcano is still active.

July 11, 2004

Small shop on Lipari

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:40 am

small shop selling fruit and vegetables

Lìpari is one of the so-called Aeolian Islands to the North of Sicily. Many tourists visit this island - but it is still possible to wander through small streets and discover fascinating views.

July 10, 2004

Photos from Scotland

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:34 pm
Scotland-Photos

Scotland
Pictures

You find photos from Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow ans St. Andrews over
at the main gallery.

July 9, 2004

Pictures from South Africa

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:15 pm

You find pictures from my trip to Cape Town and the Garden Route at the Country Galleries:

South
Africa: pictures of the Western Cape and the Garden Route
  South
Africa I

Cape Region: Cape Town, Lion Head, Table
Mountain, Wine Lands, dassies and penguins.
  South
Africa II

Cape Region / Garden Route: Kogel Bay, Mossel Bay, museum village,
"Little Karoo", Prince Albert, Fynbos (proteas), Swartberg
Pass
South
Africa III

Garden Route and National Parks:Cango Caves (near Oudtshooorn),
Ostriches and "Addo Elephant Park"

July 6, 2004

Chapel in the Altiplano

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:17 pm

Stone Cross in the Altiplano, Chile
Some of my visitors may have come across my image “Stone Cross
in the Altiplano
“.
Here is a shot that shows the surroundings of that picture.

July 5, 2004

Sri-Lanka Pictures

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:31 pm

Pictures from Sri Lanka
Buddha statues in Dambulla.
You find pictures from Sri Lanka at the main photo gallery.

July 4, 2004

Photos from France

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:36 pm

You find some pictures
from France
over at the main site.
Currently, there are pictures from Paris and Southern France.
You can see a slightly unusual shot of the Pyramid at the Louvre, Notre Dame de Paris, the fountain at the Louvre by Niki de Saint Phalle, the Seine, the Bois de Boulogne, fields at dawn in the Gascogne, an old castle, market dayin Tolouse,a monastery, parks, old houses

Many
more photos still waiting to be scanned…

 


July 3, 2004

Tunisia-photos

Filed under: — site admin @ 2:05 am

Pictures from Tunisia (Tozeur, Nafta, the great Salt Lake, Douz) are available at the country galleries:

Tunisia

Photos from Tunisia
2.jpg 10.jpg 15.jpg image3.jpg image1.jpg

Travel Photo Net -
Travel Photography Online, by Laurenz Bobke

July 2, 2004

‘Sprinklers Throughout Building’

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:26 pm

Mermaid in Ney York
Statue in front of an antiques shop in New York. Obviously, the sprinklers do not come to the rescue of the fish.

July 1, 2004

Palermo: Statue in the Park

Filed under: — site admin @ 12:59 am

statue of a woman
A statue in the botanical Garden of Palermo.

June 29, 2004

Plenty of Fish

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:22 pm

Fish in the Red Sea
The Red Sea is a paradise for scuba divers. Unfortunately, I didn’t have an under-water camera with me there.
However, even from dry land, you could see swarms of colourful fish, like the one in the picture.

June 27, 2004

Cathedral, Montreal

Filed under: — site admin @ 2:37 pm


Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde, Montréal.

June 26, 2004

Beach.

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:23 pm

Koh Samui: Beach
The Beach of Koh Samui, Thailand.

June 25, 2004

Egypt: old and new

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:24 pm


A guide explains an antique mural.

June 24, 2004

Flat Iron Building

Filed under: — site admin @ 3:14 pm

Flat Iron Building
One of the most unusual sky-scrapers, the Flat Iron Building in New York.

June 23, 2004

New York from above

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:18 am

New York from the Empire State Building
Highly recommended: visiting the Empire State Building in the early evening.
The shadow of the Empire State Building itself is visible on the left hand side.

June 21, 2004

Fumes and mist over the volcano

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:53 pm

Volcano Poás, Costa Rica.
Fumes and mist hide the crater, - but the surreal atmosphere makes up for it.

June 20, 2004

Volcano Poas (Costa Rica)

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:05 pm

Volcano Poas, Costa Rica, Central America

Quite close to San José, volcano Poás is still active - and an impressive place.

June 19, 2004

Small market in Bangkok

Filed under: — site admin @ 8:43 pm

Bangkok: market in the evening light.
A small market in the streets of Bangkok.

June 18, 2004

The Streets of San Andrés

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:09 am

MA2027.jpg
Normal street life on San Andrés, a pleasant island far removed from the Colombian mainland.

Rain on The Market

Filed under: — site admin @ 4:59 am

MA2064.jpg
A rainy day in Managua (Nicaragua).

June 15, 2004

Greece: Blue Sea

Filed under: — site admin @ 5:04 am

sun filters through clouds over the sea
View from the castle of Rethymnon (Crete, Greece).

June 12, 2004

Greece: Inside the Fortress of Rethymnon

Filed under: — site admin @ 6:57 pm

GREECE1060.jpg
The Venetian fortress was originally built to defend the city agains the Turks, but nowadays you find many Turkish buildings inside it.

June 11, 2004

Sicily - Taormina: Greek Theatre

Filed under: — site admin @ 3:11 pm

SIZ2_004.jpg
As the name suggests, the Greek theatre was originally a Greek construction, but later changed by the Romans.
The Romans built the brick wall that now obstructs mosts of the view of
Mount Etna.
Still, it’s a marvellous atmosphere! The theatre is still used, today.

Siz2_006.jpg
Another view of Taormina from the Greek Theatre.

June 10, 2004

Canada: the Art Galleries of Montreal.

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:23 pm

Art Gallery in Montreal
There are many art galleries in the streets of Montreals historic city and they look their best at night…

June 9, 2004

Sicily: Mount Etna

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:21 pm

Mt Etna
The lava fields of Mount Etna, near Catania (Sicily, Italy)

June 8, 2004

Sicily: Syracuse at Night

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:32 pm

Harbour of Syracuse in the evening
Syracuse is a very beautiful city in broad daylight, but turns magical at night. This is the harbour of Syracuse in the “blue hour”.
Taken with a Minolta Dynax 9 on a tripod on Fuji Velvia slide film.

June 6, 2004

Egypt: dates are nice

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:21 am

picking dates in a palm tree
… but I wouldn’t risk this for any sweet!

June 5, 2004

Thailand: little Mermaid

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:21 pm

SOA2_090.jpg
No, this really is not Copenhagen! In Songkhla (Thailand) you can find an exact copy of the little mermaid in tropical surroundings.

June 4, 2004

Evening over lake pokhara (nepal)

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:24 pm

Pictures from Nepal
You find pictures from Nepal at my main photo galleries.

June 2, 2004

Canada: Babylon in Montreal?

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:14 pm

canada-6.jpg
“Rue University”? In Montreal, you often see peculiar mixtures of French and English.

June 1, 2004

Germany: black Lantern

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:19 pm

lantern in the Rheingau
Evening light in the Rheingau. A pity that the lantern was not lit from inside.

May 31, 2004

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:51 pm

Please note that I also have a site with a few thematic photo galleries.
One of them shows different landscape forms:
Face of the Earth - trying to capture the variety of landscapes

May 30, 2004

Egypt: the Camels of Dahab

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:43 am

Very quiet: dromedaries are waiting for tourists.

Portrait of a dromedary

waiting dromedaries, Dahab, Egypt

waiting dromedaries, Dahab, (Red Sea, Egypt

May 29, 2004

Canada: Montreal Town Hall

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:50 pm

Night shot of Montreals city hall
Quite decorative, but slightly less colourful lighting would have been more to my taste: the city hall of Montreal at night.

May 28, 2004

Canada: old and new in Montreal

Filed under: — lbobke @ 8:48 pm

church and modern building in Montreal

Even the “gothic” cathedrals are less old than they look. Still, the contrasts are truly photogenic: small, “medieval” churches in the shadow of modern skyscrapers.

May 16, 2004

Chile: Lake and Volcano

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:26 am

lake near Panguipulli
One of the nicest ways of crossing from Argentina into Chile is the “Paso Hua Hum” a combined bus and boat trip. You then come through the area of the “seven lakes”.
This picture was taken in Panguipulli, a small but pleasant town.

May 15, 2004

Australia-Photos

Filed under: — site admin @ 10:34 pm

You find pictures from Australia over at the main site:


Australia I: the 'red heart', Ayer's rock, Alice Springs; kangaroo, sun  bird   Australia
I

Sydney: Sydney Opera
House; Skyline; Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Red Heart: Ulara; Ayer’s Rock;
Alice Springs
Kuranda: Grass; "Sun bird"
 Australia II: Katherine gorge; outback, Mataranka springs; bats; crocodiles; snake; aboriginal art; Kakadu National Park   Australia
II

North of the Centre: Katherine river;
Kookaburra; bats at Mataranka; Cooinda: birdlife;
Salt water crocodiles in the Adelaide river; Kakadu
National Park; traditional aboriginal drawings, snake.
 Australia III: Kakadu National park: lovers under a cross; Darwin; evening sun   Australia
III

Kakadu National Park: bush fire;
lovers under a stone cross;
Darwin: in a pub; trees; "outdoor"
painting; sunset
     

More
pictures (by other photographers) at the guest
gallery
. If you have beautiful pictures of your own,
why not
submit them?

Laurenz

 

May 14, 2004

Egypt: ship wrecks

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 3:25 pm

ship wrecks in Aswan, Egypt
This is very close to the small temple in the last image.

May 13, 2004

Egypt: small temple.

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:15 pm

temple near Aswan, Egypt
my slides, I exactly remember a place but not its name.
Where did I come across this small temple? it must have been near Aswan (Egypt) and the head of Hathor is clearly visible on the left. Maybe it was on Bigga island. So, if anyone here knows the answer, please tell me!

May 12, 2004

Thailand: lazing on the beach

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:35 pm

lazy dogs on the beach, Thailand
Koh Samui in the morning.

May 11, 2004

Argentina: Moreno Glacier.

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:43 am

Moreno Glacier, Argentina
Parque Nacional “Los Glaciares”: Moreno - Glacier.

May 10, 2004

Chile: Torres del Paine

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:08 am

Torres del Paine, Chile

A fascinating short trek leads to the Torres del Paine, but unfortunately, the weather is unpredictable.
When we arrived there, the famous peaks were barely visible in the fog.
Still it surely was worth the effort: the Torres del Paine National Park has so much to offer, including crystal clear lakes and many wild animals.

May 9, 2004

Chile: Geyser

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:11 pm

El Tatio
again: El Tatio. Here, ice and steam are really close.

May 8, 2004

Chile: El Tatio

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:10 pm

chile-23a.jpg
High up in the Chilean Andes, at about 4000 meters, there is a famous geyser: El Tatio.
In the early morning, this is a truly magical place with ice, steam and many colours.
However, this spectacle only lasts for a short time, a few hours after sunrise there isn’t really much to see.
This is why many travelers leave San Pedro de Atacama at night and reach the place before sunrise.
It’s worth it. Take some hot beverages and warm clothes - it can be bitterly cold with temperatures well below 0.

May 7, 2004

Chile: bad service in Patagonia?

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:13 pm

skulls and bones as advertisement for a cafeteria
Seems you have to wait for a while until someone takes your order. In any case, I’ve seen more inviting restaurants!

May 6, 2004

New York: Grand Central Station

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:16 pm

NY2_046a.jpg
If New York has any such thing as a “city center”, then it would be the area around Grand Central Station.

May 5, 2004

New York another view of the Chrysler Building

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:22 pm

Chrysler Building, New York, United States
It is fascinating how the colours change with the time of day. This also is the Chrysler building, this time the photo was taken from the Empire State Building in the evening.

May 4, 2004

New York: Chrysler Building

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 12:16 am

Chrysler Building, New York
Maybe the most attractive skyscraper in New York.

May 3, 2004

New York: door

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:02 am

painted shop door
In Harlem many shop doors are decorated with colourful paintings by Franco, a local artist.

May 2, 2004

New York: sky-scrapers?

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 3:52 pm

New York Skyline
It’s only a matter of perspective: from aboard the ferry, even the New York skyline seems to be quite small.

May 1, 2004

Chile: a bit dusty

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:52 pm

Llamas
Llamas in the Altiplano, Chile.

April 30, 2004

Andalusia: Lion yard

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:59 pm

Alhambra, Granada, Southern Spain
The famous lion yard in Granada

April 29, 2004

Egypt: Echnaton

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:37 pm

bust of Echnaton, Luxor museum
The head of the most controversial pharaoh in Egyptian history.
Even though the museum of Luxor is much smaller than the one in Cairo, I’d prefer it any time.
The arrangement of the pieces and the almost perfect lighting create an almost mystical atmosphere.

April 28, 2004

Greece: monastery cats

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:44 pm

sehr gem?: junge K?chen auf einem Stuhl
Seen in Agia Triáda, Akrotiri, Crete.

April 26, 2004

Chile: church in the Altiplano

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:19 pm

Andean church, Chile
Church in the Chilean table lands.

April 25, 2004

Chile: kissing tanks?

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:38 pm

rusty tank in Arica
The rusty remains of tank in Arica (Chile).

April 24, 2004

Thailand: evening light on Koh Samui

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:05 am

boulders in the setting sun

Beach of Koh Samui, Thailand

April 23, 2004

Colombia - San Andres: island in the ocean

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:38 pm

smal island
A small island seen from San Andres.

April 22, 2004

Sicily: Cefalú

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:19 am

Cefalu, Sicily
A few meters away from the tourist attractions.

April 21, 2004

Sicily: Tonnara die Scopello

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:16 pm

Tonnara die Scopello, (Sicily)
The “Tonnara di Scopello” is an old tuna factory that was closed down years ago.
Nowadays it’s a good place for a dive.

April 20, 2004

Greece: Bourtzi in the evening light

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:07 am

Nafpli: Bourtzi
Nafplio: Bourtzi fortress seen from the castle.

April 19, 2004

Greece - preparing for the Olympiad

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:11 am

Nafplio, Greece
When we visited Greece, many places were building sites, including the Acropolis.

April 18, 2004

Greece: an evening in Nafplio

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:34 pm

Bourtzi island and fortress
Nafplio: Harbour and the fortress of Bourtzi.

April 17, 2004

New York

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:20 pm

Brooklyn, seen from Manhattan
A slightly unusual view: Brooklyn seen from New York in the evening .

April 16, 2004

Honduras: Ruins in the Jungle.

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:14 pm

fascinating: Maya Ruins of Copán
The Maya temples of Copán are surrounded by jungle.

April 15, 2004

Costa Rica: relaxing in a tree

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:13 pm

Kapuziner?chen
Small monkey in a tree. Looks cute? Yes, but I saw one of those guys steal a whole bag full of tropical fruit from another traveler, so beware…

April 14, 2004

Honduras: welcome to Copán

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:53 pm

Cop? in Honduras
The skull may not look overly friendly, but the Maya-ruins are definitely worth a visit.

April 13, 2004

Thailand: Fishing Boats under Palms

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:24 pm

Fishing boats under palm trees, Koh Samui, Thailand
Seen on Koh Samui, Thailand.

April 12, 2004

Thailand: ship-wrecked?

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:30 am

boat on the baech

Sailing boat on Koh Samui.

April 11, 2004

Thailand: Bounty and Wisdom

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:02 am

Buddha Statue, Bangkok, Thailand
Untouched by the splendour of the ornaments, a stone Buddha sits in Bangkok, Thailand.

Using Filters

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:49 am

Usually, I’m very reluctant to use filters: polarization filters are very nice to eliminate or enhance reflections, make for a much more dramatic sky or saturated colours.
I sometimes use a neutral gray filter to reduce contrasts (the filter darkens the bright parts of the picture) and a UV filter may be handy in the mountains or at the seaside.
Colour Filters are something different altogether: even if you can change the colour of the sky to a beautiful blue, the rest of the photo will make clear that something is wrong.

Here’s one example, where I liked the effect of a tobacco filter:

Without Filter:

In this case, I prefer the mood with filter to the unfiltered original. It actually comes closer to what I saw on this rainy day in Blandy’s Garden, Madeira (Portugal)

Some photo tips.

April 9, 2004

Egypt: an evening in Aswan.

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:27 pm

egiv_re3.jpg

I rented a Braun slide scanner that is able to scan up to 100 slides in one go. This could be the perfect solution for me - I have thousands of unscanned slides.
Unfortunately, although this is a very good idea, the scanner itself still leaves a lot to be desired. Colours are fairly neutral, but very often, it will not correctly detect the format of a picture and try to scan a “portrait” as a “landscape” or vice versa.. It’s also quite fond of simply cutting of parts of dark pictures. A nightmare for night photographers.
Having said that, I was able to scan quite a few pictures, so the future of these pages is not in doubt.

April 8, 2004

Rome: old window

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:46 pm

Rome: window
even though the building may be in bad repair, the flowers are quite attractive.

April 7, 2004

Rome: “Babington’s Tea House”

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:48 pm

British-Italian cultural exchange
Typically british? Maybe, however, this tea house is situated right beside the Spanish steps.

April 6, 2004

Egypt: evening light on the Nile

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:08 pm

Sunset in Egypt - a monochromatic picture
The wet sand banks glisten like gold in the setting sun.

April 4, 2004

Madeira-Photos

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:43 pm

Island of Flowers

To think that it was spring time in December! Actually I spent a short X-mas holiday on madeira and some of the pictures can now be seen at Travelphoto.Net

I hope you like them!

Laurenz

April 3, 2004

Colombia: Beach of San Andrés

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:12 am

beach of San Andres
The island of San Andrés officially belongs to Colombia, but here you do not see anything of the problems often associated with this country.

April 2, 2004

Mexico: Teotihuacan

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:59 pm

Moon Pyramid, Teotihuacan, Mexico
The moon pyramid of the famous Teotihuacan temples (near Mexico City).

April 1, 2004

New York by Night

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:01 pm

no idea how many photos I've taken near Time Square at night...
New York by Night

March 31, 2004

New York: “Street Art”

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:56 pm

Bild5.jpg
The advertisement of a New York artist. Interestingly, I have seen such painted cows convene in Luxembourg a while ago. Maybe, I find a photo of this one’s “colleagues”…

March 30, 2004

New York by Night: Greenwich Village

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:55 pm

Bild2.jpg
Greenwich Village - or just “the village” - really comes to life at night. Pubs, bars, night-life and trendy shops seem to never close.

March 29, 2004

Madeira: “won’t melt”

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 4:16 pm

Snow Man on Madeira (Portugal).
Ever thought about the shortness of life when seeing a snowman? This specimen is made of concrete…
Seen on Madeira (Portugal).

Edited: Please note, there now is a special gallery with 50 photos from Madeira

March 28, 2004

New York: “Peace Bus”

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:48 am

Bild4.jpg
Just an advertisement or a political statement? Is it art or just bad taste? Sometimes it’s hard to draw the line…

March 27, 2004

Colombia: ship-wrecked?

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:53 am

rusty motor boat under a a palm tree, San Andres (Colombia)
An old boat lying in the grass under a palm tree. Seen on San Andrés (Colombia).

March 26, 2004

Madeira: “Island of Flowers”

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:48 pm

Blossoms and trees, Madeira, Portugal, Photo: Laurenz Bobke

On Madeira, wherever you find a house, there’s also a garden. Easy to understand that Madeira is also called the “island of flowers”.

Edited: Please note, there now is a special gallery with 50 photos from Madeira

March 25, 2004

Guatemala: Lago Atitlan

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:56 am

37.jpg
Lago Atitilan a huge (and beautiful) lake in Guatemala.

March 24, 2004

Costa Rica: not a luxurious place…

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:15 pm

cheap hotel in Costa Rica

but a nice atmosphere. Hostal “Tica Linda” in the center of San Jose.

March 23, 2004

Madeira: view from Cabo Girao

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:11 am

view from Cabo Girao Madeira (Portugal)

According to our guidebook the cliffs of Cabo Girão are the second highest in the world.
A beautiful viewpoint.

Edited: Please note, there now is a special gallery with 50 photos from Madeira

March 22, 2004

Madeira: “Levada”

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:52 pm

Bild24.jpg
One special attraction of walking on Madeira are the so-called “levadas” canals carrying water to remote fields.
They are easy enough to follow and sometimes you can even walk on the levada itself.

Edited: Please note, there now is a special gallery with 50 photos from Madeira

March 21, 2004

Madeira: Foggy Woods

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:31 pm

Bild41.jpg
“Madeira” means “wood” in Portuguese - and even today large parts of the island are covered by woods.
Nowadays, most of the woods are mainly Eucalyptus (gum) trees, whereas the native laurel trees are only restricted to small part of the inner island.
In any case, it’s nice to walk here, although the whether may change any minute and fog may close in on you very rapidly.

Edited: Please note, there now is a special gallery with 50 photos from Madeira

March 20, 2004

Madeira: Aloe

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:12 pm

Aloe, Madeira (Portugal). Photo: Laurenz Bobke
Aloe-plant in Santana, Madeira.

Edited: Please note, there now is a special gallery with 50 photos from Madeira

March 19, 2004

Japan: Lake and Torii

Japan: red Torii in Fuji Hakone

Ashino-ko lake is a crater lake and only a few thousand years old.
On it’s shores, there’s a small red Torii which is illuminated at night.

Reflection of  a Torii in  Ashino-ko lake, Fuji Hakone, Japan. Photo: Laurenz Bobke

March 18, 2004

Malta: salt pans

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:32 pm

Salt Pans, Xwieni Bay, Gozo. Poto: laurenz Bobke.
The salt pans in Xwieni Bay (Gozo, Malta) are in use even today

March 17, 2004

Colombia: Beach of San Andrés

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:26 pm

San Andrés
Under a palm tree: beach of San Andrés

March 15, 2004

Mexico: Acapulco

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:48 pm

Acapulco Beach, Mexico. Foto: L. Bobke
The beach of Acapulco (Mexico)

March 14, 2004

Madeira: Town Square of Camacha

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:08 am

Dorfplatz von Camacha, Madeira (Portugal). Foto: L. Bobke
Town Square of Camacha Madeira (Portugal)..
Camacha is well known as the village of “basket makers”.

Edited: Please note, there now is a special gallery with 50 photos from Madeira

March 13, 2004

Madeira: Like cat and dog?

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:32 am

a cat and a dog sleeping, Madeira, Foto: L. BobkeSeen on Madeira (Portugal).

Edited: Please note, there now is a special gallery with 50 photos from Madeira

March 12, 2004

Andalusia: Generalife, Granada

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:24 pm

Generalife, Granada, Foto: L. Bobke
A view from the gardens of the Generalife in Granada, Andalusia.
The Alhambra and the Generalife actually make up one complex, but the summer palace of the Nasride dynasty is much less known than the Alhambra.
A pity as the beautiful garden are exactly the right spot to relax a bit and recover from the stress of the multitudes visiting the palaces. This place has water basins, fountains, palm, cypress and orange trees, abundant flowers and a breathtaking view.

March 11, 2004

Andalusia: the Mezquita (mosque) of Cordoba

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:01 pm

Mosque/Cathedral of  Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain. Photo: Laurenz Bobke
The Mezquita (mosque) of Cordoba is an architectural wonder, even today, although building a Cathedral in its center did not exactly improve it.
Even the emperor Carlos (Charles) V is said to have commented as follows: “You have destroyed something unique in the world and built something that can be found anywhere.”
Well, nice quote, but after all it was Carlos himself who had ordered the construction of the cathedral.
Still, the maze of columns is breathtakingly beautiful.

March 10, 2004

Chinese Chess

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:01 am

Chinesisches Schach, in Wuhan.
At first glance, the similarities between Chinese and Western Chess are obvious:
There are 64 squares, but Chinese chess is played on the lines between them.
The broad line in the center symbolises the yellow river.
Like in Western chess, there are 16 pieces with different rank and capabilities.
Instead of a king, there’s a “general”. The “general” can not only be captured like in normal chess, but actually taken (like in some fast chess variations).
This game is very popular. Here you can see an unused board, the two players on the left actually play on the next board.

March 8, 2004

Germany: Autumn…

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:16 pm

herbst2.jpg
seen in Wiesbaden, Deutschland.

March 7, 2004

Japanese Cemetary

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:49 pm

Japanese Cemetary: Photo: Laurenz Bobke
A very quiet atmosphere.

March 6, 2004

Andalusia: Nerja 2

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:38 pm

ne10a.jpg
An aloe plant in Nerja, Andalusia.

March 5, 2004

Andalusia: Nerja

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:26 pm

ne2.jpg
Nerja, a pretty town in Andalusia (Southern Spain). Most buildings are still in the traditional style, but there already are many new bungalows built by foreigners.

March 4, 2004

Indonesia: Rice Paddy on Bali

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:07 am

Reisfeld, Bali
A small shed in a rice paddy. Northern Bali, Indonesia.

March 3, 2004

Religions of the World

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:42 pm

Religions of the World
There also is a special gallery on “religions of the World” at my Online Photo Galleries.

March 2, 2004

China: Stone Forest

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:06 pm

a wood of  stones near Kunming
Near Kunming, there is a famous “stone forest” - high rocks and boulders that actually look like a wood or forest.
In between there are many beautiful spots with romantic pools and flowers.
Needless to say that many tourist groups come her…

March 1, 2004

Japan: Miyajima

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:58 am

miyajima or miya-jima (Japan, near Hiroshima), floating torii
Miyajima is renowned as one of the most beautiful attractions in Japan. In the background you can see the famous “floating torii”, the entrance to the Itsukushi Shrine, that stands inthe water at high tide.

February 29, 2004

Sicily: ruins in the evening light

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 3:38 pm

Greek columns in Agrigento, Sizilien, Italien
Seen in Agrigento, Sicily.

February 28, 2004

Palace of Fine Arts

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:45 am

Somewhat anachronistic - and one of the most romatic spots in San Francisco.

February 27, 2004

Indonesia: going to work on the fields

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:57 pm

Peasant on the way to his fields, photo: Laurenz Bobke
Seen near Ubud (Bali, Indonesia)

February 26, 2004

Andalusia: Granada

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:46 pm

Granada, Andalusia (Southern Spain)
Granada, seen from the Alhambra.

February 25, 2004

Sicily: San Giovanni degli Eremiti (Palermo)

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:05 pm

San Giovanni degli Eremiti, Palermo, Sicily (Italien), Foto: Laurenz Bobke
San Giovanni degli Eremiti (12th century) is romantically situated in a very photogenic setting: a small garden that allows for many interesting angles.
Consequently, the entrance fee is a bit steep.
Those interested in the history of architecture will be baffled by the ingenious mixture of normannic and arabic styles.

February 24, 2004

Indonesia: Rice Fields

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:07 pm

Rice fields, Bali, Indonesia
Rice paddies on Bali (Indonesia)

February 23, 2004

Sicily: Temple in Agrigento

agrigenttempel2.jpg
Taken in Agrigento, Sicily.
Here, I had some difficulties. No technical issues, but as soon as I had mounted the camera on my tripod, a guardian appeared, telling me in Italian that professional photographers were not allowed to take photos without a special permit (needless to say that you would have had to go back to town and surely, the office wouldn’t be open at that time).
Pointing out that I’m not a pro didn’t help either. After all, I was using a tripod!
Fortunately, I had taken a number of hand-held shots before as well as some pictures on the tripod.

Still, if you are the proud owner of a professional looking camera and/or a big tripod, I’d recommend that when visiting historic sites at night you either enquire beforehand whether you would need a tripod, - or take as many hand-held pictures as you can and only then hurry up to use your tripod.

February 21, 2004

Japan: “Fishing Bear”

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:38 pm

cuddly toy
A bear is fishing in Kyoto (Japan).

February 20, 2004

New York: Taking the Staten Island Ferry

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:09 pm

the  New York Skyline seen from the Staten Island Ferry
One of the few cost-free attractions New York has to offer: the Staten Island Ferry.
This photo was taken shortly before arrival at the terminal.

February 19, 2004

Malaysia: Tioman Island

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:48 pm

Small Bungalows, Malaysia
Small, cheap, not too comfortable but charming: bungalows on Tioman Island (Malaysia).

February 18, 2004

Greece: Monemvasia

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:59 pm

Monemvassia, Griechenland
And here is the view you have from the upper town.

February 17, 2004

Greek Gibraltar?

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:37 pm

Monemvasia
Monemvasía has been dubbed the “Gibraltar of Greece” - and there are definite similarities.
Only a small dyke links the Island-rock to the Peloponnese, in earlier times this strategic position was further fortified by a drawing bridge and a castle on top of the rock.
Looking at the town from this side it seems to be almost uninhabited, - only after passing through the city gate one sees the remains of a city that once had 30000 inhabitants.
Today, the lower city has been carefully restaurated and it is possible to stay there in an apartment that is several centuries old. Definitely recommended.
Although today only 400 people live here, there’s a regular bus to the other side. Please beware that on public holidays and sundays you may not be able to catch the earliest long distance bus from there, as the bus may not be running yet and taxis may not be willing to take you either. A good excuse to prolong your stay.
A must: going up the rock to the ruins of the upper city. This is especially beautiful at sunrise. You’ll be back in time for breakfast and the colours are amazing.

February 16, 2004

San Francisco: Golden Gate Bridge

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:23 pm

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, USA
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Walking across it takes quite a while but is an unforgettable experience.

February 15, 2004

Germany: Autumn Reflections

Autumn leaves on a pool, Wiesbaden, Deutschland
Currently, the weather is not at its best here, so how about a nice shot from this fall?

February 14, 2004

Rome: the Mouth of Truth

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:58 am

Bocca Della Veritá Rome, Italiy
In the anteroom of a small church is one of Romes best known attractions, the Bocca Della Veritá .
The reason for this fame presumably is that, according to common belief, it will bite off the hand of everyone who isn’t truthful.
Of course, I passed the test. Really!
All other visitors did as well. So, mankind seems to be inherently good, after all.

February 13, 2004

San Francisco: Pillar of the Golden Gate Bridge

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:49 pm

Golden Gate Br?San Francisco, Amerika
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco (USA) .

February 12, 2004

Rome: Window

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 3:18 pm

Facade of an old house in Rome (Italy)
Window of an old house in Rome

February 11, 2004

Andalusia: A beautiful view.

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:05 pm

Nerja, Andalusia, Spain
Nerja, a very romantic place in Andalusia (Southern spain)

February 10, 2004

Andalusia: Fresh Fish

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:05 am

Fish in  Torremolinos, Andalusien (Spanien).
Fish, nicely decorated in front of a restaurant in Torremolinos, Andalusia (Spain).

February 9, 2004

New York: the Time is going Backwards?

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:10 pm

Reflection of a Clock, New York, America
A clock is reflected in the facade of a building near Times Square, New York.

February 8, 2004

Japan: Sandal Maker

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:11 pm

sandal maker, Hida Folk Village Takayama, Japan
In the Hida Folk Village (Takayama, Japan) one can visit traditional Japanese houses from various epochs as well as many almost forgotten skills.

February 5, 2004

Pictures from Northern

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:13 pm

Travel pictures from Northern Spain at the main gallery.

pictures from Northern spain

February 4, 2004

France: Pyramid

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 9:53 pm

Pyramid at the Louvre, Paris
The pyramid at the Louvre, Paris, France.

February 3, 2004

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:00 pm

Geisha conducting a tea Ceremony Kyoto, Japan
What is the real purpose of the Tea Ceremony? Philosophy? Zen? The perfect cup of tea?
Well, I would guess that, today, the answer is simple: money.
The event no longer takes place in a small garden house but in theatre-style halls.
Even so, one shouldn’t miss the opportunity to attend such a ceremony. It’s beautiful.
And you even can take photographs, which would not exactly be compatible with the traditions of Cha-Do - the way of tea.

February 2, 2004

China: Street in Chongqing

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 11:12 pm

Even on rainy days, the streets of Chongqing (China) are full of people.
The traditional way of transporting goods are sticks on which porters carry over their shoulders

Traeger, Chungqing, China

February 1, 2004

Japan: Fly-fishing in Kamakura

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 10:08 am

seen in Kamakura, Japan
A beautiful sunset in Kamakura. More on taking pictures of silhouettes.

January 31, 2004

Images of Asia: Japan.

Filed under: — site admin @ 9:05 pm


I’m going to post some pictures from Japan in this Weblog, in addition to this, here’s my Japan photo gallery .

January 30, 2004

Malta: Dramatic Silhouettes

Actually, it is quite easy to take pictures of dramatic silhouettes: you shoot into the sun, metering on a lighter part of the sky. Consequently, the foreground will be dark or even black.
Getting the exposure right is pretty simple with spot metering (if your camera has this option).
Still bracketing (taking pictures with different exposures) is highly recommended, - at least when you are using slide film.
Sometimes, you want to have a nice silhouette in the centre or background, but would like to show the details in the foreground. In this case, it is advisable to use the above technique combined with a fill flash.
Here is an example, the Ggantija Temple on Gozo (Malta). The place is 6000 years old!
Other pictures I took showed much more detail but failed to capture the magic atmosphere.

Ggantija Tempel, Gozo, Malta

Other examples: Sunset in Glasgow or sunrise in the Himalayas.

More photo-tips.

January 29, 2004

Andalusian Sunset

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:14 am

Sunset in  Torremuelle, Southern Spain
Sunset in Torremuelle, Andalusia.

January 27, 2004

Chile: Sunset in the Andes

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 5:23 pm

Sunset in the Andes, Chile
Well, actually I wanted to shoot the sunset, but then thought better of it when I looked at the magical glow of the sun on the mountain peaks.
This is a new scan of one of many shots on the occasion.
Another one: http://www.travelphoto.net/photos/english/chile/E7.HTM

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January 26, 2004

Bahamas I

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:51 pm

Here are some pictures from Grand Bahama.
pflanzen.jpg
The woods on Grand Bahama are very different from European forests or South American jungles, - but also very attractive.

Bahamas: Parrots

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:50 pm

Parrots, Grand Bahama, Bahamas
Parrots in the “Garden of the Groves”, Grand Bahama.

Bahamas: Pool

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:47 pm

Pool, Grand Bahama, Bahamas

Rand Memorial Nature Center, Grand Bahama.

Bahamas: Beach.

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:19 am

Strand, Grand Bahama, Bahamas
Everything you can expect from a beach: crystal clear water, fine sand, trees and many sports options (yachting, fishing, diving, water-ski, even archery…)
The “house riff is only a few meters away, so don’t forget to bring your snorkeling gear.

Bahamas: Beach in the Evening.

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 6:19 am

Beach in the Evening, Grand Bahama, Bahamas
Walking the beach shortly before night falls is a memorable experience.
Only a few minutes later you can see many small crabs in the beam of your flashlight.

January 25, 2004

China: Lots of Straw

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 8:34 am

Horses drawing a lot of straw, Wuhan, China
We encountered this horse-drawn cart transporting incredible amounts of straw en route to Wuhan.

China-Photos

Filed under: — site admin @ 7:58 am

Great Wall, China
Hundreds of photos from China at China.Travelphoto.Net
There are many pictures of Beijing, the Great wall, Xi’An and the famous three gorges.

January 24, 2004

Emirates: Mosque

moschee.jpg
A stopover in Bahrain was a good opportunity to visit the city. This is a mosque in the blue hour.

January 23, 2004

Greece: Fresh Fruit

Filed under: — Laurenz @ 7:10 pm

A fruit stall in Xania
Seen in Xania, Crete.



    

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All photos on Travelphoto NET: Copyright Laurenz Bobke. Copyright for the photos on the Outstanding Travel Photos blog: the individual photographer
Republication only with my written permission, and only with proper credit (including a link back to this site if shown on the web).

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