A Photo a Day

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

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

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.

a tree trunk seen from the bus, near Bodrum.

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

One of the many beautiful exhibits at Ephesos museum.

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.

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

Shot from the bus…

A beautiful sight that is a world apart from the bustle of the metropolis above.

lamps sold at the Egyptian Bazaar Istanbul

a Prehensile-tailed porcupine or coendou at the Frankfurt Zoo

Seen from Wiesbaden.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Looking at the photo I posted yesterday, I thought a tighter crop might be better and actually prefer the cropped result:

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

another impression from Ritsurin garden.

in Takamatsu (Shikoku):

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?

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

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.

More pictures:

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.

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

Now I visited again at high tide.

Impressions from an Ikebana exhibition in Meiji Jingu:

Seen in Kamakuras Haze Dera temple.

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.

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

(more…)

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…

A stork sitting in the dunes at Nida (Lithuania)

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.

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

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).

the sun sets over the baltic sea in nida, Lithuania

Hel Peninsula, Poland.

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.

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

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

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

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:

The goats are enjoying the first rays of spring

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

Love is in the air among the wolves

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/

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.

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.

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

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…

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.

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

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.

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…

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…

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”.

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.

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

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

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

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…

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

Seen in Addo Elephant park, South Africa.

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

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

This man looks like a figure straight from an Arcimboldo painting…

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

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

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/

A Dutch windmill in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

Coral Bay, situated north of Paphos.

South African Dance Performance, Shamwari

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.

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)

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.

well maybe his distant offspring…

Everyday life goes on beside the ruins.

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/

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/

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.

In the back, you can see the Atlas mountains…

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.

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

What will 2008 bring?
A happy and prosperous New Year To All - and all the best for any travels you may undertake!

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…

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

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…

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).

More photos from Marrakesh.

The centre of Lisbon in the blue hour.

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.

The Atlas mountains on the way to Ouarzazate.
More photos from Morocco

The photos on this site are copyright by Laurenz Bobke.

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.

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…

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

Sunset in the “Palmerie” of Marrakesh.

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.

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

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.

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

Some more pictures of the carnival parade in Wiesbaden.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Nightly rain in Keswick, in the English Lake district.

A lotus flower in a Fukuoka Temple.

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.

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

View from Akronauplia mountain.

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.

seen in the beautiful Luxor museum.

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/

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…

A street scene in the Kasbah area of Marrakesh, near the Saadian tombs.

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

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.

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:

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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)

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.

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!

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…

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

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?

Shinjuku Evening, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Seen from the Century Hyatt, Tokyo, Japan.

Clouds, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

Hungry Prisoner, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

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.

Lanterns at Yasaka Shrine, originally uploaded by laurenz.

in Kyoto.

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

the way is lit by Japanese lanterns.

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.

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.

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

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.

PICT6001-01, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

Castles of Japan I, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

Castles of Japan II, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Tsurugajo, Aizu Wakamatsu

Mountain Sunset, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

Path in the Garden, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

Celestial Calligraphy, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

Kiyomiza Temple at Sunset, originally uploaded by laurenz.

a magical moment in kyoto, Japan.

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).

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…

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.

Araucaria, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

Fukuoka Sunset 2, originally uploaded by laurenz.

another shot from the Fukuoka Tower at sunset.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Somewhere in Fukuoka, originally uploaded by laurenz.

A temple in Fukuoka, Japan.

Naka River, originally uploaded by laurenz.

in Fukuoka, Japan.

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.

The cupola inside Wiesbaden’s Russian Chapel.

A Skyscraper in Coral Gables, Miami.

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

In a park in Wiesbaden, Germany

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.

A Hairdresser in Carlisle, Northern England.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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:

Interesting, how different the colours are, - nothing really objective about photography…

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.

yet another shot of this picturesque highland lake.

Seen near Cairns, in the jungle.

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.

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.

And some more pictures (click to enlarge):

I speak of Dreams
Wandering Moose
ritilan
Peter Westwood
PhotoscapeDesign

Reflection of a villa in Collins Canal, Miami Beach

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.

in a nearby park, Wiesbaden, Germany.

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.

Goose Family, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

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…

A very pleasant toen in Ireland.
Mora about Sligo.

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.

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

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.

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

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…

seen in Lugano, Switzerland.

 

Locarno Sunrise, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Sunrise in Locarno on an overcast day.

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).

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

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.

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.

Turtle head, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

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…

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.

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!

A hairdresser in Carlisle North England.

Some impressions from the Carnival parade in Wiesbaden:

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).

a clown selling balloons

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.

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

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.

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

Small Buddha statues in Kamakura.

A street in Arles.

A thistle, photographed near Loch Ness, Scotland.

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).

Monemvasia in the early morning

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

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

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

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

Paris in the early morning.

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

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

A painted advert on a facade in Montreal.

Church in Kriegsfeld

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.

Bicycle in Montreal

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

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

An Egyptian Dance Group in Aswan, 1992.

Comparing an analogue and a digital photograph

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.

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…

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.

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

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…

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.

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

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

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:

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

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.

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…

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)

Taken during the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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

seen in Ingelheim, Germany

Sunflower, originally uploaded by laurenz.

seen in Glasgow botanic garden.

Another image of the foggy park in Wiesbaden.

Fog in the Park II, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

Fog in the Park.

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.

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.

Bridge at Athlone, central Ireland, at night.

A small road in the Lake District.

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

Loch Morlich (Scotland) shortly before sunset.

Another shot from the local flower shop.

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

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.

Reflections, originally uploaded by laurenz.

modern houses reflected in the Corrib river in Galway.

Passers-by, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

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

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

In the Woods, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Seen in the Lake District, near Ullswater.

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.

Beautiful - and a good spot for bird watching.
The surroundings of Cape Town.

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.

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.

Yet another sunset over the Nile.
taken from the east bank of the river.

Another shot from the cliffs of Moher.

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.

Cemetery, Clonmacnoise, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

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.

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.

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.

The harbour of Wiesbaden-Schierstein and the river Rhine.

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…

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…

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

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)

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

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.

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.

in Tunisia…

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

A beautiful lake, here seen at Keswick, in the English Lake District.

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

Again, the old cemetary, Wiesbaden.

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

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

The famous Devil’s Marbles, Australia

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.

Grave on the old cemetary of Wiesbaden.

Cropped Wasp, originally uploaded by laurenz.

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

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

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…

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.

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!

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

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.

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…

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

Here’s another shot from 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).

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.

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:

A giant Steiff Bear (about 2 metres tall) in Wiesbaden

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…

A Felucca cruising the Nile at Aswan.

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

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!

The sun rises in Kakadu National Park.

Reindeer in the Cairngorms National Park

Balloons at the Theatrium festival in Wiesbaden, 2005.

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.

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

Children inspect the remains of the Durga Puja festivity.

Tourist enjoing the view.

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!

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

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

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 More photos in Travel Photography

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.

The ghats of Varanasi, early in the morning

This is Olympia (Greece) just before Sunrise.

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.

The tower at the entrance of the harbour of Rethymnon.

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.

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

The giant Buddha statue of 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.

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…

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.

Barcelona seen from a sailing ship.

The Taj Mahal in Agra.

The famous monastery church of Maria Laach.

Sky scrapers in Montreal

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

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

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.

Inside the Santa Catalina monastery, Peru.

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.

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

Another photo from the Fatimide Cemetery.