Hamming it Up

You can buy excellent prosciutto aka Parma Ham in the USA. Every good Italian food store and deli will offer a variety. They are always in delicatessen cases. Most USA Italian restaurants offer a variety of dishes offering this delicacy.

The restaurants that we visited in Italy didn’t hide it away. It was almost presented like a lead actor in a play. If a dish require Parma Ham a waiter or chef would go to the center of the room where this beauty was displayed and with a very sharp knife cut what they needed. Food and entertainment.

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Parma Ham

Color Guard

I published the full color version of this picture earlier this week in Changing of The Guard. I thought the guard got lost in the image so I did a little bit of editing to make him stand out.

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Color Guard

Saint Vitus Cathedral Prague

Saint Vitus Cathedral in Prague Czech Republic is a very important Cathedral in Roman Catholicism. It is located within the Prague Castle Complex which is a collection of ancient buildings dating back to the tenth century. At the time Prague was the seat of The Holy Roman Empire.

It is a be example of Romanesque architecture with awe inspiring stained glass and statues inside and outside the Cathedral.

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Saint Vitus Cathedral

Outside Saint Vitus Cathedral

Saint Vitus Cathedral

Changing of The Guard

I am not a big fan of the military and soliders. I appreciate the sacrifices they make but I am not very knowledgable or interested in military things. That said I love the pomp and circumstance of the changing of the guard. I have seen it at the Tomb of The Unknown Solider and more recently at Prague Castle.

Prague Castle is the current seat of government for the Czech Republic and has been the seat of emperors and kings dating back to 9th century. The ceremony is therefore guarded by active soliders in addition to the ceremonial guard.

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The Changing of The Guard

The Changing of The Guard

The Changing of The Guard

Strolling The Charles Bridge

The Charles Bridge is one of the most famous landmarks of Prague. We were in Prague for five days and The Charles Bridge was always crowded. I am sure early in the morning it is not as crowded and less crowded on week days. However it is like the Ponte Vecchio of Praha (Prague) and if you were there you wouldn’t miss it. It is a pedestrian bridge and connects the old city with the Prague Castle area.

When returning from Prague I posted a scenic view of the bridge from the Castle. However strolling along the bridge is a unique experience. There are 30 statues mounted to the balustrade of Charles Bridge in Prague. They form two rows, one on each side. It is crowded with people musicians and vendors.

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Strolling on The Charles Bridge

Jammin On The Charles Bridge

Statue on The Charles Bridge

Strasbourg Revisited

This time of year I like to revisit old images and sometimes edit them with newer tools. This image was originally in color. A friend of mine recently purchased a mirrorless camera and I love that you can actually “see” a color image in black and white before you shoot it. Unfortunately my camera does not have that ability. So I used the NIK Silver FX tool to create the monochrome versions.

It was a dark and blustery day when the original as taken so I thought it might actually look better in monochrome. What do you think?

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Strasbourg France

Window Fashion in Milano

I am in the process of searching old images for post production. When I do this I frequently find images that I never shared or really studied at all. I never shared it because I found the window reflections annoying. Maybe they are but when I saw it I laughed out loud so the image works on some level.

This window was on a street in central Milan Italy not far from the Central Park.

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Milanese Fashion

Rhine Castle Revisited

This time of year I like to revisit old images and sometimes edit them with newer tools. This image was taken from the deck of The Viking Longship HILN as we cruised the Rhine River Gorge, Most of the images I took were worthless because the movement of the ship was so fast that the images would blur. For this one however for some reason the ship slowed dramatically and I was able to take a clear shot.

I reedited this using the NIK color tools and adjusted the color and exposure to make the clouds and sky stand out.

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Rhine River Castle

Kristallnacht

Americans have some dates burned in their memory. September 11 and December 7 are two notorious dates where Americans were attacked, killed and suffered extreme hardships. It is important as Americans to remember these dates and honor the fallen. However, as citizens of the world we MUST remember today as well because it is the 76th anniversary of Kristallnacht.

Tonight were the first attacks on Jewish homes in Germany. At least 91 Jews were killed in the attacks, and a further 30,000 arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. Jewish homes, hospitals, and schools were ransacked, over 1,000 synagogues were burned and Jewish businesses destroyed or damaged. Millions of others experienced death and torture by the lunatic Hitler. We must never forget and always honor this day. Things are much better in Europe now for Jewish people that have remained or returned over all these years. However, recently when visiting Italy I saw it was still necessary for soldiers to guard the synagogue in Milan and heavy fences kept out even curious tourists like myself.

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Synagogue in Milan Italy

L’ Shana Tova

Tonight is the beginning of one of the most sacred holidays in Judaism: Rosh Hashanah. I can’t help but wonder what services would look like in the beautiful Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is known for its Red Light District, Canals, Coffee Shops and Museums. Nestled in this backdrop is one of the great Synagogues of the world. It was built by Spanish Jews escaping the Spanish Inquisition. Since Holland and Spain were at war with one another, those escaping persecution said they were Portuguese to gain entry in to the country. Many Synagogues in Europe today restrict access due to persistent anti-Semitic feelings. However the Portuguese Synagogue is open for visitors for a small fee. You can also attend services on Friday or Saturday without paying a fee. The entire Synagogue is lit by candles and there is an excellent Judaica store where you can buy beautiful souvenirs and find out about the history of the building.L’shanah Tovah (Happy New Year!)

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Portuguese Synagogue Amsterdam Holland