Saint Goar Germany

Along the Rhine River in Germany there is a stretch of the middle Rhine known as The Rhine River Gorge. It is a popular name for the Middle Rhine Valley, a 65 km section of the River Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen in Germany. It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in June 2002 for along this stretch the river is lined with over thirty castles, the most notable being Marksburg Castle which has never even been partially destroyed.

The stretch also has lovely little villages and towns like Saint Goar. This view was taken from a Viking river cruise ship.

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Saint Goar

Saint Goar

Child of Prague

We had been touring for a month and the last thing I wanted to see was another European Church. It was our last day in Europe and we had spent about five hours at Prague Castle. I was tired. However my bride of 45 years insisted we had to see The Child of Prague. I had no idea what it even was but have learned Happy Wife, Happy Life so I grudgingly agreed. It is truly one of the most interesting religious artifacts I have ever seen.

The Infant Jesus of Prague or Child of Prague is a 16th-century Roman Catholic wax-coated wooden statue of child Jesus holding a globus cruciger. It is on display at a very small Church of Our Lady Victorious in Malá Strana in Prague. It is very beautiful and difficult to photograph due to all the reflections.

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The Child of Prague

The Child of Prague

Forty-Five… European Street Music

Recently we took a four week trip through Europe. We started in Amsterdam and finished in Prague. I made a vow to myself that I would take video of every street musician we saw. Some were great, some not so great but all provided an interesting taste of the countries we traveled through. What I like as much as the music is the action in the streets around the performers. Watch until the end and take a look at the “gold statues” behind the performers.

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Prague Castle

Prague Castle is the largest and oldest castle in the world. It is actually not a castle but a complex of buildings including two cathedrals, the most famous being the St. Vitus Cathedral.The castle dates back to the early ninth century and is currently the official residence of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was previously a seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia.

This view is from the lower garden. It is too large to capture in one image and worthy of a panoramic photo project and is probably best viewed from the air.

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Prague Castle

Prague Castle

Skiing the Rhine River

Part of our excursion was on a river boat cruise ship, The Viking Hiln. Al the Viking ships have weird Nordic names. The ship, service and food were exquisite and a tip of the hat to Camelia for running the best bar on the river and Sharon our great program director. Part of the joy of the ship was enjoying views from our veranda as we cruised the river.

It was a cold day but it didn’t stop this brave guy from challenging the river. This was taken from our veranda between Heidelberg and Basel.

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Skiing the Rhine

Skiing the Rhine

View of Saint Francis Church Praha

There are so many churches in Praha (Prague) and so many church spires. I think that is why I was drawn to the view of this church from Prague Castle. It is one of the few that has a dome in addition to the spires. This is the Saint Francis of Assisi Church located near the foot of the Charles Bridge on the Prague Castle side. You can see this view from the upper garden of the castle below the St Vitus Cathedral.

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The Dome of St Francis

The Dome of St Francis

Strasbourg France

I have always kinda had a secret love affair with France. As a history student I always respected the role they played in securing our freedom from Britain. Yet Americans seem to love Britain and hate France. Go figure! I mean one of the symbols of our freedom was a gift from France.

Personally I married a French Teacher and 45 years later she still makes me melt when she speaks French to me. We have been to France together a couple of times but on this years junket through Europe we would only be in France for one day.

That day would be in Strasbourg which is a place we always wanted to visit. It is interesting because it is on the border between France and Germany and sovereignty has flipped back and forth many times over the centuries. It is a beautiful city and sits on an island between tributaries of the Rhine river.

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Strasbourg France

Strasbourg France

For Susana

I am fortunate. I know a lot of very creative people and successful artists. I have even had the honor to help train some of them. There is one woman though who is really unique in that she is a successful commercial and fine artist and she is successful in multiple disciplines.She is in some respects my teacher because she has gotten me to change the way I view different photographic subjects.

Frequently when my wife and I go off on assignment together…hey it’s still an assignment even if we assign it to ourselves, we find certain views and look at each other and say, “Oh that’s an image for Susana.” We found a few on our junket through Europe and so here is the first image for Susana.

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For Susanna #1

For Susanna #1

Pittsburgh from Schenley Oval

Last week I shared an image of Pittsburgh and received some nice comments. So here is another one shot from the top of Schenley oval in the park adjacent to to Oakland. This one was shot with a telephoto lens and I find it more striking.

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Pittsburgh 2016

Pittsburgh 2016

Speed Dreams

My wife and I both took too many images inside the BMW Museum in München. We talked later how compelling it was. The museum was so beautiful and the displays so complete the photography was almost a compulsion. In most museums you can’t take photos and in most who would want to. I don’t need a picture of a painting hanging on a wall and the glare off the frame thank you very much.

It should have been the same here, I mean how many images of engines do you need? Yet the displays were perfect and you could feel the speed.You could tell by watching the people. We would pause, stare at a car or motorcycle. You could see the fantasy play over our eyes, we were IN the car, feeling the speed and oh yes it was good.

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speeddreams

speeddreams3

Speed Dreams

Speed Dreams