Changing of the Guard at Prague Castle

We were fortunate to be at Prague Castle during the changing of the guard. I did manage to get some video but it is a little jumpy because i was running backwards as they walked towards me. This is a still from the video which will be included in my upcoming video focused on European street musicians. Their marching cadence is a form of music if you ask me. The whole thing made me think of the movie Duck Soup for some reason.

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Changing of the Guard

Changing of the Guard

Vines along the Rhine

As we left Holland and cruised down the Rhine River we would sit on our veranda or the sun deck and see grapes being harvested on the sunny bank of the river, sometimes to port and sometimes to starboard as the river gently turned. In the heart of Germany these vines produce the Riesling and Gewurztraminer wines that are famous in the region. We saw people hand harvesting the grapes the way they probably have for hundreds of years.

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Vines along the Rhine

Vines along the Rhine

Köln Out of the Ashes

I was excited to visit Köln (Cologne). I had heard it was one of the best cities in Germany but I was more impressed withe Heidelberg, München and the smaller towns we visited. Maybe it was the guide that we had. She was the worst guide of our excursion. Maybe it was because the city was bombed to almost oblivion so it didn’t have the architectural diversity of other cities. Maybe it was the cold and dreary day that we were there.

The cathedral,Kölner Dom was magnificent however and was not bombed during the war. It goes back to the year 1270 and is one of the oldest cathedrals in the world and the most visited historic building in all of Germany. The walkway along the Rhine River is also quite a lovely place for a walk or bike ride. This picture was taken from the river walk.

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Köln Cathedral

Köln Cathedral

Marksburg Castle above Braubach Rhineland

Along the Rhine River is a stretch known as the Rhine Gorge which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Forty castles line both sides of this section of the river. Marksburg is the only castle that was never destroyed and sits above the town of Braubach. The castle is not at all “lush” like the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. It was never used as a residence but rather was a defensive fort. During times of war the Baron’s family would live in the castle along with the knights and horses used for battle.

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Marksburg Castle

Marksburg Castle

View of Braubach. from Marksburg Castle

View of Braubach. from Marksburg Castle

Expedition Start–Amsterdam

For the last month we have been touring Europe to celebrate our 45th Wedding Anniversary. Our journey through Europe covered 1600 kilometers and five countries. I took about 2000 images and videos and surely will be busy editing and publishing for a while. Like most good European journeys we started in Amsterdam. Our flight on Lufthansa had been canceled and we were forced to ride in middle seats on United so when we hit the ground we were hungry, bitchy, and jet lagged. On our way to find food and a coffee shop I stopped for a second to take this image.

Fortunately we have been to Amsterdam before because the next day we would board our ship and sail down the Rhine. We didn’t have too much time for sight seeing. This was taken facing the city from the central train station.

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Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Scenic Views Candidate #3–Canals of Milan

I am going to be posting images that I may have posted before with a candidate # thereby collecting a list of what I feel would be likely candidates to print for a gallery show of new images of only digital photography. Right now I am focusing on images that are scenic in nature. This was taken in Milan Italy in 2011. It is the largest canal in the city of Milan and lined with restaurants, clubs and antique store.

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Candidate #3–Canals of Milan

Candidate#3--Canals of Milan

Candidate#3–Canals of Milan

Scenic Views Candidate #1—Schloss Schwangau

I am going to be posting images that I may have posted before with a candidate # thereby collecting a list of what I feel would be likely candidates to print for a gallery show of new images of only digital photography. Right now I am focusing on images that are scenic in nature. This is Schloss Schwangau located in the Bavarian town of Schwangau as seen from the balcony of Neuschwanstein.

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 Candiate #1--Schloss Schwangau

Candiate #1–Schloss Schwangau

Jardins du Château de Versailles

I have only been to Versailles once and it was a very full day. Of course we spent a lot of time touring the Château and the gardens immediately surrounding the Mansion. Then we went down a garden path and were in another world. Louis XIII’s purchased the lands around Versailles in the 1630s and formal gardens were laid out west of the château. The garden was expanded to its present size of 800 hectares (1800 acres) by Louis XIV in the 1660s.

The good thing about visiting Versailles is when we return we will not have to tour the Château and can take a picnic in the garden. You have to have a ticket to visit the château but the gardens are free to the people. I can’t wait to return. This is a statue in a small garden pond.

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Jardins du Château de Versailles

Jardins du Château de Versailles

Roots

Today at breakfast we were talking about the ancient buildings of Europe. Some cathedrals took hundreds of years to build. Families had generations of commitment to creating a single structure. These are the roots of a Bonsai plant at Pittsburgh’s Phipps conservatory. The plant began training in 1956 so the plant is now 60 years old. Some of these bonsai are over one thousand years old. Think of that commitment. Then think of your own commitment to your art or craft. We can all do better.

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Roots

Roots

Sunday in Paris

We live in a violent world. A friend reminded me yesterday of two other hideous events that happened this week in Beirut and Bagdad where more lives were lost than in Paris. Yet the violence in Paris impacted me more. Why? I guess because I have been there a few times and Paris is familiar. Of course that doesn’t make rational sense, horror is horror and terror is terror. It does however make emotional sense in the same way that seeing the fall of the World Trade Centers forces a visceral response.

In any case today is Sunday and although the season is wrong, this is the way I think of Paris on Sundays. I hope Parisians are taking to the streets,buying baguettes and enjoying the gardens.

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Sunday in Paris

Sunday in Paris