Monthly Archives: December 2009
Street Surprise
On Christmas Day we went for a walk around the “Petit France” district in Strasbourg, where houses date back several centuries. While admiring the lovely little streets and antique buildings, I found my gift for the day: this little girl looking out her “window”. She watches endlessly as the world and time go by. I wonder what she’ll see in 2010?!
Happy New Year to all!
After the Solstice
Shot on the 24th of December in Strasbourg, I loved the way the light was welcoming and warm, almost letting me know that in just a few weeks I’ll be seeing more of it.
Vox Populi
Voice of the People or rather for the people, as this is a cinema front in Strasbourg.
Since it was Christmas Eve and raining, the streets were empty, making for a magical time to wander….
Christmas Lights
A quiet moment in the Cathedral of Strasbourg, France.
Happy Holidays!
La Vache!
Did you know that in France there are forty-two different kinds of cows? Well, I certainly didn’t! But what I have noticed from traveling across this beautiful country is what the cows look like: some are white, some caramel color with long horns, and some are what you think of as a typical dairy cow: black and white.
Not only do French cows participate in making some of this country’s wonderful cheeses (a whole separate topic), but French cows have found a place in French culture, albeit not like in India. The word for “cow” in French is “la vache”, and there are numerous expressions which uses the word “cow” as a reference point. For example: you can exclaim “La vache!” when you are angry, shocked, or even surprised. “C’est vachement bien!” means something is really great (believe it or not, this expression used to be considered as vulgar!). So in closing, one of my favorites: “Il pleut comme une vache qui pisse”, have fun with that on Google translate!
Snow and Rose “berry”
What I love about taking photos in the snow is that you see things which sometimes your eye does not catch onto as easily. In this case, the rose ‘berry” really popped against the white snow background.
French Countryside with Snow
It has been snowing here in Burgundy for the past four days; it is just beautiful! The low temps are keeping me indoors and giving me a chance to experiment with new textures.
What do you think ?
Three Words
For our final Souvenir Foto Group assignment of the year, we were asked to describe ourselves with three words, and to convey those words thru images. I instead chose three characteristics:
delightfully distracted:
I like to infuse my senses with all sorts of visual goodies, and so day-to-day things sometimes are forgotten: thus the string on my finger and “To Do” list in my jeans pocket.
late bloomer:
Growing up, I often felt like a third wheel. I once heard that Capricorns are “old” when they are born and become younger with the years. I don’t have a Benjamin Button syndrome, but I do enjoy looking at the world with a childlike innocence. Being a late bloomer is good: it gives me something to look forward to.
open book:
I have a tendency to wear my heart on my sleeve. Forget about a poker face, or being hard-nosed, it doesn’t work. The negative side is being vulnerable, the positive is honest transparency.
This Time Another Year – Sky Ceiling
On some days I open up my travel journal and flip thru the pages to recall where we were, when. I am often pleasantly surprised, such as today when my handwriting from a year ago brought me back to the streets of Budapest.
We rented an apartment there for over a month and thru the holidays. It was a festive enough city in 2008: tourists were in the streets, it was cold and snowy, there were decorations, open markets… I even had fun apartment hunting during those weeks — talk about architecture! It was great. Budapest reminded me so much of Paris, except remnants of darker days in Hungarian history still linger as many buildings showed the scars, despite the efforts of real estate moguls.
The beauty of the city shone threw, such as in the Gresham Palace. The benefits of the real estate frenzy was massive renovations of historical buildings city wide. Many “left-for-dead” edifices were resurrected for wealthy foreigners who sought after palatial apartments, or hotels who found new glory, such as the one in my photo.
Une pomme.
There is an apple tree which my dogs love. They can get enough of going to it because over the past several weeks, the apples have fallen naturally to the ground. We pick them up, I throw them, the dogs chase them. Then eat them! I wonder if I am the only owner of apple-loving dogs ?!
