reading

I have proof that the Norwegians drink too much. One can find odd stuff in hotel rooms, but this has to be one of the more puzzling; a bottle opener (like those wall mounted bar ones) in the bathroom on the wall next to the toilet. Go figure? Does one really have to replenish that quickly?

I prefer to have some good reading material.

stiff men on bicycles

Been seeing a few airports of late, and each has its own little peculiarity, but yesterday made me laugh. Imagine having a nice big airport and the possibility to cruise around the place like a madman on a bicycle... now that sounds like fun. Hmmm, not according to the men with well kempt beards and straight postures that cruise the halls of Frankfurt airport on their little wheeled bicycles. I had to giggle.

home

I share home with starlings, daisies and a construction site. On the way home from Paris Photo the crane next door was packed with starlings on every possible surface, the noise made me think of Stephen King's Dark Half, although these weren't sparrows, and they were just sitting there.

I rushed back outside armed with camera, but by then they had flown... so you will have to make do with a picture of just a crane. Paris Photo was a bit like the crane, but for people. Half of the city must have been there. Gazillions of galleries had their little booths, some really great photos, but stacks of... hmmm... well... crap! I think you have to not only be taking something to create them, but equally to enjoy them. It is nice to see that photos can generate so much interest though.

toys

So I mentioned new toys the other day. I am very spoilt. I am now the lucky owner of a Nikon D300s for which I opted to get the Tamron 17-50 mm F/2.8 VC. Last time around I chose the kit lens that gave the largest zoom range, and after a few years with that I decided it wiser to go for something faster and not the all rounder. I haven't done a huge amount of shooting with it, but so far I like the combination, and think the VC is up to Tamron's claims. This together with the decent higher ISO performance of Nikon's latest DX body should make for some fun indoor shooting.

seine

Paris winter grey can get one down a bit, but then there are those sparkly winter days. Not the usual view of the Seine. Apparently, it is from around here where the water for Versailles' fountains are pumped.

Not too schabby for a stroll during lunchtime.

Wishing you a sparkly winter day.

Hoostin

Not a bad place, but I don't think it is my favourite either; the sprawling Houston Texas, where the trucks are huge and the portions even bigger.

The weak dollar makes it an ideal time to shop, so here are some of the first photos from my new toy. Go gently on the criticism, I haven't a clue what I'm doing yet ;)

Garden Route

Between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town on the southern coast of South Africa one finds the Garden Route. Home to indigenous forests, a sea with character and the town of Plettenburg Bay, Knysna, Wilderness, George and Mossel Bay.

It is difficult to say one specific thing for which the area is known. There are of course the forests, and awesome hikes like Otto, Harkerville, Grootvadersbos and Whale trails, as well as beautiful beaches with the surfer's legendary Jeffrey's Bay (affectionately know as J Bay), and whale spotting to be done along the whole coast with the self proclaimed whale capital being Hermanus. On the adrenalin side of things, the south coast hosts the world's highest bungee jump at Bloukrans that disappears into one of the steep ravines, characteristic of the area, and shark cage diving at Mossel Bay and Gansbaai. If all that activity gets to you, there is always the option to chill with a fine white wine and the oysters cultivated in the Knysna lagoon.