Madrid

If the French government was interested in the well being of its society, they would give everyone a € 200 tax rebate to spend on a trip to Madrid. Not only would the deprived get a dose of sunshine, but they would learn that living can actually be enjoyable. One could even experience a night out without financial ruin.

How do they do that? Even the train ride in from the airport doesn't bankrupt; two euros in an air conditioned, modern clean and efficient metro. How come the old smelly RER into Paris sets one back more than eight? Let me guess, it is a complicated 15 layered mess of agreements and counter regulations aimed at keeping the taxi drivers in business... and not because we like them, it's just that having taxi drivers creates unions, that need to negotiate with an administration. So for ever taxi driver there are at least 9 'jobs' created, which are paid for by the exorbitant taxi license... Just as well the RER B drivers strike so often, by striking to work less, they actually enhance their worth to the system, and get to keep their (and many other's) jobs. Et voilà, the eight odd Euros starts to make sense. Give me less admin and air conditioning any day.

What a great city, but I don't know how they get any work done!

No visit is complete without a photo of the bear.

































The streets are full at night, not just a few odd spots, but everywhere, until all hours.








































The Royal Palace.

























Even a dustbin works for a bar counter.

















Of course chupitos, without our guide we would never have found them.

























On the way home. We just didn't have the stamina of the locals... need some training.

So Nico, spare us some tax for another trip. In the interest of societal well being, of course ;)

continental france

Studying anthropology is the long way. Since this is 'sound bite society' here's a shorter better instant gratification way of understanding a culture; fly.

I have been spending quite a bit of time inside planes lately. The last thought that comes to mind when thinking flying is 'instant gratification'. However, in just a few cramped hours one can get a sneak peak of the other side.

One trip to Houston, there on Continental and back on Air France. What does this tell you about the cultures? Hmm, when speaking to a Air France staff, only the few immediate neighbours can hear the conversation. Right after take-off the Continental ladies rush for their flat 'around-the-house' shoes. Gratefully, the Air France ladies brush their hair and put on a little perfume after their mid flight snooze. Funny how a couple of folk in a tube of 'aluminum' can speak volumes.

There we go, a four year bachelor's degree condensed into just 20 sleep deprived hours.

Bon voyage!

away with the grey

18% grey is useful, it serves a purpose. Northern hemisphere winter grey, is however, just plain depressing. It has been a long winter of... not even bad weather. Bad weather would at least have character, it's been a long winter of blaaahhh grey.

So, very pleased to report that spring is showing signs. The heavy coat hasn't seen grey of day lately and in the garden there are colours.

Another view on flickr.

I hope the worst kind of grey you get is the 18% variety.

c'est la crise

It efforts to raise funds, thereby sinking society into further debt, to bail out banks who took dubious decisions and overpaid their incompetent leaders, the UK government has turned to foreign sources of financing. Can you believe it??? A UK visa can cost up to € 565! Now that's extortion. I guess that's one way to 'select' one's visitors. At least having paid that, you know your tourists will be able to fork out for a pee at Harrods.

Venice - sunshine

Oh photos can be deceiving. Let's just pretend for a while that it was warm and sunny all the time. Two weeks after the fact and browsing through the photos it does seem a while lot warmer and sunnier in Venice. I was even able to find a few with shimmering water...

A view from the Ponte di Rialto


















And this one from the bridge heading to Academia






















Venetian flare. Oooh look at that sunshine.

















You need sun for a sunset, no? Looking back to Venice from near Murano.






















Shimmering water on Murano, the small island known for its glass.

From near Fondamente Nove, the north side of Venice. which feels a lot like the working end of the city.

Wishing you sunnier memories.

Venice - everyday

One strolls around Venice and goes ooh and aah at the little canals, old buildings and history all around one. Sure, you take the bus, which is a boat, but it didn't really sink in until day 3 when we strolled past the hospital, that people live a normalish life here with all that is required for normality. Of course if you have a city you need a hospital and ambulances... and yes, if you have no roads then you ambulances must be boats...

This is the quay outside the hospital, with yes, an ambulance awaiting.

















Yet another waterborne emergency service.

Apart from the necessary, there is also the luxury. Limo anyone? There were some beautiful wooden boats floating about.

Not all 'boats' have a striped-shirt Casanova on the back. Most have a noisy diesel, so in everyday life there are also the petrol stations. Obvious, but just a little odd.

Strange how we just take things and how they are for granted.

Venice - Cathedral

Venice isn't like anywhere else. The feeling is so unique, you don't really need attractions to make it worthwhile. That said, there is one such attraction that takes a lot of beating for wow value; the cathedral. Religion has at least served up some architectural and cultural treasures. I wonder what they would have painted, and in this case mosaic'ed, had it not been for the old and new testaments???

Although oh so catholic, here in Venice, there are small hints that this was once the gateway to the east. Even inside the cathedral there is a little bit of oriental. Dubbed 'the golden church' for a good reason, the interior walls and ceiling are almost completely covered in gold mosaic and scenes from the bible. There are also several intriguing slabs of marble, here and there, as only the Italians do so well. Even the floor is covered in mosaic of whimsical animals and geometric patterns that seem to come from and IQ test. Amazing! You will have to take my word for it, since unlike some illiterate peasants that insisted on trying to take photos of the interior, even though asked not to, I restrained myself. So, here is a look at the outside of one of the wows in Venice.


























A little gold with pointy arches... hmmm a tad eastern?


















Looking down from the campanile... the grimy side of the roofs. Something has to keep the rain out.
























Evening stroll, and...

























daytime stroll.

















Oh well, I guess if you don't take photos because of scaffolding you will never get the photo ;)

If you get a chance, be sure to see the inside.

Venice

I confirm, Venice is built on the... or should that be in the water. Nothing that some gumboots can't fix. More about that next time, for now some views of Venice.

























Do you have a table for two? Piazza San Marco a little under water.


















A view out from the pier San Marco, late evening gondolas all tied up.

























Grey can also be pretty, more so in retrospect ;)

















In fact very pretty...

















Some more photos and story to come. A great way to spend an anniversary.

bygone metro

At any one time, there are several metro stations within Paris under renovation. When the newish walls come down, decades of old posters are revealed. Another look at the same 3 posters is on flickr.

I kinda prefer them to today's crappy ads.

TGV

Not everyone gets to travel at serious speed in a train. The TGV must be one of the better things in France. So what does it feel like? Here're a few shots out of the window from last summer. If you pan the camera fairly quickly during the photo you can actually get the foreground and background blurred in opposite directions with a frozen mid ground... kewl!

If you know your cows, you can probably work out which line this is. The blurry Charolaise... normally the more expensive steak on the menu ;)
























































I like the pastel-like feel to these shots of the world going by.

long time no sea

Not like I haven't had things to write about. Since last I blogged; trips to Mexico, Norway, Italy and Scotland, moved house, Christmas, new year, new computer and a ski holiday. Hmmm no wonder I'm feeling a bit tired this eve, and things promise to not slow down this year.

I'll start with what I remember and then see if there are other photos to add from the past month or three.

It was cold, but beautiful most of the days at St Gervais. What a great spot to ski, charming little town down below with all that a town has to offer, much better than being at a ski station methinks. Then each morning you get the lift out the fog to the pistes from where the views are incredible. Above is a view of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe. Now I just need Antarctica, the States and Aussie to completes the highest peak on all continents.

Below the piste rapidly decending in the direction of Saint Gervais.

Another panorama in the other direction towards Megeve.








What a pleasure. Wishing you some of the white stuff.

go green

Paris automotive show is the buzz lately. You can tell it is French when you look at the website; yes they feature the models (like the female variety) on the site as well.

Lots of people and some really cool cars!

Of all the concepts, I thought the Hypnos from Citroën stole the show... oh mommy buy me!

All the manufacturers were trying to show off their greenness, hybrids, hydrogen and who knows what. Nothing beats BMW and Mini; just yesterday I drove past a truly green dealership. I have seen lots of green options, but never cars that run on marijuana...

Wishing you a hey shew wow ride man.

What do you see?

I have uploaded this to JPG Mag for their "Title Me!" theme. So, what do you see? what title would you give this puff of smoke?

smokin

In an effort to get time out of the office and the right to treat the pavement as my dustbin, I have decided to take up smoking. OK, you probably know me better than that. I was amazed to do the calculation the other day, can you imagine that there are some people that willingly fork out over a month's salary every year on that filthy habit??? I guess they are doing their part for the economy, and think of all those jobs that pick up after them. Enough of that, how about the lighter side of smoke? Last Sunday I actually did take to some smoke; the incense variety. So, the house smelt like an afternoon in a Roodepoort material shop. Incense does have an up-side though, mix it with a camera and a flash, and voila, the weird world of turbulence opens up.

As far as photography goes, it isn't very complicated, just a little random. Not the kind of thing you would want to do with film, unless you have money to burn, who needs incense then - hmmm I wonder what euro notes smell like...

Let your mind wander, who knows what you will see.

Simple elegant scrolls

A more complicated inner ear perhaps?

An intricate script from a foreign land?

The latest character to come out of Pixar?

A tormented running skull? or the visualisation of tendinitis?

Lots of fun seeing what comes up. A few more weird and wonderfuls on my Flickr.

Wishing you some fresh air.