The Elgin Marbles are the beautiful carvings that decorated the famous Parthenon on the acropolis of Athens. But to see these carvings, don't go to Athens. Instead you'll need to visit the British Museum, as we did on our recent trip to England.They are wonderfully displayed. But if you are a native Greek, you probably want them back. In fact every time I've been to the Acropolis there is someone passing out pamplets arguing for their return. The British, though, aren't giving them back any time soon. They maintain that they were never stolen but instead purchased fair and square. And they also say they are taking good care of them.
The Prime Meridian
The line that I'm stradling is 0 degrees longitude, aka the "prime medidian." It is the point from which our clocks are indexed and also all the lines of longitude. How Greenwich got to be the 0 point and how building the perfect clock became THE engineering goal of the era is an interesting story. But I'm not going to tell it here. This is a photo blog. But if you are interested, "Longitude" by Dava Sobel tells it all.
Location, Location, Location
I don't mean to make fun of the mendicant who sat right next to the entrance to the Cathedral in Evora, Portugal. Nor would I want to make light of the circumstances that lead to poverty. We gave money to the man as we walked in but I really didn't know if he was poor and disabled or if he was a college professor earning his summer income.One of the things that strikes me about the beggar is that there is no doubt a centuries old tradition of mendicants positioning themselves on these very steps and asking the wealthy for money and they walked by.
More Purple
This may look a bit like the lavender is growing in a rustic walled garden. But it is actually growing in plots that were established over 500 years ago on the island of Hvar, which is part of Croatia. The lavender continues to grow but the people who harvest it are long gone.This photo is from several I took of the lavender fields on Hvar a few summers ago. Inspired by my daughter-in-law Katie (who loves purple) I went looking for purple pictures.
Self Portrait With Fortress
Once again, I am shooting reflections in European traffic mirrors. And once again, I think I've come up with a very attraction self-portrait! This was taken at a little visited walled fortress in Evoramonte, Portugal.
The Card Game
You may have noticed that I post more photos of things than I do of people. When traveling, I rarely ask permission to take photos of people who are aware of my camera. - generally prefer candid, un-posed photos.This is true of this photo, though it's not exactly candid. In this case we we strolling through a public square in Lisbon and the gentleman who is looking at me saw my camera and encouraged me with gestures to take the photo of his friends. The man in the red shirt has two aces in his hand but I don't know what game he is playing.
Fresh, Grilled Salmon
To offer a bit of a contrast to my "Bangers and Mash" post from a few days ago, I thought I'd show you the kind of food I ate while in Portugal. This excellent meal was served in a small, unassuming restaurant that we visited twice while in Lisbon. Everything was fresh and very good. It may be crass to talk about prices but I think I paid around $10 for this.Check out some of my London/Portugal 2010 trip photos here
The Old Stone Wall
Like many of my photos, this photo was a bit of an afterthought. Deb and I had been out for a drive and I slowed to take in the scenery. And, though the sun was shining directly into my camera, I decided to take a shot of the little stone wall and the wild flowers (and colorful weeds) beside the road.Two things strike my about this scene. One is the stone wall, which is probably at least a century old. The labor and the time to construct this are rewarded by the longevity of the project.The other thing that strikes me about this place, is that it is only about 45 minutes north of Lisbon, the largest city in Portugal. And we are in a very rural setting. It is not unlike driving a few minutes north of Watertown and finding a landscape that is quiet and relatively free of people.Check out some of my London/Portugal 2010 trip photos here
Bangers and Mash
I don't play with my food much any more. But I do take photos of it when I'm traveling, especially if I encounter a particularly delightful meal. This meal qualified, though it may seem gross or obscene to some of you. Bangers and mash? Yes, that's what they call it in England. Americans would call it sausages and mashed potatoes and probably wouldn't serve it this way. Presentation is everything!Check out some of my London/Portugal 2010 trip photos here
The Music of Sheep
Every morning a shepherd (no relation) would bring his musical heard of sheep within view of our small 4 room stone cottage near Evoramonte, Portugal.The music that we heard wasn't the bleating of the sheep. They were quiet. Instead it was the clanging of the mellifluous bells that hung around their necks, which chimed in a multitude of tones.This was no performance for tourists. It was instead part of the rhythm of rural Portuguese life. For the two traveling Shephards, it was magical.
A Rainy Night In London
in Europe, Travel, Uncategorized
It had rained lightly all day on our last full day in London. We had enjoyed a pint at the local pub and were heading back to our hotel. I began taking photos of the traffic that was passing and got lucky when a double decker bus came by. Rain and red double decker buses both seem like London icons to me.
Old Friends?
After two weeks of travel to London and various places in Portugal, I thought I'd return to my photo blog with the last photo on the memory card in my camera. It happens to be a photo of me taken by Deb in the Amsterdam airport. My smile is not due the joy I am feeling because, after two weeks of fresh-cooked food served deliberately in small restaurants, I can once again enjoy overpriced, homogenized cheeseburgers and an M&M McFlurry (which I'll admit was very good).My smile is more about having the opportunity to pose with Ronald MacDonald's arm around me. It's as if Ronald, a US export, were saying, "Welcome back to 'civilization.'" Though we all know that fast food is not the epitome of US culture. Right?Incidentally, this isn't the first Ronald MacDonald photo to make this blog. Click here to see Ronald in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.