Snap in the Highlands

I find the Highlands' scenary dramatic and beautiful although I know some think it is bleak.  I like the bold shapes and few signs of habitation.  For my snap set I chose 4 scenic views taken on different walks

I like how there are layers beyond layers with the different hills and I think the clouds add to the dramatic effect.

The first is from a walk alongside a river which is fed entirely by a spring which seeps up through the limestone - the walk ends at a set of caves but I stopped about half way and enjoyed a sunny spot while others continued up to the caves

The second was another walk along a valley on a path that was used in the past as the main route out of the valley to the water and boats

The third is looking down towards a bridge over a deep gorge - we walked down there and over the bridge - my photos of the view from the bridge are not fabulous as I was holding on tight to the bridge railing at all times so had to operate my camera one handed

The last shows a rainbow - luckily we got home before the rain that caused it reached us

I think I caught up with all your snap sets from last week but if I missed any add them to the linky this week as well as your set for this week

Memorandum Monday back home

Big wave to all the Monday wavers.  I'm back from my holiday in a cottage in Ullapool which is on the West Coast of Scotland in the Highlands.  I was there with my parents, uncle, sister and her partner in a holiday cottage

the conservatory you can see on the side was where we spent most of the time when we were in the house - fabulous views out over the water and sunsets and making the most of the sunshine without being bothered by midges or wind.

We enjoyed several walks - I'm featuring them in my snap set on Wednesday and a boat trip to the small islands just off shore

 

we saw seals from the boat and various birds.  On our walks and driving at dusk we saw some deer.  On the first morning I saw a pine martin on the grass outside the house - we knew there were some around - so that evening I put some peanut butter on the rocks in the hope of seeing it again.  However the peanut butter only attracted a big slug and some seagulls - which carefully picked at the peanut butter around the slug!

the fabulous light show in the evening continued with a different pattern of the sun on the clouds and water each evening - this is from the last evening

and a new thing?  that would be the wonderful crafted items I came home with.  We were very impressed with the number and quality of the local artists and craft people and went to two small craft markets, one fabulous craft shop stocking only local makers and drove up a very steep windy hill to visit the makers of these lovely pieces in their studio

a lovely couple - she does the painting and he makes pewter jewellery pieces and amazing large clay models of animals.

Off to finish the last of my catch-up on laundry and bills - wishing you all a good week

Snap enjoying the light

I've  chosen light  on the  water  as my theme to choose  4  from  all my  holiday  photos so far.  All  taken from  our  holiday  cottage - a different  light  show  each  night

  

Looking  forward  to  seeing  all  your  snap  sets  when  I'm back  from  holiday. Hope  the link  up  works - if it  doesn't  I won't  be  able  to  remedy  it till  I'm  back 

, 

Memorandum Monday in the Highlands

Big wave  to  everyone.

My new  thing  this  weekend  is  this view  which  I  get  to  enjoy  for  a  week  from  a lovely  holiday  cottage on the  west  coast  of  the  Scottish Highlands.

Sorry  I won't  be  round  to visit  all  your  weekend  news  until  I'm  home  again. Wishing  you  all  a good  week.

Snap animal statues on holiday

On my first evening in Budapest I saw the statue of the girl and dog out of the window of the tram and thought it would be nice if I could find a snap set of animal statues - and there were plenty.

I don't know the story of any of them.  All I know is that the horses are part of a very triumphal arch that reminded me of the statues in Vienna, the ram head was part of a heraldic piece near the Presidential residence, the dog and girl are beside the river and the rabbit is in a nice quiet park near a University and lots of cafes.

Snap in Budapest

Budapest is stunning with lots of grand architecture both sides of the Danube.  I took this panorama while on a boat Buda is on the left and Pest on the right - the 3 close ups were taken at different times

The statue from the top of the hill is Lady Liberty - the only communist era statue that remains in the city but it was kept as it was such an iconic image on top of the hill.  You can also buy a bottle opener of this image, makign use of the way she is holding up her arms!

I loved all the ornate detail on the bridge - reminded me a lot of the decorations in Vienna - not surprising given that Austria occupied Hungary for many decades.  There are soaring birds on the top of many structures and plenty of other triumphial decoration.

This church is a great example of the mix of architectural styles in many of the buildings - the coloured tiles are made in Hungary and used on many buildings.  The architectural style borrows from several classical and European forms - the same is true on many buildings - as the great architects tended to have travelled widely in Europe and so used all the bits they liked when designing back home.

There really is a lot of grand architecture and lots of decoration on the buildings - I got a crick in my neck from looking up so much.  I was suprised at how little evidence there is of the decades of communist rule in the architecture in the centre of the city.

Enjoying all you snap sets and happy to see so many of you still taking part each week.

Snap on a food tour

I booked one tour beforehand for my trip to Budapest - a culinary walking tour with Taste Hungary.  I've been on several food tours before in other cities and really like them as a way to experience the culture and taste a wider range of items than I'd be likely to otherwise.

We started in the food market in the middle of town (top photo) - a massive building full of stalls and locals doing their shopping and tourists.

On the ground levels were bakers, spice sellers (lots of paprika), lots of fruit and vegetable stalls, sausage, pork and poultry sellers.  I loved seeing all the food on display and not a pre packaged selection in sight. Downstairs are the smelly things - mostly fish and pickles.  Upstairs are cafes.

I had a wander around the market on my first day as it was very close to my hotel. I enjoyed some strawberries - which were just in season.  I also discovered some fabulous mini cheese scones that were warm when I got my bag.  I bought them after seeing a local lady pop one into her mouth as soon as she had her bag and the look of pleasure on her face made me want to try them - they were delicious.

I was surprised to see that the pork shops were selling crackling and 3 different types of animal fat - people buy a block.  The poultry places had every part of the birds on offer.

So back to the food trip.  We started as many Hungarians would with a shot of Umicon - an aperitif that is said to have digestive qualities - first time I've drank spirits in the morning for a very long time.  Then another local norm - langos - a piece of deep fried bread dough covered in garlic oil then sour cream and grated cheese - very tasty although I was glad we each had a portion and not the whole thing.  I like that Hungarians are not embarrassed to have garlic breathe.

Then to a sausage stall for a selection of sliced meat - all tasty.  Then downstairs to the pickels stalls (middle photo).  A whole aisle of stalls displaying pickled gherkins, peppers, melon and more garlic.  They were lovely and crunchy and some were spicy - they are a great compliment to the rich bread and meat.

Then we left the market and walked a few blocks to a popular restaurant that specialises in meat - a meat with meat meal is common here with pickles providing the vegetable content.  We had several sausages and roast duck leg.  All very tasty and filling.

We then walked around looking at several building to make some room for our next stop - an old coffee house and the lovely array of cakes in the photo (we each had a taste of each one).  The apricot tart was my favourite - big Austrian influence in the cakes and pastries - and the coffee culture comes from the earlier Turkish occupation.

We finished our tour with some wine tasting - Hungary produces great wines but doesn't export much.

4 hours after we started I left feeling very full and happy.  I'd highly recommend these tours - if I'd been staying longer I'd be tempted by their Jewish food tour and their dinner over 4 restaurants tour.

Lots of lovely food, locally grown and produced, and not a goulash in sight!

Looking forward to seeing what snap sets you have to share this week.

Memorandum Monday city break

A big warm wave to you all.  I did plenty of  'new' over the weekend because I was in a place I've never been before - Budapest

Its one of the European cities that has always interested me and so finally I went and thoroughly enjoyed the bustling, cosmopolitan city - fabulous architecture, delicious food, easy to get around on public transport - just what I want from a city.


I travelled on what is reportedly the most scenic tram journey in Europe - tram 2 goes along the side of the Danube and they have kept some of the older model trams to add to the atmosphere

and I enjoyed a boat along the river - I chose the public ferry which does the same route as the fancy dinner cruises

and I luxuriated in one of the thermal baths which take advantage of local hot water thermal springs

and I sat by a very poignant memorial to those who were killed on the edge of the river during the Second World War

I'm just sharing a few tastes here as I took several hundred photos that I need to sort through - some good snap collections in there so I promise more details then and some more thoughts about the city and what I saw and did then as I sort through those too. 

Off to catch up on laundry, food shopping and blog reading now.  Hope you all have a good week

A sketch of Juba

I couldn’t take photos out and about in Juba as you need a permit for photography in South Sudan.  We could take photos inside the workshop so here are a couple of me at work and the lovely participants.

and with my fellow facilitator at a restaurant on the banks of the Blue Nile

I kept seeing little things that I wanted to capture and share – so I decided to list them and try to provide some flavour of this lovely new country.

I would love to have photos of the school children walking to school in their crisp white shirts and dark green shorts or shirts;

of the young children playing with a ball outside their house;

of the babies carried in a brightly coloured cloth on their mother’s back;

of the women walking back from the market with bundles balanced on their heads;

of the wonderful bright skirts and wraps that many women wear;

of the contrast of many younger women in very western (and brightly coloured) clothes;

of the group of old men sitting on plastic chairs in the shade of a tree, laughing and sharing stories;

of the men sitting outside a house smoking hookah pipes;

of the motorcycle with 3 young men sitting on it as it weaves its way through the traffic;

of the amazing ruts in the earth roads;

of the bizarrely contrasting pristine tarmac roads shown on a large advertising hoarding;

of the designs painted in white on the large rocks found at the corners of major roads;

of the ducks and ducklings scavenging beside the road;

at the group of goats that roams around near our accommodation;

of the woven bamboo fences around many houses;

of the groups of traditional mud huts  -  both round ones and rectangle ones;

at the lush tall trees (when I asked our driver what kind of tree it was he said ‘just a tree’ meaning no fruit);

of the eagles gliding on the thermals overhead;

of the red mountains outside of town;

of the lovely smiling people that I have met everywhere I go.

 

Now that would have been a photo heavy post!

Where’s Helena?

Don’t worry I didn’t put on a striped top and hide in a crowd for a photo!  Although it would be kind of fun.

But I am away on another work trip – running a workshop on planning for an election commission.  But where?  can you guess from these clues?

I transited through Nairobi airport and then saw this out the window on my final flight

 

It is 34 C (93 F) outside so I am very pleased to have aircon on all the time.   This is where I am staying.

We bought these at the morning market, most are grown locally

 

I can’t share photos from out and about in town because you have to have a permit to take photos and it is enforced, so not worth the risk.

Final clue – I’m in the newest nation state.  Any one know or prepared to guess where I am? 

Answer on Wednesday when I share my look up look down.

Dundee–the story, the wow and the funny

As I mentioned last week, my nephew Dylan turned 21 so the family all descended upon Dundee, where he is a student.  I only took one set of photos of the family dinner – Dylan is in the white shirt with his brother and father on each side; my parents are at the end with my sister (Dylan’s mum) and opposite are his lovely girlfriend and her family. I’m in the empty seat by the gorgeous handbag.

The next morning I went for a walk and my normal water magnet meant I headed for the harbour and captured some great photos

and the most amazing seascape

Then into town to meet Colin, an old Uni friend who I hadn’t seen for over 25 years who lives near Dundee. It felt as if we last chatted 25 days ago rather than 25 years ago. But no photos of that event – life does actually happen even when there is no photo !!

On the way I captured my up and down shots and the statues of comic characters Minni the Minx and Desperate Dan

 

and finally a strange sight that I had to capture and I’m sure has a story attached

And that was my Dundee experience.

Imperial Splendour

Now for my second set of photos from Vienna – the grand, historic, imperial architecture, or more specifically the many sculptures that adorn it.  It really is imposing and made me think of a people who are sure of their place in the world, of their strength and reach.  I feel I should be cueing the Darth Vadar march music from The Empire Strikes Back

These are in the gardens between the buildings.  But the majority of the sculpture are on every corner and crevice of the buildings, between the columns and arches.  Incredible skill to produce all those details by chipping away at a block of marble.

Walking around this part of Vienna was one of those times when I felt very aware of the history of the place and of different times portrayed in the architecture.  I feel the same walking the old parts of Edinburgh and Dublin – are there cities where you get that same feeling of history and a former grand past?

Vienna food market

On Saturday I joined many tourists and Viennese at the fabulous food market – there seemed to be shopping baskets and cameras in equal number.

The market is set up on temporary stalls along a road between two tram stations.  The first thing I saw when I emerged from the escalator were these magnificent buildings. There are decorated building fronts all over the city and I particularly enjoyed the two different styles next to each other here.

Once into the market I was surrounded by delicious and fresh food that would make a wonderful spread of food for grazing – cheeses, breads, tapas style stuffed items and lots of dried fruit and nuts.  There were also salamis and hams but I didn’t get a photo of them.  The food market really showed how  Austria uses its central position and mixes the foods of north and south Europe. 

Lovely fresh fruit and vegetables too – look at the size of the asparagus – white and green (middle photo, standing upright on right). 

Flowers were also in abundance on the stalls – big bunches of tulips or roses as well as vibrant mixed bunches.  I was delighted to see them selling bunches of lilly of the valley because it is my birthday flower. There were also lots of herbs in pots – I wanted to squeeze them all for the smell.

And I was amazed to see pink chestnut flowers on the trees (bottom right).  I was enjoying how many chestnut trees were in bloom down many streets, with lovely big white blossom and then saw pink flowers in several places – I never knew they came in pink too.

And then at the end, as I was looking for the next tram stop, I spied another beautiful building facade

I’d love to have a market like this in Edinburgh, our Farmer’s market is mostly meat. 

Next instalment from Vienna will be a sampling of the many photos I took of the Imperial architecture covered in imposing sculpture.

Where am I?

I’m away from home again, for  a week this time, to facilitate a workshop.  Can you guess where I am?  A clue – I’m spending euros.

I admit that when I knew I was coming here I had no visual idea of what to expect – not a country I’m aware of seeing on TV or films.  In fact I couldn’t think of much that I knew about life here now – only historical things.

I was surprised to see so many trees down the streets – here lots of chestnut trees.

Also very surprised that ice cream is a big thing here

(chocolate, pistachio and vanilla ice-cream, caramel sauce, cream and lots of hazelnuts)

The streets and pavements are wide, there are trams and lots of bicycles.  Lots of people smoke (outside) and bakery and meat feature heavily in menus.

I haven’t seen the river yet, nor a grand historic building, nor heard  a waltz, nor eaten apple strudel or schnitzel. 

Guessed yet? – I’m in Vienna.  I get to stay for the weekend after the workshop so intend to see and share more of the city (and sample more ice cream and pastry) 

ps.  I’ve been having problems leaving messages on posts since being here – sorry for the lack of comments – I typed them and then they disappeared.

Taking Phoebe to Battery Park

OK so the Phoebe in my title is the name of a texture from Kim Klassen that she wanted us to use for Texture Tuesday this week and I applied it to 2 photos that I took in Battery Park, at the bottom tip of Manhattan when I was there.

First applied to the fabulous statue erected to commemorate all the immigrants who entered the USA there.

the original was dark and I like the way the texturizing brings out different aspects of the figures

Then I applied the texture to a photo of the Statue of Liberty taken from the shore, with flowers from the remembrance garden in the foreground.  I was pleased with the composition when I took it and love the results of my texturizing

Check out Phoebe’s other adventures at Texture Tuesday

Visiting Gotham City

On my wanders around downtown Manhattan on Saturday before heading for the airport I turned a corner and found myself transported to Gotham City!!  filming of crowd scenes for Batman were underway.  I’m beginning to thing that ‘not typical’ IS typical in New York.  I’ll have my glimpses of the city pages for you later in the week once my jetlag is gone and I can concentrate on picking photos.

In the meantime here are some groups of security personnel in Gotham City

not a typical October weekend in NY

Snow in New York City in October for the 1st time since 1952 – on the weekend I visit !

Some was still in piles the next morning but the pavements were clear

I was expecting cold weather so I had come prepared with boots, coat etc. 

The other site I walk past each day as I leave my hotel is the tent protest on Wall Street.  On Sunday I took some photos.  Of the protest

 

and the large groups of police in evidence

I also did a whole lot of more typical things – more on those later in the week

In a New York state of mind

My next trip is to New York City so I’m looking for suggestions from my lovely blogland friends who have experience of the great city on things to see and do and eat.

I’m there for work so only have free time in the evening and, I hope one afternoon and a Saturday morning.  My hotel and the workshop venue are in the financial district.   I’m interested in any suggestions of places to visit in Manhattan that I wont have read about in the ‘top 10 things you must do’ guides – shops, photo-ops, walks etc.

In particular I’d welcome suggestions on things to eat.  I’m going to buy some candy corn and other Halloween related treats – what else?

And for my non-American friends – I’m open to some photo scavenger hunt challenges to hunt down on my trip – yellow taxi cab; statue of liberty; Halloween decorations – what else??