Paris and “la Géode”

In September we spent a long late summer weekend in Paris.

It was the Ron Mueck’s exhibition and the friendly weather that attracted us. And we were not at all disappointed. Apart from the great art, the impressive architecture, the gardens  and the beautiful variety of people, we were pleasantly surprised by the increase of cyclists in this extraordinary city and the play areas for children along the Seine.

As my photos may show,  I was most excited about  “la Géode”, it was there in all its beauty, simply because of the Magritte-like sky.  

Sometimes you just get lucky!

La Géode

Ron Mueck: Couple under an umbrella

Street art

Ste-Chapelle

Basilique du Sacré Coeur

Climbing along the Seine

La grande dame de fer, la Tour Eiffel

L’église St-Sulpice

Jardin Botanique

La Géode and the happy photographer

Switzerland!

Of all fourteen countries in Europe we visited, Switzerland is absolutely the most beautiful, the purest and best organized place to be.  Especially in summertime, high up in the mountains,  you can find countless species of butterflies and alpine flowers while climbing on the well-marked  trails. You find yourself walking in a postcard scenery, breathing fresh air and after a few hours there’s always a nice restaurant for the odd coffee with “Apfelstrudel mit Vanillesoβe”. No wonder we keep coming back every few years to this little paradise on earth.

From San Francisco to Crater Lake

Having a son living in San Francisco gives a beautiful opportunity for a nice trip. Our aim was Crater Lake, Oregon.  As soon as you have left Sacramento behind, you find yourself in an area with wild refuges and a little further up north with lots of lakes which attract all sorts of (water)birds. We’ve seen black-necked stilts, green herons, western grebes (photo), white pelicans, nutcrackers,  steller’s jay (photo), red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds, white-faced ibises  and last but not least the bald eagle. To make this paradise picture complete, the cute mule deer appeared among the flowers every now and again.

Crater lake, immense and impressive because of its size, was an adventure in itself, especially since we wanted to climb down to take a tasty mouthful of the cristal clear water of the lake…

San Francisco itself remains an interesting, hilly and sometimes foggy city. It has perspectives from many crossroads  all the way to the seaside, great bridges, spacious parks, old buildings and a colorful population.

Again, never a dull moment in America!

Rhodos in spring

Being fond of moderate temperatures, young life, rough nature, spring flowers and last but not least a Burgundian way of life, Rhodos doestn’t disappoint.

There are many (not simple ;-) hiking possibilities and in every village you’ll find friendly people (riding on all sorts of motorcycles), fresh orange juice and a grilled octopus. Architecture  is an interesting mixture of neatly painted homes and neglected uninhabited buildings, which can be attractively beautiful in my experience.

If you pay close attention you’ll find (apart from all goats) butterflies, crickets, a single owl, crabs and agamas; you can see the last ones in my photos. 

Contact me through gmail if you’re interested in a canvas photopainting from my collection.

Enjoy!