Category: Europe
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Leonardo between the Sunday painters
Leonardo between the Sunday painters Krakow is the proud owner of a real oil painting by Leonardo da Vinci: Lady with an Ermine. So maybe it shouldn’t surprise us to find a copy or reproduction of it in this open air stall in Krakow. It’s hanging there in the middle – even in duplicate -,…
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Where is Mandela?
Where is Mandela? I am not particularly keen on paying attention to the news of the day in this blog, but today, when the remains of what once was Nelson Mandela are carried to the grave, I do feel tempted. The world of man doesn’t know many like him. Maybe it’s also the vivid memory…
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Threatened with extinction
Threatened with extinction Nuns openly on the street, that truly isn’t a common sight anymore in Europe! With the exception maybe of places like Rome, or – as in the photo above – Krakow. Rome because of the Vatican and the Papal throne; Krakow as the place from where Archbishop Wojtyla was called in 1978…
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Bird’s-eye view (3)
Bird’s-eye view (3) Just as in the previous two posts, we are once again looking down at the cobblestones, this time on the most important historic square in Siena, Italy. But now the bird’s-eye view is so high above the ground that we can only make out the people below as tiny little figures. We…
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Bird’s-eye view (2)
Bird’s-eye view (2) Both of these pretty ladies have chosen to dress in black, which stands in stark contrast to their fair skin. One is sitting relaxed on the kerb. The coffee cup beside her suggests she works in the gallery behind her and has stepped out for a breath of fresh air. The other…
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Bird’s-eye view (1)
Bird’s-eye view (1) As you can see, I was particularly interested in the black-and-white pattern of the floor in this courtyard. It consists of small round stones, a kind of simple mosaic that you can see in some places in Greece. This particular courtyard is located in the Panormitis Monastery on the island of Symi.…
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Like a dream in transit
Like a dream in transit Aeroplanes came and went. Lost in thought, I watched the loading and unloading taking place right outside in front of me. Suddenly, the figure of a young woman glided into my field of vision and lingered there, an arm’s length away. She stood with her back to me. The contours…
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The universe in a forest
The universe in a forest I took this photograph in the same woodland as last week’s picture. I was fascinated by the illuminated green specks – leaves and reflections of leaves – in the middle of this very dark pool. But it was only when I looked at the photograph on the screen afterwards that…
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Primeval forests
Primeval forests Streams and pools in deep, dark forests heighten the primeval atmosphere. It takes my thoughts back to ancient times, hundreds of millions of years ago, when life first emerged on our planet; life that has since evolved slowly. In the right-hand corner of the photograph, part of my own shadow can be seen.…
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Coincidence
Coincidence I walk under an archway, towards a square, and see a tree. The archway frames the tree beautifully. A woman crosses the square and something I cannot see catches her eye. She slows her pace, stops and takes a photo. My gaze, the woman, the tree: three points on a straight line. And I,…
