The real Venice

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So before we move on to our next stop here is another selection of pictures from Venice.  When you get away from the hordes of people there are some unusual and interesting things to see.

I've started with the by now obligatory shop window bunny.  Some might think it looks more like a hare, a pirate hare at that, but it's close enough for my purposes.

The second and the final pictures are of some more street art which was in a little back street away from the hotels and street vendors.

The next picture was a plaque above the entrance to a herbarium which caught my eye.

I hope you enjoyed today's pictures.  There will be more tomorrow, from somewhere else in Italy...

Venice

So here I am in Venice, 7 days into my road trip and I've already been in 7 different countries. Although I'm in Venice I'm not going to post any pictures of canals and bridges, the closest I'll get today is the driver's cabin on the vaporetto, the "bus" from the car park to our hotel.

The second picture was going to be my shop window of the day. In Venice there are hundreds of places selling masks, this shop seemed to be very good quality masks and at pretty steep prices too.  I'm not sure I get the appeal to be honest but I thought this was quite a decent one.

And that was going to be my window display until I came across the rabbit mask in picture three, I was really happy to keep up the shop window bunny thing.  Will it continue tomorrow? Who knows.

The last shot is of some random street art we found on the wall of a tiny alleyway.

That's all for today, but there will be more tomorrow.

More from Salzburg

So I've started with the second shop window bunny from Salzburg, this one is made of bread and was part of a display which included several other rabbits of varying sizes suspended from the ceiling. Quirky to say the least.

The second image was taken on the footbridge across the river Salzach which divides the old and older sides of the city. It has become a focus for lovers to put padlocks with their names on (like the one in Heidelberg but on a grander scale) they then fix the lock to the bridge and throw the keys into the river.  Can you spot the problem with the lock in the centre of this picture? I'm sensing a lack of commitment...

Picture 3 has to be the classiest sign for a McDonald's I have ever seen, if only the food could live up to the image.  

Picture four, what can I say? A pooch with a Mohawk! It beats a dog in a pram...

The last picture is of a shop front for a shoe maker, clearly he can make shoes for even the biggest feet.  The  shoes are seriously expensive but very stylish sadly I didn't have room in my case for them.

Day 5: Salzburg

So after a long drive, stoppping off to watch the tail end of the eclipse and a brief visit to the village of F'ing we arrived in Salzburg, the mountains look amazing and we are looking forward to exploring the city tomorrow.

For today's blog I have managed to find another shop window bunny.  In fact I found two but I've saved the second one for tomorrow. 

I thought the name above the clock was worth preserving, it is above a jewellers shop here in Salzburg.

The final picture is the sign for the street our hotel is on.

By the way the third picture in yesterday's blog was a triple barrelled mouse trap. It looks like a very effective bit of engineering, no humane traps for me I want to get one of these.

Triberg im Schwarzwald

After the difficulties I had yesterday things have been much more straightforward today and as a result you are being spoilt with a plethora of photos.

In total we have driven 1059 miles so far and we are in Triberg in the heart of the Black Forest. It's been sunny and warm but with plenty of snow on the ground. The scenery is spectacular.

Today's pictures are a mixed bunch, the first three were taken in the Black Forest Museum. Pictures 1 &  2 are of the very bizarrecostumes worn locally in the past to celebrate Shrovetide. Not a festival that I'm familiar with and the costumes are I think pretty scary.

The third picture is a little curiosity and I'll leave it open for comment to see if you can work out what it is... Please have a go!

I couldn't resist the picture of the berliner as it made me think of JFK... It also sort of fits with the other window displays I've posted this week. I couldn't resist the doughnut either, it was really good.

The snow rabbit was completely natural and I couldn't resist, again there has been a rabbit in one form or another in other posts this week.

The final image is a view of the apartment where I am staying, it's absolutely lovely, and probably a place I will come back to.

Well that's all for today, don't forget to have a guess re number 3

day 3 - Heidelberg

Just one picture today, I have another that I really wanted to post but I'm having trouble uploading them.  It's so frustrating, but never mind. I will hopefully have better luck tomorrow.

This unusual sculpture was on the bridge at Heidelberg. It's a very picturesque setting and a nice place to visit after a long drive in a car (about 380 miles I think) 

Update: I have now resolved the technical difficulties and can now share the second picture and one I most wanted to post. 

Day two, in Amsterdam

So day two, another tiring day but lots of fun exploring the city on foot and by tram. Today's pictures are a mixture of random shots.

Remember when indoor plumbing was a rarity? Here in Amsterdam they cater for those who feel indoor toilets are inappropriate as you can see from the first picture.

The second picture is perhaps a standard image of Amsterdam but I thought I couldn't leave the city without at least one picture of a canal.

Picture three follows on from yesterday's window display, here Donald Duck was just peering around the pillar in a canal front office.  It struck me as a bit quirky and fun.

The final picture is of my lunch, empanadas.  I wouldn't normally post pictures of my food but the picture will answer some questions...

Day 

The road trip begins

Here is a mixed selection of fairly random images, all taken with the camera on my phone, as all of the images for the next few weeks while I'm traveling round with my eldest son on our European road trip.

The first shot is of the odometer prior to setting off. It's purpose really is to help me work out the overall mileage.  Today I covered 539 miles at an average of 56.4 mpg

The next picture is taken in our stylish hotel room home from home for the next two nights in Amsterdam.

The third is a somewhat abstract shot of a display in a chocolatier's window in Bruges. I deliberately merged the display with the reflection of the tree and buildings to create an interesting image.

The final picture was taken in the underground car park in Bruges as a record so that in my sleep deprived state I could find the car again.

Anyway that's all for today. Keep looking over the next few days for some more random road trip pictures.

abstract

So today's offering is a bit different.  I'm working from my mobile phone and I have chosen two connected images which are hopefully going to have you wondering...

If you can work out what they are please leave a comment, either in the comments field below or on the facebook link.  I am curious as to how many will work it out so please have a go!  The is no prize for guessing correctly but equally there's no shame in getting it wrong, it's just a bit of fun.  The only clue is that although they are not of the same thing there is a connection... The first picture is probably the easiest to guess.

Past and Present

Yesterday's pictures were of the Typhoon and F-15s in flight, today the planes are all on the ground and there is a contrast between the old and the new with the 2nd World War Hurricane which is part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight based at RAF Coningsby, and the Typhoon  of 3(F) Squadron, the first operational squadron of Typhoon fighters.

I really like the old aircraft but I also really like the new.  The sleek design, amazing technology, the speed and power is so impressive.  I grew up with regular flights of military aircraft flying over my house as they went on practice bombing runs on Wainfleet Marsh, I miss the sounds and smells of these amazing jets.

I particularly like the last of today's shots, the heat haze from the engines and I remember the sense of anticipation as the plane strained against its brakes before springing forward to take off.

Fast Jets

I had been driving past RAF Coningsby one day and saw the ground crew at work preparing some of the Typhoons for take off so I stopped to watch for a while and as I patiently watched through the perimeter fence a couple of F-15's flew past.  It was difficult to get a decent shot because of their speed, the distance from me and the fact that I wasn't well prepared.  All the same I am pretty pleased with the top picture.

The next two images show a couple of the Typhoons flying in formation, again they could be better focused however I really like these pictures.

The Two Towers

The pictures today are of the chateau at Blandy les Tours in the Seine et Marne region of France, taken in 2008.

I like the colour of the stonework and the spiral staircase. I also like the curve of the roof in the foreground of the second picture.

The steps up to the tower in the final picture are quite steep and to access the tower it is necessary to cross a narrow walkway which for anyone with a fear of heights is quite a daunting task.

Beautiful Butterflies

These pictures were taken back in 2007 in the gardens at Speke Hall using my old Konica compact digital camera.  Even though it was just a 4MP camera which by today's standards is less than most mobile phones the quality of the images is I think quite striking with sharp detail and bold colours.

I really like these images and I am sure you will too. I know the first picture is of a Red Admiral, if you know what the brown one is please let me know in the comments below...