Face In The Mirror

If you have followed any of my blog, particularly in recent weeks you will know that I have a thing for reflections. I have been concentrating a lot on abstract images from reflected light on water but looking through a few folders and I spotted this image.

Initially this was a colour image because of the striking colours of this beautiful crowned crane, it was also shot with the bird looking down. 

However for this particular image I was less interested in the colours as it was the idea of the bird glimpsing its reflection as it took a brink, lifting its head it paused briefly as if surprised to see another bird looking back. By rotating the image through ninety degrees it creates a new perspective as if looking into a mirror and the water droplets appear suspended in space. By converting it to black and white it also enhances the mirror effect.

Fine Art Becomes Street Art

When you go to Florence there is so much to see and do, the renaissance architecture, the colourful stonework, the parks and gardens and so much more.

This was my second visit to Florence and it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.  This time I had a little more time to explore and before I go on to share perhaps more traditional images of the city I wanted to share these quirky pictures that I captured as I walked around the city.

The first three images are of work by a mysterious street artist who identifies him/herself as Blub.

All across the city there are these pictures of famous works of art by the likes of Dante and Botticelli with all of the figures wearing scuba masks.

I had walked past a number of these pictures before I realised it was a "thing" and now I wish that I had captured more of them because they are really fun.  If you would like to see some more examples and read an interview with the artist then  click here

The final image of the no entry sign is also evidence of the fun at the heart of this wonderful city. Each No Entry sign (and there are a lot of them around the old city) and many other road signs have been modified with a unique artwork by the French Street Artist Clet. They are fantastic little works. Most of the time we hardly notice the road signs, well we notice them but we react to the symbol without really looking at them but when each one is a unique piece of street art you are more likely to take notice. As with the Blub pictures I wish I had taken pictures of mor of Clets work so if you want to see more why not click here.

Around Firenze

Well today we have walked miles, about ten miles in fact and so it feels good to finally put my feet up at the end of the day.

I have captured a few random images on out wanderings around museums, cathedrals, parks and the streets of the city. Of course I have also captured some of the more iconic images of this most beautiful city.

The first two pictures link to one of the pictures I shared yesterday where someone has added a snorkeling mask to approximations of classic paintings, they appeared all round the city and so I thought I'd share...

The other two pictures are the sort of images you would probably expect to see. There's an imperfect panorama taking in the Ponte Vecchio, the Arno, the Basilica Di Santa Maria Novella and of course the Duomo of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore.

The last is a very soft image of a sunset and the Ponte Vecchio. Hundreds of people had gathered on the Piazzale Michaelangelo to watch the sunset, two couples got engaged and others were having wedding or pre wedding photos done too. It was a nice way to end our time here, as tomorrow we're heading off to Casale Monferrato, a place I know nothing about but hope to have some interesting things to share next time.

Up Above The Streets and Houses

So here we are in Florence or Firenze as it is more properly called.

I have been surprised that neither Venice nor Florence seem as busy as expected but that isn't a bad thing of course because it means less time queuing for things.

We drove here from Venice avoiding the motorways and at first I worried it was a poor decision because the road surfaces were rubbish and it was slow going, the scenery was also a bit dull. After about an hour however things improved as we drove into the hills, with vineyards and orchards and then up into the mountains onto the most exciting roads yet for this trip. There were switchbacks galore going up and down the mountains and I knew then I'd made the right decision to take this route.

Having checked into our 15th century palazzo we went exploring. We climbed to the top of the campanile, the bell tower to the Catedrale de Santa Maria del Fiore. This was another Assassins Creed moment for my son and that helped him overcome his fear of heights. The views were stunning seeing the Duomo up close, looking out across the rooftops at the same time as being hailed with a chorus from the bells. That was an experience I won't forget.

Although I got some good pictures of the dome I decided to share just a close up of the roof tiles on the campanile itself. The building designed by Giotto was started in 1334 and it was completed in 1359 so this roof has been there for 659 years. I wonder if these are the original tiles...

In the streets below i spotted this interesting graffiti, I  often like to share the less obvious sights from the places I visit and so thought this fits the bill.

What does that even mean?

 This was my view as I ate my supper tonight here in Toronto. I could tell you all about my delicious Elk Burger and refreshing strawberry lemonade but as this isn't a food blog I won't go there. 

I couldn't decide which of these three pictures to post so decided on all three as they're connected.

They're a little bit quirky and fit really well with my first impressions of this wonderful city

Mystery fish

So what is going on with today's blog?
Well, rather than post some predictable pictures of London's iconic landmarks I thought I'd go some quirky images and so I thought I would take some random pictures of window displays and came across these little gems.

The first is of a machine in a Chinese bakery it moulds and bakes little fish shaped pastries which are filled with a hot cream filling.

Having seen this I recalled having seen the fish sculptures displayed in a gallery window on Shaftesbury Avenue so on my way back to my hotel I took a couple of shots to keep the fishy theme going.

The final picture of a bicycle suspended in a shop window clearly doesn't fit the theme but I couldn't resist it. I thought that one or two friends who are cyclists might also appreciate the alternative drinks bottle carrier.

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...

Dog in a pram!!!

The pictures above show some of the beautiful architecture and picturesque waterways of the lovely Belgian city of Bruges.  As well as the classical buildings, chocolate and lace the city has a quirky side too as can be seen from the buskers and the bicycle in my earlier blog "Two From Bruges" which I posted in September.

The title of today's blog however refers to the unusual sight of the dog in the photo to the left and although I wanted to focus on the pictures of the city I couldn't resist sharing this one too.

This was a candid shot taken in Bruges in July 2014.  I was sat with my kids in the courtyard of the Belfort in the city centre, we were having a short break when a family sat down next to us.  We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw a dog and not a baby or toddler sitting in the buggy.  The look on the dogs face makes me smile and the phrase "Dog in a pram!" is guaranteed to raise a laugh at home.


This wasn't the only unusual site to greet us on our day out either.  The picture below is of a painting on display in the Sint-Salvatorskathedral.  I was a bit taken aback by the scene depicted especially as it was in such a grand church.  Mind you judging from the range of chocolates on display in many of the shops I would say the locals are less inhibited than your average Brit...