About Annecy

 

Yesterday I watched a cooking show on TV, that is not something I would normally do but as it was about French cooking I was curious to see more and then when the presenter/chef announced that he would be in Annecy I decided to stick with it as I have just recently been sharing photos from the area.

It was nice to see the sights that I remembered from my visit as he drove along the same roads I had driven along. As the presenter sang the praises of the local produce, artisans and food I thought that my next post (this one) would focus on the town and its restaurants.

However, although I have some nice shots of the town, as I hope you will agree, they were all taken fairly early in the day so the restaurants were not open or had not yet started serving lunch and everywhere was pretty quiet, save for a few people taking a coffee break at a local bar. Given how cold it was it was surprising to find even these few people sat outside. 

Nevertheless I think these images do show what a beautiful place Annecy is and why it is worth a visit, whatever the weather.

Mur Island, or Murinsel

 Welcome to Mur Island, a unique floating structure on the River Mur in Graz. It was designed by the New York artist Vito Acconi and created in 2003 when Graz was the European city of culture.

It is a fascinating structure which contrasts with  the renaissance architecture in much of the city. The island is connected to each bank of  the river by a walkway and the central part forms a sort of amphitheatre where there is a café and a playground.

I may have shared a couple of these pictures in the past but as I was editing them today I thought they were worth a share.

Graz is a fascinating  city, it probably would not feature high on peoples lists of places they must visit but having stayed there on my road trip I would say it is definitely worth a visit.

Copenhagen - Art and Architecture

 I think I have shared the first of todays images before but the other two, I don't think so.

These are from Copenhagen in the summer of 2018 when I was on a road trip with my youngest son. We didn't really have too much time in Copenhagen and it is a city that I would love to go back to and explore some more. There is some fantastic modern architecture, like the Opera House which sits opposite the Amalienborg (Royal Residence) and Amaliehaven which is a small park on the waterfront. This is a lovely restful spot along the waterfront, in each corner of the garden is a bronze statue created by the Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro. I thought they were really impressive as you can see from the two columns in the images above. 

More From The Dell

 I continued to mess about (experiment) with long exposures, these two were both 6 second exposures to see what sort of effects I could create. Fortunately down in the dell by the riverside there was not too much wind and so the foliage is still fairly sharp despite the lengthy exposure but the water has a sort of brushed on appearance which I rather like.

I like the overall feel of the setting in the first image and in the second I like the steely or leather like quality to the water. By using this technique there are so many colours visible that you would miss as the water rushes by.

Calm Waters at White Coppice

Two pictures today connected by the fact that they were shot at White Coppice in Lancashire.  I visited recently and had a lovely walk along by the river and on the fells which had spectacular views as far as Snowdonia to the south and the Cumbrian Fells in the north.

I had heard that there was a waterfall there but in spite of recent heavy rainfall there was very little water. Even so I had a nice time especially sitting by the ruins of an old mill. The hamlet dates back to Tudor times and there are a few beautiful cottages from that period which overlook the village cricket pitch. It was such a restful spot and these two images reflect the peace I felt while I was there.

I love the light and shade in the first image and the clear reflection. The Robin in the second shot looks a bit scruffy but he's so cute. He was quite wary of me but was tempted by a small handful of seeds that I put out for him 

Commitment

The tide was high and these two guys were carrying on regardless of the fact that the fish just weren't biting.

They were after cod and had been fishing for an hour or two and apparently because there was too much fresh water in the river they'd caught nothing. In spite of the cold and wind they were determined to stick it out for a few more hours yet. I hope their efforts were rewarded.

A River Runs Through...

Walking through the forest I was drawn downhill by the sound of running water, not a steady trickle but a thunderous roar of the cascades that you can see in the first three pictures. I don't know the name of the river but this spot is marked on the map as "Force" and nearby is "Force Forge Farm" which I believe at one time was a mill powered by the river.

The volume of water passing through was incredible and the noise was so loud, it drowned out the sound of cars passing on the nearby road.

Getting the second and third pictures was a little tricky as I had to lean against a tree slightly overhanging the river and wedge my feet into the tangle of roots to prevent a tumble into the deluge.  It was a great experience though, being so close to such a force.  I also saw something I had never seen before (except on nature documentaries) and that was a fish, a trout I think, leaping up the falls. I waited a while to see if I would see more but unfortunately I didn't but it was great just to see the one.

Walking further upstream the river moved at a more leisurely pace and the noise was much less and as you can see from the final two images it was a much more peaceful scene. As calming as this was I preferred the drama of the falls.

Secluded Garden

Today's blog is a selection of shots from around the gardens at Bodnant.  The first picture has a Mediterranean feel with the Cypress trees and the river (Afon Hiraethlyn) flowing beneath the bridge. 

I really like the second picture with all the different accents of green and the occasional pink highlights.  

There is a lovely terraced area with pergola and stone steps which I really like and I am sure you will too.

Bridge on the River Aire

I feel like this is a bit of a lazy post today, I had limited time to choose my pictures in the time between getting home from work and having to go out again so I haven't really put a lot of thought into it. However that being said I do like these pictures which are of two bridges across the river Aire. The first in the village of Malham and the other footbridge just a stone's throw from Malham Cove. (I'm not saying I could throw a stone that far but I expect there's someone put there who could).

Anyway lazy or not I hope you like what you see today.

Bolton Abbey

Breakfast Time

Stepping Stones

Stepping Stones too

Stepping stones in wood

Around the river bend

So today I have a small selection of pictures from my early morning walk around Bolton Abbey, the day after the balloon pics from the previous post.

I love the early morning, it was such a peaceful time with just a couple of dog walkers sharing the morning before the day trippers arrived.  It was quite misty and there was little colour to the sky but even so I think I captured the essence of the English country morning (at least I hope so!)

I think my favourite image here is the stepping stones in wood.  Let me know which is your favourite. . .