Reflections of Amsterdam

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Red Light District

A photogenic corner in the red light district of Amsterdam.

This view was a 90 minute walk from our hotel… and in the red light district.  Beautiful reflections of Amsterdam.  I waited and waited for the lights in the residence above the rowboat to come on.  They finally did, but only for less than 15 seconds.  Fortunately, it was during one of my long exposures so I captured the whole duration.

Did you know you are not allowed to photograph the girls sitting in the windows in the red light district as they advertise their business?  There were no signs stating photography of the ladies was not allowed.  How was I to know?  Getting scolded by a scantily clad lady was most embarrassing… More on that later.

(click these photos for a larger view)

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Beautiful Bruges, Belgium

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Bruges evening view

Iconic evening view in Bruges, Belgium.

This is a common view seen at postcard stands throughout beautiful Bruges, Belgium.  Studying the postcard stands in cities shows a photographer the iconic sites. Wandering around Bruges, we stumbled across this scene.  Coming back at blue hour was an added bonus.  But before we get to Bruges, we need to cruise into Amsterdam, disembark and make our way to Belgium.

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Towns Along the Rhine River

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Sunrise Cologne, Germany

Sunrise on the industrial side of Cologne, Germany.

After cruising through so many small towns in Germany, I was actually happy to see the sites of the much larger town of Cologne, Germany.  But first we needed to see the sites of  Regensburg, Wűrzburg, Bamberg and other small towns along the Rhine River.  Humm, what is a ‘burg’ vs a ‘berg’ town?  ‘Berg’ as in Bamberg indicates a town on or near a hill or mountain.  ‘Burg’ as in Wűrzburg describes past fortification, likely a town with a wall built around a medieval fortress.

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Bamberg and Passau, Germany

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The homes and buildings in the historic section of Passau were all beautiful pastel colors and very well cared for.  Above you have a fountain which pays tribute to the three rivers that flow through Passau.  Every blog and article ever written in history about Passau comments that this is the city of three rivers,  Why should I be any different?  These three rivers are the Main, Danube and the Ilk.  We cruised the Danube and the Main when visiting Bamberg and Passau, Germany.

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Fall Colors Along the Danube

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melk staircase

A beautiful staircase inside Melk Abbey, oddly enough, located in Melk, Austria.

Many visitors to the Melk Abbey are anxious to see the vast library of over 100,000 books or the castle like structure with 365 windows, one for each day of the year.  Many came to see the golden Fall colors along the Danube.  I came only to see the ornate spiral staircase.  Our tour guide immediately proclaimed photos were not allowed throughout the Abbey, so I was quite worried the entire tour.  It turns out, the staircase is seen after the tour, so photos were thankfully not a problem.

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Ornate Buildings of Prague

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Fred and ginger

These buildings were built to evoke the image of two people dancing, hence their nick name, The Fred and Ginger building.

The Dancing House was originally nicknamed “Fred and Ginger.”  The glass tower leaning inward like a woman in motion and the stone tower standing tall as her partner.  This is one of Prague’s most iconic modern landmarks, standing gracefully on the banks of the Vltava River.  This unique building houses offices, a gallery and a rooftop restaurant, none of which I visited.  I was happy to see it at blue hour from the street.  It was all part of the unique and ornate buildings of Prague. Continue reading →

Greek Islands Mykonos and Santorini

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blood roofs of Santorini

The famous blue roofs of Santorini, Greece.

Santorini was one of the stops on our cruise that I was really interested in visiting.  I had originally hoped we could stay on the island for a few days on our own prior to the cruise.  I pictured it a much more quaint island than it was.  It was mostly packed with tourists waiting in long lines at spots made famous, or infamous, through Instagram and other social venues.  We were one of four large cruise ships invading this tiny island.  Mykonos was more of a pleasant stroll in comparison.  Both islands showed off the beautiful architecture and the white and blue of the Greek Islands.

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Mediterranean Cruise

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The iconic European Vespa scooter.

Wandering about Rhodes, Greece, on our Mediterranean cruise photographing the unique doors was a highlight on this day.  What is this home like inside?  Very few windows and the few there are seem to be boarded up.  Does the home open in the back with a grand terrace or patio?  The pipe flagpole holder is not simply for displaying the Greek flag.  Throughout Europe there are many competitions, cultural festivities, town rivalries and soccer matches, all of which may result in flying a local team or regional flag.

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