As I write this I should have just returned from a trip to Istanbul. Unfortunately the now infamous Ash Cloud put a stop to that before it even started. I spent a Friday evening going through cancelling my flights, hotels and tour.
Dispiriting doesn’t begin to cover it.
But I wasn’t going to let something like that completely ruin my week. Limited to the UK, I decided to go to Salisbury and the near by Stone Henge, two places that I’ve not been to for a long time.
It’s spring in the UK so you can only imagine the difficulty I had finding a suitable recent image for this weeks PhotoFriday, “Sunshine.”
In the end I went back a couple of years to when we were in Egypt. This picture is from a rather stormy day in Alexandria. As you can see, the sun broke through the clouds with spectacular results.
Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Wheels.” I’m entry number 193.
I know I’m bucking a trend here by posting this on a Friday, but here is my entry for this weeks PhotoFriday, “Wheels.” Okay, this car has never been my set of wheels, but this is a really neat car that’s in amazing condition considering its age. Before I went to Cuba I assumed that cars like this were only visible on postcards. I quickly found that they’re all over the place. They’re also far less glamorous and practical when you get inside. Great fun though.
You’d think that living the UK I’d have no trouble whatsoever with the PhotoFriday theme “Overcast.”Except, with so much choice, well, which do you choose?
Ultimately I thought this image from our Christmas in Iceland fitted the bill rather better than anything I could find from the UK.
Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Blurred.” I’m entry number 263.
I’ve not been to Oxford for… um… since I was seventeen and applying to various universities around the UK. I remember having a fun trip last time but I have zero recollection of where we went and have no photos.
At first I thought that might happen again. Not because I’m suffering from amnesia but because when I arrived it was raining pretty heavily and, for a while, it seemed that the hotel might be a better option than trudging around in the rain.
The first few years of my November Plan were all business trips, but the truth is that I rarely get to see much more than the airport, an office and a hotel room when I go away. Oh, and maybe a restaurant if I get the chance.
That made last weeks trip to Paris and Frankfurt the exception. Meetings finished early in France and I couldn’t change my train reservation so I took the Metro a few stops south a hung around Notre Dame for a couple of hours.
How could you not take great “Pleasure” in devouring this apple strudel? It was both photographed and consumed — the sacrifices I make for a good picture — at the Hotel Sacher in Vienna. Sacher is more famous for its chocolate cake but I preferred this.
Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Children.” I’m entry number 215.
This weeks PhotoFriday was a tricky one for a couple of reasons. Firstly I don’t have very many pictures of “Children” or even anything child-like. Secondly, most of the pictures that I do have I wouldn’t want to use. Thirdly, most of those that didn’t fall into the previous two categories I’ve already used for previous challenges!
In the end I settled on this image I took in southern Vietnam. I got the impression that they don’t get a huge number of tourists around there. They were very curious of us but also very nervous and wouldn’t come much closer than what you see in the picture.
When I think of “Nightlife,” this weeks PhotoFriday theme, I think of music and dancing. I have quite a few images of live music but perhaps the best I have that emphasises the “life” in “nightlife” is the above shot from our holiday in Canillas de Albaida, Spain.
Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Cleanliness.” I’m entry number 158.