Grand Circle River Tour 4: Koblenz [Sky Watch Friday]

As we slept comfortably that night, our ship sailed to Koblenz. Then, following breakfast on board, we made our way on foot into the city. As one might expect, there were church towers to admire.

  
For those of you who know of Max and Moritz, there was a delightful store and mural devoted to these two troublemakers.

Another character of importance in Koblenz lore is the young boy, Schängel. While I did not get a photo of him in the spurting water fountain, I noticed that manhole covers bear his image.

The most interesting feature of the city is the Deutsches Eck [German Corner], where the Mosel and  Rhein Rivers converge. A large promenade runs along the sides of the two, and a cable car ride spans the Rhein up to a fortress.

A monumental equestrian statue of Emperor Wilhelm I occupies a prominent spot. It is in honor of William I [of the House of the Hohenzollern], first King of Prussia [1861-1871], then Emperor [Kaiser] from 1871 until his death in 1888. He was responsible for the unification of Germany and establishment of the Empire.

Grand Circle River Tour 3: Köln [Cologne] [Sky Watch Friday]

We took leave of Amsterdam by bus to Köln [Cologne], where our ship awaited us. I was especially excited because, although I was well traveled in Germany, I had not yet been to Köln. I was looking forward especially to seeing the Dom [Cathedral].  As our bus approached the city, I was able to catch a glimpse of it in the distance, and I got a shot with my cell phone [image below]. Although the weather was unpleasant, the clouds and mist made the scene atmospheric.

Dedicated to St. Peter, construction was started in the mid 13th century and halted in the late 15th century. Work was restarted and complete in the 19th century. One of the two Gothic towers is undergoing some renovation, but most of the facade is not obstructed from view. Here are some exterior and interior shots of this magnificent church.

We were also treated to a pub visit where we could sample the city’s famous beer known Kölsch. It is served in 0.2 liter glasses that were filled while contained in a specially constructed circular tray [image below] while rapidly rotating the tray as the beer flowed continuously from a spigot.

                     After leaving the pub, I spied this figure on the wall of a nearby hotel.

Grand Circle River Tour 2: Amsterdam 2 [Sky Watch Friday]

 During the first days on our own, we were notified by our Program Director that the low water level in the Rhein had prevented our ship from reaching Amsterdam. So, rather than meeting on the ship, all passengers were to be accommodated in three hotels near the airport; our group was placed in the Hilton [not too shabby] for two nights. So, our walking tours were to be preceded by bus rides into the city.

                         One of the side benefits of staying at the Hilton was its interesting design.

On our one afternoon of free time, we visited the Rijksmuseum where we paid tribute to the Rembrandt collection, as well as other Dutch /Flemish painters. We were fortunate to see The Night Watch before it is going to be removed for restoration. The two Hilton shots and those below were taken with my LG7 cell phone.

Grand Circle River Tour 1: Amsterdam 1 [Sky Watch Friday]

After a hiatus of several months, I am ready to start posting images again. Today’s shots were made during a river cruise with Grand Circle. The trip encompassed cities on the Rhein [Rhine], Main and Donau [Danube] and through the Rhein-Main-Donau Canal. We arrived in Amsterdam on Sept. 24, several days ahead of the official tour start [we wanted some time on our own as well as get a head start on recovering from jet lag. Our hotel, Hotel Alexander, was well situated and we started out walking [after storing our luggage].
Amsterdam is a city of canals, bicycles, flowers, interesting architecture, and lots of people.  Here is a sampling of of what we saw in the first few days.

Image City Assignments: Cemetery Shots

It has been quite some time since I last posted pics from my Image City Assignments series. To refresh your memory, I meet once a month with a group of other photographers to view and critique our photos. A subject is assigned in advance by our two mentors, who are professional photographers and members of a group that owns/operates the Image City Gallery. This assignment was to bring in several images that say clearly they were shot in a cemetery.
The first group below were shot in color as RAW images with my Canon 60D, and later converted to B&W in Lightroom.

The remaining two images were with my Kodak Z1015, which had been converted to shoot infra-red. One of the interesting features of shooting in IR is that a blue sky is darkened and green grass/leaves appear white.

Sicily 14: The Aeolian Islands [Sky Watch Friday]

The Taormina sea shore also offered other activities, although not much was going on when we were there.

On one of the days we opted to take a boat trip to two of the eight the Aeolian Islands; viz. Lipari and Vulcano. Our first stop was Lipari, the larger of the two islands. To get to the town from the harbor, we took a bus ride, which offered some wonderful views.

As one might expect, it was again necessary to walk up a steep hill [to which we were already accustomed].

Back at the harbor for our departure, we took some last shots of this delightful island.

En route to Vulcano, there were some unexpected photo opportunities. For example, off in the distance we could see the still active volcano, Stromboli.

                             Along the route we passed a variety of unusual rock formations.

Vulcano consists of three old craters: two are extinct, while another is still active, last erupting in 1890. The latter affords hot, sulphury baths that attracts bathers for the supposed healing powers of the water and mud.

As our sojourn on Vulcano came to an end, I was glad that we had a tour guide to lead us back to the harbor. I assume somebody can read these signs as one drives into the intersection.

These are the last images from our Sicily vacation, which truly exceeded my expectations. I hope you enjoyed viewing them as much as I enjoyed posting them.

Sicily 13: Taormina (ii) [Sky Watch Friday]

From sea level, one has a steep climb up a winding street until one reaches the heart of Taormina; viz. the Piazza del Duomo. The most striking structure in the plaza is a wonderful early17th century Baroque fountain, which features a Minotaur [half human, half horse]. Depicted as a female holding a scepter and an orb, symbols of power, it has become the emblem of Taormina.

                 Around the plaza are shops and stands for artists, crafts people and vendors of all sorts.

Along the main street, the Corso Umberto I, are a myriad of small shops, cafes, and galleries. Views down side streets offer a different perspective, but the love of flowers was everywhere evident.