Art

by

Raindrops

The beauty of raindrops on glass.

Whether  its captured from the window of a house, car, bus or train.

There is something beautiful about it.

~  *  ~

This shot was captured from the car in an Indian suburb.

From my train in Switzerland.

 Photos below were captured from our bus in the historic city of Bath (UK).

The day you literally spoke about the weather as the British do!!

Read more about the famous Roman Baths in an earlier post here.

Moral of the Story

Always check the weather before travelling.

by

Dom Cathedral, Cologne

Köln in German, or Cologne in English, is Germany’s 4th largest city. Eau de Cologne (Water of Cologne) that is known & used the world over, was birthed in this city. The city is  famous for the  Cologne Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Church.

Here are some photographs I captured of the Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom, officially Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria if you read the details on the Wiki link).

A World Heritage Site, work on the Cathedral commenced in the year 1248. It is supposed to be Germany’s most visited landmark (details in the link above) & it is alleged to house some relics of the Three Magi who visited Jesus  after His birth.

I was fortunate to have visited this Cathedral with its rich Gothic architecture, historic & religious significance.

by

Guten Tag Berlin!

Berlin, circa 2008…

What I enjoyed about this city –

–  getting to see history at close quarters

–  getting to actually see the remaining parts of the Berlin Wall

–  the graffiti which captures the spirit of the city, carried in an earlier post  Street Art

–  being a part of the 200,000 odd crowd which thronged the Tiergarten to witness Barack Obama’s speech 

–  walking through the famous Brandenburger Tor

–  staying in East Berlin at Prenzlauer Berg,  über cool & youthful spirit,  home to students & artists

–  the sidewalk cafés of Prenzlauer Berg which served those amazing desserts

–  getting to attend George Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess Opera…terrific

–  art, history & culture blend in

–  truly Berlin, truly enjoyable.

Hover over the image for a brief description of some of these pictures.

by

When Paris Called

A ton of energy & the ability to walk, walk, walk is what you need if you visit Paris.  Cathedrals, cafés, monuments or the museum – there is so much to explore & experience in this city, which is best done walking. And of course the camera is kept busy too. 

History everywhere  you look is Paris in a nutshell to me.

A panoramic cruise on the River Seine is a great way to take in the many views of Paris. Visiting the 12th century Notre Dame Cathedral brings back memories of  Hugo’s  book  ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’.

To behold Paris’ most iconic symbol the  Eiffel Tower is truly awesome. Walking down the Champs Elysees, supposedly ‘the most beautiful avenue in the world’ is a great way to absorb the city &  you also get to view the  historic Arc de Triomphe. We also got to witness the celebrations of the Bastille Day or French National Day…when all of  Paris seems to converge on  the Champs Elysees to witness the parade & celebrations.

No trip is complete without a visit to the Louvre – this  museum has just too much to see in a short duration;  most popular attraction without a doubt being Leonardo da Vinci’s  ‘Mona Lisa’. It was so crowded with tourists…had to literally push through the crowd for a glimpse up close –  I wasn’t able to capture a very clear picture though.

Around the city one gets to admire the many monuments &  rich architecture – below are photos of  the La Madeleine Church (formerly meant to be a Temple) as well as the statue of Joan of Arc. Way too much to see!!!

While there indulge merrily in the local French cuisine…& go get some joie de vivre!

 

 

by

Street Art

I’ve seen the most striking graffiti adorning walls on some of the  streets of Berlin & Amsterdam.

Some are colourful & vibrant – one can’t help but be impressed by this display of art on the street, quite literally!

 

Remaining parts of the Berlin Wall

The art of the matter

The preaching wall…loved it

 The amazingly vibrant graffiti of Amsterdam