We have experienced plenty of mild mornings this October, but also some wild winds. The leaves changed colour throughout the month but by the third week many had fallen. We had sunny days, wet days and a few very chilly days.
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In the first half of the 19th century a Parisian wanting a good night out might well have headed to the village of Bercy. Ideally positioned on the banks of the Seine, this village had become the centre of the Paris wine trade and a major European market for wines and spirits.
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Walk down any street in any city and you will be confronted by a myriad of signs. There are the obvious ones telling you the name of the street, and those giving instructions or advice to drivers. ‘Junction ahead’. ‘One way street’. ‘Watch out for pedestrians’. And so on. Much more interesting though are the random unofficial signs.
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Last week I paid a brief visit to Liverpool. I stayed only one night and saw only a fraction of what the city has to offer. The weather was dull and grey, best suited to monochrome photography.
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Photography can be a tricky medium. To all intents and purposes, it appears to provide a faithful representation of a true scene. But ever since it was first invented photographers have found ways to fool the viewer. Creating double exposures in the darkroom, adding details by hand or removing them …
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On the final day of our expedition cruise we enjoyed enjoy a final walk on Spitsbergen and, as on every day of this trip, some special wildlife sightings. Our last full day on board started well, with a sighting of a large pod of beluga whales off the port bow.
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To be able to see the wonders of the world abroad; what a privilege that is. And perhaps most of all when those wonders are ancient. To stand among the ruins of buildings that have stood for hundreds of years allows us to witness history brought to life in a way no book or film can ever do.
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A strong contender for the most beautiful city pub in England, the Philharmonic Dining Rooms, commonly referred to as The Phil, has an ornate exterior and an even more stunning interior. There is a large main room, two smaller rooms named for Brahms and Liszt, and highly decorative wood-panelling, stained glass and floor tiles throughout.
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People have been using clay and similar materials to shape objects both ornamental and practical for millennia. Today every culture has its ceramics traditions: forms and styles, decorative techniques, purposes. These often sculptural forms lend themselves to monochrome processing.
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When you only have one day to explore a city, being ‘small enough to be easily understood’ is a real plus point. And one day was all we had, on this occasion at least. But we really took to Helsinki, so maybe in the future we’ll come back for a more in-depth look.
