The Same Group of Monks taken in Monochromatic at a Chiang Mai Temple

The Love Bridge at Annecy

How romantic!

The bridge at the end of the river Le Thiou where  it finally meets Lake Annecy,  is known as Pont des Amours (or the Bridge of Love).

Supposedly, it is a magical little spot where legend says that anyone you kiss might just be with you forever!

I wasn’t there at the right time of the day ( it looks very romantic with the lights on in the evening) and could not afford to stay any longer.

The Streets and Alleys of Baltic (11)

I will be doing a series on streets and alleys of the Baltic countries.

I have been to all the Baltic capitals which includes visiting of some of the UNESCO Heritage sites like Vilnius, Riga, Tallin etc.

What I found most interesting are the alleys and the streets which all have their own characteristics.

I am not able to tell you exactly where those alleys and streets are; in my simple mind, they are my memorable parts of the Baltic.

I like the cobblestones, the quaint street, the colored walls on both sides of the alleys, the cafes along or encroached onto the roads, the crude masonry wall facing and last, but not the least, the friendly people.

They leave an undeletable part in my memory!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Time (Great Wall)

This week’s DP theme for the photo challenge is Time.

I am always amazed that some structures can stand the test of time.

The Great Wall has been built thousands of years ago; this is still one of the longest structures in the World.

These walls were the scene of many battles and were great in keeping the “Barbarians” out of central China.

Wish these walls could talk; so that they can tell us their stories.

Here are several photos taken in the Miutianyu section of the Great Wall near Beijing.

I have converted them to Black and White, emphasizing the timelessness.

The original photos were taken during Autumn with some color foliage around.

The B&W, however, evoke more moods.

The next three days are public holidays for the Lunar New Year; so be prepared that there may not be any posting during the period.

 

Wettest January

Last month has been the wettest January Hong Kong has seen since records began 132 years ago, the Hong Kong Observatory has announced.

As of Friday afternoon, over 260mm of rainfall had been recorded, the Observatory said, making this month the wettest January since 1884. Previously, the wettest on record was January 1887, when 214.3mm of rain fell.

The first picture is the mist outside my window. I have changed it to Black and White to make it look more moody.

The second picture was taken in the portrait format. There were so many raindrops on my window pane.

Go away, El Nino!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette (Hong Kong 2)

I realize the WPC Challenge has changed its theme to Fray this week.

But there are so many good photos which I still haven’t got the chance to show on Silhouette.

One of them is the photo below.

This photo has so much mood in it, especially the clouds and the sea.

It is an image taken by my friend CP Chan on one of his fishing trips to the fishing rafts in the New Territories in Hong Kong.

Our eyes (and brains) are always caught by something which we have never seen before. To me, this is one of those!

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast (in Waterfalls)

This is a last minute entry to this week’s WPC – Contrast.

Here are 5 images of waterfalls taken in various parts of China.

These include waterfalls from Jiuzhegou and Yunnan.

They have all been converted to Black & White to specially depict the Contrast in waterfalls.

There is contrast between the running water and the adjacent stationery landforms.

Usually within a waterfall,  they are make up of a number of big and small falls.

There is a contrast between the powerful waterfalls and the resistance of the nearby rocks.

I don’t think I am able to adequately describe the contrasts in the photos, for this, I will leave you to respond in your comments .

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast (B&W)

Different colors can create a dazzling contrast but the picture here shows that a big contrast can be produced in Black & White.

The picture was taken in Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

The light was coming from the side. It creates a good contrast between the various parts of the Buddha face.

The carvings at the edge also shows a good contrast!

 

Dubrovnik After Dark in Black and White

It was already dark when we walked down the street of cobble stones, with tall stone walls like canyon on both sides. We wandered alone down deserted streets and alleys of the Dubrovnik old town.

We discovered the best time for a stroll through Dubrovnik’s Old Town is after dark. We passed by deserted shop windows which looked very different at day time.

The Dubrovnik old town at night is as beautiful as it is during the day.

We glided down Dubrovnik’s main street, the Stradun and  strolled past churches and shops closed up tight for the night. The shop windows were very appealing.

As we reached the end of the Stradun, we  turned to the square on our right and discovered this elegant Rector’s Palace which was  the seat of power in the old city-state of Dubrovnik.

This beautiful building is a harmonious mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. The original palace was modeled after the Roman imperial palace, with some influences from Venetian palaces. There were two gun powder explosions in the 15th century and an earthquake in the 17th century which destroyed part of the palace. The existing building was rebuilt at the end of the 17th century.

The central portico features beautiful archways and a second story mezzanine. The most beautiful part is the portico with the open ceiling and archways.

Further stroll brought us to the nearby beautiful Luza square where we  found the Church of St. Blaise, who is  Dubrovnik’s patron saint. St. Blaise was also the protector of the Independent Republic of Ragusa. The church is easily recognizable by the statue of the city’s patron, St. Blaise on its top! This 18th century Baroque church is one of the most recognizable Dubrovnik attractions.

Our empty stomachs reminded that we still did not have our dinner yet and we should be looking for a suitable restaurant.

This restaurant by the side of the alley looked inviting but at this time of the night, it was all full.

This restaurant really looked nice and it was blissful just to sit here and have alfresco dinning while gazing at the beautiful buildings nearby with the nights on.

After dinner, we walked our way back  to the hotel along the hilly driveway with roadside lights guiding our way.

When we reached our hotel. it was already late and we collapsed onto the comfortable seats by the pool while others opted for an evening swim.

We were happy that we were given another fine and blissful day and an enjoyable evening!

Dubrovnik in Black and White

Can never forget the colors of Dubrovnik – the blue sky, the azure Adriatic sea water, the terracotta roofs, the green island offshore, just to name a few.

Dubrovnik reminds of me of the interesting fortresses, the walls, the churches, the houses, the beach etc.

Some of the images, however, appear to be even more interesting in B&W.

This image was captured while walking up the walls of Dubrovnik – lots of terracotta roofs, the blue sea and the green island – all underneath an arch!

We always started the day first having our breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. What a wonderful experience is to sip your coffee/ tea while gazing at the panoramic view of Dubrovnik, with the sea breeze gently caressing your face!

There were also some quiet moments for reflection as one saw the bell tower against the serene sea and quiet hills as background; while the roofs showed an ever repeating pattern of tiles.

After walking one complete round of the Dubrovnik walls, we took a rest nearby a seaside fortress. The sun was setting and your eyes gaze out peacefully on the horizon.

By this time, we were all hungry and scouting around to look for a restaurant for dinner!

After dinner we walked back to our hotel – a place we have breakfast, a bath and some sleep. Some took the opportunity of having a swim in the beautiful swimming pool, while I walked around the hotel and took a couple of the photos.

These B&W photos show the celebrities who have been staying in the hotel.

I am sure you will recognize some of them.

Some of them are conductors, pianists,  film stars, members of the royal family.

So, it was just another day in Dubrovnik which we will never forget!