Sunset....in Prague.
One of the benefits of photography is the sense of revisiting a scene.
Right now I have 4,339 digital memories, taken during two and a half weeks roaming through five countries in Central Europe.
I get a selfish thrill when I can recreate something I saw for less than a second and share it with others.
Cloud formations and a golden sun sending shafts of light everywhere are fun to capture.
But not always just sitting there, waiting for you.
It might be raining or there's totally no clouds.
You may have made plans to meet some people inside.
Or you emerge from a museum or castle and the light is all wrong.
But, when it all comes together, you snap the moment forever.
Capturing a great sunset, or the moments when twilight slowly changes the view, depends on luck.
When you do see the elements coming together for an exciting visual end of day, find a spot to relax, have a beer and watch for the moment.
That castle you just rode a tram up a steep hill to explore now looks majestic up there.
You walked up and down a lot of steps so a cold one is due. Have a seat.
This is
Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic, and not even the halfway point of my photo vacation.
It is a romantic riverside location enhanced by graceful bridges and a skyline punctuated with medieval church steeples.
Wait a minute, that sounds a little bit like Charleston.
Which has TWO rivers.
Oh, but the churches are not nearly that old.
Point goes to Prague.
Prague Castle looms large across the Vitava River, above the Charles Bridge.
This scenic span connects the quarters near the castle with Old Town and it's sprawling Square.
Most of my day had been spent eating foods new to me and sampling local national beers.
Well, sure, I went up and toured the Castle and walked down to view the Charles Bridge from various angles.
What a great place for street photography!
And statues. Man, they have a lot of 'em.
Everywhere you looked there were religious monuments, and as the sun settled, beautiful lighting effects were created.
A photographer's lucky day.
(Click on the photos for more details.)
I just remembered I have several hundred more pictures I took with my phone camera.
More editing.
Yikes, I'll never be outside again to see a sunset.
Labels: Charles Bridge, Czech Republic, Lesser Quarters, Old Town Square., Prague Castle, Vitava River
"Blowing bubbles, pretty bubbles...."
Being retired with plenty of time to travel is good.
I recommend it for everyone.
Not being smug, but in the past I have been to London and Glasgow.
Dublin, "Northern Ireland," and a weekend of Oktoberfest in Munich.
Amsterdam and a picturesque train ride down to Bruges. All fine destinations.
But I wanted to revisit Berlin. Last time I was there in 1981,
The Wall was up. November 9 will be the 25th anniversary of it coming down. It was a divider between Communism and Democracy for 28 years.
On this visit, my hotel was located in what used to be East Berlin and I was able to go up to the rooftop terrace and inside the glass dome atop the
Reichstag Building, home of the German Parliament.
Ramps let you walk higher and higher for a spectacular view over the entire city.
It was a clear day and the photos were rewarding.
It's also open for evening/night photography. All require advance planning and registration.
The 8-hour flight from Newark was tracked on individual screens at each seat.
We reached an altitude of 40,000 feet and - with a tail wind - hit 600 mph. The images even showed us where daylight would appear again.
This part of the journey was aboard a United Boeing 757 and the return would be on a 2-aisle widebody Airbus flown by Lufthansa.
The foreign carrier differences included sandwich snacks, a hot meal served along with metal silverware and free wine, beer and Cokes.
Our domestic airlines have gone in the opposite direction, charging for basic amenities I used to take for granted.
Unless you fly first class, meals, free alcoholic beverages and being handed hot towels for your hands, are in the distant past.
On the way to Germany, the sun rose just as the small screen said it would and a sense of excitement and anticipation could be felt.
The short nighttime period had ended and this was a new day.
Literally.
The soap bubbles were in our future like these I saw in Prague in the Czech Republic on Old Town Square.
I visited many of the well-known popular places in five countries and joined the merry throngs.
But also sought and found
off-the-beaten-path sights and experiences.
Yes, travel is fulfilling and educational.
(Click on the photos for more details.)
My successful diet was put on hold for this trip. The different beers, new ways to have coffee prepared (with a slice of cake) and spectacular meals were offset by 4-mile fast-paced walking tours, hikes up stairs in castles and palaces and wandering through churches and opera houses.
I regained only 3 pounds!
Labels: Berlin Wall, Czech Republic, German Parliament, giant soap bubbles, Lufthansa German Airlines, Old Town Square, Prague, Reichstag Building, United Airlines
