A few days on the Thames

I was lucky enough to spend a few days on a boat on the River Thames recently. The trip went from London up North, passing by beautiful Bray, Windsor, Henley-on-Thames and a few other lovely cities. The image below I took on the very last day, and I admit I didn't know the Thames could look anything like this....

Cornwall

Cornwall is always beautiful, rough around the edges with endless cliffs and seagulls, a deep-blue sky and a misty sea....

Funchal

Another photo I shot last week while enjoying my time on Madeira. Another one I happen to like...

Fishmonger

On my recent trip to Madeira I went to see the famous Mercado Dos Lavradores in Funchal. It was beautiful, full of colourful flowers and fruits, but I thought the fishmongers were the real stars in the market. Definitely my favourite image from the trip.

Beautiful Madeira

Went away to Madeira for a few days just to get away from London. Lucky enough to have found a hotel right on the cliffs, the views were spectacular.

Dead woman on the beach

Spent a few days in France & Belgium by the sea. One of the images I took was a bit on the absurd side of things and made me laugh. The sunbathing woman looked a bit dead to me.....

You talkin' to me?

When I passed by St. Paul's Cathedral the other day I stopped for a moment wondering why this guy isn't freezing to death...but then I realised he wasn't one of these people pretending they are a statue to beg some change from tourists...it actually was a statue. Mark Wallinger is the artist, and his work is called Ecce Homo.

Drifter

The aquarium in the Horniman museum is tiny but if you happen to be in the area you should pay it a visit. I enjoyed watching these little drifters, completely unspoilt by what is going on in the world these days.

Horniman Museum & Gardens

I hadn't been to the beautiful gardens of the Horniman Museum, but I came away fairly impressed. The views over London are pretty spectacular but I liked the photo I took of the small car, supplying food to the Farmer's market.

Scapes and shapes

This weekend was a really relaxed one. I didn't have much of a plan so I decided to go to the seaside and enjoy the views there. The photo I took at Beachy Head on Saturday reminds me of another photo I took in San Francisco a while back, which is featured here on this blog as well. Maybe it goes to show you don't need to travel far to discover a beautiful landscape....

On Sunday I went to Greenwich Hill, one of my favourite spots for a view when it comes to London. Nothing new here, and I assume everyone has seen the impressive view of Canary Wharf from there, but it still manages to impress me every time.....

Which one do you like better?

January stroll

London is always a safe bet when you want to see interesting people. While waiting for a friend to show up for lunch in Chinatown I took a few shots.

Skating away (on the thin ice of a new day)

I must admit that I wasn't entirely sure about this photo. But that is what friends are for: Every single one I asked said I should publish it, and so here it is.

Autumn forest

Went on a really nice walk through a beautiful forest with bursting autumn colours. One part of the hike was particularly impressive, and the sun coming in did its best to illuminate the scenery...

Sunday stroll

Beautiful weather tempted me to go for a long walk along the South Bank today. The image below I took at Borough Market, one of my favourite hang-outs....

The image below is just one in which I like the symmetry.

Millenium Bridge always offers some interesting perspectives...

Who needs a car if you can have one of these?

Iceland

Spending two weeks in Iceland with a bunch of friends is like travelling to another planet. Surreal scenery, a breathtaking landscape, combined the best fish & chips ever. Do you need more reasons to go there?

This picture was taken on the second largest glacier on the island. You may ask why these images were converted into Black & White; I felt it was a bit different, maybe a bit more exciting than the regular photos you usually get to see.

In the midst of a long hike my friends take a quick rest and suck in the scenery.

A sad day for Europe

Now so far this blog has stayed clear of politics and I am planning on keeping it this way going forward. However, the British vote to leave the EU really marks a sad day for the idea of a European vision. It is also the first time that the elderly have restricted the options available to the younger population. Unheard of, and I can see why the young man in the image is frustrated, to say the least.

Chapman Peak Drive

Chapman Peak Drive is a 9km winding route from Hout Bay to Noordhoek, and is widely regarded as  one of the most scenic routes in South Africa. Well worth it, in particular if the rising mist turns the landscape into some mystic panorama.

Perspectives

Another shot I like from my trip to South Africa. View from Table Mountain over Cape Town.

Cape Town

Boulders beach where penguins play, 

The perfect place to spend the day.

Cape Point juts out to the sea,

I've stood on the cliffs and felt so free. 

Poetry by Sandy Botha

There was a really impressive rainbow over Table Mountain as well.

Almost...

Spent the weekend by the sea, part of a celebration to honour the "almost got the noble prize for literature" Stijn Streuvels, almost family and also almost forgotten now in mainland Europe.  What a shame, as his writing is as refreshing nowadays as it was a hundred years ago.

 The weather was beautiful, and spring was in the air for sure.

Angel at my gate

A lovely scene in a street in Paris the other day....a wanna-be angel, offering his umbrella to a girl passing by....

The whole point of no return

Countryside! How lovely! Spent a weekend with friends in the West Country, such a treat...long walks in the cold, proper country pubs, fabulous home cooking, what's not to like?

Not entirely sure why the sheep was staring at me like this. I assume the animal was thinking that I was either a) yet another idiot with a camera or b) a soul mate in human disguise. Hmm. 

It's that time of year again...

So Oxford Street has again started the Christmas thing, lots of lightbulbs to generate that special feeling...a bit early for my personal taste, but hey, what do I know?

Anyway, I didn't want to take the usual image so I tried something different. Not sure I succeeded, but I do like the image for its level of abstraction.

A foggy day in London town

Some of you might recognise the song title from an old record of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (and subsequently covered by Michael Buble). It is pretty much what London looked like today.

With the song on my mind I really enjoyed taking out the camera on my daily commute to the City this morning.

Grandmaster

A few days ago I had the great opportunity to attend a chess lesson with Malcolm Pein, a chess grandmaster here in London. That was a fantastic experience and certainly very inspiring. My fellow chess player comrades, get ready for some serious beating!

Thailand

What a wonderful country. How could you not love the beautiful beaches, indulge the amazing food and admire the friendliness of the people in this country? I will need to return at some point....

This week in London

What I saw this week was a rather happy dog being very interested in everything around him...

 ... and a somewhat bizarre thunderstorm radiating a strange light on Tower Bridge...

Poetry in motion

I went to Wimbledon and saw some pretty impressive matches there. This image I took while Mr Haas got rolled over by Mr Murray. Also saw Mr Federer, and that was really cool.

By no means less exciting though was a baseball match of a bunch of 10-year olds. Poetry in motion, indeed.

You lookin' at me?

A rather bizarre scene when the photographer was trying to find the right angle. Made me laugh.

Wheels in the sky

Passed by a field where a bunch of people was trying to launch their kites....one was particularly impressive....must have been one of the largest kites ever made....

Music Man

A stroll along the Southbank...and a bizarre setting with an old man playing his instrument surrounded by graffiti...

Tiger and Dragon

Today I passed by the Mayor's office and there was a not-quite-so-scary dragon. Unfortunately there weren't any tigers.

Strange place for snow

A few days over New Year's Eve by the sea. Weather was fine, so a long walk along the beach was on the agenda. I was experimenting with long exposures during the shooting and thought this image was actually nice.

Forbidden City

Another opportunity to travel to China, a fantastic country. The first day I had a few hours on my own so visited the Forbidden City again. Beautiful as always...