Autumn in Strasbourg

The sky above...

Fitting ceiling at the Sofia airport metro station... Even by grey weather.

Paying to take photos...

A shocking thing to me, having to pay for the right to take photos, specially as a sign forbids it... Anyway, this is St Alexander Nevski orthodox cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria, the town's main attraction (see the photo I posted a few days ago).
Well, I paid (the price of a good meal in a good restaurant), and I didn't regret it.
More info as usual given by Wiki.

Rilski Manastir

AKA Rila Monastery, Imagine, a over 1000 years old place, totally lost in the mountains, 120 km south of Sofia. A truly beautiful place. More, here.

One heck of a landing!!!

Well, this is not Strasbourg. I was away for a week, to the beautiful city of Sofia, Bulgaria. A dangerous city in a way, as the planes are crossing the city centre before landing. But what a view!!!
Well, this the Alexander Nevski cathedral, orthodox. More about it later.

Welcome to the East!

Looking for wisdom in Sofia , Bulgaria, lol! How good is your Greek???

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

Well, I'm off for a few days, pursuing my (re)discovery of byzantine Europe, after a 2 years long gap. II am not taking my laptop, but I might be able to post from my mobile phone. We'll see. See you then!

The coolest car in town

Pimp my merc, the Strasbourg version.
You would think that Strasbourg was a medium-sized town, with its 275.000 inhabitants. It is not! I see this car at least once a week, he seems to be everywhere I go. OK, it's very easy to recognize, but still: once a week??? No: Strasbourg is a small town, with but a few cars. Or so it seems.
Anyway, the statue looks amused.

Weekend reflection

Another view of one of the ponds in the forest.
More reflection photos here

Real men love dogs!

Weekend in black and white is a meme, based in Ireland. It's animated/created by Dragonstar, since june 2010, and I love it! I am very thankful to this meme, as it ... pushed to create my own B&W.
Curious? Well, easy peasy, just click!

Just before sunrise

From my kitchen window, whilst having my first coffee.

More sky photos here

Cover up!

Right, you can still have lunch or coffee outside, but you better cover up, with midday temperatures barely into double figures. But hey, good news: soon enough, they will put heaters out!

Здоровье, товарищ!

Now then... You see the yellow building? The bistrot des copains. Bistrot: a drinking place. Copains; mates, buddies. The name bistrot, or bistro, comes from the russian "bystro", quickly, fast. This dates back to the occupation of Paris by cossacks, in 1814. The russian soldiers were thirsty, the french waiters slow...

The perpetual daydream of the three madmen from the mountain

A painting by German painter Daniel Richter, to be seen at the Museum of modern art. More about him here.
As for the original title... It is: der ewige Tagtraum der drei Irren vom Berg

.. Harold Lloyd's Great-Granddaughter At Work.

I cant think of an appropriate title  for this post. Any suggestion welcome!

It's all so quiet...

I love going through on sunday! I like the quiet, the few people around take their time. And so do I!

A weekend reflection

The botanical garden, reflecting on the tropical glasshouse

See more weekend reflections here

Autumn leaves

Autumn, hiding behind summer leaves...

UDS:3. Nobel: 4

The university garden. The local U is the Université de Strasbourg, or UDS (formerly ULP, Université Louis Pasteur). 3 universities in one, with 50.000 students and 4000 researchers. And 4 obel Prize winners working there right now, teaching, 3 in physics, one in chemistry. The U teachers won 3 Nobel prizes since 2011. You might see them in the garden...
More b&w for this weekend here.

Raven's court

Actually the raven's courtyard. Ravenscourt is a tube station in London, from where I commuted daily for a few years. Well, couldn't resist, couldn't I!
Anyway, this is the Cour du Corbeau. An old inn, it became a hotel in 1528. Yeah, things are old here! This is the entrance to it, 57 rooms in a 4 stars hotel, a few minutes from the cathedral.

The passage

A passage to a long gone past, to my childhood

The CIA chateau

Well, we even have our very own castle here, the chateau de Pourtales! With a rich history.
Built in 1784, called after Mélanie, countess of Pourtales, a favorite of Napoleon the 3rd. When she was in town, she had many hosts: King Ludwig the 2nd of Bavaria, the German emperor, the Prince of Wales, many kings and queens, Albert Schweitzer, Franz Liszt, and so on.
Melanie died in 1914, and her castle closed in 1939.
After the war, the castle housed the Free Europe University in Exile founded by the CIA in 1951 to form cadres for the reconquest of Eastern Europe. I wasn't aware of this when I played in the park and used the chateau's toilets in the 60es...
In 1972, it became a campus of Schiller International University.
A fancy hotel occupies now the former stables, see below

Abandoned bunker on the Maginot Line

One of the last bunkers in Strasbourg. There used to be a lot more of them, as we are right on the german border. Growing up the 60es,  we kids used to play hide and seek or cowboys and indians in them.
Still a necessary thing for many.

CDP monthly theme day: abandoned

These are the 2 abandoned kittens we rescued in the last 8 years, In Cyprus and in Spain. Rio and Bundles.

How could someone have abandoned them at the first place??? Beats me.
More about the City Daily Photo blogs theme day here. And thanks, Peter, for not abandoning us! :-)

A weekend reflection

Happy blogaversary, Weekend Reflection! 7 years already, quite an achievement!

Into the wild

As I needed to take off rust from my legs, I went for a long walk (16 km, 8.5 miles) into the wild, aka the foret de la Robertsau, north of town. Many ponds in the area! And some critters.

Between the lines, or music is the key

I spotted this... painting (?) yesterday, in front of the university. As I am curious by nature, I dug, and fund out more. The artist call himself Dan23, His paintings are based on meetings with various people, and on music. More about it here 

Autumn

The fish market

I am cooking right now, so this seems the perfect post... Well, no fish tonight, I'm doing a fish-less Moroccan couscous.
This was painted by Joachim Beuckelaer in 1568, and can ce seen at the Palais des Rohan. More about the painter here.

Not your everyday car

2 CV, deudeuche, 2 chevaux... You dont see them very often anymore, and that's unfortunate, very unfortunate

Skywatch Friday

7.10 am from my kitchen window
Skywatch Friday is here

Just a staircase...

... in one of the museums I visited last Sunday
More B&W here

The palace of the princes-bishops-cardinals de Rohan

That's right, they were princes, bishops and cardinals, all together, all at the same time. And well, seems they didn't like Ikea forniture...

The bedroom, far bigger than our flat:

They were short people.
Wonder what the toilet looks like...

From Mooloolaba to Strasbourg, via Mulhouse!

Right, some background info... Mooloolaba is here:

I had the great pleasure and privilege of meeting Jo and Peter, fellow bloggers from Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Australia, in our not so sunny Strasbourg (well, not today anyway). They are "nomads", traveling through (mostly) french canals for a few months every year. Here is their cosy and comfy  ride:

Thank you, my friends, for the lovely time together! It is always a joy to meet fellow City Daily Photo-bloggers! 

Follow their adventures here!

PS... The boat is moored on the Quai des Belges, Belgian quai. Let's rename it 

QUAI DES AUSTRALIENS!

A day at the museums

This weekend was European Heritage weekend. Many places were opened for free. So, I went to three museums, and one palace. Perfect  rainy day for this! I've seen many wonderful sights! I will show you, follow the guide!

Poverty and despair in a welfare state

Boating on the canals

Autumn... Still many visitors in town.

I DISCOVERED A NEW PLANET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HERE IS THE PROOF!!!

A little earlier today, like many of you; I tried to get a somehow decent shot of the harvest moon. Hand held, without a tripod. Didn't work.
Anyway, after inputting the shots in my trusty Adobe Lightroom , trying to save something nevertheless.  To my immense surprise, I saw this: a blue planet.
As far as I know, we only have ONE moon...So, what is this thing??? Did I discover a new moon? Will they name it after...me???






PS: Damn! I suddenly realize... It was the blue street lights reflecting on my lense... So, no galactic glory for me. Oh well...

Wall jumpers

Hyperrealist  art, by Malcolm Morley, at the museum of modern art

True colors

The general color mood here is a drab pinkish-grey, more grey than pink. But now and then, you find some colorful places

Keep calm...

You buy 4, you take 5!!!

Umpapa!

Dancers, dressed in traditional Alsatian garb. Well, from this area, as every town or village has its own variation. Dancing is mostly jumping and turning around your dance partner.

And this is the band, playing equally traditional Umpapa music.A brass band, the music is typically southern German. By far not everyone's taste.