Saturday, 16 December 2023

The cube

The cube, just next to Berlin's central train station. An international food hall inside. More weekend reflections right...here 

Friday, 15 December 2023

Christmas market in black and white

We have in Strasbourg the oldest European Christmas market, every year since 1570. 3 million tourists expected this month... A decoration on one of countless stalls.

More b&w here.
 

Thursday, 14 December 2023

More Christmas decoration. Oh well, t'is the season...

At the old city hall, built in 1731, former residence of the counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg. These figures are not the counts mentioned above...:-)
 

Wednesday, 13 December 2023

Tuesday, 12 December 2023

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe


A place I always visit when in Berlin. Click
here to know more of the place. I'm writing this on Monday December 11th, the fifth anniversary of the Strasbourg Islamic terrorist attack.
 

Monday, 11 December 2023

Oh my, what did I do!!!

I ventured into town yesterday, Sunday, to take a few photos... Big mistake! I've never seen my town that crowded! Pedestrian traffic jams, long queues at the few public toilets... The Christmas markets weren't even open yet. Yesterday was also a shopping Sunday, all shops were open. Despite of all this, I managed to get a last (maybe) Christmas present, yeah!
 

Sunday, 10 December 2023

Snow, ice, cold

I spent a few days in snowy and icy, and so cold Berlin this week. Managed not to fall or break a leg.
 

Friday, 8 December 2023

Holy? Unholy?

The Russian orthodox Holy Trinity cathedral in Paris... Hard to find anything holy about Russia nowadays. In my opinion anyway.

More b&w here.
 

Monday, 4 December 2023

On the road

I'll be away for a few days, to the world capital of Currywurst. I'll try to post from my phone, whenever possible.
 

Saturday, 2 December 2023

December theme day: local history

Well ok, this is in Venice, not Strasbourg. But the theme is local history, and I'm not living in Venice anymore... Then why? The Valentine's day 1349 massacre, or pogrom, that's why. The Black Death killed about 25 million people in Europe. The church authorities were sure the Jews poisoned wells, therefore causing the plague. So, February 14th, 1349, they decided to burn the entire Jewish population of Strasbourg, 2000 men, women, children. It didn't stop the plague.

A few families, fearing what would be happening, managed to escape before. They settled down at the only place allowing Jews, in the old foundry in Venice. Foundry = ghetto in the Venetian dialect. Many Venetian Jews are descendants of there Strasbourg Jews.

More theme day posts right... here.

Friday, 1 December 2023

Wednesday, 29 November 2023

Maybe tomorrow...

Winter. Day temperatures are around zero C. This is an old photo, no sunshine today. But, if the weather report is correct, I might have a hot cup of coffee on a terrace somewhere. Fingers crossed.

Update: coffee inside, far too cold for a terrace, and no sunshine. Sigh.
 

Tuesday, 28 November 2023

The white house

Levantine building on one the Prince's Island in the Marmara Sea, near Istanbul. It's for sale, should you interested... I'm not, too big.
 

Monday, 27 November 2023