Oakland Bay Bridge, July 9, 2011

We had gone to the Saturday farmer's market in San Francisco for the day. As usual for a summer day, it was cloudy and foggy. After shopping for hours and having a delicious lunch, we went for a stroll along the old warf. These shots of the Oakland Bay Bridge were taken just a few minutes apart.

And then the blue sky abruptly showed itself.

I think San Francisco is probably the most photogenic city I have ever seen.

Radzfoto

Talamanca, Spain, February 19, 2011

In the far northeast corner of Spain, I have a relative who lives in a town of 100 people clinging to the hillsides of a rocky undulating land just northwest of Barcelona. This town is called Talamanca, not to be confused with the much larger and much more famous city of Salamanca in western Spain. This little town has one shop consisting of a deli and a general store, and one restaurant next door. My relative owns the shop, and if you visit, she will treat you to the amazing "jamón serrano" (a cured ham) and many other delicacies of the region.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Before you arrive, and as you climb the hills, you can see the snow-covered Pyrenees to the north.

If you look south, you see Montserrat, which is Catalan for "Jagged Mountain".

When you arrive you see a rock wall surrounding a small town and a castle overlooking the town.

Inside the town, you find narrow cobblestone streets and houses hanging on a steep, rocky hillside.

It appears that the people of this town take security seriously, but they certainly don't lack a sense of style.

As you wander further into the town, you find the church.

 And then you finally reach the castle.

Oh, and did I mention that this little town is quite old.

Actually, it is quite a bit older than that. There is historical and archeological evidence that Talamanca has been continuously populated since before 1200. In fact, nearby are ruins of Roman fortifications and towns from before 300 BC.

If you visit Barcelona, it is definitely worth renting a car and exploring north, west, and south. As you drive north, you will find yourself entering France is about 2 hours. South are the famous beaches of the western Mediterranean with crystal-clear water and sandy beaches. West and northwest, you will find yourself in the heart of Catalunya where you will hear more Catalan than Spanish.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour.
Radzfoto

Brussels, Belgium, February 13, 2011

I was flying with my family to Spain, and we had a long layover in Brussels. We took the train to the Grand Place de Bruxelles or Grote Markt van Brussel. Based on the different names of the square in French and Flemish (similar to Dutch), can you tell who is less pompous?

This building is called the Maison du Rois or Broodhuis (bread house). A king never lived there. A duke built it over the old bread market. Again, don't the Flemish just seem so much more down-to-earth?

As we climbed up the hill from the Grand Place to the Place Royal, I spotted this view of rounded buildings as we climbed up a steep curve:

 We finally arrived at the Palais Royal. Here is a photo of one of the corner gardens:

I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of this beautiful city.

Radzfoto

Palo Alto Baylands, September 12, 2010

Now we leave the American Southwest and move further west. This presents quite a contrast from the last post. The Baylands are salt water marshes that surround the San Francisco Bay. These are the baylands in Palo Alto. They are a haven for many kinds of sea birds which often nest here.

Before I can go any further, I have to admit two things:

1. I know very little about birds, and
2. I certainly do not have the proper equipment to photograph birds.

Nevertheless, I think these images help to capture the feeling of being surrounded by these wonderful birds that often fly quite near, but, more generally, keep to themselves on marsh islands that are inaccessible to people.

 

 

Here we see that this is an active mating area. This pelican displayed for quite a while, as did others.

As always, I hope you enjoy these images.
Radzfoto

Painted Desert, June 13, 2010

Continuing in the Southwest, as we were leaving the Painted Desert in Arizona, we stopped at a remote visitor center quite far from the entrance and main visitor center. It was quite a beautiful adobe building.

 As we walked outside around the visitor center and a bit further down into the valley, the views were quite spectacular.

It is difficult to capture just how far you can see if the crystal-clear air. These clouds help to show that immense sense of depth. As always, click on the images to see a larger version.

Enjoy,
Radzfoto

Grand Canyon June 10, 2010

I am going to try and catch up. I have a lot of photos from interesting places. Let's start with another visit to the Grand Canyon. The place is amazing, unbelievable and incredibly difficult to photograph. The scale is so large and the air so clear that the human mind has difficulty understanding how far it is seeing. You can see for hundreds of miles. It goes on forever. You look down one mile!

Below is my youngest son looking down that mile depth and simultaneously scaring the you-know-what out of me. Did I mention that I am terrified of heights?

Here are just two more scenes from this national treasure that is ours.

All taken with rapidly changing weather and light. It had been completely overcast, very cold (for June), and raining hard. Just as sunset approached, the skies suddenly cleared. Miraculous!