just rambling about … enjoy the "post"-cards
We’ve had a cracking few days weather-wise this week in London. It’s been hot hot hot. I would’ve preferred to be sitting on the beach in Brighton than sitting in the office in London, but there you go. The heat made me think of a picture I took in Madrid last month when a walker let her dog paddle through a fountain to cool off. It must’ve felt heavenly.
~ Spotted Cow
My balcony in Madrid had a view onto the outdoor tables of a bar. I loved looking out onto the street, watching the comings and goings, and spying on the people who sat down to have a drink. Looking back, I now wish that I had made a project of it as I am somewhat frustrated with the short series of unsatisfactory pictures I took. Hmph. It will have to keep for next time … and I’ll have to make sure that I have a balcony that is as advantageously situated.
~ Spotted Cow
In my quest for cool spaces in the Madrid heat, I found this living wall in front of the Caixaforum art centre, with seating that neatly frames the city’s inhabitants – including flighted ones – taking a break from the summer’s intensity.
~ Spotted Cow
Palacio de Cristal, Parque Retiro, Madrid
The Crystal Palace edifice isn’t rare like a diamond, but there are not so many of them around. Certainly, I’ve only ever seen pictures of the London Crystal Palace which was destroyed by fire, and upon which the Madrid one is modelled. It was originally built as a greenhouse – and it reminds me of the Kew Garden greenhouses – but these days it is used for art exhibitions.
I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it was very hot inside when I went to have a look at what seemed a disparate set of exhibits, including a swinging pendulum that looked like an upside-down Empire State Building, a model ship hoisted at an angle and various retro electronics. The greenhouse wasn’t much respite from the heat outside, but it was a beautiful building to admire. I lingered to take some photographs indoors and had to be patient for what I thought was the right grouping and movement of people, with the right space between them. Such is the character of street photography that you can’t direct people around as you would like !
~ Spotted Cow
Snapped at the Parque Retiro, Madrid.
I imagined that these two ladies have been firm friends forever … and this is their weekly meet-up to exchange news and gossip about their lives. I loved the intimacy between them.
~ Spotted Cow
This is my one picture from the walk up and around the crater of Mount Vesuvius. It was cold and the fog swept in thick and fast, after what had been a lovely, sunny morning. Two minutes after this picture was taken, you couldn’t see the Bay of Naples when you looked out. The wind blew hard and I thought I was going to fly off the path. I hadn’t brought gloves and my fingers were painful … although once inside the crater, I could warm my palms over the smoke holes. Still, it has to be said that I didn’t enjoy it very much and I spent the entire time wishing I hadn’t chosen the privileged optional walk in.
And wouldn’t you know it … the fog lifted upon our descent from the crater !
~ Spotted Cow
It was some version of this image that made me choose my trip to the Amalfi Coast. It’s the town of Positano, sitting on a cliff-side. I saw it while browsing holiday sites and decided that this was where I wanted to go. I’ve done this before, i.e. choosing a holiday from a magazine picture, which is how I went on the Trans-Siberian Railway and to Cappadocia in Turkey.
Positano is very picturesque. On the holiday, I had the luxury of approaching it from the sea – by ferry – and from the mountain tops at the end of the Path of the Gods trek. Hence, I have my own multiple versions of this picture, from a great many angles. And besides, descending into Positano after the walk, was thoroughly refreshing, especially as the old knees had had a good workout. A cold beer on the seafront was my first destination.
~ Spotted Cow
We walked the Valle delle Ferriere route when we walked from Amalfi up to Ravello. The way winds through some lush forests, with rivers and waterfalls, and old paper mills and ironworks (hence its name). It was lovely and peaceful, and a refreshing difference to the cliffs and sea that tourists mostly associate with the Amalfi Coast. It rained for some of that day but we had wet weather gear, and instead of getting us down, it added to the enchantment of the forest.
~ Spotted Cow
The Amalfi Coast is undoubtedly lemon country. We walked through lemon groves everyday, and limoncello bottles lined the shelves of every tourist shop. Admittedly, I’ve never got over the limoncello’s cough syrup taste, but I don’t dislike it so much as to refuse an aperitif.
Several times, at the street stalls, I came across what looked like giant, genetically modified lemons with a very gnarly rind. I never found out what they were called, although they’re obviously from the same family. The monster lemons are impressive when stacked up next to their conventional cousins.
~ Spotted Cow
One of the lovely details about the Amalfi Coast walks was that occasionally you would find a guardian angel looking down at you, and not just in the houses of God. This was by far the most delightful one I ran into.
~ Spotted Cow
The view from the top of the Isle of Capri. The Roman god is jubilant about the privileged position of his perch.
I kept expecting a dapper Frank Sinatra to jump out singing “Twas on the isle of Capri that I found her / Beneath the shade of an old walnut tree …”
Weekly Photo Challenge: Jubilant
~ Spotted Cow
On one of the particularly misty walks on the Amalfi Coast, we heard chimes of lots of little bells ringing on the cliffs … when suddenly, a herd of goats emerged from the dense fog. They eyed us up curiously, especially one brown goat who stared at us very hard and didn’t divert his gaze.
~ Spotted Cow
The weather was variable in the first few days that I was on the Amalfi Coast, and there were times when we were completely enveloped in mist. It was a walking holiday, and we walked regardless of the weather. We would arrive at a peak and the tour leader kept saying to us, his expectant troops, “the view is stunning, I assure you !” But all we saw was white cloud.
However, the few times when the opaque white fog did lift, it was usually a most spectacular sight.
~ Spotted Cow
We walked from Amalfi up to the town of Ravello, through the lemon groves and forest. It was lovely and lush, although we did get rained on in various phases! Nevertheless, the sun came out when we arrived at the top and we visited the Villa Rufolo. We had been set a photo competition to take the photo on the front of the tourist brochure. It was a mad scurry around the gardens, interspersed with “wows” when anyone came to the sea view from a different angle. I can safely guarantee that pretty much everyone will get the picture postcard shot.
~ Spotted Cow
We did a lot of walking on the mountain top cliff edges along the Amalfi Coast, which meant that there were a lot of lookouts from great heights. This bridge picture makes me think of The Italian Job movie and I almost expected to see car chase with Minis revving along the roads.
Some other high-up vistas below. I think I took photos of Amalfi from just about every perspective possible!
~ Spotted Cow
Amalfi Coast. Earth … and Heaven. A somewhat ominous marker as we started our ascent up Tre Calli, which translates unromantically into Three Callouses – the peaks of which you might be able to see if not for the mist.
~ Spotted Cow
Ten minutes till the bus turned into another 10 minutes and yet another 10, because it was stuck somewhere in Sunday traffic on the winding road into Amalfi. This looks like an intentional picture of people waiting for the said bus. But in reality, what I saw was the evening light filter into the street lamp and it contrasted sharply with the misty hillside. Hence, in fact, the people were merely useful props to make up the picture composition.
~ Spotted Cow
I was on an Exodus walking holiday on the Amalfi Coast last week, and I’ve come back with hundreds of photos of towns perched on rocky outcrops. The weather was variable in the first half of the week, with intermittent phases of sun, cloud and rain, but it got better. And the views are glorious.
There was lots of up & down walking. Lots of steps. Lots. Especially on the first day walking down from Bomerano to Amalfi, when you’ll curse them all the way down. But get to the end and you can have your cocktail and flop on the beach.
~ Spotted Cow
I’m a novice at gardening and acquired some planters with herbs and grasses last year. Low maintenance gardening for a non-gardener. Difficult to get it wrong, I was told. Well, the planters look a tad spartan after the winter months. However, my green-fingered friends tell me that everything will sprout forth in abundance in spring and I will be surprised at the lush-ness. So, I am looking forward with great anticipation!
~ Spotted Cow
In anticipation of the spring equinox on 19 March, I’ll be posting a series of images along a “spring green” theme over the next week. I haven’t set the bar very high, so it should be achievable. Do join in if you fancy it.
I snapped this picture on a walk in the Carpathian mountains in Romania. It was hot and I was ahead of the group, and so I took shade under a tree. The curtain of hanging branches in front of me made a lovely pattern … and I took a picture while I waited for the others to catch up.
~ Spotted Cow
Spring sunshine. Bring it on …
~ Spotted Cow
Contrasting green and orange foliage in the forest. Chamonix, France.
~ Spotted Cow
An intimate lunch. Ignore the gooseberry photographer.
A reader asked to see a bigger visual of the restaurant featured in my Hole In the Heart photograph at the Grand Hotel du Montenvers. And so, here it is with a couple of cheeky extras.
~ Spotted Cow
I could be accused of missing the forest for the trees … but I couldn’t resist taking pictures of the spotted textures of the bare tree trunks and branches.
Chamonix, France
~ Spotted Cows
Wandering Cows 
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