Look Up, Look Down: Christmas Pyramid

Apologies for the two photo posts in a row – there hasn’t been much time recently to write anything real!
For this week’s Look Up, Look Down, I decided to go with a photo that’s rather appropriate for the time of year. It was taken at the Christmas market in Ettlingen (which is called “Sternlesmarkt” – Star Market. How cute is that?) in 2010.

Have a photo that you think would be perfect for the Look Up, Look Down challenge? Check out Travel With Intent’s blog post to find out how to join in the fun!

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Look Up, Look Down: Edinburgh

I wasn’t sure what to post for this week’s Look Up, Look Down, so I started randomly going through the photos on my computer and came across this one from January 2011, when Jan an I spent New Year in Edinburgh. It was taken from Holyrood Park, looking down on the city. At the back of the photo you can see Edinburgh Castle.

Here’s another photo, taken from the same park/hill. This time, you can see Holyrood Palace.

To see other interpretations of the challenge and join in yourself, check out Travel With Intent’s blog post. Coincidentially, she has also used views of Edinburgh this week – I swear I didn’t know that last night when I uploaded the photos ready to write this post today!

Want even more Edinburgh? Take a look at this post that I wrote earlier this year.

Look Up, Look Down – Deutsches Eck

Today is a holiday here, for German Reunification Day, and what better day to honour that than by using some very German photos for today’s Look Up, Lood Down entry. The following photos were taken in Koblenz at the Deutsches Eck (German corner). Both photos have featured on the blog before, in my post about our trip to Koblenz, but I’m sure I’ll be forgiven for reusing them 😉

Photo one was taken from the top of the Kaiser Wilhelm monument, looking down on the Deutsches Eck… the point where the Rhein and Mosel rivers meet.

Deutsches Eck, viewed from the Kaiser Wilhelm monument

And photo two is the opposite view… a picture taken looking up at the Kaiser Wilhelm monument from the Deutsches Eck:

Kaiser Wilhelm I

Do you have a photo that would be just perfect for the theme of look up, look down? Check out Travel With Intent’s blog post to see other people’s interpretations and join in with the challenge!

Look Up, Look Down… in Brussels

I’m late with my look up, look down post today – I went shopping for a birthday present and it took much longer than I was expecting! I’m back now though, and ready to share my photos with you. This week, I’m off to Belgium where I’m looking up at some giant balls…

I mean the Atomium, of course! What did you think? Here’s a photo from inside, again looking up.

Have a photo that perfectly represents the theme Look Up, Look Down? Head on over to Travel With Intent’s blog post to join in with the challenge!

Travel theme: Through

Another week, another travel theme.
When I saw that Ailsa had chosen “Through” for this week, I immediately thought of a photo that would be just perfect. All I had to do was find it… and here it is:

It was taken in Stockholm, looking through the fork in a tree trunk towards the water and the buildings on the island beyond.

Looking at my other photos, I discovered some more taken with a “through” perspective. I’ve posted the next one before, but it’s very fitting. It was taken from the Hohensalzburg fortress, looking through a window at the city below.

Next up, a photo from my home country. It was taken in Alnwick, Northumberland looking through one of the cross-shaped gaps on the Lion Bridge towards the castle.

Some of you may recognise the castle. It has featured in various films and TV series, including Harry Potter and Blackadder.
More from England, this time Dover. This was taken standing on the cliffs looking through some trees.

And finally, one from Ireland. This is Dunguaire Castle, viewed through the window of a ruined cottage just opposite it. It would have been a much better picture if the stupid car hadn’t been in the way!

I could have posted more photos – apparantly I like taking shots of things through other things – but I think that’s enough.

To join in yourself and see how other people have interpreted the theme, check out Ailsa’s blog post.

Look Up, Look Down – Paris

Every Thursday, Travel With Intent posts a photo to go with the theme Look Up, Look Down and invites readers to do the same.
For this week’s entry, I’ve chosen another old photo. Jan and I went to Paris in April 2009 to meet up with my family. My mam and my aunt had said they would take my Grandma to Paris for her 80th birthday. What she didn’t realise was that it wasn’t only the three of them going… most of her children (including my aunt who lives in New Zealand) and a few of the grandchildren had gathered there to surprise her.

My first photo was taken from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

Paris from above

As you can see, the weather wasn’t exactly brilliant! But Jan wanted to go ahead and climb the thing anyway, so we did.

Here’s another photo from the same occasion:

Spiral staircase at the Arc de Triomphe

The spiral staircase is the route back down to street level. I had to wait quite a while before the crowds of people going down died down enough for me to get a photo!

To see how other people have interpreted the theme and post your own entry, check out Travel With Intent’s blog post.

Travel theme: Hidden

When I saw that Ailsa’s travel theme for this week was “hidden” I knew immediately that I wanted to join in. The only question was did I have any suitable photos? After going through all the albums on my computer, I discovered I did. And here they are for your viewing pleasure.

I have posted this first photo before, but it was just perfect for the theme. Hidden among these leaves there is a bird, almost perfectly camouflaged.

Bird among the leaves

The next two photos were taken in Paris. Hidden beneath the streets of the city are the Catacombes de Paris, an underground ossuary (cemetery). The first picture shows a sculpture of France’s Port-Mahon fortress, created by a former inspector when these tunnels were still part of a stone quarry.

The second photo is more what you would expect from an underground graveyard… bones! Apologies for the quality of the photograph – flash photography was not permitted and it’s pretty dark down there!

Cynics might say that this next sight is a familiar one in Scotland! The sky and the tops of the mountains in Glenfinnan are almost completely hidden behind the clouds.

And finally, just to prove that the weather isn’t always bad in Scotland, here’s a photo taken in Glen Nevis later that same day. This time it’s the sun that’s hidden, behind some trees.

Visit Where’s My Backpack for more interpretations of the theme and to join in yourself. The weekly challenge is open for entries until Thursday.

Look Up, Look Down – Luzern

For the past two weeks, my photo for Travel With Intent’s Look Up, Look Down challenge have involved looking up, so this time I decided to go with the opposite. The following photos were taken in Luzern, Switzerland (or Lucerne, if you prefer the English spelling):

As you can see, both photos show the city from above. A large section of Luzern’s city walls is still intact, complete with towers, and you can walk along the walls for an amazing view of the city below. And for a bonus picture, here you have me looking down from Luzern’s city walls.

To see how other people have interpreted the Look Up, Look Down theme and to join in yourself, check out Travel With Intent’s blog post.

Look Up, Look Down: Flowers on the wall

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for Travel With Intent’s weekly Look Up, Look Down photo challenge.

As the title suggests, the aim is to post a photo looking either up or down. Here’s my effort:

The above photo was taken in the grounds of the Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham, Dublin. The flowers were growing on top of a wall, and I had to look up to see them. The building that houses the art museum is the former Kilmainham Royal Hospital and beyond this wall is the Officer’s Graveyard, where high-ranking army officers were buried (across the way from this graveyard is Bully’s Acre, where the ordinary citizens of Dublin were buried).

To join in with the challenge and see how other people have interpreted it, check out Travel with Intent’s blog post.

Photo challenge: Look Up, Look Down – St. Vitus Cathedral

I originally saw this photo challenge on Lady of the Cakes‘ blog last week and had intended to join in, but then I forgot to look for a photo. So when her entry for this week appeared, I knew that this time I would have to make good on my promise to participate!

The challenge is run by Travel With Intent and the idea is to post a photo looking either up or down. It really is as easy as that!

Here’s my effort:

St. Vitus Cathedral

This is the front of St. Vitus Cathedral, a Roman-Catholic Cathedral located entirely in the grounds of Prague Castle. I took this photo in December 2006 when Jan and I went to Prague for New Year.

To see how other people have interpreted the theme and take part yourself, check out Travel With Intent’s blog post.