Thursday, January 28, 2010

Exhibition Time!

10 of my photos will be on exhibition at an art gallery in Hulst, NL, near the Belgian border.
Here they are in a very short slideshow.
I am quite excited, because this is the first time ever that I put something on display, except electronically.
I made the background music myself, using Garage Band.
Enjoy!

Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: Exhibition Time!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

The Canal de Roubaix / Espierres

A lot of photos from 3 visits I made to a canal between Belgium and France, the Canal de Roubaix / Espierres
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: Roubaix / Espierres

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Cemetery - or cmentarz as they call it

A cemetery I came across in Bedzin, Poland. It was briefly after All Saints / All Souls, which the Polish people celebrate elaborately, hence the many flowers. What strikes me here is the juxtaposition of industry and this burial ground.
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: Cemetery, Bedzin, Poland

Friday, January 15, 2010

Testing...

Last night I took VallyP's camera while walking the dog along the river. The reason was we had a bit of doubt about the quality of the little thing, a Nikon P80. The verdict: a few adjustments to the settings and it is a really good camera, especially given its size.

After hitting the Play button, don't forget to click on the full screen link!

Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: Along the river

Thursday, January 07, 2010

A Day In Opole, Poland

My most frequent contact on Flickr.com is Andreas von Königsdorff, as he calls himself. He's from Opole, the capital of the Silesia region in Poland.
He is especially interested in languages and history, and has frequently added comments to my photos reflecting this.

My interest in Opole was piqued, as was my curiosity to get to know the man in real life.
Andreas agreed to a meet-up in his home town the next time I was in Poland, and he would gladly be my guide around the town.

Thus on November 7, 2009, I took the train from Katowice and after a near 2-hour journey met him. A very pleasant and entertaining man indeed, he showed me places of interest, not only his but also based on the things he knew about me. We had a wonderful time. Halfway the tour we enjoyed a traditional Polish pierogi dish at a very pleasant restaurant.

Thanks a million, Andreas. You've been a wonderful host, and I'll be glad to return the favour when you come to see my home town.

Below is a slideshow of pictures I took in Opole.
Enjoy, and don't forget to click on the 'full screen' link!
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: A Day in Opole, Poland

Friday, January 01, 2010

On the beach near Dunkirk, and in Bergues, the fortification

We've made it a tradition: around newyear we go to the beach. This time we went to the north of France, near Dunkirk, and while we were at it, visited Bergues, an extremely pretty historic fortification.
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: To the beach and more


Back at home, I looked up Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, a film set in the Nord-Pas de Calais, and exactly in the place Bergues we visited yesterday. It's a hilarious and touching story, and for us it was a feast of recognition.
The most successful French film ever! Online it's without subtitles, but there is a dvd version with subtitles available.