Belgium

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FriendlyFriday21-2901-Special-Treats

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Visual treats

Visiting Notre de Dame de Paris was a real treat…

…made all the more special after the Cathedral…

…was ravaged by fire with 12 months.

I guess I have seen the Eiffel Tower…

…lit up in movies, however seeing it

in person was fantastic.

The Moulin Rouge was also a

must see in Paris.

I doubt that even in my younger days

would I have gone fishing

in the vicinity of white water…

 

…let alone the white water of Victoria Falls.

An optional helicopter flight over Victoria Falls…

 …to view the effect the rushing waters of

the Zambezi River has had on the landscape

leaving previous falls sites high and dry.

A goodbye London special treat was

a ride on the London Eye.

 

Well worth the time for some nice views of London…

…after dark.

Finally…

…after hearing my Father speak of Menin Gate

from time to time, I was pleased to find

a tour group that included a visit

to Menin Gate in its

Western Front itinerary.

 

So it was that in early June of 2017,

before a relatively small crowd, I was

part of the ceremony that commemorates

the Great War each and every night.

Three local buglers performed the last post

in a simple but moving ceremony at Ypres’

Menin Gate, in Belgium

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FriendlyFriday:...Special-Treats

Amanda                       Sandi

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Lens-ArtistPC-131-Emotions

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Happy

Laughing at a quip.

I always thought these windows

lent a sad demeanour to this old house.

Perhaps they knew the fate of the house.

It no  longer exists.

****

Finally, I have no known relatives who

perished on World War I Battlefields,

however, on more than one occasion

I found myself taking deep breaths

to suppress tears as I contemplated

the loss of life two World Wars

have inflicted on our planet.

I created this image of the

Thiepval Military Cemetery

for another challenge.

I often wonder if there are

unseen guardians at each cemetery.

 

 

The wall at the back of Belgium’s

Tyne-Cot Cemetery,

contains the names of 35,000 soldiers

who have no known grave.

This is the overflow from

Menin Gate at Ypres,

where another 54,000 names

are inscribed

Nearly a decade ago Fromelles’ mass graves

were discovered. 

From these six graves

250 Australian and British Soldiers…

 

…were exhumed and re-interred in the

Fromelles Military Cemetery.

One of MGW’s relatives is among

those resting peacefully at Fromelles.

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Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Patti:...Emotions

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Leya:...Emotions

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Amy:…Emotions

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Tina:…Emotions

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by

FOWChallenge-Brass

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brass

* brass wind instruments
(including trumpet, horn/bugle, and trombone)
forming a band or a section of an orchestra.
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Menin Gate  Buglers

Ypres,

Belgium.

Silver plated bugles made of brass

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Fandango’s One Word Challenge:...Brass

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FriendlyFriday-Practice
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FriendlyFriday-Practice

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I happened to spot this harpist

setting up in Brugge.

What appeared to be tourists

were being lead her way.

Five minutes later not a sign of her.

Must be the shortest practice/busking

session ever.

 

I know I posted this image last week,

however, looking at again I could not help

but wonder if this bloke could practice

his pick up technique a bit more?

 

Even Lucerne’s famous Chapel Bridge,

which crosses the Reuss River is an ideal place

to hone one’s skills and perhaps glean

a few tourist dollars/euros in the process.

A Bourke Street, Melbourne, busker

 

What a way to practice one’s

Twister skills and…

 

…pay a bill or two at the same time.

I love this image.

The very young appreciating

the older generation’s skills.

Something not seen or heard very often

these days….unfortunately.

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FriendlyFriday:…Practice

Amanda                       Sandi

by

One-Word-Sunday-Spectacle

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Over many years…

… I had heard of Menin Gate.

Menin Gate is probably the most well known entrance

to the City of Ypres in Belgium.

 

Each evening at 2000 hours buglers play

the last post for the gathered crowd.

In 2017 the spectacle was supervised

by two lions on loan from…

 

Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium

…the Australian War Memorial.

Originally the lions were donated to Australia

by the Mayor of Ypres in 1936.

 

Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium

Although the crowd was not as large as previous nights.

After the event those who wished

could lay a wreath in memory

of the fallen.


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One Word Sunday Challenge:  Spectacle

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Cee-BW-Challenge-Fountains-Sprinklers

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  Het Zand Square

fountain…

 

 

…in Brugge,

Belgium

Whether in Black and White…

…or a colourful abstract…

…the El Alamein Fountain at

Sydney’s, King’s Cross

makes for spectacular viewing.

 

Back home again and just inside

the main gate to Geelong’s

Botanic Gardens is a fountain,

which on the few occasions I have visited

the Gardens, has been inactive.

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Cee’s Black & White Challenge:  Fountains-Sprinklers

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Black_White

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by

Cee-BW-Challenge-Feet-Human-Animal

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Feet from all over.

Leopard’s feet,

Kruger National Park,

South Africa.

Purple Swamp Hen,

Warrnambool

(South West)

Victoria

Probably tourist feet

in

Great Britain

Harpist feet,

Brugge,

Belgium.

Elephant

Round front feet

vs…

 

…Oval Hind feet

Black Swan

Warrnambool

(South West)

Victoria

Warrnambool is a coastal town

which fills with tourists during summer. 

It also was our shopping centre

whilst  living on the farm.

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Cee’s Black & White Challeng:  Feet-Human-Animal

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Black_White

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by

One-Word-Sunday-Arch

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Archways in the centre of

Hamilton Botanical Gardens,

New Zealand.

Arch of Victory

spanning

Ballarat’s Avenue of Honour

The Ballarat Avenue of Honour is famous for being the first avenue of its kind in Australia (perhaps in the world) and the longest of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

It incorporates the Ballarat Arch of Victory and extends for approximately 22 kilometres.

(Source:bih.federation.edu.au)

Arc de Triomphe, in Paris

Finally, the…

…Arch in Ypres’

Menin Gate

in Belgium.

I had heard my Father talk of

Menin Gate all my life.

So my 2017 visit was a

truly moving experience,

to visit the battlefields

and pass along the same roads

as my Grandfather did,

during World War I,

all those years ago.

Certainly Australia’s best known arch.

Not sure how it rates on a world stage

although we are constantly told

it is recognised the world over.

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One Word Sunday Challenge:  Arch

by

Monday-Windows-PC-Brugge6-1008

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A week or so ago I posted

this image of statues outside…

…Saint Salvator’s Cathedral

in Brugge, Belgium.

To the right of the  first photo is this one…

…which is part of this end of the Cathedral.

Ludwig of Monday Windows

asked about the bricked in windows.

Construction of this version of the Cathedral began

in 1250 and was completed around 1350.

In 1696 William III introduced a window tax in England.

Building owners were taxed according to

the number of windows in their building.

Consequently some owners bricked in

their windows to avoid paying the tax.

Source-Google: Why are windows bricked in

Would it be fair to assume that this is

the reason for bricking in these

windows also?

 

This is the trigger photo for this post.

A cropped section of my previous image.

Why are windows bricked in

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Link to wide angle of Catheldral:

Istock photo of Cathedral

 

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Monday-Windows-PC-Aug-10