The castle on the beach - Sarzeau - Bretagne

When we went to the beach we discovered that on the seaside, overlooking the ocean was a castle.

Here are some shots of this castle.

Le Havre - From trade to pleasure

On the first photo you can see the smokestacks of the factory as well as the entrance of the ferry port as well as the commercial harbour. On the second photo you can see the marina and the beginning of the beach.

Leeds' skyline

I found some pictures of Leeds' skyline which I thought deserved to be published on my blog. I was browsing my Picasa library when I found them. I must admit I had forgotten them. Let's hope you won't.

Actually most of these shots have been taken during my stay in Leeds though only a couple are from Leeds' skyline the other ones still being from West Yorkshire. But I'll specify which town the photos actually come from.

This photo is actually of Leeds' skyline. It is one of the Town Hall's owl. I particularly like the golden colour of the statue that contrasts against the deep blue sky. It was one of the few sunny days I experienced when I lived in the north of England!

A french Whitby...

This summer, I went to visit Honfleur a little port town in Normandy. When I went there I was reminded of Whitby, though architecturally different they give off the same kind of atmosphere.

On this picture, you can see the old architecture of the town as well as the kind of boats that land here.

 

The Yorkshire seaside

 I lived for two years in Leeds in West Yorkshire and I made the most of the county by visiting as many town, cities and places I could. 

 I went to Whitby where Bram Stoker's Dracula's legend came to life and enjoyed one of the few sunny days available in the north of England. 

 Whitby is a little seaside town on the east cost of North Yorkshire. It offers touristic as well as historical places and make the visit quite interesting. 

 Here are a few photos I took when I was there:  

The Whitby harbour

In the Whitby harbour, there are a few fishing boats, a lot of seagulls and very nice seaside houses.

 

Kings of Canterbury

In Canterbury, there is an interesting place called King's School Canterbury. It's one of the oldest school in the world and was established in 597 by St Augustine of Canterbury.

I took some pictures there and with the  snow it makes the place quite magical, not far from a setting from a Harry Potter movie.

The Peter Stone music building

This is the buildings where the students practice their musical talents. In this school there are very talented musicians or singers with a lot of opportunities to showcase their talents such as the different choirs or the multitude of music bands. If you want to witness by yourself, I suggest that you book some tickets to the many events displayed during King's Week. 

Luxury life

Since I've been living in England, I tried to visit as many places as I could. Now living in Kent, I stumble upon a very nice Castle in the Kentish countryside. England is very proud of its mansions and castle and has transformed most of those estates into museums and parks. 

Here are several pictures I took when I went there.

The park of Leeds Castle is quite beautiful, especially in the spring when all the flowers bloom. A small river passes through the park and on its banks, you can see a multitude of little white flowers. It is a very nice place for a picnic.

Harmonious yet different...

I went to London several times but each time I was either to in a hurry or to busy shopping that I did not really take time to photograph London's very interesting and motley architecture. Here are two examples of this peculiar mix of architecture.

Here is a shot of the Millennium Bridge leading to Saint-Paul's cathedral. You can see that these two pieces of architecture, although harmonious, show how cities like London or New York mix their architecture to bring charm to the urban landscape.

Here is a shot taken in the City of London which is the financial and economical heart of London. In this part of London, the architecture is very modern and consist of numerous buildings with glass walls. I particularly like the building of the left hand side of this photo. The shape is clearly interesting.

A victorious visit...

On the way to the Isle of Wight, we stopped in Portsmouth where we visited the Historic Dockyard. The HMS Victory, Nelson's flagship is docked there and you can come on board for an interesting visit.

On this picture, we can see the dockyards of Portsmouth harbour. I particularly like this shot because of the colour of the sky and the effect it produces.

Where is Tess?

On the journey back from the Isle of Wight, we stopped to see Stonehenge. It was the worst day of the trip as it was raining so much that day. But even though the visit was short and wet, it offered a nice opportunity for taking pictures.

Home sweet home...

I was born in Montivilliers in Normandy, France. Here are some pictures of this nice little town.

Here is a photo of the Abbey at the heart of the town. I live now in Canterbury a not so different town from Montivilliers.

Deep in the woods...

These two photos have been taken in a park near my hometown. It was a very sunny day and the light was quite interesting. It gives the shots a yellow tint. The second photo is a framed shot and the way the ivy climbs on the ruins of an old church clearly attracts the eye.

The pink city

I went to visit my sister in Toulouse where she lives and here are a few photos I took. It will show you why Toulouse is called the pink city.

The secret is the colour of the stone. 

B & W in Toulouse

Here are two black and white photos of Toulouse. The first one is a shot of a nice building with interesting architecture. The second one is a photo of a stream that courses through the sidewalk creating a nice curve which is reflected in the picture.

 

Beach huts at Barneville

Here are two black and white shots of beach huts on the Barneville-Cartert waterfront. 

On the first shot, the huts follow nicely the shape of the hill which reinforce the curve created by the format of the photo.

Paris by night...

Here are a few shots of Paris by night. Taking pictures by night I find are quite difficult a task. Indeed, the natural light outside is so dim, even in a big city like Paris that it is very important that you use a tripod or a piece of the local architecture like a bridge or a bench. This will give you the stability you need to reduce or eliminate the noise created by movement blurs.

Here are some examples of what you can do at night: 

The Eiffel Tower

Paris...

When I went to Paris I obviously couldn't prevent myself from taking as many pictures as my memory card could withstand. But after a thorough process of choosing which to publish and how to publish it, here is the result:

The Iron Lady