Reflections - Sundays in My City

I was in Amsterdam for a couple days and I woke up at 4:30am and couldn't get back to sleep. So rather than fight it I went out and took pictures in the early light.  There was almost no one out and about and it was a good chance to work on getting the good shots of the reflections in the canals.

Amsterdam remains my favorite city although it's popularity as a tourist destination is increasing, even in the off season, which makes me enjoy it less due to the crowds everywhere. So it was nice to walk around while everyone else was still asleep.


On one hand, I'm glad more people are getting to experience European destinations but cities like Amsterdam and Venice and Paris and even less-well-known cities like Dubrovnik are starting to suffer under the strain of coping with so many tourists. Venice is talking about limiting the number of tourist who can enter per day.  Dubrovnik put a limit on how many cruise ships can dock each day (although that just made the cruise companies go to larger ships).  I don't know what the answer is. I know it's not a simple solution. 

Totally Worth It - Sundays In My City

During my short visit to Montenegro, this woman was selling some embroidered table cloths and such.  I rarely buy things because, well, I just don't  like having a lot of stuff.  I asked her if I could take her picture and she said I could if I paid her 2 euro.  "I have to eat," she said.  2 euro well spent!!

Sunset in Greece - Sundays in My City

Last month booked a last-minute trip and spent a few days in Chania (Crete), Greece.  This was my first time visiting Greece.  Like a few years ago when I went to Budapest when they were having a heat wave, it was super hot.  But it was also beautiful.

One evening I just sat and watched the sun set.  I couldn't look away.

I recently got a new laptop and I'm still figuring out how things work. I'm not super tech-y.  So it's been a while since I've posted.  Sorry about that.  There's more from Chania but I'll save that for another day.

Frozen Spider Webs - Sundays in My City

I thought it would be warmer in Italy. I realize this is northern Italy but I had a vision of a very mild (read: fall-like) winter.  I was wrong.  It's freezing...actually, below freezing.  Yesterday it was also very foggy.

When I was walking the dogs yesterday morning I noticed a frozen spider web.  I decided I wanted a picture of it so I went back for my camera.  Then I noticed them everywhere.  I was fascinated.  I hope the spiders are somewhere warm!



Every fence and railing was covered with them.

 

Actual ice...just goes to show how strong these things are!

I'm sure I've seen frozen spider webs before but yesterday felt like the first time.  It looked like something brand new to me. I saw them again this morning (it's even colder today).  I was so busy looking at them that the dog and I missed the cross walk to cross the street and had to turn back!

Have you seen anything lately that must have been there all along but you just noticed?

Check out more interesting finds over at Unknown Mami's Sundays in My City blog hop.

Help-Portrait Baltimore - Sundays in My City

Volunteering with Help-Portrait in Baltimore is one of the most amazing experiences I've had!  When I first saw the opportunity posted I noticed they were looking for photographers to volunteer.  I thought, "Hey, I have a camera and can take a fairly decent picture."  Then I saw they required you to have your own portable lights, backdrop, etc. I have none of that and honestly, wondered why so much was required. They also wanted people proficient in photo editing.  I don't edit my pictures.  Ever. Don't even know how. But, once I saw the results of what this project produced, I was amazed and am glad I didn't try to pass myself off as being capable enough!  I worked on the "hospitality" crew which basically means I helped people when they needed it, took lots of "behind the scenes" pictures and sat and talked with the men. I was honored that they were willing to share their stories with me.

You can read about Help-Portrait (a world-wide, once-a-year event) and the Helping Up Mission (which is where I volunteered today).  I had never heard of the Helping Up Mission (then again, despite living 15 minutes away from Baltimore for the last year I don't really know anything about anything the city offers). Putting my opposition to religious-based...well...anything aside, I was extremely impressed with what they do at this facility.  There are between 400-500 men there at any one time participating in a year-long addiction-recovery program which includes counseling, education services, medical services, housing and a lot more and it's free (receiving no public money).

Average age of residents: 40

Average length of addiction: 23 years

Average time in jail: 30 months

This is not a typical homeless shelter and, in fact, not all of the men living there and receiving treatment are homeless. They do, however, offer what they call "overnight guest services" which include a bed, shower and meal for those who simply need a place to stay and don't want to commit to the program. On very cold days those beds will fill in just a few minutes leaving many still with no place to go.

The goal of today's project was to give these men (another team in Baltimore did the same thing at the House of Ruth shelter for women and children) a professional portrait. Simple as that.  Many of them had family members come to be in the picture with them.  It was great to see the family love and support these men are receiving while they're working towards recovery from addiction and return to productive society.  It was such a joy to see how proud they were of the work they've done so far and how excited they were with their pictures. 

Here are a few of the pictures I took (all with permission!). 

The REAL photographers setting up.

This man had a beautiful family and you could see how happy he was to have them there.

One of the photographers shows one of the men his picture.



Reviewing the pictures and picking the best one (each man got to select one picture to be printed, on the spot).

One man and his beautiful mother.

One of the men shows me his portrait.

Son and grandson there for support.

 

A young man and his mother. The young man wanted to have his official portrait done just of himself so that he could give a copy to his father for Christmas (his mother and father are not together) but he also wanted a picture with his mother.  Since only the professional pictures are made available to the men I'm going to print this one and drop it off there for him.

This man was stringing some beads that were there for the children. He said he wanted a reminder to keep from this day. When I showed him the picture he told me how his hands used to be swollen so badly they looked like grapefruits. He was amazed at how good they look now. 

I talked to him (the same man as the photo of the hands) for quite a while. He has a lot of ambition and he seems to be doing very well.

This photo was posted by Help-Portrait Baltimore on their FB page yesterday.  You heard a lot of similar stories.  "This feels good. Last photo I recall was a mug shot for DUI in 2005.  Looking good, feeling good, smiling good came of my recovery. It's a whole lot of people lovin me!"

Seriously, this was such an incredible experience.  I hope to get to do it again and I hope it gets to where it happens more than once a year.  [I think I've edited this at least 5 times now because I keep thinking of more I want to say.  I just can't capture how happy this whole thing made me!]

Plitvice Lakes National Park - Sundays in My City

A year ago I was traveling around the Balkans.  One of the places I knew I had to see was Plitvice in Croatia (please don't ask me how to pronounce it...I never could get it right and always had to write it down to tell people (ticket agents, bus drivers...) where I was going.  It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the oldest national park in SE Europe.

A million pictures wouldn't do this place justice.  The waters are so exquisitely blue-green that your brain almost can't process the color...it's too beautiful to be real! There are 16 interconnected lakes renowned for their distinctive colours, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue. The colours change constantly depending on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight. I feel like the camera didn't even come close to capturing the true intensity of the colors.

The day started off very foggy. I wondered if I was actually going to be able to see anything.

The trail leading into the park.

There are multiple different trails you can follow depending on how far you want to walk. 

I was pretty sure this was one of the views that comes up when you search for images online but all I got was a hint of it first thing in the morning.

The waters are so clear!

Finally getting to see some of the amazing colors!

And then the incredible reflections!

Miles and miles and miles of well-maintained (if not a bit slippery in the damp weather) trails throughout the park let you get right up close to, above and below the lakes and waterfalls.

Every time you think the view can't get more stunning, it does.

Back where I started but most of the fog had lifted and I could see!

Be warned, if you decide to ask the google to show you pictures of this place you'll likely end up with drool on your keyboard!  I could definitely see myself going back here!

Have you ever been somewhere that was so beautiful you couldn't capture it in pictures?

Thanks to Unknown Mami for hosting the SIMC link-up.  Go on over there and check out more stunning views from around the neighborhood or around the world.