Fishing off the Galata Bridge in Istanbul

Lots of people fish from the Galata Bridge in Istanbul. This bridge is sort of a gateway between Istanbul’s Old City and modern Istanbul.

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They hook the fishing poles to the bridge using a special rig.

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There’s even an outdoor bait and tackle shop for the fishermen to buy what they need.

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Here are some close shots of the bait and tackle they have available.

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Inside the Golden Temple – Namdroling Monastery

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On a trip to Coorg, India we made a short stop at the Namdroling Monastery.     The locals just call this place the Golden Temple.  Namdroling Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in a Tibetan settlement which is well maintained and a great place to spend a couple of hours

Pictured above are the Three Great Idols in main hall of the Padmasambhava Buddhist Vihara.  The perspective is a little mis-leading.  The idols are about 60 feet tall!

Until next time…

Wyman

Bird’s Eye View of Antarctica

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Took this photo on New Year’s Eve of 2001 during a flyover of Antarctica.  We had about four hours of flying time over the continent.   This is somewhere near Tucker Glacier.  More on the flight and more photos in a later post.

Note to self:  Whenever you make it anywhere near Antarctica take a DSLR!

Until next time…

Wyman

Sunset on a Square in Braga, Portugal

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Took this one evening in a little out of the way square in Braga, Portugal.  The soft light of the sunset falls on the rooftops of the buildings.  I also love the warm light coming out of the windows.

Until next time…

Wyman

Coconut juice, get your cold coconut juice!

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Street vendor in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam selling fresh coconut water or what is behind box lid #1.  Your choice.

Until next time…

Wyman

Review – Great Flamenco Venue in Seville, Spain

Pictured above is the front entrance to the Los Gallos flamenco venue in Seville, Spain.  The three guys sitting down are performers in the show.   There are two shows each evening.  They were taking a break before the late show started.

We have been to a couple of different ones in Seville.  Los Gallos was our first and is still our favorite.   Below I’ll highlight what we felt made the difference between this and other venues in Seville.

  • Service – The service is great.  They come around to take drink orders before the show.  You can also have a slight break in the middle of the show to take a bio break and/or order drinks again.  Everyone on the staff is extremely down to earth and will talk to you including the performers (though they are obviously busy!).
  • Seating – Los Gallos’ seating is set up to minimize blind spots.  So, no matter where you sit it is very likely you’ll have a clear view of the stage.   Some other venues have quite a few seats with obstructed views.  There is also a balcony which is where they tend to sit families with any young-ish children.   The balcony gives the kids just a little space to squirm around as they will do without disturbing the main seating area.
  • Performance – The shows are two hours which is great.  Other venues are similarly priced for only a one hour show.  The performers are what really make the difference at Los Gallos.  They seem much more passionate about their craft plus there are more performers per show than at other venues.  The extra performers is probably owing to the two hour show length.  This gives the show more variety and a great fiesta scene at the end.

All in all, I can whole-heartedly recommend Los Gallos if you are in Seville (Sevilla) and want to watch a flamenco show.

Until next time…

Wyman

Dublin at Night Along the River

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We recently spent some time in Ireland.  Our hotel was in the quay area of the city.  This shot was taken on North Quay street.  As we were strolling towards O’Connell street, the lights reflecting in the river just called out for us to take some photos.

I hope you enjoy the view as much as we did that night.

Until next time…

Wyman

Yum Yum Dim Sum in Shanghai … to go

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A walk up dim sum counter in the main tourist district of Shanghai.  No waiting for the cart to come your way only to have your favorite dish snagged by the table next to you.

This place is pretty close to the Yuyuan Garden which is a must see if you’re in the area.

Until next time…

Wyman

Haircut in Hanoi

Outside the US you will find all kinds of small businesses run by the side of the road or on a city sidewalk. Here is an example. This guy will lower your ears right on the street.

Notice the second barber chair to the right of the first one. I am not sure if he is a waiting customer or a second barber taking a break. It’s also a mystery where the electricity is coming from.

Wonder how long this would last in a more developed country?

Oh… and just in case you were wondering.  I’d just had a good trim myself or I may have been tempted to give him a shot!

Until next time…

Wyman

Picturesque Swiss mountain village

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Here is a picture perfect scene from the village of Mürren in Switzerland.  I recently spent a week there.

You cannot get to Mürren by car.  The only two ways to get there are train or cable car as it is 1650 meters (about 5000 feet) up in the Alps.    The main sounds you hear are cow bells ringing as the cows graze all day in the hilly pastures.

Check out a previous post of mine on Mürren to see a sample of activities in the area.  Also, the evening sunsets can be magical to watch sometimes.

You can buy a print of this image if you’d like to hang it on your wall at home or in the office.