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About Sydney

Although I was born in Melbourne, I grew up and was educated in Sydney. Apart from my career taking us to Melbourne for nine years, and England for one, Sydney has been my home base.

When we talk about Sydney, we are talking about the State Capital of the Australian State of New South Wales. Indigenous Australians are believed to have been in the area for over 30,000 years. Founded as a British Colony in 1788, with the arrival of the First Fleet, Sydney is just 225 years old this year!

The largest city in Australia, with a widespread metropolitan area, has a population of over 4.6 million distributed over 12,144 km². It is a multicultural society, with the original British & Irish stock long since diluted by migration, from Europe, especially since WWII. Subsequently, we have seen significant migration from our Asian neighbours and the sub-continent.

Sited on and around Sydney Harbour (along with San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro, one of the most attractive harbours of the world), it is a city that grew, sometimes without planning. Streets have many hills and bends which add to the visual charm but can contribute to traffic chaos. Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened in 1932 with six lanes for cars and buses, two each for trains and trams. With the demise of trams, an extra two lanes were made available to motor vehicles. When the Sydney Harbour Tunnel opened in 1988, adding 50% to the capacity for motor vehicles, it was predicted that we would be back to the same level of congestion within 20 years. 25 years later, with congestion worse than ever, there is no plan yet for any additional crossing into the city!

Two of our most recognisable visual attractions are the Sydney Opera House, opened in 1973, and the Bridge referred to above.

The Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge (aka “The Coat Hanger”) seen from the Harbour (above) and a Harbour Ferry loaded with spectators for New Year’s Day (below)

A Tall Ship on parade on New Year’s Day 2010 (above) and the modern City (below)

Many of us, when advocating the beauty of Sydney, first talk about the Harbour. The various ferries transport many people to and from work as well as providing a valuable tourist service. However, many of us rarely see the Harbour, let alone travel on it! What a privilege it was, then, for our grandson (aged nearly eleven) to sail a mirror sailing dinghy with one of Sydney’s most experienced sailors. That’s them in the picture below, in the green boat with a red, and a pink and green sail. While I have been on the Harbour many times in various craft, our grandson is the first direct ancestor or descendant in the family to actually sail on it.

Continue reading “About Sydney”

Koblenz ……. and Arthur

In an earlier post, I mentioned our good fortune with local guides. Choosing the red group was again a ‘win’, when we were greeted by Arthur.

There had been one or two showers in the area, so we left the ship well prepared with umbrellas and rain jackets. Arthur introduced himself and suggested he was so confident that the rain would hold off, that he was leaving his umbrella behind on the ship. Here he is, not five minutes into the tour.

Fortunately, Arthur’s knowledge of Koblenz was much better than his weather forecast! Below, we see Arthur explaining a piece of modern art, Daumen (Thumb) outside the Ludwig Museum of contemporary art.

Koblenz is located on both banks of the Rhine at the confluence with the Moselle river. Here, the German Corner and its monument to William I on horseback, is found, and this is where our tour began. (Our ship was actually moored in the Moselle about 100 metres from the German Corner). Founded in 8 BC by Drusus as a military post, it has been an important city for over 2000 years.

So, to our guided walk, in the rain, with the wonderful Arthur as our guide. Below left is the monument to William I on horseback. Nearby is the 1981 monument to commemorate the former prime minister for the state of Rhineland-Palatinate who grew up in Koblenz, Dr. Peter Altmeier (below left).

From ‘the corner’, there is a good view of the cable car that carries people across the Rhine to the castle opposite (below)

Our first glimpse of the Basilica of St Castor is from a walled courtyard (below left), while the full view from the square shows interesting design and decoration (below right)

The impressive fountain in Görresplatz (Görres Square) is 10 metres high and represents the story of Koblenz in three dimensional overlapping scenes (below). The men at the oars do not appear to be in unison.

The Jesuit Square was rebuilt after WWII and now includes a memorial to the anatomist and physiologist who was born in Koblenz, Johannes Müller (1801-58) on right in the scene above. We were naturally warned about Schängelbrunnen (the spitting fountain, below). While his aim is consistent, the frequency is irregular!

There was just time for a look inside St Florins church, which dates from the 12th century.

The ‘old shop and dance house’ facing Florin’s Market now houses the middle Rhine Museum. A feature is the clock tower. The story goes that a robber baron in the 16th century was caught and on his way to his execution said “Erect a memorial for me and it will bring you luck!” At the gallows he rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the spectators. This is the reason for the name eye roller which is found in the old shop. The eyes move back and forth in time with the clock’s pendulum and every half hour and on the hour, he sticks his tongue out.

Some of the best views of Koblenz were captured as we ‘set sail’ for Cologne. The rain had stopped, the clouds clearing and the light was excellent. The memorial to William I was much easier to capture from the river, as was the castle on the opposite bank of the Rhine.

Auf Wiedersehen und danke, Arthur. Born 1944, the same year I was born. He in war torn Germany, me in far away Melbourne. A caring and gentle man. Thank you for showing us a little of Koblenz.

When is a photograph?

How often have we looked at a photograph, and thought “That is a work of art”?

How often have we looked at photos of prominent people, and thought “It is amazing what can be done with make-up (or airbrushing)”?

How often have we stood looking at an artwork, and thought “That could be a photograph”? In this context, a recent article, shared on Facebook, posed a similar question with “27 Stunning Works Of Art You Won’t Believe Aren’t Photographs”

Recently, a good friend prompted me to trial Adobe^® Photoshop^®. He likened it to what might have been done in a darkroom in earlier times. He had noticed, as I had, that some of my photos would benefit from ‘tweaking’. In some cases, it appeared that my camera had not been held horizontal (the wine effect, perhaps?). In other cases, the camera lens had played tricks with perspective.

I was always encouraged to think before shooting – very important in the days of film. The subject needs to be framed; you shouldn’t make subjects squint because they are facing the sun; allow for lighting and shadows; hold still when shooting; and so on. However, in the heat of the moment to grab that image, we sometimes forget even the basics.

Here is a classic example. We were walking around Arezzo, in Tuscany and heading up the hill towards the Duomo. I thought I spotted an interesting view of the cathedral, with a number of motorini in the foreground. Perhaps in haste, the resulting photo was not as I would have hoped (above). Correcting the tilt and perspective gives a much better image (below).

This enhancement was arrived at with three Photoshop^® ‘tools’ (rotate, correct camera distortion and crop) – the first three I have learnt! No doubt, I could have adjusted many more aspects – brightness and contrast perhaps. Never likely to win a prize, this photo simply serves to illustrate my point.

A couple of years ago, I met a distinguished Professor of Photography from an American University. Naturally, I am always impressed by his photos. He does post straight from the camera. But even he admits to using electronic trickery for some photos. Should we admire work that has been enhanced with electronic assistance? Or should we reserve our praise for work direct from the camera? Can we tell? Does it matter?

So, the question remains. When is a photograph [not a photograph]?

This post is dedicated to a number of people whose photographic work I enjoy for a variety of reasons. Debra at Bagni di Lucca, Janine at Destination Umbria, Krista at Rambling Tart, LindyLouMac at News from Italy, and of course, Bruce E and Ken M. I draw no inference as to whether their work is direct from the camera or enhanced!

Adobe^® & Photoshop^®are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Software Ireland Ltd.