Tag: Everyday technology

Great Train Journeys III : Berlin to Salzburg

After visiting Berlin and Dresden, I was off to Italy to visit our daughter and grandchildren. Travelling solo, I elected to spoil myself with first class rail travel and break the journey in Salzburg, a city I had never visited. I cannot stress enough how easy it is to use the German Railways website DB Bahn to investigate options, and even to book seats anywhere on the system. (in fact the site allows viewing rail travel schedules all over Europe, but booking is restricted primarily to German trains)

Thus, here I was back at Berlin Hbf, this time waiting for one of Germany’s High Speed Intercity (ICE) trains. I have travelled on other faster trains before, but I was really looking forward to this experience. This train would take me as far as Munich, a distance of around 600km in under six hours. Right on time, the train known as ICE1507 pulled into the platform.

Berlin Salzburg 001I was immediately impressed by the comfortable and spacious seating, 2 and 1 configuration, with a generous centre aisle. Beyond glass doors was an even more luxurious compartment, which presumably attracts a premium fare. I was also intrigued that, being in the last carriage, we could see the rails disappearing behind us. Before very long, we had reached a speed of 200km/h and the countryside was speeding by. Coffee and tea also arrived on a trolley for those that felt so inclined.

Berlin Salzburg 002 Berlin Salzburg 002a Berlin Salzburg 003 Berlin Salzburg 004

Notable in this fairly flat landscape, was the large number of wind power generators. I had contemplated moving to a vacant forward facing seat for a better view of what was coming when we pulled into Leipzig, our first major stop. This is a terminal, rather than ‘through’, platform so leaving Leipzig, I was now facing forward without changing seats. The downside was that with the driver up front, the view of the tracks ahead was switched off!

 Berlin Salzburg 005 Berlin Salzburg 005aBerlin Salzburg 006

We made several short stops, at one of which, our smartly dressed official could step out to stretch his legs. Peckish, I decided to head to the buffet car and enjoyed a good lunch of soup and salad, washed down with a pleasant white wine…..totally at peace with the world at 200km/h!

Again, on schedule, we reached Munich. Here I was able to get a better shot of the ICE train that had brought me more than half way across Germany to its southern ‘edge’.

 Berlin Salzburg 007

With a little over forty minutes to pass, I was able to get a drink from a station kiosk and then find my next train, which was already in the platform, but not yet loading. Called “Railjet”, These trains are operated by the Austrian Railways. This particular train starts in Munich, Germany, then passes through Austria from west to east, finishing in Budapest, Hungary after just over seven hours. My stop, Salzburg, was to be the first stop, about ninety minutes after leaving Munich.

Berlin Salzburg 008 Berlin Salzburg 009Berlin Salzburg 010

Internally and externally positively gleaming, this train gave me the feeling of being nearly brand new. Whether or not new, it was extremely clean and well maintained, a credit to the system.

Berlin Salzburg 011 Berlin Salzburg 012

In contrast to the relatively open flat countryside of earlier in the day, we were soon taking a more winding path through hills, passing quaint villages and distant mountains.

Berlin Salzburg 012a

Berlin Salzburg 012b

All too soon, Salzburg Castle came swinging into view, signifying the end of the journey for me, for that day. While some may consider it a long trip, I had enjoyed every minute of my nine hour journey on these two trains.

Berlin Salzburg 014

Around Sydney – Gordon Station, Then and Now

Gordon c1958

THEN (c. 1960): All suburban trains were single deck. They were coloured dark red. Everything was stamped “NSWGR” (New South Wales Government Railways). Windows could be raised about 75mm to achieve some ventilation. The scheduled time to Wynyard (eleventh stop, closest City station) was 27 minutes. Timetable adherence was generally good. I travelled on these trains every day, to school and university.

The station has three platforms: two ‘through’ and one ‘terminating’. This train had a minor derailment before the morning peak hour, possibly overshooting the terminating platform. City bound trains were disrupted for most of the day. It must have been school holidays and I heard about it on the radio. I had plenty of time to walk from home to watch the recovery efforts. (It’s a boy thing, age irrelevant!)

Gordon c1958_1

Gordon station

NOW (2013) : There is now a car park where I stood to take the old photos.

All suburban trains are double deck. They are stainless steel with some yellow trim.  The identification is , but that is in the process of changing to Sydney Trains logo .  Most trains have air-conditioning.  The scheduled time to Wynyard is 30 minutes! Timetable adherence is generally good. I rarely travel by train but it is still our preferred way to travel to the city.

IMG_0144 IMG_0128

The station still has the same platforms. There are now lifts (elevators) servicing both platforms and pedestrian ramps to facilitate access. The gardens have always been attractive, and well maintained.

IMG_0122 IMG_0139IMG_0135 IMG_0127

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.

DSC03030

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).

DSC03030_2

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.