An ondulating mirror...

Today the weather must have been optimal for taking pictures of "reflections in canals". It was bright and the water was moving, but not to much. I love this picture.

       

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Sometimes there is to much wind, or the water is to warm and becomes restless. Until now I thought winter was the best time. When it gets cold, almost freezing, the water becomes a bit "slow"; that's ideal.

Copacabana clouds......

At the end of a day visiting the city of Rio we would have liked to sit on the roof terrace of our hotel  in Copacabana to look at the flocks of Fregat birds passing... But most of the time the clouds arrived just at the same time and we had to go inside because of the heavy thunder storms.

The skies were magnificent. Rolling clouds and sharp contrasts because of a low sun together with low hanging clouds. These pictures don't need any comments.

Another colorfull sunset

Just a few times in a year you find this extreme situation where the sun is low and fierce and the sky is heavy with thunder. You get these smashing pictures of bright trees and buildings and dark skies.

The view of the place I was staying is not that magnificent, but this light made it into something special.

 

Then the sun started to set. Everything went red. 

Isn't it wonderful to see a sunset like this. 

This is where the fox lives....

The fox knows we are watching, but he doesn't care because he is safe. This is the National Park Los Alerces (south of Bariloche in the province of Chubut - Patagonia). Endlessly beautiful. All you can wish for from nature is here. Nature like an enormous piece of art. Structures, surfaces and (reflecting) light are without equal. What more to say......

I would have liked to stay much longer. The fox just wants to play, while the summer lasts; snapping at flies. Performing for us in the sunlight until he sees something else more interesting.... 

Sunrise... sunset.....

Winter is the best time to see a sunrise. You don't have to get up so early!!

Looking out east over the Mediterranean, with only one building a bit in the way, we got up just in time to see a beautiful sunrise.

For sure, the clouds had a silver lining for us that day in Sicily.

 The beach of Giardini-Naxos is still in the dark, while the horizon grows more and more orange.

There comes the sun out of the water. One of the moments you are aware of the turning speed of the earth.
In a few moments the light changes from deep red orange to more yellow colors. It gets impossible to look through the camera. Too much light.

The effect of the cloud is stunning. The red gets deeper again, the silver lining appears and rays of light shoot into the sky. A complete light show. The day has begone.

At the end of the afternoon the light starts to fade again. Trees, that go unnoticed in the daylight, begin to "show off" against the evening light. 

The green landscape becomes blue.

 The mountains seems to grow in the dark. The many small craters on the ides of mount Etna in black contrast to the sky. Clouds are gathering around the smoking top.

Looking to the sea.... the sun slowly goes where it came from.  

It plunges into the water with a last spectacle of red and gold......

An illuminated landscape

On the first day of Christmas, between rain and wind and darkness, suddenly there was some sun in the afternoon. The perfect time to go outside for some fresh air.




















The light was sharp from under huge clouds. Colors were deep and saturated.

Blue sky reflected in the water.



















































Overhead these geese were probably going somewhere warmer.



























The paths were muddy and soft.








































Sometimes the light was blinding turning colors almost into black and white.













There were wet patches in the floodplains of the river, but the water in the river Rhine was not yet high enough to flow over the low summer dikes.

Soon enough the clouds came back in full force. On he way home, the last sun fell on the mossy green trees.
This lovely afternoon was already gone and turned into another early evening.

Queluz….. what a light…..

If ever there is a name for a palace that is more fitting than this one. “Que luz” is Portuguese for “what a light”. There is light coming in from the outside. There is light from chandeliers. And what light there is, is reflected by mirrors everywhere.

 

Queluz is rightly called the Versailles of Portugal. It is a Barok / Rococo palace built in the 18^th century by prince Pedro and his Maria. A last dream palace before the French revolution changed the rules.

Passing through the ballroom…..

Into the throne room…..

As you walk there through these rooms you 

might even think you were back in the past. 

Two young people reflected into a door...

No it is not real. It is a mere reflection of the past. 

The kings and queens have left. 

The mirrors are worn by age. 

But what a light!