Catedral de la Almudena

Colorful ceilings and domes : Catedral de la Almudena : Madrid, ES

I love shooting churches and cathedrals and I've shot a lot of them as a photographer. From Notre Dame in Paris to the Abbey at Bellelay in Switzerland, from the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., to the Mormon Temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, religious edifices fascinate me.

Contemporary stained glass : Catedral de la Almudena : Madrid, ES

The Santa Iglesia Catedral de Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena, though, has to be hands down the most beautiful cathedral I have ever photographed. I'll let the photos and the slideshow (see below) speak for themselves.

Filli : Catedral de la Almudena : Madrid, ES

Organ : Catedral de la Almudena : Madrid, ES

... Slideshow ...

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 10/10

Niedermorschwihr

Niedermorschwihr, FR

Yesterday featured the Jam Fairy of France, whose business is located in the Alsatian town of Niedermorschwihr. Here are a few pictures from this sweet little town.

Niedermorschwihr's church : Alsace : France

As I was waiting for Rachel, Maya, and Diana, I wondered up the street to visit the little church and stumbled upon a plaque outside the town hall. It read: "Niedermorschwihr, liberated 2 February 1945 by the soldiers of the 28th Infantry Division during the battle of the Colmar Pocket." (See the slideshow below to see the plaque.)



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

Christine Ferber - The Jam Fairy of France

 The overhanging sign announces the location of France's Jam Fairy, Christine Ferber : Niedermorschwihr, FR

For those who know jam and France, you know that Christine Ferber is the goddess of confiture. Rachel, who shares our love of good food, knew all about Christine and, as we were going to the Alsace, asked if we could go to Niedermorschwihr to check out her offerings. I like a good jar of jam and I like the Alsace, so what the heck! Turns out Madame Ferber's jams are, indeed, quite tasty.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

100 Strangers: Bernard

Bernard : Fruits and Veg Stand : Ferney Farmer's Market : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

One of the sights we enjoy sharing with our guests is the weekly market in Ferney. Fortunately, Rachel was here for a weekend, so we took her to the farmer's market. Coincidentally, there was also a pottery fair going on that weekend. In addition to enjoying all the market has to offer, in terms of food, we also enjoyed the work of local and national artisans. More on the latter tomorrow.

Today's post features another addition to my 100 Strangers series. This is Bernard, the guy from whom I buy most of my fruit and some of my veg. He's a great guy with a wonderful, flirtatious sense of humor and he's very patient when it comes to language shortcomings. We banter back and forth in a mix of French and English and I always learn something new every week. If you shop at the Ferney market, be sure to look for Bernard. (You can also see him at the Divonne market on Sundays.)



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

Ariana

Statuary : Ariana Museum : Geneva, CH

When you have guests in town, it's a great excuse to see things you otherwise wouldn't. Maya and Rachel came to my work one afternoon and, in addition to a tour they took of the United Nations Palais, we went up on the roof of my workplace and enjoyed views of Geneva, the Jura, the lake, and the US Mission. We also ate lunch at the Ariana Museum, which was fun and tasty. This photo features a statue on the roof of the Ariana. I shot it through a gap between two umbrellas on the terrace where we ate lunch.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

Fort l'Ecluse, Part III

The Rhone River Valley : Seen from Fort l'Ecluse, FR

As mentioned yesterday, Fort l'Ecluse sits above the Rhone River and enjoys sweeping views of the river and the river valley. On a clear day, you can see Geneva and the French Alps. In this photo*, you can see all the way to Albertville, France, site of the 1992 Winter Olympics.



* I confess: I doctored up this picture a little bit. It was a lot hazier, so I adjusted the light levels a little bit. The result, I think, is something that looks like an old photo in an old issue of National Geographic.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

Fort l'Ecluse, Part II

Room and tunnel : Fort l'Ecluse, FR

Fort l'Ecluse was a French garrison from the 1800s until the 1950s. It extends from its base just above the Rhone River to the top of the mountain and was built by the French over a span of nearly 20 years in the early 1800s. If you've got the gumption, you can walk 1,000 steps from its base through the mountain and to the top. I made it 900 and then gave up (of course, at the time, I didn't know I only had 100 more steps to go to make it to the top. Had I known, I would have pressed on. That said, those 900 stairs left me in pain for nearly a week. Walking was a joke!)



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

Winterthur 1914

Detail shot of the Winterthur engine : Aboard the CGN Savoie : Lake Geneva, CH

Returning to photos from the dinner cruise, the CGN Savoie is part of a fleet of five paddle steamer boats that entered service on Lake Geneva between 1904 and 1927. The Savoie was the middle child, if you will, and was commissioned in 1914. The engines for the boat were manufactured in Winterthur, Switzerland, and are in pristine condition.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10

Gettin' Artsy

Rockets' Red Glare : F

I fiddled with this photo from the . It wasn't one of my better photos, but by playing with it and adjusting various settings, it became a little more interesting.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part IX - Finale

The Finale featuring the Jet d'Eau : Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

The Fêtes de Genève's finale featured Geneva's iconic Jet d'Eau. It was quite a spectacular way to end the night. If you want to see video of this extraordinary event that makes Geneva worth visiting in August, see the videos shot by Maya of Maya Photography. (Note: The videos take a minute or two to download, but they're worth the wait, especially the finale in the first link. Maya also took some great shots of the fireworks and you can seen them on her blog in the third link.)

THE END!

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10
Video copyright: Maya Lucchitta, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part VIII

Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

There were some good rounds in the second half of the show, but my pictures from this half aren't as good as the first. That's because I switched from using a tripod and a long shutter speed (1.5 seconds) to hand-held and a short speed (1/6). I thought the photos would turn out well, but they're only okay and rather wobbly. Lesson learned? Stick with the tripod.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part VII

Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

In looking back through my photos, I have to say, the first half of the show was better than the second. That said, though, what I found interesting in the second half were the dark fireworks. Some of the pyrotechnics had a monochromatic effect and were quite dramatic, as compared to the brighter reds, greens, and oranges of the earlier show.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part VI

The beginning of the second half of the Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

The Fêtes de Genève is a two-part performance featuring pyrotechnic displays by two companies who compete to put on the best show. Frankly, both of them were pretty darn good, if you ask those of us who were seeing them.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part V

 Pretty purple pyrotechnics! : Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

But wait! There's more!! (If you must know, I took 447 photos during this pyrotechnic display. I've got to do something with all these photos...)



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part IV

Fêtes de Genève continued... : Geneva, CH

And again, more fireworks. (They never get old, do they?)



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part III

Act I of the Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

More from the Fêtes de Genève...



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part II

Let the show begin! : Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

This is the 10th year of the Fêtes de Genève--Geneva's lakefront festival that includes the largest fireworks display in Switzerland and one of the largest in the world. The display has a theme--this year's was the circus--and is choreographed to music. The fireworks are set up on 14--count 'em: FOURTEEN--barges in the harbor! The results are nothing less than absolutely spectacular!

I've seen a lot of fireworks displays in Washington, D.C., which are pretty amazing, but this event beat the annual 4th of July events hands down. While Geneva isn't all that pleasant in August, this is a festival worth coming to Europe, and especially to Geneva, to see. The display went on for over an hour, so I'm going feature groupings of fireworks for the next couple of days.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Fêtes de Genève, Part I

Around the World : Fêtes de Genève : Geneva, CH

This evening included an invitation to the home of work colleagues who live right on Lake Geneva across from the city's iconic Jet d'Eau. The event being observed from the safety of their balcony was the Fêtes de Genève--an annual festival/carnival that ends with one of the world's largest, choreographed fireworks displays.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Encore!

Sunset a la Bierstadt : Seen from Nyon, CH

Just a couple more shots of the sunset over Nyon. The first one is looking across the Lake Geneva to France and reminds me of landscape paintings by Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt, two of my favorite landscape artists.

 Inky sunset : Nyon, CH

If you aren't too tired of sunset photos, I've included the slideshow below. Enjoy!



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 7/10

The Savoie

The Savoie : Lake Geneva at Nyon, CH

In Switzerland, if you want to get from one side of Lake Geneva to the other, you aren't limited to driving around or taking a train. There are several boats you can catch from Geneva, Nyon, Lausanne, Montreux, and other ports in Switzerland to ports in France like Yvoire, Evian-les-Bains, and Chens-sur-Léman. This is a photo of the Savoie, arriving at Nyon. Boats that plow this lake bear the flags of both countries. On this boat, the French flag is seen on the bow, while the Swiss flag flies off the stern.



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 7/10