A Store for Joy

New Year's Day has got to be one of the most quiet days in any European city. Here is a shopping district in Madrid, midday on the first of January. Wow. Great for my street photography, since I like these empty places, but a bit surreal. The only people we saw wandering around the city on this day were other tourists.

This sign caught my eye - notice it says "Joyeria." In Italy, many store descriptions end in "-eria." Gelateria, pizzeria, cartoleria to name a few. I know that "joyeria" in this case means jewelry store (gioielleria in Italian), but I loved the idea of a store for joy. If you're a little short on joy, having a bad day, you can stop in and get a boost. Maybe find the perfect gift for a friend going through a rough patch. Kind of a fun idea, don't you think? What would your Joyeria have for sale?

Today I also want to give a quick shout out for the Creative Every Day 2011 Challenge. This is a low pressure, open ended challenge for any type of art and creativity. There are monthly themes, but they are totally optional. I love the idea behind it - it's not about having some BIG CREATIVE GOAL, it's about just being creative every day in some way. For me, that could be taking a photo, or writing a blog post, or reviewing old photos. There is a link up every Monday and you will find artists of all kinds participating - writers, photographers, painters, paper crafters, poets, musicians. I have found many interesting blogs and people through participating last year, and am continuing this year. I thought you all might find it interesting too.

A Scene from the City

A scene from Madrid, shot from the top of a City Sightseeing bus. We like riding these sightseeing busses, we get a little bit of history with the audio commentary and see parts of the city we wouldn't otherwise see on foot. We aren't stuck on them all day, since we can get off and on anytime we want. They are the best when the weather is nice and you can sit on the open top for a really good view. We first rode one at Brandon's request but now we all agree on riding them when time is available and the weather cooperates.

Even though these busses are fun, but they make taking photographs challenging. With the movement and angle and obstructions of people and bars and whatever is on the street, I rarely get a good photo. But today, I found a good one. There are so many things I like about today's photograph - the clear focus on the sign and the woman coming out of the metro compared to the out of focus crowd. The odd angle and blurring show spontaneity and motion. There are also many elements of place in this photo - the clearly readable metro sign, the streetlight, taxi sign, and crowd at the crosswalk. Add in the graffiti, buildings and sidewalk in the background. They all scream "city." And not just any city, but big city, European city and probably even Spanish city if you recognize the language.

Do you get all of that from the photograph too? Or am I just adding the context I have in my head? I'd be interested to know what this photograph says to you.

The Beauty of Reality

Yesterday we took a day trip to Bologna, a two and a half hour drive south of where we live. It's been a while since we've taken just a day trip, somewhere near by. We all enjoyed it - seeing someplace new, and then coming home to our own beds and another day of the weekend left to play around.

It was wonderful for me, to get out and shoot someplace completely new again. It's been a while since I've done that since I travelled to the US and then have been focusing on fall in the park lately. Loving every minute of that too, but this was refreshing. It was also amazing to me to notice how differently I see now, as compared to, say, a year ago. Back then, I would have never have "seen" this image. It would have been part of the alley I walked by, with lots of elements I avoid... graffiti, dumpsters, street signs, windows with bars. I mean, where are the flowers, the doorstep beauty? But I love this. This is back-alley Bologna. This is real life, with it's imperfections but worthy of capture anyway.

I think this is just another step along my journey. As I accept the imperfections in myself, I find I am able to accept them in the world around me. Apparently, that also means I am not always seeing just the lovely textures in the places we visit - but the reality of dumpsters and street signs. Finding interest in those too. And while I would not call this image "beautiful," it does appeal to me, and does say "Italy" in a very real way.

It's kind of fun to observe these changes in myself, to surprise myself. I also surprised my husband, who has gotten pretty good at being able to predict when to get out of the way for a photo, what little scenes might catch my eye. Yesterday, however, I messed him up because I was stopping to study things that would have never been photo-worthy to me before. Interesting to notice how it affected not just me, but him to.

And how does it affect you? Does it surprise you too? How do you look at this image? I think you may have to get used to it. There will probably be more graffiti and back-alley reality popping up around here, if my day in Bologna is any indication.

Bonne Journee!

Wouldn't you love to see this every morning on your way to work? Some one wishing you "Have a good day" in such a wonderful way? I would! I loved this florist display in Lausanne, in the French region of Switzerland, for it's cheerful message and abundance of flowers and plants. It just fills me with a positive happy feeling and I can't help but smiling. (And wondering how long it takes them to set all of those plants out each morning!)

So to you all today I say Bonne Journee, or maybe more appropriately for where I live, Buona Giornata!

PS - This was the post I was planning to write yesterday morning when the muse struck, and my heart told me I had a different message to share for the day. What an amazing experience that was, both in how it came together and with the response. Thanks so much for all of the wonderful comments, it is so awesome to connect in that way.

To Keep You Safe

One thing that I don't share often are images of signs. There are so many different signs here in Europe that you just don't see in the US, many of them with these pseudo stick figures displaying unacceptable behaviors. It's amazing how much you can convey with a simple little psuedo-stick figure. Maybe it's because there are so many cultures and languages all mixed up here, a picture is the most effective way to convey information quickly. Today's image is one example that I found very amusing, from a German train station. If common sense weren't enough to keep you from the edge of the platform, and if you don't read German, here you go. Now you're safe.

Street Signs

One of my favorite images of this "street" corner in Varenna, on Lake Como. It's not really a street corner, more like a corner of two pedestrian walkways. One along the harbor and the other a stairway up the hill from the lakefront through the town. Such a pretty corner, with the potted tree growing there with loving care.

Almost all of the street signs here in northern Italy are like this (haven't been too far south yet, so can't comment beyond Florence!): Engraved marble, on the corner of a building, facing the street they are naming. Beautiful for a place like this, but nearly impossible to utilize when you are trying to navigate in your car in the middle of a city! It's best to enjoy these signs as part of the charm and beauty of Italy, and bring a GPS if you come visit. You will be much happier for it!

Which Way?

Which way out of the labryinth? Hard to tell! I liked this photo from Alice's Curious Labyrinth in Fantasyland. Brandon loves mazes so enjoyed this little walk through adventure. As always, the folks at Disney have some great ideas and make even an attraction you basically just walk through on a path enjoyable.

I'm still uploading my pictures from Disneyland and hope to post the full album of the pics tomorrow. Today I'm also posting the photo of my new blog banner - I liked the lanterns above the Tea Cup ride. I personally didn't ride the ride myself, too much spinning! But it's fun to photograph.