Paris by night

This is a side view of the Hotel de Ville in Paris. Somehow the word "City Hall" doesn't do this magnificent building justice.

I took this photo in December 2008. I'm pretty sure Christmas was the reason for the sparkly roof.

From Cuba with love

Live singing at the Cubanita bar in Athens, Greece. A very enjoyable night was had by all, drinking mojitos and caipirinhas while swaying to the music.

Inside the O2

For those of you wondering what the O2 is like on the inside, here is a selection of photographs I took once we got off the boat.

The psychedelic walkway between the pier and the main entrance

O2 main entrance

Walking along Entertainment Avenue (I swear that's what it's called)

Round and round it goes...

...but not all the way!

I'd not realised this, but only about half of the available space is currently utilised, and only a relatively small part of it is taken up by restaurants and cafes. There's definitely plenty of choice if you're looking for a night out, but not as much as I'd imagined from the size of the place.

I was also suprised at how empty it was on a Sunday evening. I hope it's busier during the week.

The O2 by night

Last Sunday we visited the O2 for the first time. Previously known as the Millennium Dome, this interesting-looking structure houses a concert arena, music club, cinema, exhibition space, piazzas, restaurants and cafes.

It is located on Greenwich Peninsula, SE London, and was built in 2000 to celebrate the Millennium. It's circular, 365 m in diameter - one metre for each day of the year - and the largest dome of its type in the world.

We travelled by boat along the Thames. I took this photo just as our boat slowed down to approach the pier at O2.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I took this picture from my study window half an hour ago. At that point, it'd been snowing for about an hour. As you can see, the main road is clear enough to allow a bus to speed through, but everything else is getting covered in snow. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll be able to make out a young woman walking on the pavement.

This much snow is very unusual for London this early in the year, and it's not even the first we've had this winter. Over the last 3-4 weeks we've experienced some unseasonal and extreme weather, with plenty of frost, snow, sleet and low temperatures. According to the Met Office, it's been the most prolonged spell of freezing conditions since December 1981.

Christmas decorated house

This is the most elaborately decorated house I've come across this Christmas, complete with a moving Santa in the window. It's the Paul Toole Holiday Light Show in Wells, Somerset.

Photo by Caroline Lévesque, as my snaps turned out a bit too shaky to do it justice.

Winter Wonderland

The lights of the Hyde Park Christmas Market are reflected in the waters of the Serpentine.

Another quick snapshot compliments of my little camera.

Winter sunset

Walking through Kensington Gardens earlier this evening with my friend Christine, we spotted the end of a beautiful sunset. Luckily I had my little camera with me, and was able to capture it for posterity.

There's something magical about a clear winter sky, don't you think?

Millennium Dome, take 2

Last Thursday I had another go at talking a picture of the Millennium Dome at night time. It's not the most successful shot ever, but at least you can see the green beam more clearly.

The beam marks the Prime Meridian, i.e. the line at which the longitude is defined to be 0°. The Prime Meridian passes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, located on a hill diagonally behind the spot where I stood to take this photo.

Take 1 can be seen here.

Phew!

I took this picture at the same carnival where I found the young masquerader. It was 11 PM at the time, the floats had been on the road for almost 3 hours, and this young man's float had just been given the much awaited STOP order. I just love the expression on his face! You can click on the photo to enlarge it.

If you'd like to read more about the West Country illuminated carnival, look here and here.

Young masquerader

This is one of the youngest masqueraders participating at last Monday's illuminated carnival at Weston-Super-Mare in Somerset, SW England.

Greenwich by night

These are two photos I took tonight while walking along the river Thames in Greenwich. I only had my little camera with me (the one I keep in my handbag for emergencies) so the photos aren't very sharp. It was drizzling at the time and I was running late for my meeting - not a good combination for successful photography, but still.


The first photo is the view towards the Docklands on the north bank. I love the combination of low-rise traditional housing in the foreground and modern skyscrapers in the background, as well as the reflection of the lights in the water. To me, this view is iconic and sums up London very well.


The second view shows the Millennium Dome, also known as The O2, a large dome shaped entertainment centre originally built for the new millennium. It looks as if it's on the north bank, but it's in fact located on the south bank, just a little further along the river from where I was standing.

The bunch of lights on the left hand side of the picture is a Thames Clipper commuter boat speeding down the river. The short line in the sky on the right hand side is a plane approaching City Airport. The long green line you can just about make out on the left side (click to enlarge if you can't see it) marks the Prime Meridian, i.e. the line at which the longitude is defined to be 0°. The Prime Meridian passes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, located on a hill diagonally behind the spot where I stood to take this photo.

Panigiri at Levidi

During the summer months, there are a number of religious festivals taking place in villages all over Greece. These consist of special church services during the day, followed by merriment in the evening. The merriment bit includes music, dancing, eating and shopping at the open air markets that are set up. The Greek name for this type of festival is "panigiri".

I took this photo at a panigiri in Levidi, in rural Arcadia. This is the village's main square, where tables and chairs were set out for the revellers. On the left of the picture, behind the fountain, you can see there is music and dancing going on.

It was a quarter past midnight when I snapped this, and the celebration was still going strong when we left at 1:30 AM.

Marina by night - take 2

I think this photo of the marina is probably a bit better, although you can't see many boats.

What does everyone else think?

Marina by night

This is an attempt at an artistic night shot. I'm not too pleased with the result, but hey, you've got to try.

I took the photo at the Flisvos marina in Piraeus last June. Piraeus is the port of Athens, and there are lots of little marinas dotted around. This is one of the newest and less charming ones.

As you can see, there are plenty of people around, including children, although I took this photo after 10:30 PM. That's Greek summer for you.

At the movies

Tonight my friend Kathy and I went to see a film. This is a picture I took as we were leaving the cinema. I'm not sure if these buildings are part of the cinema complex, or shops, or even residential.

We watched Angels & Demons which we both thought was quite good.

Tower Bridge by night

The most beautiful and iconic London bridge, as seen from the South Bank on beautiful May evening. I haven't used any filters or adjusted the colours at all - this photo is just as my camera captured it.

Non-Londoners should note that this is *not* London Bridge, it's Tower Bridge, thus called because it stands next to the Tower of London. London Bridge is the next bridge along the Thames, and it's nowhere near as grand (but looks quite pretty when illuminated).