Analog Pictures

The other day, I was browsing through my old, analog (non- digital) pictures, focusing on the bad ones (blurred, failed contrast - too dark, too bright etc..).  I wanted to try and improve quality, if possible, by using the editing software on my rather old,  computer.

Most of these pictures  are dear to me, mementos of my visit to some famous landmarks, such as that of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In order to successfully capture both the landmark and myself in the same picture, I needed a much better camera than the one I had, and certainly better photographic skills, but I had neither (sigh).

Eiffel  Tower

It was getting dark outside, I was sitting on the stairs, feeling tired. In the above Eiffel Tower picture I looked almost  deleted, so I tried hard to recover some of my body shape.

 

                                                      At The Colloseum in Rome

The ancient structure of the Colloseum looks o.k. ;  my face, on the other hand, looks blurred. One can improve things, but touching face could turn disastrous; not recommended.

 *

                                           Mozart's monument & birth place in Salzburg

 I felt music in the air, Mozart's music. It was a lovely, sunny day, perfectly appropriate for a visit to the great composer's birthplace.

                                                        Fontana di Trevi - Rome

This stunning , famous fountain, where people throw coins in its water, makes you forget everything. I just stood there overwhelmed by the sight of it.

*

I've got quite a few pictures with Me sitting on stairs , on rocks, on a bench , on a fountain edge or on the grass  by some famous attraction .  Not surprising, though.  I was a tourist, and as such, often  tired from much walking and exploring. I needed to rest, and that was also a good opportunity for a picture.

                                                Urquat Castle at Lockness  lake, Scotland

 

 I like the greyish color tone in this picture; it somehow matches the atmosphere created by an old castle and a lake where a monster is believed to live.

 

on the edge of the fountain at Buckingam palace

 

It was raining on the day of my visit; a light rain, still, not a very suitable day for taking outdoor pictures

                                               sitting  on a bench in the center of Frankfurt

 

The red, cotton cardigan was bought in the city on that very day, and it was my first 'inauguration' of it, on that bench, watching the passers by.

                                         on the grass, by a monument in Sterling, England

 

The 'on the grass' picture reminds me of my big issue with photography. I've convinced myself that I 'm not photogenic, so I keep it distant, until it's... too distant.

 

Apollo Temple  in Ancient Corinth, Greece

This is a rather rare picture of me,  as my head is seen here from profile, from the side.

 *

While browsing (apparently, not a bad lock down occupation), I came upon two pictures relevant to our times: social distancing in one, crowding in the other. Both were taken in Athens, Greece.

distancing on Likavitos Hill (made me smile)

                                                     crowds  on the Acropolis , Athens

 I also came upon a picture I was glad to forget about .

On the route Dover-Calais , I felt like I was going to die of sea sickness. Very traumatic experience!  (Several days earlier, wearing the same outfit , I had my photo taken close to a wax figure at the Wax Museum in London, and visited Buckingam palace too.).

                                                            seasick in the boat cabin 

                                                                  at the Wax Museum

The weather at the time of the sailing from Dover to Calais was very rough. In calm weather I usually don't get sea sick.  Here's a photo of me on the deck of the greek Saronic Star vessel. I was full of energy and glad to be on that cruise.

 

on the Saronic Star deck  

              *                

This kind of browsing brings back to me nice memories,  so I'll go on with it till the end of the lock down.

*

Jeanie from the Marmelade Gypsy blog - has kindly offered to restore most of the above pictures. The result is incredible!

Amazing! Thanks Jeanie.

From Dover to Calais

Every now and then I make plans to join a cruise, but nothing comes out of these plans as I am afraid of seasickness, 'mal de mer', as the French call it. This kind of fear prevents many people from taking a cruise vacation; it's no secret that seasickness can turn a pleasant trip into a miserable, embarrassing experience.

I 've been on boats and ferries for short trips, never on a big cruise ship. I'm told a big ship has huge stabilisers and so less motion. The larger the ship the less it will rock, and if you position yourself in a midcabin, that is, in the center ,where the least motion is felt, and prior to the voyage you take some precautions , then the chances of not getting seasick are very good.

I'll never ever forget the ferry voyage across the british channel or as the french call it La Manche ( the sleeve), from Dover port in south-east England to Calais port on the northern coast of France. The channel is " an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates England from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic" (Wikipedia) . The most cheap and convenient way to cross the channel was by ferry, departures occurring every thirty (30) minutes.

On the day of the voyage the sea was rough, but visibility was good and the service to Calais was running normally. On the ferry, people around me were talking, laughing, eating, having fun , and only I had terrible nausea, and loss of color in my face. Even the color of my eyes, normally green, was fade and lifeless. An english lady wanted to help and gave me something to smell, but that made things worse and I began to vomit and feel cold. At this point, I was willing to accept medical intervention. I was administered an injection which brought about quick relief.

The trip lasted for about an hour, but for me it seemed like eternity. Looking back, I think that a bottle of soda water would have done a good job from the start in helping me get rid of the nauseous feelings, but for some unknown reason I forgot to ask for one.

They say the cause of seasickness lies in some disturbance in the inner ear. There are lots of theories as to what could prevent it, but I knew almost nothing about that at the time. Anyway, the most mentioned tips to deal with seasickness are: accupressure wrist bands, ginger capsules, scopolamine patches behind the ear, taking deep breaths, being on the deck in the fresh air facing forwards , staring in the distance and not focusing on the moving ship etc...

By the way, WHY did the wave rush up on to the beach? IT was feeling seasick.