Patricia Sands

Author

Photo blogs

CBBH PHOTO CHALLENGE:View from an aircraft

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

As we approached Nice International Airport in May 2011, we flew directly over the apartment building in Antibes that we were going to call home for five months. I had googled it so often in the preceding months, I knew precisely where it was.

Antibes-PSandsPhotos
Antibes-PSandsPhotos

It’s the largest of the white buildings in the lower right corner of the photo, with no structure in front  to block the fabulous view of the harbour.  If I could figure out how to put an arrow on the photo, I would show it to you. Trust me, it’s there!

Don’t forget you can enlarge any photo on my blog by clicking on it. The bigger, the better, applies here.

On the way home in October, I took this shot as we left the coast and flew over the Alpes-Maritimes. The dream-like quality of this image portrays my feelings as our fantasy came to an end … until the next time!

Leaving Antibes-PSandsPhotos
Leaving Antibes-PSandsPhotos

This challenge was issued by Marianne on her East of Malaga blog. Treat yourself and visit some other blogs participating in this challenge. Here are two of my favourites this week:

The Urge To Wander 

This next site didn’t post views from an aircraft but has an exquisite gallery of portraits. Love it! Click here and check it out.

Bonjour Paris

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Bonjour! I follow a lot of creative, informative and truly enjoyable websites and blogs about France. In fact, I’m compiling a list  to share with you soon.

Paris-PSandsPhotos
Paris-PSandsPhotos

Let’s begin with Bonjour Paris, an addictive amazingly comprehensive website I have followed for years.

If you really want the skinny on everything absolutely don’t want to miss one single detail, their Insiders Club offers articles like the Savvy Shoppers Secret, A Geek Chic Tour of Paris, How To Rent An Apartment in Paris (… and not get screwed) and, my personal favourite, Can You Say Deux Cheveaux?

I was over the moon to receive an invitation to contribute  an article this week and invite you to join me in Antibes (no surprise there!) by clicking right here.

Before you go, since Paris is on our minds, spend a moment with me below on a drizzly afternoon in Montmartre.

Sacré Coeur/Le Carousel-PSandsPhotos
Sacré Coeur/Le Carousel-PSandsPhotos

Hmmm- should we walk up or take the Funicular today?

Strolling Montmartre-PSandsPhotos
Strolling Montmartre-PSandsPhotos

A drizzle simply adds to the character of the streets of Montmartre.

Pizza in Montmartre-PSandsPhotos
Pizza in Montmartre-PSandsPhotos

Time for a lunch break. Who knew fried egg on a pizza could be so tasty?

Never let a little rain spoil a day of your holiday. Do you have a favourite travel website to share with us here? A girl can never have enough. Merci mille fois!

Travel Photo Theme: Multiples

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Who doesn’t love digital photography? I’ve been having a lot of fun with photo challenges lately, either by going out and taking new photos or scrolling through my ridiculously enormous fairly large photo library.

It’s also a relaxing break from my obsessive addiction writing.

This week several websites I visit regularly led me, from one to another, with the same topic as the theme … which, in itself was rather appropriate.

(A simple click on any photo will enlarge it for you.)

Multiples/Multiples/Multiples/Multiples/Multiples/Multiples/Multi

Candied Pears~Nice Market-PSandsPhotos
Candied Pears~Nice Market-PSandsPhotos
Venice~masks-PSandsPhotos
Venice~masks-PSandsPhotos
Herbes de Provence-PSandsPhotos
Herbes de Provence-PSandsPhotos
Alhambra windows~Granada,Spain-PSandsPhotos
Alhambra windows~Granada,Spain-PSandsPhotos
Spain-PSandsPhotos
Spain-PSandsPhotos
Walnuts~France-PSandsPhotos
Walnuts~France-PSandsPhotos
Granada,Spain-PSandsPhotos
Granada,Spain-PSandsPhotos
Chapeaux,France-PSandsPhotos
Chapeaux,France-PSandsPhotos
Lovers' notes,Verona,Italy-PSandsPhotos
Lovers’ notes,Verona,Italy-PSandsPhotos

This last photo captures just a small portion of the entire wall of the walkway into the garden in Verona, Italy, where people imagine Juliet called out to Romeo from her balcony. The fact that Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers are fictional does not appear to matter.

I was kind of shocked when we first saw this display but after looking at the notes and considering the motive behind them, we reconsidered … but didn’t add our own.

It’s become a tradition for people to  express their love for each other, or to ask Juliet’s spirit to help in their quest for love, and they stick the notes on the walls. (I won’t tell you how most of these notes are attached to the wall but you can read this attached article to find out.) I guess, depending on your state of mind, this could be considered littering or perhaps la passione!

Which would you choose?

Movie tip – A couple of years ago, the film “Letters To Juliet” with Vanessa Redgrave and Amanda Seyfried was based on these very notes.

Take a few minutes to visit with:

Marianne in the south of Spain at her fabulous East of Malaga blog

Meg Travels, who is always off on another jaunt

Ailsa at Where’s My Backpack

to link to many more participating photo blogs like the ones below – 

http://stefanoscheda.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/travel-theme-multiples/

http://thephotoseye.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/travel-theme-multiples/

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE: REFLECTIONS

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‘Tis the season to feel stressfully slightly overloaded! Humming joyful holiday songs only works for so long  … Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel or Jingle Bells … whatever helps.  Normally I love the busy bustle of the holiday season.

However,  *cue doleful organ music*, I am lagging far behind with everything at the moment, and in my little world that can only mean one thing … edits. I am hard into them again in the hopes of getting The Promise Of Provence out into the world by February.

That’s my excuse for being over a week late with this photo challenge (from November 30) which I dearly wanted to enter. The one photo I had in mind appears to have vanished from my iPhoto library. *pausing for a slight head bang* How does that happen?

I offer these for some reflection on your part.

Bruge - Classic Reflection ~ PSandsPhotos

Bruge – Classic Reflection ~ PSandsPhotos
Venice Masks - Aspects of Reflection ~ PSandsPhotos
Venice Masks – Aspects of Reflection ~ PSandsPhotos

I photographed  a bizillion a lot of shop windows in Venice and played around quite a bit before I figured out how to eliminate the reflection. There were a few shots where I liked the way reflection added to the effect and this is one. Fascinated by the history and artistry of the masks in this magnificent town, the idea of an unknown face reflected here added to my musings. What sort of mask do many of us wear from time to time?

At the moment, I am wearing my *mask of shame* and apologize to anyone who is wondering if I have fallen off the planet. Nope … just hunkered down in the editing trenches.

I did manage to surface long enough last week to do what was needed for a promotion I arranged months ago for The Bridge Club on BookBub.com. Let me simply say right now an ENORMOUS thank you to everyone who downloaded the book. An equally huge thank you goes to all of my writing and blogging friends who supported through social media. You all ROCK!

TBC hit #33 in the Amazon Kindle Store (that’s out of one million – woohoo!) and was #1, #1 and #5 in our Amazon categories for several days. It was exciting and oh so satisfying to know that so many new readers had decided to get to know the ladies of The Bridge Club!

How does “Reflection” look to you?  Click here to check out the other entries in the weekly photo challenge.  

Happy Hanukkah 187884615675981982_0KwiTpIJ_bto everyone celebrating this special holiday.

And now back to work …