Check... This week's photograph! (updated)

I have an endless stock of photographs on my hard disc. Once a week I will randomly pick one and write a little column about it. Click on a photo to see the original size. Enjoy. Feel free to +1, like, retweet, etcetera... One day, this blog is supposed to pay my bills... ;-)

Third: 2013 - week 20 (fashionably late, of course... 

Sammy loves to fly! Catania Cathedral, Sicily, this Spring, 2013.

 I have always dreamt of travelling with my kids. Or at least the one. This Spring, for the first time, this dream came true! An what a joy! No need to mention the slow pass that we had to keep and the waking ups, early in the morning. We were buddies, partners in travelling and it felt goood! Thinking about going to Thailand with just the two of us, this Summer... but I am not sure if his mother will like this. But surely, we will do a bit of camping and outdoors, when the Summer finally hits The Netherlands and when my school year comes to an end and 7 endless weeks of holiday will be ahead of us. Pretty soon, actually... only 5 days of teaching before we start wrapping up the year! World... here we come!


Second: 2013 - week 11 (right on schedule with my weekly photographs... not) 

"Charming Syrian sisters in Damascus" 2008?

Years ago. At the table next to ours, in the wonderful Beit Zeitun restaurant in Damascus, this group of ladies of all ages were having dinner the Syrian way. Mezze, long and slow food. The girl in purple caught my eye and I tried to chat with her in Arabic. I speak a little. Very little. So the conversation wasn't really going anywhere but I remember how impressed I was when she showed me a picture of herself... without her head scarf! I instantly fell in love with her very dark and very long her... And obviously that's where it ended. We exchanged phone numbers. I think she called me the next day... But without eye contact, it was impossible to communicate and there was not way we could set up a secret rendevous... The best dreams are the ones that will always remain just that! Keep dreaming.


First: 2010 - week 42. 

"Young Buddhist monk in Kathmandu"
 

Buddhist monk, May 2002

In the background we see the Stupa of Swayambunath, a Tibethan monastry in the outskirts of Kathmandu. This photograph was taken in 2001, before my photography went digital. I scanned it at home. I love the way the eyes of Buddha on the Stupa and the little boys eyes communicate. I love the colours and the light. It was really just a lucky shot. I didn't realize it would come out this great when I took it. Those were the days when photography was still magic. It would sometimes take months before you would see the results of a photograph. In this particular case I had been travelling for some 9 months and would arrive home after 11 months with (only) 9 undeveloped films in my luggage.

Swayambunath and Kathmandu are definitely some of my favourite places I have travelled to and I will hopefully return there sometime.

For the rest, enough said. I will just stare at the photo for a bit longer now.