Slovenia: High in the Alps by Cable Car

Above is the kind of sight that was greeting me all the way up the mountain from our small cable car.

But overcoming my fear of riding in a cable car was worth it when we arrived at the top of the mountain, as the view below was stunning:

The middle-aged Polish couple below were also kind of in awe at the incredible scenery all around us:

During winter, the top of the mountain will be a flux of skiing and other winter sport activities:

Still, I wasn't looking forward to the ride back down in the small cable car:

Slovenia: Inside St. John the Baptist's Church on Lake Bohinj

As can be seen in the pictures above and below, when I got inside St. John the Baptist's church, I wasn't disappointed as the wall/ceiling art was stunning.

Just found this church incredibly soothing and relaxing to be in.

Slovenia: In the Alps

Here are a few shots from being up in the Alps in Slovenia, if I remember correctly, not that far after crossing the Austrian-Slovene/Slovenian border. 

My Polish travelling companions found the ski-jumping slopes below of special significance due to their country's success in this sport:

Love this idyllic triangle-shaped house up in the Alps:

And took note of just how many cyclists were out meandering around the Alps:

The bridge below also caught my eye, probably because of the wonderful background:

Slovenia: Lake Bohinj

Just back from a week or so in Slovenia where one of my favourite places was Lake Bohinj:

Loved St. John the Baptist (Catholic) church on Lake Bohinj which had a real folk church feel about it:

Especially the St. Christopher fresco outside the front of the church:

Was also great to see people enjoying themselves both in and on the sides of Lake Bohinj:

Bratislava: Some More Shots

Here are some more shots from my quick daytrip to Bratislava a couple of weeks ago, starting off with an interesting-looking church that we encountered walking back from the Old Town towards the train station:

Below, there are three pictures from the Hospitallers' religious order courtyard and quarters in the Old Town: 

Below, we're back up at the castle overlooking the river Danube:

After some rain, it turned out to be a good sunny afternoon, so I managed to get some decent shots of the Danube below me:

Below is Bratislava Cathedral which we only really glimpsed inside:

And here is the central Old Town street where we had a wonderful meal:

Finally, here's three pictures from the Presidential Palace:

Love the juxtaposition of this unusual fountain near the Palace:

But wouldn't fancy this job of standing still for possibly hours on end:

Vienna Zoo: A Few More Shots

Here's a few more shots from my recent visit to Vienna Zoo, starting off with a picture of a hippo who'd just come out of the water:

Was also great that the two seals below decided to get out of the water to be photographed:

Below, I got very excited because, at first, I thought the creature was a beaver, but my friend, Dave Dealy, soon pointed out that it had a tail rather than a 'paddle', thus, it was a coypu:

Still, the last time I'd seen a beaver or coypu was over 10 years ago at a country park near Herne village in Kent when I'd been living in Canterbury.

Warsaw Uprising Museum: The Photograph Exhibition Outside

This weekend marks the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, and, last week, I finally got round to visiting the Warsaw Uprising Museum (above).

Most of all, I was impressed with the exhibition of pictures (made into coloured form from the original black and white) outside the main museum building:

The statue above caught my eye as it seems to be one of the few things to have survived the German bombardment.

The picture below appears to highlight the role of women in the Uprising:

For me, the next three pictures symbolise the endurance of love (and friendship) despite the full-on horror of war:

The picture below highlights the role of (often small) children in the Uprising:

Interspersed amongst the pictures, there are also several murals such as the one below which seems to represent the Child Soldier motif that I've seen many times around Warsaw:
 

Finally, the mural below returns to highlighting the role of women in the Warsaw Uprising:

Thus, if you visit the Warsaw Uprising Museum, I strongly recommend that you don't just look inside the museum building, but go outside and find this exhibition of pictures.