Brasov characters

Brasov in Romania is a lively city and the Council square is a prime people watching spot. here are a few of it's characters.

More street art from Bratislava

Together with the bronzes, some of Bratislava's duller corners such as the bus station and derelict buildings have been brightened up by some nice graffiti.

Brasov brass

Brasov in Romania is a noisy city. Mid day is celebrated by cannon fire from a tower followed by fanfares from the city trumpeters.

I found these guys playing for fun in a bandstand in woodland on Mount Tampa above the city. The light was terrible but they were happy to let me sit with them a while and try and make the best of the conditions.

Bratislava street art

Bratislava is a great place to wander around. It's tag is The Little Big City. Everywhere you look there's a piece of street art. Here's a few of the bronzes that can be found around the city.

Memento Park, Budapest

After the fall of communism in 1989 all the soviet statues from around Hungary were taken down and moved to an area outside Budapest.

The area has since become an attraction in it's own right. Although some parts of the park such as the snappily named 'Unending Promenade of Workers Movement Concepts' still evoke the Communist era (or a track off an old Genesis album).

The largest statue in Budapest was a huge bronze of Stalin which the locals took great delight in pulling down. Only the twelve foot high boots remained.

Uncle Joe's boots (Photoshop montage)

The remainder of the statues are of all the good and great of the Communist era plus a smattering of heroic peasants and common soldiers.

Free wallpaper

These photos are available as a free wallpaper for up to 24" screens. Just click on the links to download from an external site. And don't say I never give you anything! I'll add some more later.

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Paralimni church, Cyprus.

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Cape Greco, Cyprus

Petra: The High Place of Sacrifice

To reach the High Place of Sacrifice takes a steep 400 step climb. Hard going when it's 45c. As you climb you can look back on the valley below until the path starts to wind between the rocks.

The locals don't miss a trick to set up a stall even on the climb up.

At the top of the climb is the place of sacrifice where animals were sacrificed to the gods. Even the sacrificial alter has become a display shelf for bangles and fridge magnets.

From the back of the plateau you can see down into the Faras valley. This facade is the 'Tomb of the Roman Soldier'

I liked the Tomb of the Roman Soldier. Because it shows how assimilated they were when they occupied the area (I think) under Emperor Trajan. Their memorials were in the local style. No-one knows who the soldier was but the remains of his statue are in a niche in the facade. The Romans used a lot of the temples for their own purposes.