Monday, September 08, 2008

Now that's Verdent!

I know exactly what noise she's making here!

Now everyone knows that ClareBear is travelling large. She posts her photos on Facebook and a few on the blog (not frequently enough) but this week they visited Neuschwanstein among other places and her shots (besides the ones of her holding steins of beer or gulping enormous ice creams) were stunning. The Neuschwanstein stuff seriously looks as if it's been photoshopped and over-colored.

In 1995 I took her to Disneyland . .well we did a bit of a detour. It was a reward for having never had a report that said 'could try harder'. Little cow got the better of me and earned her trip . .we were big into gold stars and reward for effort during primary school. I expected her to ask for an equestrian Barbie or a new bicycle but nope . .she set her target as a trip to Disneyland.

Anyway, our 'detour' which was really my indulgence included a 3 week tour of alpine Europe, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and Northern Italy, England of course and a quick drop in on the surf God Stan the Man in Jersey. The alps were stunning but being in September, it was autumn, the snow began to fall (in fact she saw her first snowfall in her entire life at the St Bernadino Pass near Chemonix) Little flakes of icy goodness and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. We made snow angels on the Gornergrat in Switzerland and marvelled at the magical peaks but never, no never, did I get shots like these, pretty much the colour I am at the moment!
!
Now if that's not picture postcard perfect, I don't know what is!

They later swam in that lake!

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair! What I'd give for 20,000 en suites

Looka mee mum . .I'm climbing mountains. .fording streams . . .

Lake placid . .you so know there's a rogue salty in there!

There's something very van Eyk or even iconically religious about this shot!
Seems we both love windows and doors!

Right back to Top Gear and if anyone can tell me what Break Horse Power is, I'd appreciate it. Seems as elusive as the off side rule

15 comments:

Thriftcriminal said...

Very simple, 1BHP = good. More BHP the better. No problem :-)

Baino said...

Ha Mr Fancypants engineery type, you don't know do you! I need a PICTURE!

Thriftcriminal said...

Not a clue TBH. I suspect the unit has moved beyond the point where the definition makes much sense in real terms. I can find a kilowatt conversion factor for you though, are kilowatts OK?

Unknown said...

I have a very dear friend who lives amongst all that beauty and in her own stately pile. Some people just really luck out, don't they! Gorgeous shots!

laughingwolf said...

methinks ye meant BRAKE horsepower ;) lol

BRAKE HORSEPOWER (bhp)

Definition: The measure of car or truck engine's horsepower without the loss in power caused by the gearbox, generator, differential, water pump, and other auxiliaries.
The actual horsepower delivered to the driving wheels is less.

a listed horsepower of an engine of 350 hp, may only be 342 bhp, or less

fab fotos, baino :)

Christopher said...

Ditto on the fab photos. If I hadn't been there myself I would have suspected these had been tinkered with, but I know they weren't.
Did you ever make it to Lucerne? There's a gorgeous carved lion there overlooking a lake--apparently it's quite famous. I saw it years ago and have never forgotten it. Recently while visiting my parents in Florida we went to a museum and I was so taken by a statue of Mercury I even wrote a post about it. It turns out the same artist who did the statue also did the lion of Lucerne--Bertel Thorvaldsen. How's that for odd coincidences?

Anonymous said...

Some great scenery there. Though not as stunning as Northern Ireland of course. Well, I have to say that, don't I?

Baino said...

Thanks Thrifty, next kilowatt conversaion I do, I'll seek your sage opinion.

AV gorgeous isn't it. We actually didn't get to Neuschwanstein on the last trip but I know she was sick of me saying the word 'quaint' as we cornered every bend. It's a beautiful country in the south anyway.

Wuffa . . I am nonethewiser . . now you Googled it didn't you? Haha 'break' horsepower. I'm a git! Then Thriftypants didn't pick that up and he's wicked smaht!

Christopher we did have 2 days in Lucerne. We stayed in a gorgeous little village called Malters and yes, I remember the lion. It's actually carved into a rock wall and commemorates the death of the Swiss Guard protecting Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. I first saw it in an art history lesson but to see it for real was indeed memorable. Very pathetic and very beautiful.

OH pish Nick! Ireland must be just like England only full of Irish people! It's the British version of Tassie and just broke off the mainland a gazillion years ago! Although judging by the amount of rain you get, it would HAVE to be very verdent indeed! (always wanted to put that word in a sentence)

Bimbimbie said...

Simply stunning photos, see what happens when you play with gold stars lol *!*

Anonymous said...

Baino, I was walking in the Mourne Mountains yesterday in glorious sunshine, would you believe. I was at the top of Slieve Comedagh, looking across County Down, over the Irish Sea and over Carlingford Lough to the Republic. Breathtaking as always. Not many mountains in Oz! (I just have to blow my own trumpet occasionally)

Anonymous said...

Wow - that last shot is incredible!! Perfectly beautiful! The others aren't bad either!

laughingwolf said...

he might be, but i'm da wuffster :O lol

and i knew what it was BEFORE googling, cuz i'm a bit of a car nut... just had to get an 'official' def, so's y'd believe me ;)

but i screwed up the example, for 350 hp it could be 363 bhp, it's a bit higher, allowed to run freely :O

Megan said...

Wow. Love that last one. Love it!!!

Kath Lockett said...

That last photo is a work of art!

Anonymous said...

Those photos brought back memories of many visits to Southern Europe. Thanks for the memory.