Life Observed

Don't leave your mobile phone on the windowsill at this monastery. That's probably why the monks don't have mobile phones.

An embarrassing historical moment captured by quick thinking sculptor. When the Corinthian rugby team saw the strength of the opposition, their heads literally exploded.

Imagine sitting in a bath of cold water all day long, and then all night as well. 

The sun always shines at thirty five thousand feet, even in October. Below us, just rain and gloom.

Greek Orthodox churches are beautiful and new inside. They generally look like they were repainted just last year. Perhaps they were. However, there's always an exception.

"Testing Testing: ένα, δύο, τρία, τέσσερα "

This statue commemorates the dangers of spicy food. To quote the rather wonderful Goon Show .. "No more curried eggs for me!"

No matter what the event, whatever time of day, someone somewhere will be holding up a phone taking a picture or a video.  Perhaps one day humans will evolve some sort of bony structure on our head to support the essential accessory.

This quiet community of around ninety Greek Orthodox monks is gated and locked.  That is to stop the locals carrying off small bones as relics.

How often have we heard this one. God of underworld bursts up out of the earth in his chariot and carries off daughter of goddess. This surprisingly scary wall painting was done thousands of years ago.  Excellent.

Using the tools supplied, assemble your very own Byzantine Basilica

I spotted this fabulous cast iron down pipe in Athens last week.

While walking through Kavala, surrounded by the obligatory Greek Bouzouki music that bar owners feel the tourists need to hear - we heard Smooth by Santana. We traced it to the "Wood and Rock" bar (outdoor seating, cash only) which really is let into the rock. Stratocaster* on the wall, and great rock music. Time for a beer and chill out before heading back to the hotel. Lovely. **A nasty cheap copy of a Stratocaster. The most copied guitar ever made.

Reflections from the Mediterranean sea of a Greek fishing boat. Location, Kavala.

You know this. It's one of the buildings on the Acropolis. (Acro meaning highest point and Polis meaning town). What you see has mostly been restored from stones lying around. This is because the buildings on the Aropolis have been blown up at least twice in the past 300 years. Hint: If you are storing gunpowder to sustain your defences during a long siege, don't put it in the largest and most obvious building in the city...

Here we have a Greek/Roman amphitheatre. (The Romans added the top bit later). Someone is attempting to show the acoustics by dropping a coin at the centre. Alas I couldn't hear the coin due to the fake shutter click of smartphone cameras. PS, there's a cat down there somewhere.

Douglas Adams was right. You can suspend an item in free space entirely by the power of art.

Some years ago I posted an opinion that context is all important in a picture. If you go abroad and take a picture of a cat, it is just a picture of a cat. However, a picture of a cat in front of the Acropolis is a completely different animal. Well, we just came back from a trip to actual Greece and while staying in Athens I tried quite hard to locate a cat with the Acropolis in the background, but all the moggies I spoke to charged far too much to be in a picture. So here is an alternative. A cat in an Amphitheater. PS. What is it with Mediterranean animals? Every archaeological site has cats in it. And all the associated coach parks have a sleeping dog. Is it a job creation scheme?

I don't often use the word "spectacular" (or the word "frightful" for that matter) - but this corporate madness in Newbury last weekend was rather something. .

Help! Fire... Everywhere..