Taking the trolleybus no. 203 to its final destination, on a sunny winter day, we ended up in Koliba. It is a popular locality that belongs to the Bratislava Forest Park which is located in the foothills of the Little Carpathians in the northern part of Bratislava.
Bratislava Forest Park is a very popular place for the locals. There are a lot of recreational facilities such as hiking, running and biking trails, sports facilities, playgrounds, snack kiosks etc.
While we were walking and enjoying the nature that the hiking trail had to offer, I noticed the sun-rays penetrating into the forest through the leafless trees creating interesting shadows on the ground. I was fascinated by the variety of forms the shadows were creating that I couldn’t resist and found myself in the peculiar and fun position of ‘chasing’ shadows.
It was such a relaxing and joyful day, that we returned back home unwillingly.
This post is part of the Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Shadow
Last Sunday the weather was really nice so we decided to walk along the coastline to our medieval castle by the picturesque small harbour.
“Sol Alter”, bronze sculpture, Pafos, Cyprus | photo by karafc
“Sol Alter”, bronze sculpture, Pafos, Cyprus | photo by karafc
“Sol Alter”, bronze sculpture, Pafos, Cyprus | photo by karafc
Next to the castle we saw this bronze sculpture leaning on the rock, which is part of Pafos2017. Pafos, my city, is chosen to be this year’s European Capital of Culture – Pafos2017 and throughout the year a lot of events and activities will take place.
This artwork named “Sol Alter” was created by the artist Yiota Ioannidou and pays homage to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The sculpture represents a young woman who looks after the place where Aphrodite lived and wants to be like her. It is one of the twelve artworks of the project “Signs in Time and Space”, which were placed in different venues in the city, thus creating an open air art museum.
“Sol Alter”, bronze sculpture, Pafos, Cyprus | photo by karafc
We had a nice time, enjoyed the nice weather and the spectacular view. I had the opportunity to take several photos and I will be returning soon to resume our tour in the open air art museum.
28&29 January 2017: Opening Ceremony of Pafos2017 – European Capital of Culture
As I mentioned in other posts Kakopetria village is a place we love visiting.
The architecture of the village is wonderful, especially the old Kakopetria. It is a picturesque village built between two rivers and it is a magnet to every form of artists. Walking through the narrow stone-paved alleys of the old quarter of the village you can find a lot of things to capture.
Most of the old houses have been restored. Their characteristic feature is that the majority of the houses have two floors, sloped and tiled roofs with beautiful wooden balconies.
The main reason that the old quarter of the village preserved its traditional architecture, is the fact, that it has been proclaimed as a protected area from the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus.
This post is part of the Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge:Resilient
Sculptures can be found outside and inside Eurovea shopping mall in Bratislava. They not only beautify the whole area but they add an artistic element as well. This was one of the places I liked to visit when I was in Bratislava. The fact that while you are walking you can see these sculptures and take photos of them, makes you feel like you are taking a stroll through a modern museum. It wasn’t until recently that I found out there is a story behind the sculptures and I was impressed!
Isabelle, Eurovea Statue, Bratislava | by karafc
The sculptures were created by the British artist Colin Spofforth. Each sculpture has its own name and character and together they complete the fairy tale “six white mice“, which was written by Colin’s wife. This beautiful story speaks about greediness, faith, true friendship, courage and love.
…Once upon a time in a small village by the river, under the shadow of a greedy King and his spoiled daughter, terrible things were happening. They decided to banish all the mice from the kingdom, and at that moment is when they suddenly became magicalartists, two children and six white mice…
Pier
Olga and Pat
Olga and Pat
Isabelle
Isabelle
Yulia
Some of the statues hide on them one of the six white mice, so they will not be found by the soldiers of the greedy King. In order to spot them, you have to look for them closely.
After learning the story behind the sculptures, I am even more fascinated by them. Next time I will be in Bratislava, I will visit Eurovea shopping mall for one more time!
One of the places that we love and visit often is Kakopetria, a picturesque village in the mountains of Cyprus. Every time we are there, I always find something interesting to shoot and this time the thing that got my attention was a telephone booth.
Telephone booth, Kakopetria, Cyprus | by karafc
Public pay phones have been slowly disappearing due to technological evolution, mobile phones, internet, and free wifi available everywhere. This is making public pay phones obsolete. Seeing telephone booths here and there is nice; it is a reminder of simpler times!
When my husband and I stayed for a few months in Bratislava, we used to hang out at this small, cosy café called “La Putika”. We really loved it.
La Putika café is located in the old town of Bratislava.
It has a simple layout with pleasant warm atmosphere, nice vintage decoration and wooden floor. The rooms are lit with a number of small lamps which makes it darker but also warm and intimate.
With it’s charming ambiance, great coffee and reasonable prices, La Putika it’s the place to be! We were so comfortable there, it really felt we were at home.
This post is part of the Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Local
Yes you read right! Everyone who visited or lives in Cyprus knows that we don’t have railways or we won’t have in the future. So the only thing left is the past!
And yes indeed, we did have railways in the past, a part of our history, that even most Cypriots don’t know, especially young people.
When we visited Kakopetria village, a place that we really like and visit often, we decided to explore the villages close to Kokopetria, in case they had something interesting to see. On our way to Evrychou village, a sign about Evrychou Railway Station, caught our attention.
So we followed the road signs and we arrived at the Cyprus Railways Museum.
What we learned in our visit:
The Cyprus Government Railway (C.G.R.), as it was officially known, ran from 1905 until 1951 when it closed down due to financial constraints.
The first section heading from Ammochostos to Lefkosia (Nicosia -the capital city of Cyprus) was 57km long, and officially opened for public transport on October 1905. By December 1907, a further 38km had been added, from Lefkosia to Morfou. And by June 1915 a third, 23km long extension from Morfou to Evrychou had been added. With this section the line of C.G.R. was completed.
A hand pump track and a freight wagon are exhibited in the yard
The Cyprus Government Railway was used in a number of ways and served both the colonial authorities and the local population.
The railway was an important conveyor of mail to and from Ammochostos harbour and carried mail overseas. It was also used for the distribution of mail throughout the island.
During World War II and post war years, the Cyprus Railways played a significant role as a prime mover of troops, stores and ammunitions from Ammochostos harbour to the Royal Air Force airfield in Lefkosia.
With time, road transport developed at the expense of the railway. So the British Government announced the closure of the C.G.R. on December 1951.
An extension of the railway which was built to serve the Cyprus Mines Corporation operated until 1974.
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It would be very nice if we still had railways in Cyprus!
I should admit that I’ m not a big fan of tea! I only drink tea when I’ m sick, when I don’t find anything else to order or when I visit friends and they offer tea. However, if I am going to have tea, I do prefer herbal green tea or fruit flavoured.
We are often going to this cafe – Coffeeshop Company – close to our apartment next to a shopping mall. I think is an austrian cafe branch here in Bratislava.
The other day we went there for a coffee and I saw a leaflet of their new fresh herbal tea. It looked fantastic and it seemed like the kind of tea that I could drink. I was curious so I gave it try. It was savouring!
Of course the same evening I had a sore throat and I got a flu. So I realized that this was the reason why I wanted to have tea at the time. Needless to say that I passed the next days at the Coffeshop drinking tea! Without a doubt, it was the best tea I ‘ve ever had!
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