Going Underground

The journey of the first Tube train took place on 9 January 1863 and the  first Tube line built and financed by a private company was the Metropolitan Railway. The Tube’s first escalator was installed at Earl’s Court in 1911, featuring a diagonal finish to the stairway, meaning the right foot reached the top moments before the left and in 1907 a spiral escalator opened at Holloway Road.

The “Tube” became a proper name for the first time in the early 1900s, after the Central London Railway (now the Central Line) was nicknamed the “Twopenny Tube”. The “Twopenny Tube” nickname was conceived by the Daily Mail, five days after it opened. When the Circle Line opened in 1884, the experience of riding it was described in The Times as “a form of mild torture”. 

Salt

Chemists define the mineral halite, or common table salt, as sodium chloride (NaCl). The combination of sodium, an unstable metal that burns when wet, and chloride, a derivative of the poisonous gas chlorine, creates the world's most widely used preservative and food condiment.

 

Down by the Water

Blue is scattered more than other colours because it travels as shorter, smaller waves.
This is why we see a blue sky most of the time.

As the Sun sets, its light is passing through more of the atmosphere. Even more of the
blue light is scattered, allowing the reds and yellows to pass straight through to your eyes.

The Trams of Leipzig

The first trams in Leipzig opened on the 18th May 1872 and were horse-drawn. In 1881 the network was extended due to its popularity with the residents of Leipzig. The next change for the tram system was the introduction of electricity. The Leipziger Elektrische Straßenbahn opened in 1896, with two companies competing against each other, one running Red trams and the other Blue. Within just eighteen months the whole horse-drawn tram network was converted to overhead electric traction. Today, Leipzig's tram network is one of the biggest in Germany, the second biggest after Berlin. In 2011 there were thirteen different routes and the routes spanned 218km. 

A Meringue Kiss

The name meringue first appeared in François Massialot's book "Nouvelle instruction pour les confitures, les liqueurs et les fruits" in 1692.

In the Loire region of France slow baked meringues are nicknamed "pets" ('farts' in French) because of their light and fluffy texture

Villersbrunnen

The building you can see in the background is called Ring-Messehaus. According to the "internet", so it must be true, "The building was constructed in several phases. It was until 1926 by the ring-Messehaus AG built. The complex extends from Tröndlinring to Humboldt Street, north of the Richard-Wagner-Platz."

well it does if you use Google Translate directly inside Wikipedia. 

The fountain is called Villersbrunnen and was sculpted by Max Unger in 1903 in the image of the late wife of the Leipzig publisher Dürr. The statue was melted down in 1942 and used in the German war effort. In the 1950's the fountain was restored to its original state with the help of a replica by sculptor Marcus Gläser, which was then in turn stolen again in 1993 and only replaced in 2003 by another faithful copy.

Unoriginal Autumn Title no.4

This Autumn has been very impressive. Lots of sunny days, loads of colour in the trees and always a chance of a good picture...unless it is too cold to stop.

Cupcake or Muffin

So what is the difference between a cupcake and a muffin? Are they essentially the same thing? Is the only difference between a cupcake and a muffin frosting?

Keeping Cool

Shooting People

I don't often get to take pictures of people, mainly because that would involve socialising with people. Instead I gatecrash other peoples photo shoots and take pictures myself. This is exactly what I did here.

February to May

The difference three months can make..in the 88 days since the 27th of February until May the 24th so much has changed in the park. No longer is the pond frozen or winter winds burning your cheeks, now the sun is blinding your eyes and the pollen is making you sneeze. I love spring time...

In springtime, the only pretty ring time

Birds sing, hey ding

A-ding, a-ding

Sweet lovers love the spring.

from As You Like It, Act V, Scene 3

by William Shakespeare [1564-1616]

or 

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

based on the novel by Roald Dahl

Instagramish

So, not having a smart phone, I cannot try out Instagram. So here are my Instagramishish pictures...where basically i've just overdone it on the filters and effects...et voila..

all pictures were taken in Erfurt.

arty 70's shot of a Ferris Wheel

LENS FLARE...

moody abandoned building...drop the darks and raise the lights...