Disneyland Paris, just before Halloween

Something that I didn't talk about on the previous post, was the fact that Disneyland is expecting Halloween and is decorated accordingly. Even though I'm not a very big fan of such days where everyone is supposed to do something specific etc, I couldn't help feeling fascinated, just like in the x-mas market at La Defense last year (we'll have some photos of that in late November!)

Anyway, some more photos from Disneyland.

Yeah, sorry about that. I just wanted to continue with the water effect from the previous post, because it looks so nice.

As usual, click on it and check it out in all its detail and glory. Isn't it very nice? 

This is a Disney castle. Some princess is supposed to be there. You know, one of those who find their heads rolling in a big coffin, because Bastille is not far, baby!

Now that I see it edited, it looks more like a Game of Thrones castle. Still, the ending will be similar. This time the head will be on a stick.

Here, what was I saying? They started already. The first victim of the revolution was princess Minnie Pumpkinface, the first of her name. Look at that frozen smile. Oh, the horrors she must have seen.

I'm kind of worried for my mental health. On a post about Disneyland and Halloween, I see Game of Thrones and brutal executions.

A day in Disneyland Paris

We've been several times in Disneyland Paris, one of the most visited places in Europe, but it was the very first time that we had the Canon 650D with us. I didn't spend the whole time taking photos, obviously, since we had to go to the attractions as well. But the few I took (around 100), looked like they were worth taking. Let's see three of them!

Seagulls and ducks. Somewhere in Discoveryland (Disneyland has various such lands, with a theme on each one of them). Lots of coins in the water. Many wishes not granted or just a fancy way to get rid of the extra change.

"By the way, dude, you went to freaking Disneyland and you took photos of some birds again? What's the matter with you?!" Relax, will you? I'm not done yet.

There. This is some water. With the shutter speed on 1/3 sec making it hard to stay perfectly still (I had no tripod), I managed to take a few photos with this nice water effect.

Click on the photos and see the effect everywhere. Also, on the top and a bit to the right, two people are walking. Unlike the others who are still, these are just some blurry smudges.

Still, the photos I took, could be taken everywhere. Right? Well, not all of them. I gave you this moving water effect because it's beautiful and also, to prepare you for the next photo. Behold.

This photo is from Fantasia. A movie of 1940 by Walt Disney, one of the absolute classics. You can see the water falling from the buckets held by the living brooms.

And if you cannot see it, then click on the photo! How many times do I have to tell you? Anyway, I'm quite happy with today's photos!

Back to Domeniul Greaca (poolside)

I told you already, I have a couple of thousands of pictures. And many of them are very interesting. Let's go back to Domeniul Greaca and see some interesting shots.

I know that I don't post a lot lately, but I have some other projects as well, for which we will talk when the time comes. Also, I'm lazy.

Peace, truth, hope. You can find these stones while going to the swimming pool of the hotel.

The great lighting helped me get some beautiful detail here. You can click on the photos to see them better.

Talking about the swimming pool. Check this. It's like we're back in Tunisia, not Romania! This photo is like made for a card! But wait, there's more!

OK, I'm not experienced in taking photos, but a good photo for me is one that keeps you staring at it because you like it (not because of its ugliness), even if there are some flaws. This is one of those photos. The blue is beautiful here.

The young lady on my left is Marina. After some group photos next to the pool in the evening, we stayed a few more minutes to try and see what we can do with long exposures.

I like very much the colours of the night photos. Especially the green of the grass and the details of the motionless parts are great. Click on the photos! See them in all their glory!

Also, I wrote on a previous post that the Peleş was something like Ceauşescu's house. I was mistaken. He didn't like it and he had closed it from 1975 until his execution. Shortly after that, it opened again.

Panning and getting dizzy

While we are at Poiana Brașov for the workshop Metamorphoses V of UNESCO and I'm dearly defeated all day because of the snow that hasn't stopped since morning and has covered the whole place, I will give you some photos from previous week, when I had experimented with panning while in the train and returning to Bucharest.

Seriously, it's October 1st. I know that we are in the mountains, but snow?! And so much? At least in Paris it snows in January and February, when it's still sad but at least it's expected! Anyway. To the photos.

So, trying to have one part of the image clear while the others look like they are in motion, I tried to follow one spot with the movement of the train. This is one of my successful tries.

And this is the same try, with more intense colours, clearer and with your beloved watermark.

A small, lonely little tree seems to be motionless while the world around it is running. I like a lot this one.

As you expected, I like the edited one more. Imagine if only I had edited the photo only to like more the unedited one. This would be the definition of fail, actually. But it's not. No, not today.

Come on, get dizzy with me! Wheeeeeeeee!

I like this effect. Enough with it for now though. Next post will have more normal photos! For now, remember to click on the photos to see them bigger.

On a side note, I cannot hide my joy for the fact that the neo-nazi criminal organization is being dissolved and its members incarcerated with lots of heavy charges, but I cannot hide my worries for the timing. Many people have known them and their sick nature for many years now. But the government found out only after the murder of Killah-P? And now suddenly many politicians and opinion manipulators (who work as journalists) became antifascists? Would I be too strict to say that Greece is a bit messed up?

In the countryside in Romania

These days we are in Greaca, around 65km far from Bucharest, Romania, for a UNESCO action. I've had the chance to take a few hundred photos and I'm glad to present you three of them here, tonight (it's almost midnight in Romania at the time I started writing this).

Impressive colours, even with absolutely no editing. Many photos on the hill of the hotel Domeniul Greaca where we are guests, have this kind of beauty, thanks to the sun's contribution.

And this is what happens after a bit of editing. My little struggling netbook did very well and didn't get stuck in the process! Go ahead, click on the photo to see the slideshow. Come on, do I have to remind you every time?

I did pat myself on the back for this one. "Nice job, dude", I told me before stretching a bit, because patting yourself on the back is a bit hard. It needs flexibility.

What happened here? Just some editing happened. Editing takes a great photo and makes it even better. Check the intensity of the colours. I like this one very much, in case it wasn't undestood.

This is at the entrance of Lumina university, in Bucharest. These tiny boxes with the balconies that are closed and have become another room, are something very common in Bucharest.

Say what you want, but I prefer to live in these boxes in the city than in the countryside.

Zoo reloaded VIII - Vultures edition

Summer has ended, at least on the calendar. The fall is here and, like a vulture, is trying to feed its sickly body with the flesh a still moving summer, celebrating its temporary victory. Well, fuck fall, fuck winter. They'll come and they go again. Like always. But, seriously, fuck them.

Vultures today, my friends. These majestic creatures that symbolize death in a way. The beauty of those magnificent birds against the ugliness of autumn and winter. Once again, fuck autumn and fuck winter. Off we go with the photos.

They get well fed every day. And they share their lunch with swallows mostly, that can enter the cages. The pigeons are a bit too big to pass through.

Check this face better. Under this strange orange thing that looks like a leather towel, you can hear it whispering "death..." Come on closer. Don't be afraid. It won't bite...

A white one. Doesn't look like a vulture in the way we are used to, but believe me, it is.

See it better and edited. You find his haircut funny? I hope that you'll be laughing when its beak is searching through your warm flesh for edible pieces.

Look at those black eyes. This stare. This one will suck out your soul as a first plate before showing you the hard way that, no matter who or what you are, you can still become a delicious vulture meal.

And it won't wait for you to die before starting, no. Vultures don't like to eat alone.

Zoo reloaded VII - Birds and a turtle (suitable for all)

Tonight you'll excuse me for being less talkative. I have a terrible headache and I will finish with the post quickly and go to bed. Here we go.

This is an ostrich.

This is the same ostrich, but edited.

This is a water turtle.

Same here. With watermark and all.

I don't know how this one is called, but it has a trendy haircut.

And here's the same. Thanks for watching, see you when my head doesn't feel like exploding.

Zoo reloaded VI - The mocking bird

There's still plenty of material from the ménagerie du jardin des plantes, but probably soon enough there will be a new theme. Until then, you may enjoy what I have prepared for you! And first of all, something from that garden with the tropical plants. Something that, irrelevant as I am when it comes to plants, amused me and I wanted to share with you. Behold.

\m/

Peperomia metallica. Gimme fu, gimme fah, gimme samazamazah! Hah. Cool song. I used to play it with Some Say So, back in Xanthi, Greece, in 2006 and 2007. Also, this photo shows a plant, apparently.

Oh, deer.

Yes, I know, very clever, you never heard it before. Anyway, stop judging me and look at these cute faces. It wasn't very sunny, but even if it were, they have their space to cover from bad (or too good) weather.

This little guy gave the title to today's post. I don't know what a mockingbird is and I'm too lazy to google it, but this swallow is definitely mocking the cage by sitting on it face out.

I don't know, it looks like a big "screw you" to the cages in general. The swallows enter the cages, eat from the food of the birds in there and leave. Swallows and pigeons are the luckiest residents of the ménagerie.

Zoo reloaded IV - Cute duckling

Without much talking today, I will move straight to the photos. Or maybe I won't yet. Because I have a huge objection. Do you know the little story of the ugly duckling? In a few words, it was a little duck that was different than the other ducks and they were all saying that it was ugly, until it grew up and became a swan, probably because it was a swan all along. And it wasn't ugly anymore. Which means that before, according to the storyteller, it was ugly. And I'd like to ask the storyteller, are you fucking stupid?? Or you haven't seen a little swan ever?

Am I being unreasonable? OK, let's see.

Well, I was wrong. Look at the ugliness on this disgusting creature. Yuk! It makes me want to puke!

This painfully ugly duckling will become a disgracefully ugly swan, probably. Click on it, to see the ugliness in all its glory. The storyteller was right after all! So ugly!

This is called grue, I think. A beautiful bird. Not like that ugly little swan! Ugh! The ugliness in that bird!

Now, with some editing and a watermark, it looks much better.

This little fellow just dropped his/her food and is now looking at it. There were two little ones, that were extremely lively and they were jumping from branch to rope with great dexterity.

We stayed and watched them for a long time and we would stay even longer if we weren't so tired.

But this little swan, right? So ugly!