Reaching for the Heavens

Nice architectural details. Don't know where, but I'm guessing Germany.

Bonus - Viddy well, little brother. Viddy well.

Name That Structure

A slightly unusual view of a VERY well know engineering structure. Something so well known in it's traditional form that this view is a little unexpected and rather pleasant.

Answer

Bonus - Cyclist narrowly avoids becoming pizza

Bonus 2 - John Stewart's Animated Take on The Royal Wedding

Not So Brave Now

School Trip to Ibiza, Easter 1973.

Yes, what school trip is complete without a trip to the bull-fight. Even better, get some of the cocksure teens in the same ring as a frisky young bullock.

See how they keep their distance now.

Bonus - Virgin Galactic testing - Including Feathering. For those of you with the attention span of a horny badger, cut to 2:10

Meyers Rondvaarten

Had I asked you to guess the city  from this slide, I'm sure 75% of folk would have guessed Amsterdam.

And they'd be right.  OK, other city's have old buildings, canals and cruises (Brugge comes to mind), but the tour company's name seals the deal.

Bonus - Awesome pics from Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

On Tour With The Fanshawes

If it's Friday, it must be the Alps.

With the luggage tied into the roof. (Hope they're insured.)

Bonus - What, here's me with another dose of lurghi, and you want entertaining?     Damn    OK, Hungover Owls.

Oh. You ARE close.

Terry never did understand the basic optical principals behind telescopes.

Bonus 1 - Journalists.   Lazy sods.  Especially on The Independant. Wanky Balls, indeed.

Bonus 2 - Unicorn Being a Jerk

Meet The Staff

There seems to be a strange tendency for holiday makers to photograph the staff in hotels, bars, restaurants and suchlike. I like to think this is a measure of their appreciation ("Gee Hank, this bar served the best beer ever ! It didn't even taste like the pee-water we call beer in America") rather than as an aide-memoir for some xenophobic comment ("Hank, these Belgian were so damned ungrateful. I fought there in 1944, but this Frau didn't even remember me !")

Bonus - Unusual headline. Man dies of uterine cancer

Bonus 2 - Teenage Fanclub last night. Fan-Blomin'-Tastic  Reading 1992

Eastern European Peasants

With today's furore over Gordon Brown ( or if you're a Daily Mail reader, Gordy Bottler McBroon) and his response to questions about Eastern Europeans in Britain, I thought I'd just on the bandwagon with a positive image of some Eastern Europeans

Here we have Bogdan and Mischa, two hardworking farmers who have worked every day of their lives, and never sponged off the state. A product of a strong community, centred on the church. Just the sort of people that the UKIP and BNP would love to keep well away from this Green and Septic Isle.

Bonus.  Anyone else chuckle at Gillian Duffy's question "You can't say anything about immigrants. All these eastern Europeans - where are they coming from?".

Bonus Two : 

Created by Oatmeal

A View of Brown Nothingness

From the set "Lloret de Mar, 1968" and is another of the "Easter Holiday, School Coach Trip to Spain" series.

It may have been The Summer of Love, but as these two lovely girls show, the reality for the general population was still Crimplene, sensible shoes and socks.

Here, the class takes a break from beaches and boys, enjoying the lush (?) valleys of the inland country.

Bonus : Courtesy of B3TA's Damocles...

Ibiza Beach

Early post as I'm off out.  *

Another Ibiza Easter 1973 shot, and what made me chuckle was the dude on the left. Flares obviously came into fashion suddenly, and mummy modified his existing jeans with a triangle of material. Pity she had no denim material...

* Collecting lobsters for a cheesecake.

Well...Helloo !

I can just imagine Leslie Phillips taking a shine to these two lovelies, and trying out his distinctive suave chat-up lines.

Dirty old beggar....they're still at school, you dirty old man.

Yes, they're on their school's Easter cultural trip to Ibiza back in 1973, and from the size of the flairs, these two dollie birds would have been in the height of fashion then.

Meanwhile in Amsterdam...

Raamdwars Straat to be 100% pernickity.    Looks like we have the work of one of Banksy's predecessors. Which is nice.

Google was unable to turn up any info on this mural, but it did reveal this shot from Raamdwarsstraat. Which is also nice.

At Your Servile

Majorca, Easter 1971

And I'm not too sure who Mr Sportsjacket is.

Another slide from the box of school Easter cultural coach trip photos, but is the chap in the centre the junior head waiter of the Hotel de Cholera, mugging it up for the camera ?

Or is he the trainee Geography teacher from King Boris XII Comprehensive in East Cheam?

Or is he a particularly old-before-his-time student ( a proto-geek?).

   I'd say Option A.

Looks Familiar

If there's a problem with slides from holidays, then familiarity must be one of the main candidates. It must be almost impossible to photograph the Taj Mahal in any way that hasn't been done 47,000 times before. Leaning Tower of Pisa, Eiffel Tower, Stonehenge, The Pyramids, Windsor Castle, Sydney Opera House...blah, blah, blah.

So it's always pleasant to come across a slide of a familiar sight in a different way, and this sure is one.  OK, it's not a great shot, but at least it's different.

In the words of Saint Rolf of Harris, can you tll what it is yet?    Here's the answer

Ed, Ted and Eddie

Time to dip into the "School Trips" boxes, and this time it's from the "Ibiza, Easter 1973" selection.

Three of the "young dudes" pose for the camera in their finery. Denim and crimplene...perefect for those hot days in Spanish sun. I wonder what happened to these chaps ?

Ed (left) left school at 15, and started roadying for midlands legends "The Hammermen", before being convicted of drug dealing and landing up in jail for 7 years. On release, Ed found Jesus, and ran a youthclub in Matlock before being convicted  of drug dealing again. After another 7 years, we was released on parole and disappeared off  to Canada with his best friend's daughter.

Ted (middle) was a geek, and remained a geek. Honing his programming skillson the Polytechnic's mainframe,  he wrote the software for a small local building society. Unfortunately, he included an exploit that skimmed 1 penny off every acount, every month into his own account, and was last heard of on the run in Thailand.

Eddie (right) in now the Tory MEP for East Anglia (North). Loser.

Outside The Institute

Here we have Dr Huey, Dr Louie and Prof Dewey, outside L'Ecole Surrealiste, the famous French Institute of silliness.

Dr Louie is attempting to prank Prof Dewey with the Fake-Hand-On-The-Shoulder gag, which the Prof is totally non-selling.

Dr Huey, on the other hand, furoiusly thinking about waterskiing penguins to demonstrate his grasp of surrealism.

Top Class French Philosophy wins again !

Trink Coca-Cola

More slides from America. Well, slides from Americans.

This one seems to be from the Alps, in either Germany or Austria. Rather than the awesome scenery (in the background) Ethel and Hank seems to be impressed by this little bit of americana with a chirpy germanic twist.  Yes, and refreshment kiosk in the form ofg a coke can. Hilarious.

<Shakes head in disbelief.>

Danish Chateau ?

OK, I admit it. I have no idea what the Danish Equivalent of "Chateau" is.

But this is what they look like.

America's useful citizen

Another slide from someone's trip to Denmark. I'm guessing it's an American, who's fascinated by this plaque.  For those who don't recognise the name, Jacob Riis is commemorated as "America useful citizen" in a rough translation of the last line.

A strange tribute for a pioneer of photo-journalism.

Busman's Holiday

..or maybe just a bored driver enjoying a rest.

Occassionally, a set of fairl dull and predictable views of stately homes and scenic views is interupted by a cracking little photo. Like this one, I guess.

From the name on the coach ("Copenhagen Excursions") I guess this shot is from Denmark, but subject-wise, it could be from anywhere.