Autofocused Photography

Perseid

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:07 -0500

Just above Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec, a multicolored , long Perseid striking the sky just to the right of Milky Way in august 2010.

Freight Trains

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:59 -0500

Abandoned freight wagons, near Trois-Rivieres, Quebec

Never strikes twice

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:55 -0500

A long exposure picture, in which I was lucky enough to catch multiple lightning strikes, congerving on Montreal's "Le Dauphin" appartment building on Papineau Ave. near Sherbrooke boul.

Babel

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:05 -0500

Downtown Chicago, where business is booming and skyscrappers are rising.

King of the World

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:32 -0500

Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States.

Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It is 33 feet by 66 feet by 42 feet (10 m × 20 m × 13 m), and weighs 110 short tons (100 t; 98 long tons).

Kapoor's design was inspired by liquid mercury and the sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline. Visitors are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate's 12-foot (3.7 m) high arch. On the underside is the "omphalos" (Greek for "navel"), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections. The sculpture builds upon many of Kapoor's artistic themes, and is popular with tourists as a photo-taking opportunity for its unique reflective properties.

City in a bubble

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:08 -0500

Rising towards Heaven

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:29 -0500

Taken at Cumberland Blue Line Station, in Chocago Illinois, this access ramp reminded me of the Tower of Babel, for some reason.

Destination Reached

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:23 -0500

You know what happens next.

Bixi City

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:22 -0500

A glimpse of Montreal, and its public bicycle rental system, the Bixi.

Baraka's Bokeh

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:19 -0500

NYC Taxi 2

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:29 -0500

The taxicabs of New York City, with their distinctive yellow paint, are a widely recognized icon of the city.

Taxicabs are operated by private companies and licensed by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. The Commission is a New York City government agency, within the New York City Department of Transportation, that is best known for its responsibility for the more than 13,087 yellow taxis operating in the city.

Nuptial Rebels

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:26 -0500

In Fulton Park, Brooklyn, young souls celebrate love their own way.

One

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:48 -0500

Footsteps away from la Concièregerie, two lovers bond on the Pont de Change, in Paris France.

Paris Panthéon

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:59 -0500

Shot from the Louis-Phillip bridge in Paris, this urban photo features Paris' Pnathéon in the distant background.

Welcome

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:55 -0500

Welcome home.

Locomo flower

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:45 -0500

a lone flower blooms amongst the locomotive wheels.

Hyde Park Gazebo

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:38 -0500

A Gazebo, somewhere in Hyde Park, London.

It's 5 o'clock somewhere

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:24 -0500

Everyday, at 5 o'clock, people around the world get inebriated. I'm assuming that's where this fellow is running off to.

Le Champ de Mars

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:08 -0500

A pleasant little brasserie not far from the Eiffel Tower, where you can expect terrible service from it's french waiters.

Queued

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:49 -0500

Queued Air France planes on the Charles-de-Gaulle tarmac.

Holocaust Memorial

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:45 -0500

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial, is a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold.

It consists of a 19,000 square meter site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs, one for each page of the Talmud arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. The slabs are 2.38m long, 0.95m wide and vary in height from 0.2 m to 4.8m.

According to Eisenman's project text, the slabs are designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.

A 2005 copy of the Foundation for the Memorial's official English tourist pamphlet, however, states that the design represents a radical approach to the traditional concept of a memorial, partly because Eisenman did not use any symbolism.

Building began on April 1, 2003 and was finished on December 15, 2004. It was inaugurated on May 10, 2005, sixty years after the end of World War II, and opened to the public on May 12 of the same year.

It is located one block south of the Brandenburg Gate, in the Friedrichstadt neighborhood. The cost of construction was approximately €25 million. The memorial is controversial, and was described by the then leader of the German Jewish community as unnecessary.

The Queen's Walk

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:32 -0500

The Queen's Walk is a promenade located on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, England, between Lambeth Bridge and Tower Bridge.

The creation of pedestrian access along the south bank of the Thames was seen as an integral part of the creation of the Jubilee Walkway to mark the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977. However, the last section was not established until the completion of construction of London Bridge City in 1990.

In 1996, the Walk was recognised as a foundation for establishing the Thames Path national trail through London.

Simplicité Involontaire

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:25 -0500

Bubble Brooklyn

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:08 -0500

Bubbles under the Brooklyn Bridge.

Industrial Ying and Yang

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:03 -0500

Abandonned industrial complex, somewhere in Trois-Riviere, Quebec

Of Citroen and Towers

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:00 -0500

Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer.

Founded in 1919 by André Citroën, Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside of the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that complement the motor car.

Within eight years Citroën had become Europe’s largest car manufacturer, and the 4th largest in the world.
By producing Europe’s first all-steel-bodied car, and stunning the world in 1934 with the Traction Avant - the world’s first mass produced front wheel drive car, and the revolutionary Citroën DS, Citroën earned a reputation for innovation and revolutionary engineering, which is reflected in the company’s slogan “Créative Technologie”.

The brand celebrated its 90th Anniversary in 2009.

NYC Taxi

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:53 -0500

Gedenkstätte

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:49 -0500

Admiralty Arch‎

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:34 -0500

Admiralty Arch is a large office building in London which incorporates an archway providing road and pedestrian access between The Mall, which extends to the South-West, and Trafalgar Square to the North-East. It was designed by Sir Aston Webb, constructed by John Mowlem & Co and completed in 1912. It adjoins the Old Admiralty Building, hence the name.

The building was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria, although he did not live to see its completion. A Latin inscription along the top reads:

: ANNO : DECIMO : EDWARDI : SEPTIMI : REGIS :
: VICTORIÆ : REGINÆ : CIVES : GRATISSIMI : MDCCCCX :

(In the tenth year of King Edward VII, to Queen Victoria, from most grateful citizens, 1910)

Aquagathering

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:16 -0500

Shot in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec.

Pont de Grand-Mère

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:15 -0500

Pont de Grand-Mère was inaugurated in May 1929, as a new link between the banks of the Saint-Maurice.

Built by the Laurentide Pulp and Paper Company, it is the city of Grand Mother who paid the $ 400,000 needed for its realization.

Following it's inauguration, it was known to be the longest and lowest suspended bridge in Canada for many decades.

Place de la Concorde

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 20:01 -0500

The Place de la Concorde is one of the major public squares in Paris, France. In fact, in terms of area, its 86,400 square metres make it the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.

The center of the Place is occupied by a giant Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaoh Ramses II. It is one of two the Egyptian government gave to the French in the nineteenth century. The other one stayed in Egypt, too difficult and heavy to move to France with the technology at that time. In the 1990s, President François Mitterrand gave the second obelisk back to the Egyptians.

Confined

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:48 -0500

London Lonely

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:24 -0500

Lone bagpiper on the Westmister Bridge in London, England.

Through the Lens

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:57 -0500

Shot near Ground Zero, in New York.

Berliner Dom

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:53 -0500

The Berliner Dom (Berlin Cathedral) is a baroque Cathedral built between 1894 and 1905. It is located on an island in the river Spree, also known as the Museum Island. The current building is the third church built at this location.

During the Second World War, the building was hit by a fire bomb which severely damaged much of the Cathedral. A temporary roof was installed to protect what remained of the interior and, despite plans by the East German government to demolish the building, in 1975 reconstruction of the church started.

The restoration of the interior begun in 1984 and in 1993 the church reopened. It was consecrated for the second time in 1996. During reconstruction, the original design was modified into a more simplified form. The Hohenzollern mausoleum that was located at the north side of the building was removed in the process.

It is interesting to note that on April 10, 1935, Adolf Hiltler was the first witness to Herrman Goring wedding in the Berliner Dom.

I love bicycles

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:24 -0500

Shot in Parc Lafontaine, Montreal.

Belly of the Beast

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:48 -0500

The Eiffel Tower is a 19th century iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris that has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.

The Eiffel Tower, which is the tallest building in Paris, is the single most visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year.

The tower stands at 324 meters tall, about the same height as an 81-story building. It was the tallest structure in the world from its completion until 1930, when it was eclipsed by the Chrysler Building in New York City. Not including broadcast antennas, it is the second-tallest structure in France.

Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch for the 1889 World's Fair.

Chef d'Orchestre

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:44 -0500

In the summer time, Mount Royal hosts a popular activity known as the "Tam Tam Jam", whereby a number of Montrealers and visitors play hand drums ("tam-tams" in French) such as djembes on the east slope of the mountain, around the monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier.

The Sunday gatherings attract people of various backgrounds, and often dozens of tam-tam players perform and improvize their art at the same time, encouraging others to dance. In addition, many children and adults participate in a continuous mock medieval battle with foam-padded weapons.

The Tam-tams began in the late '70s with a workshop on African drumming at a jazz bar on Ontario Street.[22] It is not organized by the municipal authorities. Despite initial resistance by participants, the city now intervenes in the event, restricting commercial activity to registered members in designated areas and assigning police and first aid technicians to ensure the safety of those present. Although initially controversial in light of the event's communal and countercultural vibe (and permissive attitude towards marijuana use) the police presence has not led to conflict.

Pont Marie

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:17 -0500

The Pont Marie is a bridge which crosses the Seine in Paris, France.

The bridge links the Île Saint-Louis to the quai de l'Hôtel de Ville and is one of three bridges designed to allow traffic flow between the Île Saint-Louis and the Left and Right banks of Paris.

The Pont Marie links the Right Bank and is the counterpart of the Pont de la Tournelle which is built along the same line but serves to connect the Île Saint-Louis with the Left Bank.

Tugboat Alley

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:19 -0500

A tugboat in Tugboat Alley, between the Manhattan and Staten Island.

Topography of Terror

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:13 -0500

The Topography of Terror is an outdoor museum in Berlin, the capital of Germany. It is located in Niederkirchnerstrasse, on the site of buildings which during the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945 were the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS, the principal instruments of repression during the Nazi era.

The buildings that housed the Gestapo and SS headquarters were largely destroyed by Allied bombing during early 1945 and the ruins demolished after the war. The boundary between the American and Soviet zones of occupation in Berlin ran along this street, so the street soon became a fortified boundary, and the Berlin Wall ran along the south side of the street, renamed Niederkirchnerstrasse, from 1961 to 1989.

The wall itself, seen in the background, was never removed from the site, and the section adjacent to the Topography of Terror site is the second-longest segment still in place (after the East Side Gallery in Friedrichshain).

She Waits for Life

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:06 -0500

Corner Mont-Royal and De Lorimier.

Next Morning

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:04 -0500

What remains of January 1st celebrations, in Paris.

Ha 'penny Bridge Pennies

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:50 -0500

The Ha 'penny Bridge is a pedestrian cast-iron bridge built in 1816, which crosses over the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland.

In 2001 the number of daily pedestrians using the bridge was 27,000.

Crossing

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:44 -0500

The Brooklyn Bridge bicycle and pedestrian path extends down the center bridge, with cyclists in the north lane and pedestrians on the south lane.

Converging

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:37 -0500

The Louvre Pyramid is a large glass and metal pyramid, surrounded by three smaller pyramids, in the main courtyard of the Louvre Palace in Paris.

The large pyramid serves as the main entrance to the Louvre Museum. Completed in 1989,it has become a landmark of the city of Paris.

Alone in the City of Love

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:31 -0500

Paris is the capital city of France.

It is also said to be the city of lovers… the most romantic place on earth, and French is the language of love. With so much love and would be lovers around, you are bound to experience love at its finest.

The city is situated on the River Seine in northern France, and its location at a crossroads between land and river trade routes has made it one of the principal cities of Europe.

Again and Again

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:25 -0500

An abandonned warehouse facing the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, under the Brooklyn Bridge.

Achtung

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:21 -0500

River Thames

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:01 -0500

The River Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities.

Left, the Westminster Bridge and Big Ben.

Reichstag

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:59 -0500

The Reichstag building in Berlin was constructed to house the Reichstag, parliament of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Reichstag until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a fire supposedly set by Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe.

Rebuilt after it was mearly destroyed during World War 2, The Reichstag building now features a glass dome. The Reichstag dome is the large glass dome at the very top of the building.

The dome has a 360-degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape. The main hall of the parliament below can also be seen from the cupola, and natural light from above radiates down to the parliament floor.

A large sun shield tracks the movement of the sun electronically and blocks direct sunlight which might bedazzle those below.

TGV

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:54 -0500

The TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, French for 'high-speed train') is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by VFE, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator.

It was developed during the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom (now Alstom) and SNCF. Although originally designed to be powered by gas turbines, the TGV prototypes evolved into electric trains.

Following the inaugural TGV service between Paris and Lyon in 1981, the TGV network, centered on Paris, has expanded to connect cities across France and in adjacent countries.

Lust in Berlin

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:50 -0500

The Kunsthaus Tacheles was a former department store which now houses a self-organized collective of artists on Oranienburger Straße in Berlin-Mitte.

The court yard hosted a variety of art pieces, including this one.

Look Right

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:45 -0500

When in the United Kingdom, look right before crossing the street. Trust me!

From Above

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:44 -0500

Flying over Lake Michigan, leaving the beautiful Windy City, Chicago.

Flat Iron

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:42 -0500

The Flatiron Building, or Fuller Building as it was originally called, is located at 175 Fifth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan, and is considered to be one of the first skyscrapers ever built.

Upon completion in 1902 it was one of the tallest buildings in New York City. The building sits on a triangular island block at 23rd Street, Fifth Avenue, and Broadway, anchoring the south (downtown) end of Madison Square.

The neighborhood around the building is called the Flatiron District after its signature building.

Exodus

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:40 -0500

Shot at Montreal`s TamTam weekly gathering.

Campanile of Trinity College

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:36 -0500

Trinity College was founded in 1592 by queen elizabeth I on the site of an augustian monastery. The campus of trinity college has three beautiful squares and the buildings have diverse architectural styles.

Catholics were not allowed to attend this college until 1970.

The campanile (bell tower) stands nearly a hundred feet tall and was built in 1853 by Sir Charles Lanyon - it has become one of the most iconic images of Trinity College and Dublin.

Brooklyn Black

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:31 -0500

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. At 1825 meters, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening to 1903, the first steel-wire suspension bridge.

Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge in an 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and formally so named by the city government in 1915.

Since its opening, it has become an iconic part of the New York skyline. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.

Lustgarten

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:03 -0500

The Lustgarten ("Pleasure Garden") is a park on Museum Island in central Berlin, near the site of the former Berliner Stadtschloss (Berlin City Palace) of which it was originally a part.

At various times in its history, the park has been used as a parade ground, a place for mass rallies and a public park.

Behind, the Altes Museum (German for Old Museum), is one of several internationally renowned museums on Berlin's Museum Island in Berlin, Germany. Until 1845, it was called the Royal Museum.

Only crazies write on walls

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:56 -0500

So he wrote.

Traitors Gate

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:50 -0500

The Fusilier's Arch (first termed "Traitors Gate" by Redmondites), in Dublin, at the Grafton Street corner which commemorates the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who died in the Second Boer War.

Christ Church Cathedral

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:40 -0500

Christ Church Cathedral (The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, commonly known as Christ Church, Cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and Metropolitical Cathedral of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel) in Dublin is the elder of the city's two mediæval cathedrals.

Christ Church Cathedral is located in the former heart of mediaeval Dublin, next to Wood Quay, at the end of Dame Street.

Star Number Two

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:21 -0500

An abandonned warehouse facing the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, under the Brooklyn Bridge.

Final Solution

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:20 -0500

Sachsenhausen was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD special camp until 1950. The remaining buildings and grounds are now open to the public as a museum.

The camp was established in 1936. It was located 35 km north of Berlin, which gave it a primary position among the German concentration camps: the administrative centre of all concentration camps was located in Oranienburg, and Sachsenhausen became a training centre for Schutzstaffel (SS) officers who would often be sent to oversee other camps afterwards.

Executions took place at Sachsenhausen, especially of Soviet Prisoners of War. During the earlier stages of the camp’s existence the executions were done in a trench, either by shooting or by hanging.

Sachsenhausen was originally not intended as an extermination camp—instead, the systematic murder was conducted in camps to the east. In 1942 large numbers of Jewish inmates were relocated to Auschwitz. However the construction of a gas chamber and ovens by the camp commandant Anton Kaindl in March 1943, facilitated the means to kill larger numbers of prisoners.

The chamber used liquid Cyclon B which was placed in small glass bottles into the ventilation system next to the door. The bottle was broken with a spike and the gas mixed with the air and was forced into the chamber.
Sachsenhausen was intended to set a standard for other concentration camps, both in its design and the treatment of prisoners. The camp perimeter is, approximately, an equilateral triangle with a semi circular roll call area centered on the main entrance gate in the side running northeast to southwest. Barrack huts lay beyond the roll call area, radiating from the gate.

Time Warner Center

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:19 -0500

The Time Warner Center is a mixed-use skyscraper developed by The Related Companies in New York City.

Its design consists of two 229 m towers bridged by a multi-story atrium containing upscale retail shops. Construction began in November 2000, following the demolition of the New York Coliseum.

It is the property with the highest-listed market value in New York City, $1.1 billion in 2006.

Wash up in Sachsenhausen

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:39 -0500

Bode Museum

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:08 -0500

The Bode Museum belongs to the group of museums on the Museum Island in Berlin and is a historically preserved building. The museum was designed by architect Ernst von Ihne and completed in 1904. Originally called the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum after Emperor Frederick III, the museum was renamed in honor of its first curator, Wilhelm von Bode, in 1956.

Closed for repairs since 1997, the museum was reopened on October 18, 2006. It is now the home for a collection of sculptures, Byzantine art, and coins and medals.

Stairway to Oblivion

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:57 -0500

Built to keep the fruit delivery by train fresh until they are send to the whole salers, the Fruiterie CN Victoria was probably built around 1913 and was closed around 1998.

The build is composed of a long shipping docks warehouse with an small administrative building at the corner. It is located at 500 Bridge, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

La Defense

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:27 -0500

La Grande Arche de la Défense (also La Grande Arche de la Fraternité) is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense to the west of Paris, France. It is usually known as the Arche de la Défense or simply as La Grande Arche.

The Arche is almost a perfect cube (width: 108m, height: 110m, depth: 112m); it has been suggested that the structure looks like a four-dimensional hypercube projected onto the three-dimensional world. It has a prestressed concrete frame covered with glass and Carrara marble from Italy.

It was built by the French civil engineering company Bouygues.

Paris Postal

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:19 -0500

When in Paris, look for the bright yellow postboxes and send me a post card.

Broadway Avenue

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:15 -0500

Broadway, as the name implies, is a wide avenue in New York City, which runs the full length of Manhattan and continues into the Bronx.

It is the oldest north-south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to the first New Amsterdam settlement.

Notting Hill Gate

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:15 -0500

Notting Hill Gate tube station is a London Underground station in Notting Hill.

Save our Planet

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:13 -0500

The Berlin Wall was a concrete barrier built by the German Democratic Republic that completely enclosed the city of West Berlin, separating it from East Germany, including East Berlin. The Wall included guard towers placed along large concrete walls.

At Niederkirchner Strasse near Potsdamer Platz, some 200 meters of the original Berlin wall still stand, 20 years after it was dismantled.

Morning routine

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:12 -0500

Shot in Paris' 11ieme arrondissement.

Mind the Gap

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:12 -0500

"Mind the gap" is a warning to train passengers of the gap between the train door and the station platform. It was introduced in 1969 by the London Underground. The phrase is so associated with the Underground that Transport for London sells T-shirts with the phrase on a London Transport symbol.

Underground London

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:57 -0500

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and is often extended to refer to the clock or the clock tower as well.

It is the largest four-faced chiming clock and the third-tallest free-standing clock tower in the world. It celebrated its 150th anniversary in May 2009 (the clock itself first ticking on 31 May 1859).

The nearest London Underground station is Westminster on the Circle, District and Jubilee lines.

Standing tall

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:56 -0500

Retro Metro

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:55 -0500

Tunnel leading to a Potsdamer Platz U-Bahn station.

Potsdamer Platz in Motion

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:54 -0500

Potsdamer Platz is an important public square and traffic intersection in the centre of Berlin, Germany, lying about one kilometre south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag (German Parliament Building).

It is named after the city of Potsdam, some 25 km to the south west, and marks the point where the old road from Potsdam passed through the city wall of Berlin at the Potsdam Gate.

After developing within the space of little over a century from an intersection of rural thoroughfares into the most bustling traffic intersection in Europe, it was totally laid waste during World War II and then left desolate during the Cold War era when the Berlin Wall bisected its former location.

Since German reunification, Potsdamer Platz has been the site of extensive redevelopment.

Ne pas fumer

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:53 -0500

If it's written, it must be true.

London blues

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:52 -0500

The Westminster bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames.

Westminster Bridge is now the oldest bridge in use in London and, apart from the repair of a few cracked ribs in 1924, it has had needed very little repair since it opened almost 150 years ago.

Sun setting

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:52 -0500

Montreal`s Olympic Stadium seen from the No.2 Incinerator.

When autumn comes

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:51 -0500

Closeup view of a maple leaf.

Sitting in the Dark

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:49 -0500

Call from London

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:47 -0500

The red telephone box, a public telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar, and despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, red boxes can still be seen in many places and current or ex-British Colonies around the world. The colour red was chosen to make them easy to spot.

Berlin Memorial

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:47 -0500

The Neue Wache (New Guard House) is a building in central Berlin, the capital of Germany. It is located on the north side of the Unter den Linden, a major east-west thoroughfare in the centre of the city.

Dating from 1816, the Neue Wache was designed by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel and is a leading example of German neoclassicism. Originally built as a guardhouse for the troops of the Crown Prince of Prussia, the building has been used as a war memorial since 1931.

The building served as a royal guard house until the end of World War I and the fall of the German monarchy in 1918. In 1931 the architect Heinrich Tessenow was commissioned by the state government of Prussia to redesign the building as a memorial for the German war dead. He converted the interior into a memorial hall with an oculus (circular skylight). The Neue Wache was then known as the "Memorial for the Fallen of the War." The building was heavily damaged by bombing and artillery during the last months of World War II.

After German reunification, the Neue Wache was again rededicated in 1993, as the "Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Victims of War and Tyranny." The GDR memorial piece was removed and replaced by an enlarged version of Käthe Kollwitz's sculpture Mother with her Dead Son. This sculpture is directly under the oculus, and so is exposed to the rain, snow and cold of the Berlin climate, symbolising the suffering of civilians during World War II.

I love Paris

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:45 -0500

The Champ de Mars is a large public green-space in Paris, France, located in the 7th arrondissement, between the Eiffel Tower to the northwest and the École Militaire to the southeast.

Sour Earth Hour

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:44 -0500

Montreal’s feeble involvement in Earth Hour 2008.

No further comments.

CDG Tarmac

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:43 -0500

Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (IATA: CDG, ICAO: LFPG), in the Paris area, is one of the world's principal aviation centres, as well as France's main airport.

It is named after Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), leader of the Free French Forces and founder of the French Fifth Republic. It is located within portions of several communes, 25 km to the north-east of Paris.

The airport serves as the principal hub for Air France. In 2008, Charles de Gaulle Airport handled over 60 million passengers and near 560,000 aircraft movements, making it the world's fifth busiest airport in terms of passengers and Europe's busiest (world's 5th busiest) airport in terms of aircraft movements.

Brandenburg Gate

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:41 -0500

The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and one of the main symbols of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city center at the intersection of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which one formerly entered Berlin.

The gate is the monumental entry to Unter den Linden, the renowned boulevard of linden trees which formerly led directly to the city palace of the Prussian monarchs.

It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace and built by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791.

The Brandenburg Gate was restored from 2000 to 2002.

Arbeit Macht Frei

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:38 -0500

"Arbeit macht frei" is a German phrase that can be translated as "work liberates" or "work sets you free".

The slogan is well-known for being placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps, including most famously Auschwitz, where it was made by prisoners with metalwork skills and erected by order of the Nazis in June 1940.

This specific entrance, is the Arbeit Macht Frei gate at the Sachsenhausen former Nazi concentration camp, in in Oranienburg, Germany, 1 hour outside Berlin.

This camp was used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945.

Amalgamation

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:05 -0500

The architecture of Montreal, Quebec, Canada is characterized by the juxtaposition of the old and the new and a wide variety of architectural styles, the legacy of two successive colonizations by the French, the British, and the close presence of the architecture of the United States to the south. Much like Quebec City, the city of Montreal had fortifications, but they were destroyed between 1804 and 1817.

For over a century and a half, Montreal was the industrial and financial centre of Canada. The variety of buildings included factories, elevators, warehouses, mills, and refineries which today provide a legacy of historic and architectural interest, especially in the downtown area and in Old Montreal. Many historical buildings in Old Montreal still in their original form, notably the impressive 19th century headquarters of all major Canadian banks on Saint Jacques Street

Good Night Montreal

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:50 -0500

Classical view on Montreal's skyline, shot from Redpath Silos, near Canal Lachine.

Montreal, or Montréal in French, is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec.

Originally called Ville-Marie ('City of Mary'), some historians think the city takes its present name from the Mont Réal, the three-head hill at the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located.

The official language of Montreal is French as defined by the city's charter. It is the second-largest French-speaking city in the Western world after Paris.

As of the 2006 Canadian Census, 1,620,693 people resided in the city of Montreal proper.

In 2007, Montreal was ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world.

Soir de Fete

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:16 -0500

Fireworks from a distance, on a hot summer night in Montreal.

Long Nook Beach

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

A not-so-secret favorite of nude sunbathers, Longnook Beach shares the senses of wildness and isolation synonymous with Truro's outer reaches.

Saturated Cabine

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Located two hours outside Boston, it is a summer vacation community just shy of the tip of Cape Cod. It is named after Truro in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

Its name among the natives of Cape Cod was Pamet or Payomet, a name that still refers to an area around the town center known as the Pamet Roads. The population was 2,087 at the 2000 census.

Truro is comprised of two villages: Truro and North Truro.

Mismatched

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:11 -0500

Silos number 3, on Notre-Dame boul. Montreal

Provincetown Beach

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Provincetown Harbor is a large natural harbor located off of the town of Provincetown, Massachusetts. The harbor is mostly 30 to 90 feet (27 m) deep and stretches roughly one mile from north to south and two miles (3 km) from east to west, i.e., one large, deep bowl with no dredged channel necessary for boats to enter and exit.

A tall green buoy east of Long Point (i.e., the tip of Cape Cod) marks the entrance to Provincetown Harbor from Cape Cod Bay.

In the picture, the West End Breakwater, or dike, built in 1911 by the US Army Corps of Engineers, is open to the public for walking and exploring the tip of the Cape Cod peninsula.

Pronvincetown Dike

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Path to the Sea

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Cape Cod (or simply the Cape) is an arm-shaped peninsula nearly coextensive with Barnstable County, Massachusetts[1] and forming the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States. The Cape's small town character and beachfront brings heavy tourism during the summer months.

Although the Cape was originally connected to the mainland, the Cape Cod Canal, which opened in 1914, technically transformed Cape Cod into a large island (though it is not normally referred to as such). Three bridges span the canal from the Massachusetts mainland to the Cape. Vehicles can cross onto the Cape via the Sagamore Bridge and the Bourne Bridge; the other is the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge.

P Town Tides

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Provincetown is a town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census.

Sometimes called "P-town", the town is known for its beaches, harbor, artists, tourist industry, and its reputation as a gay village.

125 short miles from Boston but worlds apart, Provincetown has been hosting culturally-diverse visitors since the Pilgrims first arrived in 1620. A year-round destination nestled along the National Seashore, Provincetown transports visitors into a world that meshes significant arts and culture with America’s best beaches, the historic with the modern, and old-world charm with world-class lodging, dining and entertainment.

Overlooking Ballston Beach

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Located two hours outside Boston, it is a summer vacation community just shy of the tip of Cape Cod.

It is named after Truro in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Its name among the natives of Cape Cod was Pamet or Payomet, a name that still refers to an area around the town center known as the Pamet Roads.

The population was 2,087 at the 2000 census. Truro is comprised of two villages: Truro and North Truro.

Truro also has beautiful beaches, such as the Ballston Beach shown on the picture.

Nauset Park

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Nauset Light Beach in Eastham, Massachusetts on Cape Cod is a stunningly beautiful beach that is a portal into pure nature.

The dunes and coastline evolve, shift and erode constantly. Due to these drastic changes, the Lighthouse (not shown in picture) itself was moved inland, in November of 1996 to prevent it from being lost to the sea.

Named for the Nauset Indians, who lived there in Colonial times, Nauset Light Beach is a popular surfing location.

Nauset Beach

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Nauset Light Beach in Eastham, Massachusetts on Cape Cod is a stunningly beautiful beach that is a portal into pure nature.

The dunes and coastline evolve, shift and erode constantly. Due to these drastic changes, the Lighthouse itself was moved inland, in November of 1996 to prevent it from being lost to the sea.

Named for the Nauset Indians, who lived there in Colonial times, Nauset Light Beach is a popular surfing location.

Lonely in Chatham

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Chatham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 6,625 at the 2000 census.

Chatham is home to the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, located on Monomoy, and to Monomoy Theatre as well as some of the world most beautiful beaches.

Enter the Wild

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:00 -0500

Centre d'Acces a la Nature, managed by UQAM, in the vicinity of Parc du Mont Tremblant.

Left Behind

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

First Encounter Beach is the actual site of the first encounter between the Pilgrims and the Indians when the Pilgrims were at the end of their voyage. They landed in Eastham after leaving Provincetown and before Plymouth. Both parties were surprised, and left quickly.

First Encounter is a beautiful, calm beach just off Samoset Road, in Eastham, Massachussets, with warm gentle water and a small patches of grass.

The tide goes way out, and the colors at sunset are spectacular. The water temperature is in the 60 to 70 degree range in the summer.

Montreal Skyline from Silos Number 3

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:27 -0500

Montreal was the largest city in Canada up until the 1970s, when it was eclipsed in size and importance by Toronto.

Originally called Ville-Marie ('City of Mary'), some historians think the city takes its present name from the Mont Réal, the three-head hill at the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located.

As of the 2006 Canadian Census, 1,620,693 people resided in the city of Montreal

In 2007, Montreal was ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world by Forbes Magazine and 16th in a list of the world's 25 most liveable cities according to a London based Monocle Magazine.

Horseshoe Crab Territory

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Duck Harbor Sunsets

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Duck Harbor Beach seems like it's nearly at the end of the world.

Its shores are on the warm waters of the Wellfleet Cape Cod Bay, and there's plenty of room to wander and find your own private space.

You can look out to Provincetown across the bay, but the finest view by far is the nightly sunset.

Duck Harbor Beach

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Desatured Tides

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Boston Bridge

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that carries eight lanes of the Interstate 93 and U.S. Route 1 concurrency, plus a two lane access ramp, across the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts.

Finished in 2003, the bridge's unique styling quickly became an icon for Boston, often featured in the backdrop of national news channels to establish location, and included on tourist souvenirs. The bridge is commonly referred to as the "Zakim Bridge" and as the "Bunker Hill Bridge" by residents of nearby Charlestown. The full name is often used as well.

The bridge was built as part of the Big Dig, the largest highway construction project in the United States. The entrance to the Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr. Tunnel, another major component of the Big Dig, is at the bridge's southern end, while north of the bridge I-93 heads toward New Hampshire and US 1 splits from the Interstate and travels northeast toward Massachusetts' north shore, crossing the Mystic River via the Tobin Bridge. The bridge replaced the Charlestown High Bridge when it opened, and is the world's widest cable-stayed bridge.

Ballston Beach Gates

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Located two hours outside Boston, it is a summer vacation community just shy of the tip of Cape Cod.

It is named after Truro in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Its name among the natives of Cape Cod was Pamet or Payomet, a name that still refers to an area around the town center known as the Pamet Roads.

The population was 2,087 at the 2000 census. Truro is comprised of two villages: Truro and North Truro.

Truro also has beautiful beaches, such as the Ballston Beach shown on the picture.

In Marconi's Footsteps

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Marconi Beach is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts.

The beach is named for Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi. In 1903, the first transatlantic wireless communication originating in the United States was successfully transmitted, a message from U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt to King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.

There is a broad, sweeping view of the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay from the overlook atop the steep sand cliff above the beach. The National Park Service has built a display on-site that describes the history of wireless telegraphy.

During the summer season, restrooms and outdoor showers are available to beachgoers, along with on-site parking ($15 USD/day) and easy access from the nearby bike trail.

Ballston Beach

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:00 -0500

Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. Located two hours outside Boston, it is a summer vacation community just shy of the tip of Cape Cod.

It is named after Truro in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Its name among the natives of Cape Cod was Pamet or Payomet, a name that still refers to an area around the town center known as the Pamet Roads.

The population was 2,087 at the 2000 census. Truro is comprised of two villages: Truro and North Truro.

Truro also has beautiful beaches, such as the Ballston Beach shown on the picture.

Nauset Rainbows

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:25 -0500

As the evening sets

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:03 -0500

Parc Lafontaine (in English, Lafontaine Park) is a 36-hectare urban park located in Montreal's Plateau Mont-Royal district. Named in honour of Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, features include two linked ponds with a fountain and waterfalls; the Théâtre de Verdure open-air venue; the Calixa-Lavallée cultural centre, as well as playing fields and tennis courts.

Outdoor swimming pools are a popular attraction during Montreal's hot summer, followed by outdoor ice skating in winter. A children’s zoo ceased operations in 1989. Bike paths run along the park’s western and northern edges.

Bunchberries

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:27 -0500

Cornus canadensis (Canadian Bunchberry or Cornouiller du Canada) is a herbaceous member of the dogwood family. It grows about 20-30 cm tall and bears tiny flowers a few millimeters across that form an inflorescence at the center of four white, petal-like bracts 3-4 cm diameter.

Each flower has highly elastic petals that flip backward and release springy filaments that are cocked underneath the petals. The filaments snap upward flinging pollen out of containers hinged to the filaments.

This motion takes place in less than half a millisecond and the pollen experiences 800 times the force that the space shuttle does during liftoff. The bunchberry has one of the fastest plant actions found so far requiring a camera that takes 10,000 frames per second to catch the action.

Backdoor Entrance

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:40 -0500

When Dow Blooms

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:45 -0500

Rooted

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:57 -0500

Deeply rooted tree, faces the elements of nature.

MarieJ

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:20 -0500

MJ, pondering the possiblities

Flying Solo

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:41 -0500

Bird on a Wire.

Sur 5 KM

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:50 -0500

Gulf of Saint Lawrence (French: golfe du Saint-Laurent), the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean.

Shot near Cap-au-Renard, Gaspésie, Quebec.

Burried Under Snow

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:03 -0500

Located on the Chemin de l'Eglise street, in Sainte-Beatrix, Lanaudiere, Quebec.

From about the 7th century, European burial was under the control of the church and could only take place on consecrated church ground. Practices varied, but in continental Europe, bodies were usually buried in a mass grave until they had decomposed. The bones were then exhumed and stored in ossuaries, either along the arcaded bounding walls of the cemetery, or within the church under floor slabs and behind walls.

In most cultures those who were vastly rich, had important professions, were part of the nobility or were of any other high social status were usually buried in individual crypts inside or beneath the relevant place of worship with an indication of the name of the deceased, date of death and other biographical data. In Europe this was often accompanied with a depiction of their family coat of arms.

This practice is the foundation of cemetery commonly found today in every corners of the world.

Red Rustic

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:49 -0500

Taken near Rang 7, St-Come, Quebec.

Anachronisme Hivernal

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:29 -0500

Superieur Lake, in the municipality of of Lac Superieur, situated in the regional county municipality of The Laurentians in Quebec, Canada. It is the largest of the surrounding lakes, namely, namely Quenouille lake, Rossignol lake, Français lake, Équerre lake, Ours lake and Gauthier lake.

It is also the meting points of mainly smaller rivers of the area, including the Boulé and Diable rivers.

Vaca Sola

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:40 -0500

Shot in Sainte-Beatrix, Lanaudiere, Quebec.

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows (though technically cow refers only to female bovines), are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae.

They are raised as livestock for meat (called beef and veal), dairy products (milk), leather and as draught animals (pulling carts, plows and the like).

In some countries, such as India, they are honored in religious ceremonies and revered.

It is estimated that there are 1.3 billion cattle in the world today.

5852

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:47 -0500

Wood is a hard, fibrous, lignified structural tissue produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. This tissue conducts water to the leaves and other growing tissues and has a support function, enabling plants to reach large sizes.

Wood may also refer to other plant materials and tissues with comparable properties.

Green Fence

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:38 -0500

One of the countless fields in St-Jean-de-Matha, Quebec

Saint-Jean-de-Matha is a Quebec municipality located within the Matawinie Regional County Municipality in the Lanaudiere region. It declared a municipality in 1855.

The population of the area according to the City is about 7500.

Atomically Brewed

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 01:10 -0500

Shot of a steel fermenting barrel in the abandoned Dow Brewery.

Dow Breweries was a Quebec brewing company. It was acquired by Carling O'Keefe and stopped its activities on March 31, 1966.

The Dow brand, formerly owned by Molson, disappeared from the Canadian market in the spring of 1997. Brands brewed by Dow included Dow Ale, Kingsbeer Lager and Black Horse Ale.

Despite it closure since the middle of the 90's, the Dow Brewery building remains an active location for local urban explorers.

Dow Breweries supported the construction of Montreal's Dow Planetarium.

Shot during a photo outting with friends from Montreal Photobloggers.

Corner Office

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:27 -0500

Shot of an office building, located in Place Jacques Cartier, in the Old Port of Montreal.

Old Montreal (or Vieux-Montréal in French) is the oldest area in the Canadian city of Montreal, dating back to colonial times.

It is a major tourist attraction; with the oldest of its buildings dating to the 1600s, it is one of the oldest urban areas in North America.

Path to Green Island

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 21:27 -0500

Selective Saturation

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:38 -0500

Gender Mannequins on Sherbrooke Avenue, Montreal.

Merchandising by Richard Mongrain.

Late Night Symmetry

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:27 -0500

A well-kept secret up to now. This is a cozy lounge on the Bonsecours Terrases which is only opened in the summer.

Located in front of the Bonsecours Market. Nearby, an outdoor amphitheatre with seating for 700 people, completes this exceptional place wonderfully.

Mary Snow

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 11:58 -0500

MJ, taking advantage of a beautiful Montreal winter day.

White Cross

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:04 -0500

Founded in 1854, Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges is a 343-acre cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The entrance and the grounds run along a part of chemin Côte-des-Neiges and up the slopes of Mount Royal.

The cemetery shares the mountain with the predominantly English-speaking and originally Protestant burial ground, the Mount Royal Cemetery.

In 2007, a lock out was imposed by the maintenance workers, represented by the "Syndicat des travailleurs et des travailleuses du cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges".

While the cimetery was left completly unattended for quite a while, some families were forced to wait up to 5 months to bury their loved ones.

Chemin de Croix

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:43 -0500

Skeleton Tree

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 23:56 -0500

One of the hundreded of centennial trees found in Parc Lafontaine.

Parc Lafontaine (in English, Lafontaine Park) is a 36-hectare urban park located in Montreal's Plateau Mont-Royal district. Named in honour of Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, features include two linked ponds with a fountain and waterfalls; the Théâtre de Verdure open-air venue; the Calixa-Lavallée cultural centre, as well as playing fields and tennis courts.

Outdoor swimming pools are a popular attraction during Montreal's hot summer, followed by outdoor ice skating in winter. A children’s zoo ceased operations in 1989.

Bike paths run along the park’s western and northern edges, under hundreds of gigantic centennial trees.

Leading Sound

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:32 -0500

The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles and is recognized as one of the primary instruments in blues, country, flamenco, rock music, and many forms of pop.

Twin Towers

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 21:51 -0500

Inciderator number 2, located at 2150 Dickson.

Chair Solitaire

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:51 -0500

Shot in the Sifto Salt abandonned warehouse, on Notre-Dame, Montreal.

Sifto Canada Inc. is part of the third largest salt company in the world.

Thanks to Benny Martini for showing me around!

Lachine Canal

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:59 -0500

The dark structure you see directly in the middle is a turning bridge. (It turns 90 degrees to let boats pass on either side on the Lachine Canal.)

It has been rendered useless by Lachine Canal bridge visible in the background as well as the urban developement of the southwestern downtown part of Montreal, formely known as Griffontown.

This bridge was once controled by operators from a small control booth you might be able to spot.

If you look at the horizon closely, you will see incomming snow clouds in the distance. This was the first snow to fall on Montreal in the Winter of 2007.

Shot from the abandonned CP Rail house, on an photo outting with SeMaHa.

2150

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:58 -0500

Entrance the Montreal City workyard, located at 2150, Dickson.

Situated a few steps away of the abandonned dechettery /incinerator, also known as Incinerator #2.

Bird Carcass

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:58 -0500

The Rock Pigeon is a member of the bird genus Columba, family Columbidae, doves and pigeons.

The Rock Pigeon is 32–37 cm long with a 64–72 cm wingspan.

There are around 10,000 living birds species.

Olympic Stadium

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:10 -0500

Montreal's one and only Olympic Stadium.

The Olympic Stadium was built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics.

As construction was well underway, a labour strike caused a major delay to the building of the tower. The roof languished in a warehouse in France until 1982. It was not until 1987, over a decade later, that both the tower and roof were completed, officially completing construction of the stadium as originally designed.

Nature, Magnified

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 22:02 -0500

Closeup shot of an hibiscus

The hibiscus flower is considered by many as one of the most beautiful flowers. It has been proclaimed national flower of Malaysia and South Korea, as well as the state flower of Hawai‘i.

Macro Bamboo

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 21:51 -0500

Closeup shoot of Bamboo, arranged in a triptyque layout.

Bamboo is a group of woody perennial evergreen plants. It is used in many applications such as cooking, constructions and even in Chinese medicine for treating various infections.

Passing Through

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:12 -0500

The Turcot Interchange is a freeway interchange within the city of Montréal Quebec, Canada, that links Autoroute 15, Autoroute 20, and Autoroute 720. It takes its name from the currently-abandoned Turcot rail yards it is built over.

In June 2007, the Quebec government announced the demolition and reconstruction of the structure, projected to be complete in 2015.

Shot under the Turcot Interchange, in Montreal. Thanks to SeMaHa for showing me around!

Derailed

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00 -0500

Hemlocks, also known as Tsugas, are medium-size to large evergreen trees, ranging from 20 to 65 m tall, with a conical to irregular crown. They have been used for many years to build train tracks by the Canadian Pacific company.

Today, this tree is endangered by the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid insect which creates an extreme amount of damage to natural stands of hemlock.

Shot under the Turcot Interchange.

Zero Volts

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 11:58 -0500

Shot in the abandonned CN Wellington train station, in Montreal.

Montreal Orange Skyline

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 11:56 -0500

Shot on Loto-Quebec's parking lot roof top, on Mill street.

Sunset by the Silos

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:47 -0500

Outlook on the OldPort of Montreal, from one of the "Cite du Multimedia" building.

In the forefront of the picture, you can see the Tecsys building, an industry-leading Supply Chain Management software company.

In the horizon line, the now famous Silos number 5 and the "B" grain elevator complex.

The large and familiar grain elevator complex is located at the foot of McGill Street and the mouth of the Lachine Canal, was built over a period of more than fifty years, starting in 1903.

It is an example of the remarkable grain elevator technology used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when Canada's last steel silos were built, including Elevator B, which was the city's most imposing industrial structure for many years.

In the McAllister Days

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:46 -0500

Shot of the Daniel McAllister tugboat.

The Daniel McAllister is the oldest and largest tugboat to be preserved in Canada and the second oldest oceangoing tug to be preserved in the world.

Today, the boat sits on a concrete cradle, in front of the Grain Elevator Complex commonly known as Silos Number 5, in Montreal, Quebec.

Road Maze

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:43 -0500

Shot under the Turcot Interchange, in Montreal.

The Turcot Interchange is a freeway interchange within the city of Montréal Quebec, Canada, that links Autoroute 15, Autoroute 20, and Autoroute 720. It takes its name from the currently-abandoned Turcot rail yards it is built over.

In June 2007, the Quebec government announced the demolition and reconstruction of the structure, projected to be complete in 2015.

Spiral Staircase

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:43 -0500

Shot on the main staircase in the Dow Brewery.

Dow Breweries was a Quebec brewing company. It was acquired by Carling O'Keefe and stopped its activities on March 31, 1966.

The Dow brand, formerly owned by Molson, disappeared from the Canadian market in the spring of 1997. Brands brewed by Dow included Dow Ale, Kingsbeer Lager and Black Horse Ale.

Despite it closure since the middle of the 90's, the Dow Brewery building remains an active location for local urban explorers.

Dow Breweries supported the construction of Montreal's Dow Planetarium.

What Lies Beneath

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:43 -0500

We Once Loved Milk

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 13:12 -0500

The ghost of the long-gone montreal based "Guaranteed Milk Company" lives on in this unusual water tower just north of the Bell Centre, downtown Montreal.

In 1900, a company under the name "Guaranteed Pure Milk Co." was founded. It was located at 875 Ste-Catherine Street W. in Montreal.

This water tower, depicting a milk bottle, was built by "Guaranteed Pure Milk Co." of Montreal in 1932, when they opened a new pasteurization plant on Aqueduct Street.

It stands well over 20 feet by 12 feet in diameter and was used as a water reserve for the dairy until the 70's.

Today it serves as advertizing for the company.

This Way In

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:55 -0500

This is a closeup shot of a cabine door aboard the Daniel McAllister tugboat.

The Daniel McAllister is the oldest and largest tugboat to be preserved in Canada and the second oldest oceangoing tug to be preserved in the world.

Today, the boat sits on a concrete cradle, in front of the Grain Elevator Complex commonly known as Silos Number 5, in Montreal, Quebec.

1815

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 23:35 -0500

Shot in Old Quebec City & Petit Champlain area.

Quebec City (French: Ville de Québec, or simply Québec) is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec, making it the seat of the provincial Crown.

It is the second largest city in the province, after Montreal. Quebec City's Old Town (Vieux-Québec) is the only North American fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still exist, and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Quebec".

Gateway to Saturation

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:25 -0500

Picture of a boarding tunnel shot in the Old Port of Quebec.

Quebec City (French: Ville de Québec, or simply Québec) is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec, making it the seat of the provincial Crown.

It is the second largest city in the province, after Montreal. Quebec City's Old Town (Vieux-Québec) is the only North American fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still exist, and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Quebec".

City Frame

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:38 -0500

Dow Breweries was a Quebec brewing company. It was acquired by Carling O'Keefe and stopped its activities on March 31, 1966.

The Dow brand, formerly owned by Molson, disappeared from the Canadian market in the spring of 1997. Brands brewed by Dow included Dow Ale, Kingsbeer Lager and Black Horse Ale.

Despite it closure since the middle of the 90's, the Dow Brewery building remains an active location for local urban explorers.

Dow Breweries supported the construction of Montreal's Dow Planetarium.

This shot is a.k.a. the Tetanos shot, after it nearly costed me a toe! ... not to mention the 6 hours I wasted at N.D. hospital waiting for my tetanos shot...

A small reminder that being prepared to explorer vacant and decrepide buildings ALSO includes not wearing flip-flops... no further comments on that...

Silos Number 5

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:51 -0500

Angle shot of Silo #5, in the Old Port of Montreal.

The large and familiar grain elevator complex is located at the foot of McGill Street and the mouth of the Lachine Canal, was built over a period of more than fifty years, starting in 1903.

It is an example of the remarkable grain elevator technology used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when Canada's last steel silos were built, including Elevator B, which was the city's most imposing industrial structure for many years

By 1994, when Montréal ceased operating the old grain elevator complex, the other silos had already been demolished, leaving only Elevator No. 5 as the last remaining testimony to a period of exhilarating growth that transformed the Canadian economy, a period during which Montréal was the world's largest grain port and the second-largest commercial port in North America, after New York.

This was the first HDRI shot I was truly proud of. Scored 45th place of 450 entries on a DP Challenge free study contest.

Standing Against Time

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:50 -0500

Shot of Grain Elevator No 2, in the Old Port of Montreal.

The large and familiar grain elevator complex is located at the foot of McGill Street and the mouth of the Lachine Canal, was built over a period of more than fifty years, starting in 1903.

It is an example of the remarkable grain elevator technology used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when Canada's last steel silos were built, including Elevator B, which was the city's most imposing industrial structure for many years

By 1994, when Montreal ceased operating the old grain elevator complex, the other silos had already been demolished, leaving only Elevator No. 5 as the last remaining testimony to a period of exhilarating growth that transformed the Canadian economy, a period during which Montréal was the world's largest grain port and the second-largest commercial port in North America, after New York.

Habitat 67

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:49 -0500

Shot of Montreal's famous Habitat 67 residential properties.

Habitat 67 is a housing complex and familiar landmark located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on the Marc-Drouin Quay on the Saint Lawrence River. Its striking design was created by architect Moshe Safdie based on his master's thesis at McGill University and built as part of Expo 67.

Montreal at Night

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:48 -0500

Classical view on Montreal's skyline, shot from Canal Lachine.

Montreal, or Montréal in French, is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec.

Originally called Ville-Marie ('City of Mary'), some historians think the city takes its present name from the Mont Réal, the three-head hill at the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located.

The official language of Montreal is French as defined by the city's charter. It is the second-largest French-speaking city in the Western world after Paris.

As of the 2006 Canadian Census, 1,620,693 people resided in the city of Montreal proper.

In 2007, Montreal was ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world.

There was virtually no wind that night, hence the perfect reflection in the water.

The Meeting of Two Worlds

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:46 -0500

Shot of the CCE (Cité du Commerce Electronique) in Montreal.

I think I must have walked by this place a thousand times before I noticed the beauty of this composure.

McGill in Motion

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:45 -0500

Shot from the Place Ville-Marie esplanade. You're looking at the McGill college avenue.

This wide, grand downtown street runs from McGill University's Roddick Gates south to René-Lévesque Boulevard. Along the way are numerous attractive modern skyscrapers and cafés that spill out onto the wide sidewalks. It crosses Ste-Catherine Street in the heart of the downtown shopping district, with Place Montreal Trust on the northwest corner and the Eaton Centre located slightly east. This intersection affords a wonderful view back up Mount Royal, especially in autumn.

Jack Carter's Bridge

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:45 -0500

Jacques Cartier brige, seen from Sainte-Helene island.

The Jacques Cartier Bridge is a steel truss cantilever bridge crossing the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal Island, Montreal, Quebec to the south shore at Longueuil, Quebec,Canada.

The Jacques Cartier Bridge was one of the design influences for the Story Bridge, in Brisbane, Australia, which was completed in 1940.

Construction was undertaken by the Dominion Bridge Company starting in 1925 and completed in 1930. It was opened to traffic on May 14th.

Originally named the Montreal Harbour Bridge (pont du Havre), it was renamed in 1934 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's first voyage up the St. Lawrence River. It was originally designed as a road, tramway, and pedestrian bridge.

Saturated Shed

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:44 -0500

Taken on Rang 7, St-Come, Quebec.

King of the City

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:44 -0500

Located at the foot of the monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier, seen from avenue du Parc, located on Mount Royal's eastern slope in Montreal. There are two lions which seems to gard the statue and keep an eye on the city below.

Mount Royal is a mountain on the Island of Montreal, immediately north of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the city to which it gave its name. The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentians and the Appalachians.

The mountain consists of three peaks: Colline de la Croix (or Mont Royal proper) at 233 metres (764 feet), Colline d'Outremont (or Mount Murray, in the borough of Outremont ) at 211 metres (692 feet), and Westmount mount at 201 metres (659 feet) elevation above mean sea level.

At this height, it might be otherwise considered a very tall hill, but it has always been called a mountain.

Grain Silos Number 5

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:44 -0500

Shot of Silo #5, in the Old Port of Montreal.

The large and familiar grain elevator complex is located at the foot of McGill Street and the mouth of the Lachine Canal, was built over a period of more than fifty years, starting in 1903.

It is an example of the remarkable grain elevator technology used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when Canada's last steel silos were built, including Elevator B, which was the city's most imposing industrial structure for many years

By 1994, when Montréal ceased operating the old grain elevator complex, the other silos had already been demolished, leaving only Elevator No. 5 as the last remaining testimony to a period of exhilarating growth that transformed the Canadian economy, a period during which Montréal was the world's largest grain port and the second-largest commercial port in North America, after New York.

Pont de la Concorde

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:42 -0500

The Concorde Bridge (Pont de la Concorde) carries Avenue Pierre-Dupuy across the St. Lawrence River between the main island of Montreal and Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saint Helen's Island.

A majority of its traffic is motorists driving to the Montreal Casino on Île Notre-Dame, continuing on Pierre Dupuy Avenue across Pont des Îles.

This bridge was also used during Expo 67 by the Montreal Expo Express train.

Despite the seemless flow of colours and balanced composition of this picture, I hesitated before posting it... For some reason, it's become of of my favorites.

Under the Bridge Downtown

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:40 -0500

Shot of the understructure of Jacques Cartier brige, seen from Notre-Dame boulevard, in Montreal.

The Jacques Cartier Bridge is a steel truss cantilever bridge crossing the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal Island, Montreal, Quebec to the south shore at Longueuil, Quebec,Canada.

The Jacques Cartier Bridge was one of the design influences for the Story Bridge, in Brisbane, Australia, which was completed in 1940.

Construction was undertaken by the Dominion Bridge Company starting in 1925 and completed in 1930. It was opened to traffic on May 14th.

Originally named the Montreal Harbour Bridge (pont du Havre), it was renamed in 1934 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Jacques Cartier's first voyage up the St. Lawrence River. It was originally designed as a road, tramway, and pedestrian bridge.

Quite an interesting landmark for Montreal and such a nice subject. I think I'll never get tired of this bridge.

Une Chaise a la Mer

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:39 -0500

Shot on Ogunquit city beach, Maine.

Ogunquit, pronounced "o-GUHN-kwit", is a town in York County, Maine, United States.

As of the 2000 census its population was 1,226. With the motto "Beautiful Place by the Sea," Ogunquit is a popular summer resort for both Canadians and Americans.

The opportunity window on this was was just under 15 seconds. I'm glad I had my camera handy.

In the Shadow of the Colors

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:36 -0500

Shot on De Grand Pré street, in Montreal.

I took this shot for the Objectif Plateau contest which takes place every year in the Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood.

Managed to obtain the blue ribbon (1st place) out of nearly 200 submissions. It was posted on Mont-royal avenue for over two months and is used on many promotional brochures.

Autumn Peaks

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:35 -0500

Autum colors Quebec's largest National Park, Tremblant.

Du Diable river meanders bellow.

Bonsecours Comet

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:34 -0500

Shot of Bonsecours Market, in the Old Port of Montreal.

Bonsecours Market (French: Marché Bonsecours (m)), at 350 rue Saint-Paul in Old Montreal, is a two-storey domed public market. Named for the adjacent Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel and designed by architects William Footner and George Browne, it opened in 1847.

Other than a market, it served as public market, concert hall, and Montréal's city hall from 1852 to 1878. Today, the market houses cafés-terrasses, restaurants and boutiques.

Comet McNaught appears in the top 1 third of the composition!

Autumn Colors

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:34 -0500

Shot in the Mont-Tremblant Park on an outing with a bunch of friends from my Photo club. This is a view from the "Sentier du Centenaire" (Centennial trail), near the Diable meanders.

9.4km of harsh terrain, countless blisters and getting stuck in the wood past sunset without a flashlight and water... This will definitly be a day to remember!

Things a photographer will do to get a perfect shot....

Good times... ahhhhh, good times!

Simple as Daisy

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:33 -0500

The natural beauty of daisies.

Also known as Bellis, daisies are a small genus of 10-15 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe and the Mediterranean region.

Night Life

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:33 -0500

I cannot begin to tell you how beautiful symmetry is to me. This is a good example of it!

Located in front of the Bonsecours Market. Nearby, an outdoor amphitheatre with seating for 700 people, completes this exceptional place wonderfully.

Reflections of the Sea

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:31 -0500

Shot on Ogunquit city beach, Maine.

Ogunquit, pronounced "o-GUHN-kwit", is a town in York County, Maine, United States.

As of the 2000 census its population was 1,226. With the motto "Beautiful Place by the Sea," Ogunquit is a popular summer resort for both Canadians and Americans.

Most people think I scanned a post card when in fact this was a glimpse of my last vacation to the sea.

Balcony Profusion

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:28 -0500

Symmetry and Continuity are two concepts which are important to me when shooting.

Shooting it in B&W completed the trifecta.

Bio Sky

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:27 -0500

Shot at the Biosphere of Saint-Helne's island.

The building of the United States pavilion for the 1967 World Exhibition Expo 67. It always striked me how a canadian flag could float in the middle of an american construction.

Photos of the Biosphère are frequently included in science textbooks to explain the shape of fullerene molecules, which were so named in honor of Buckminster Fuller because they resemble geodesic domes.

See the full story behind the cosntruction of the Biosphere, here.

Easygoing Duck

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:26 -0500

Duck, in Parc LaFontaine pond, Montreal.

Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article. Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, mostly smaller than their relatives the swans and geese, and may be found in both fresh water and sea water.

Typical Quebec Scenery

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:25 -0500

Shot in Trois-Pistole, Quebec.

Trois-Pistoles is a town in and the seat of the Les Basques Regional County Municipality within the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. It is also the county seat. The town is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River.

A ferry crosses the river to Les Escoumins on the north shore. The port facilities are also used by fishing boats and scuba divers.

The town is said to have been named for a silver goblet worth three pistoles, an old French coin, that was lost in the river in the 17th century.

The town is well-known for being the site of the University of Western Ontario's annual French-language immersion summer program since 1932. The program is the oldest such French-language immersion program in Canada.

Bonsecours Market

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:24 -0500

Bonsecours Market (French: Marché Bonsecours (m)), at 350 rue Saint-Paul in Old Montreal, is a two-storey domed public market. Named for the adjacent Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel and designed by architects William Footner and George Browne, it opened in 1847.

Other than a market, it served as public market, concert hall, and Montréal's city hall from 1852 to 1878. Today, the market houses cafés-terrasses, restaurants and boutiques.

I love the sharpness, definition and colors on this long exposure.

Cloud Construction

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:23 -0500

Shot in front of Habitat 67, near Pont de La Concorde in Montreal

Redpath Silos

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:19 -0500

Shot in the Old Port of Montreal.

Upside down view of flour mills near Canal Lachine.

I almost got hit by a car, and was questionned by the Montreal police for taking this shot... Ask for details if you're interested in the full story ;)

Cameraman in Motion

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:14 -0500

Shot from a moving train, leaving Central Station, in Montreal.

Central Station is the major inter-city rail station and a major commuter rail hub in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The station is located on Rue de la Gauchetière Ouest and occupies the entire block bounded by Rue de la Gauchetière Ouest, Rue University, Boulevard Rene-Levesque Ouest and Rue Mansfield.

From the station's inception in 1943 until this date, it had been owned by Canadian National Railway (CN).

Apocalypse!

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:14 -0500

Apocalypse (Greek: meaning literally: the lifting of the veil), is a term applied to the disclosure to certain privileged persons of something hidden from the majority of humankind.

Today the term is often used to mean "End of planet Earth", which may be a shortening of the phrase apokasis eschaton which literally means "revelation at the end of the æon, or age".

Apocalypse in the terminology of early Jewish and Christian literature, is a revelation of hidden things revealed by God to a chosen prophet or apostle. The term is often used to describe the written account of such a revelation. Apocalyptic literature is of considerable importance in the history of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic beliefs and traditions, because it makes specific references to beliefs such as the resurrection of the dead, judgment day, eternal life, final judgment and perdition.

Apocalyptic beliefs predate Christianity, appear throughout other religions, and have been assimilated into contemporary secular society, especially through popular culture (see Apocalypticism). Apocalyptic beliefs also occur in other religious systems, for example, the Hindu concept of pralay.

The Illusion of Parking

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 01:03 -0500

It was in Oklahoma City, in 1933, that the first parking meter appeared in North America.

At that time, in the early days of the automotive industry, large North American cities were already starting to feel the impact of traffic on their major commercial streets. Parking spaces were monopolized by drivers who left their cars parked in the same spot for hours.

It was at the request of merchants, wishing to stop drivers from leaving cars in front of their place of business from dawn to dusk, that the first parking meter was designed. It took two years of research and development to perfect the first machine. When parking meters were installed on commercial streets, there was an immediate improvement in both traffic flow and customer access.

In Montreal, the first parking meter was installed in Place d'Youville in 1958, and more were installed in the downtown core starting in 1981.

In 2007, Montreal collected over 50 millions in parking fees.

Cat Aract

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:59 -0500

A skilled predator, the cat is known to hunt over 1,000 species for food. It is intelligent and can be trained to obey simple commands. Individual cats have also been known to learn on their own to manipulate simple mechanisms, such as doorknobs.

Cats use a variety of vocalizations and types of body language for communication, including meowing, purring, hissing, growling, squeaking, chirping, clicking, and grunting.

Until recently the cat was commonly believed to have been domesticated in ancient Egypt, where it was a cult animal. But a study by the National Cancer Institute published in the journal Science says that all house cats are descended from a group of self-domesticating desert wildcats Felis silvestris lybica circa 10,000 years ago, in the Near East.

720 Motion

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:42 -0500

Shot of the Ville-Marie tunnel in Montreal.

Autoroute 720 (or A-720, known as the Ville-Marie Expressway) is a spur route of Autoroute 20.

Part of this multilane highway runs underground (below-grade) through downtown Montreal. Its western end starts at the Turcot Interchange, a junction with Autoroute 15 and Autoroute 20. Its eastern terminus is at the Jacques Cartier Bridge (Route 134) where the highway merges with Notre-Dame Street.

A-720's tunneled section begins from the west at Rue de la Montagne/Atwater Avenue and remains underground to its current eastern end, except for a short section between Bleury St. and Saint-Laurent St.

The tunnelled section west of this gap is known as Ville-Marie Tunnel, and the section east of it is known as Viger Tunnel.

Sunset on the Sea

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:35 -0500

Shot on Champlain Lake, Vermont, near the plattsburg beach, aboard the Va Piano sail ship.

Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States (states of Vermont and New York) but partially situated across the US-Canada border in the Canadian province of Quebec.

Orange Sky

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:33 -0500

Shot in the west-island of Montreal.

Scored 41st place over 400 entries on a DP Challenge free study contest in 2003.

Chinese Tombstone

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:31 -0500

Chinese Tombstone and snow.

Founded in 1854, Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges is a 343-acre cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The entrance and the grounds run along a part of chemin Côte-des-Neiges and up the slopes of Mount Royal.

The cemetery shares the mountain with the predominantly English-speaking and originally Protestant burial ground, the Mount Royal Cemetery.

In 2007, a lock out was imposed by the maintenance workers, represented by the "Syndicat des travailleurs et des travailleuses du cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges".

While the cimetery was left completly unattended for quite a while, some families were forced to wait up to 5 months to bury their loved ones.

Squirrel Staredown

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:31 -0500

Shot in Lafontaine Park, in Montreal

The oldest squirrel fossil in the world was found in North America and is thought to be 34 million years old. These animals have not changed much over the millions of years. Protosciurus was found to have a very primitive dentition and jaw muscles but the same unique ear structure of the modern squirrel.

The word squirrel comes from the Greek word “Skiouros”. “Skia” means shade and “oura” means tail. Thus “skiouros” means “he who sits in the shadow of his own tail”. Centuries later the French developed the noun “esquirrel” from which the English “squirrel” is derived.

Bellybottom Jeans

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:02 -0500

Picture of MJ

Pinguin King

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:01 -0500

Shot at Montreal's Biodome

Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere.

Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater. They spend half of their life on land and half in the oceans.

Penguins seem to have no special fear of humans and have approached groups of explorers without hesitation.

Touched by an Angel

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 23:57 -0500

A monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier, seen from avenue du Parc, located on Mount Royal's eastern slope in Montreal

Mount Royal is a mountain on the Island of Montreal, immediately north of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the city to which it gave its name. The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentians and the Appalachians.

The mountain consists of three peaks: Colline de la Croix (or Mont Royal proper) at 233 metres (764 feet), Colline d'Outremont (or Mount Murray, in the borough of Outremont ) at 211 metres (692 feet), and Westmount mount at 201 metres (659 feet) elevation above mean sea level.

At this height, it might be otherwise considered a very tall hill, but it has always been called a mountain.

Heart of the Forest

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:21 -0500

Shot in the Mont-Tremblant Park on an outing with a bunch of friends from my Photo club at "Sentier du Centenaire" (Centennial trail), near the La Diable meanders.

9.4km of harsh terrain, countless blisters and getting stuck in the wood past sunset without a flashlight and water... This will definitly be a day to remember!

Blackcycling

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 07:54 -0500

Shot in Lafontaine Park.

Parc Lafontaine (in English, Lafontaine Park) is a 36-hectare urban park located in Montreal's Plateau Mont-Royal district. Named in honour of Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, features include two linked ponds with a fountain and waterfalls; the Théâtre de Verdure open-air venue; the Calixa-Lavallée cultural centre, as well as playing fields and tennis courts.

Outdoor swimming pools are a popular attraction during Montreal's hot summer, followed by outdoor ice skating in winter. A children’s zoo ceased operations in 1989.

Bike paths run along the park’s western and northern edges, under hundreds of gigantic centennial trees.

Caught in the Act

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:56 -0500

A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera.

Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form.

Most species are day-flying so they regularly attract attention. The diverse patterns formed by their brightly coloured wings and their erratic yet graceful flight have made butterfly watching a fairly popular hobby.

Yellow Tree Road

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 18:23 -0500

Carousel

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 01:01 -0500

Shot of wooden horse in a carousel at a local fair.

The origin of the carousel dates to around 500 A.D.

The word carousel originates from the Italian garosello and Spanish carosella ("little war"), used by crusaders to describe a combat preparation exercise and game played by Turkish and Arabian horsemen in the 1100s.

Currently, the world's oldest galloping carousel, called "Le Gallopant" is located in La Ronde, Montreal one and only amusement park. This heritage carousel was built in 1885 by Belgian craftsmen, making it the oldest “galloping” carousel in the world.

Diamond in the Rough

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:42 -0500

Cypripedium acaule (Sabot de la Vierge) is a member of the orchid genus Cypripedium. Commonly referred to as Lady's Slipper orchids it was first described in 1700.

The Pink Lady's Slipper is the provincial flower of Prince Edward Island, Canada. In Quebec and Nova Scotia, Canada it is a protected plant, and it is endangered.

Cypripedium acaule can be found in the eastern third of the United States and north into Canada, coming very close to the arctic circle. This widespread species can be found in a wide variety of environments: from coastal plains to pine barrens to mountain tops. However, it prefers its soil to be highly acidic and can usually be found where pine trees provide a groundcover of needles.

Cypripedium acaule grows in a variety of different habitats, including moist and dry soils. It is usually found in pine forests, where it can be seen in large colonies, but it grows in deciduous woods, as well. It is nearly always found in soil with high acid content. Because of a fungus association needed for growth, and the high acid this plant needs, C. acaule is very difficult to grow in the average garden and is unlikely to survive any attempts at transplantation.