Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-140 3.5-5.6G ED

Grand River South East, Falls

A glance back to May 2016 and our trip to the Banff National Park of Alberta, Canada. Lake Agnes, described as a small mountain lake is a 3.5km hike above the famous Lake Louise (pip). A teahouse is situated along the eastern shore at an elevation of 2134 metres (but unfortunately it was closed when we got here.) The lake was so called 'Lake in the Clouds by the 'Stoney Indians'. The present name stems from two famous lady visitors: Agnes Knox -the first white woman to visit the lake and then Lady Agnes Macdonald, wife of Canada's first prime minister who visited a few days later. Oh to have had the time to traverse the path seen here on the right bank but we soon had to turn tail and dash back to our hotel by the greater Lake Louise.. HFF, enjoy the weekend.

Sometimes it is nice to be reminded of different places and experiences. Its May 2016 and I am back here on the outskirts of the city of Banff, Alberta, Canada, standing on the bank of this magnificent river. You can see deep into the clear water and smell the scent of pine. Not far from where I am standing, high on a hill overlooking the river is the famous ‘Fairmont Banff Springs’ chateau hotel with the Bow Falls just some short distance behind me. See PiP Enjoy full screen.

The size of this glacier comes into some prospective when seen with this boat. It sits between our giant cruise ship and the cascading ice itself, presumably to stop us trying to get too close. You know the captains of these cruise ships will do anything for its passengers to get better photos :)

Onboard the Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam. Taken from the stern, and yes it was pretty cool even for the end of May.

This magnificent glacier up in glacier Bay, Alaska is shedding its ice continually. This is what glaciers do but this point where the glacier meets the sea is miles inland to what it was just 20 years ago. Frightening! But a delight to witness!

A trip to Hungary, Budapest brings us onto the River Danube. Here we see the Hotel Gellért, a historic Art Nouveau hotel established in 1918 and located on the west bank of the Danube. The mist is actually an illusion as I took this from behind a glass window fence showing the hotel and also reflecting the incoming high clouds from behind. Enjoy full screen

This is the view across the river Danube here in Budapest. A fine free walk was to be had just beyond the top castle walls. Much of the castle is still undergoing renovation after almost complete destruction in WWII, hence the cranes. Buda Castle, formerly also called the Royal Palace and the Royal Castle, is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest. Built 14 – 20th century. Nice full screen Have a good weekend.

A trip to Budapest is a delight for lovers of architecture and history. Perhaps the most attractive building in the city is the Parliament building. Here we see it at night as our boat slowly sails past it on the River Danube. Opened in 1902. It has been the largest building in Hungary since its completion. The architectural style of the Hungarian parliament building was influenced by the gothic Vienna City Hall but also bearing a strong resemblance to London’s Palace of Westminster (our houses of Parliament). Best full screen

A snap to excite or horrify any tourist travelling to this city. We are on the Danube here looking north over to Buda. The long lens foreshortening the distance, which is a real mixture to assault our eyes. . In front of us, beyond the cruise boats is the Liberty Bridge in green and the Elizabeth Bridge in white. At first glance we take the cranes as building a modern city but no, they are all there to renovate the grandeur of the old castle. In fact, for a capital city, we see none of the trappings of modern cities here –no skyscrapers or other ultra-modern buildings. Is it any wonder that Budapest is so popular, as in some ways, it is like stepping back in time. Enjoy full screen

This chap was seen in the old town of Budapest playing an odd ditty. Sat at the edge of an advertising column and yes walls to the back of him too. We were doing a walking tour around here and getting quite lost so no real idea of where to map this.

As we glide into the capital city of Slovakia we hear, before seeing these train waggons being loaded with oar. I cannot find out exactly what kind of ore this was but it seems likely that it was ash or slag. These two cranes moved almost like dancers moving along the rails with their arms forever waving up and down. Best full screen

Our late Danube cruise took us to Vienna, a most beautiful city of great character. Our second morning there had us exploring this park (of more later) with its wonderful tree-lined walking avenue. As you can see, it was well utilised by the local residents and tourist alike. HBM, enjoy the week.

Captured at the end of our day’s stay here in Bratislava, some weeks ago. This shows the very famous Bratislava Castle (Bratislavský hrad) just as the sun was setting. This is the main castle of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on an isolated rocky hill of the Little Carpathians, directly above the Danube river, in the middle of Bratislava. Because of its size and location, it has been a dominant feature of the city for centuries. Enjoy the day.

Yes, it really is called the ‘Old Bridge (in its English translation). A good day exploring the old city and then I looked at this bridge over the river near our ship. There is in fact a pedestrian walkway along each side and as can be seen the whole central part is taken up by two sets of tram lines. I presume that only trams were allowed to cross here. A rather nifty piece of engineering to make this. The PiP shows it from a little further away with the addition of the UFO tower which sits at the end of the concrete ‘UFO Bridge’ behind the Old Bridge. The UFO houses a restaurant. Best full screen Have a good weekend.

As the sun drops below the horizon here in Budapest I see some attractive colours around this bridge. "Liberty Bridge or Freedom Bridge in Budapest, Hungary, connects Buda and Pest across the River Danube. It is the third southernmost public road bridge in Budapest, located at the southern end of the City Centre. It was originally named Ferenc József híd." Wikipedia The PiP shows it by day Best full screen. CWP Blue Hour -29th

We are here in the York Railway museum, home to some of our most prestigious railway engines. This is the Mallard, officially the World’s fastest Steam Locomotive. This powerful, aerodynamic masterpiece rocketed to 126mph in 1938, a steam speed record that was never surpassed. It has been on display here since 1975 after retiring from service in 1963 It last completed a run in July 1988 from Doncaster to Scarborough and back. The need for speed Mallard is an A4 class locomotive designed by Sir Nigel Gresley. The A4s were built to power high-speed trains in the late 1930s, and their shape was honed in a wind tunnel to help them cut through the air as cleanly as possible—making speeds of 120mph and above possible. www.railwaymuseum.org.uk The Pip, (adjacent photo-best full screen too) shows the cab view of the Mallard. Best full screen. Enjoy the day.

A quite bench awaits someone here on my local railway path. HBM, enjoy the week