Shadow Shot 76 - Lorton in the Lakes

This week I have been experiencing a few yearnings for home, as so often happens when you have been living a while overseas, so here is a sequence of shadow shots from my trip back to England in the summer. I managed to visit one of my favourite places, namely the Lake District, and more specifically, the village of Lorton in the North Lakes. The first shot is of the sunlight coming through the caravan window blinds and hitting the table mats, and next is the actual view out of the caravan window over the beautiful vale of Lorton....

What is it about these scenes that make them so quintessentially English?? The church nestled deep amongst the hills?? The long afternoon shadows cutting their swathes across the fields?? The tranquility and peacefulness of a country churchyard in the early evening??

Who knows?? But here is Castlerigg Stone Circle that you can easily hike to from Keswick....

And here is Buttermere one of the nearest lakes to Lorton....

For more fun with shadows this week, check out Shadow Shot Sunday by clicking here. Enjoy!!

Browsing the bookshops on Calle Donceles....

I spent my formative teenage years hopping the train from Eltham to Central London and trawling the secondhand bookshops on the Charing Cross Road. I would spend hours there browsing the shelves, deliciously lost in a world of literature. Sadly most of these treasure troves have all but disappeared, but here in Mexico City there is Calle Donceles in the Centro Historico, home to second hand bookshops extraordinaire........

They are the very best kind with untidy piles spread all over the floor and stepladders to reach the highest shelves - Heaven indeed!! Like many old cities, the Centro Historico has streets specialising in different wares - Donceles for books, Dolores for lighting (and Chinese food ), Madera for gold jewellery, Tacuba for perfume, Santo Domingo for printed stationery (and scribes for the illiterate) and so on... Here is a flavour of the colonial architecture along Calle Donceles when you stroll from bookshop to bookshop......

..until you reach this beautiful building which was a former hospital for the female insane (present company excluded I hope...) Then you know you have reached the end of Calle Donceles and you are back on the busy Lazaro Cardenas.....

Interestingly, Calle Donceles has also begun to acquire a literary history all of its own. In Roberto Bolano's "Savage Detectives" his hapless and impoverished poets from the Visceral Realist movement are always stealing books from the shops on this street, and who can forget the chilling little advertisment which begins Carlos Fuentes' haunting tale "Aura" - "Donceles 815. Acuda en persona. No hay telefono." (Apply in person. There is no phone.) If only the protagonist had ignored that sign and walked on by!! To walk around other parts of the world this week, click here for My World Tuesday postings.... Where is your favourite secondhand bookshop??

Shadow Shot Sunday 75, Colonia Roma

This first shot is posted for all polite photographers worldwide!! I like to think I am courteous when taking shots, and always seek permission before taking close-ups or portraits, so imagine my surprise when wandering through the Colonia Roma recently taking shots of ordinary corners of ordinary buildings, a professional suited guy walking behind me along the street asked me very sternly why I was taking photos, and then reprimanded me, informing me rather harshly that I was not allowed to take photographs of private property in Mexico. (I didn't realise I had to ask permission of ordinary buildings on the street.) I politely and courteously questioned him on what authority he was telling me this, and informed him that I really liked the interplay of light and shadow and colour on the burnt orange wall.......and continued with my shots....

These two shots were taken at the Saturday flea market on Alvaro Obregon in Colonia Roma, and I couldn't resist these sputnik-style antique chandelier light fittings, and the shadows they cast on the plump cushioned chair and sofa...

Do you have a photography etiquette tale to tell?? For more shadows cast this week, check out Shadow Shot Sunday by clicking here. Enjoy!!

Walking the Beat on Calle Orizaba.....

Strolling down Calle Orizaba in Mexico City's bohemian neighbourhood Colonia Roma Norte seems such a tranquil and peaceful thing to do....but hang on a minute what did that sign say?? One double take later and you realise that this arty little cafe named "Episodios" was once the site of one of the most notorious accidental shootings in literary history.....

William S Burroughs moved to live in Mexico City in 1949 to escape a drugs charge in the US, and in 1950 he was visited by Elvins who persuaded him to write a factual book about his drugtaking experiences as a "memory exercise" - namely Junky. Others like Jack Kerouac (Mexico City Blues 1959) and Allen Ginsberg also visited, and were inspired by the streets of Roma, as after all they were the Beat Generation, a group of bohemian hedonists who celebrated non-conformity and spontaneous creativity. But it did all go awry on September 6th 1951, when in an attempt at playing William Tell, Burroughs shot his second wife Joan Vollmer in the head instead of the martini glass perched above...(allegedly there had been more successful attempts with grapefruit at his ranch in Texas)...

After years of decline and downhill deterioration, Colonia Roma has recently bounced back as the best bohemian neighbourhood in the city, and one of the most popular barrios in which to live. It has quiet colonial streets with some of the most appealing architecture in the centre of the city.....

It has small trendy boutiques, some delightfully eclectic bars, innovative private art galleries, secondhand bookshops and antique markets, great pavement cafes and restaurants for hanging out and people watching...

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and two of the most beautiful plazas in the whole of the city, namely Plaza Luis Cabrera and Plaza Rio de Janeiro complete with sculptures, gardens and fountains...

I can't recommend this colonia highly enough for a weekend stroll and chill....Here we are outside Delirios - a very welcome and reasonably new addition to the neighbourhood...

For more global glimpses and windows on the world this week, check out My World Tuesday postings by clicking here. Enjoy!!

Shadow Shot Sunday 74 - Coyoacan

Strolling recently down Calle Francisco Sosa in Coyoacan in bright summer sunshine, I came across this fascinating pattern of shadows on the coppery-coloured wall of a colonial house. If you know Mexico at all, then you will immediately recognise what is responsible for the circular loop shadow that dominates the pattern....

Yes, you are right - loops and loops and loops of spare cable!!

Look up on any Mexican street and you will always see above your head an immense tangle of wires and cables and loops that on first sight may be dismissed as an ugly, chaotic jumble, but look again, and to me they take on a strange kind of beauty - another iconic image defining this sprawling metropolis that really shouldn't function at all, but always does in the most unexpected and delightfully surreal of ways... These are the cables and wires on my corner...

Finding such beauty in perhaps what should be considered ugly, takes me back to an exhibition I first saw in London in 2003 of the work of Mexican photographer, Enrique Metinides, of Greek origin, whose job it was to photograph the bodies of the newly dead for the front page of the tabloid newspaper "Nota Roja" (Bloody News) from 1949 - 1979. Although his photographs were of murder, crime or accident victims, there was nothing morbid, sensationalist or gratuitous about his images, and the aesthetic artistic quality of his work has led to his photographs being exhibited in art galleries all around the world. Obviously the different cultural approach to death in Mexico, and the fact that there is an openness and lack of cultural taboo, plays a significant role in how we can read and interpret his images. I remember one truly arresting, haunting and memorable shot of a telephone worker who had been electrocuted as he worked on the cables, and he lay back cradled by the wires high in the sky, frozen in time for ever by this shot. It should have been an ugly and morbid image but in my opinion it was stunningly beautiful.... What do you think? Have I been affected too much by Mexico's openness in approach to death....

(image by Enrique Metinides, Mexico City, 1971)

As Day of the Dead, Mexico's unique festival for celebrating the cycle of life through honouring and respecting the dead, approaches once again, I am reminded how much I have learnt from living in this amazing and inspiring country. For more shadow photography this week check out Shadow Shot Sunday by clicking here....

Strolling down Francisco Sosa.....

My favourite street to walk down in the whole of Mexico city has to be Calle Franciso Sosa which links two beautiful colonial neighbourhoods namely San Angel and Coyoacan in the south of the city. The gateway to Sosa is the beautiful chapel above called Capilla San Antonio. Once past this, steel yourself for some of the most appealing architecture in the city...

Along the way you can stop off at an increasing number of cafes, shops, and restaurants, as well as the beautiful Plaza Santa Catarina with this lovely yellow church.......

...and the Centro Cultural Jesus Reyes Heroles where there is a delightful cafe for lunch...(I recommend the traditional arrachera).....















plus, who could resist sitting down here for a while with Frida and Diego as company in the lovely shady garden of the Cultural Centre??

Shortly after the Cultural Centre you reach Coyoacan, the final destination for my favourite Saturday stroll. More on Coyoacan in one of the next posts, but in the meantime check out other windows on the world by clicking here for My World Tuesday posts. Enjoy! Where is your favourite street for a relaxed stroll??

Shadow Shot Sunday 73 - Papel Picado in Mexico...

This week, I have selected a very typical Mexican photograph for Shadow Shot Sunday displaying the usual vibrant colours and the wonderful art of papel picado (paper cuts). Taken recently at a mask exhibition at the Franz Mayer Museum in Mexico City, papel picado is a traditional folk art of Mexico which really appeals to me...

Strung out as celebratory bunting throughout the streets of Mexican towns, it is a sight I will always associate with this country. I took the following photograph in San Miguel de Allende in 2006 - four years before a shot of exactly the same window and bunting was recently used on the front cover of one of the latest very well known guide books to Mexico....

Two of my favourite local Mexican artists work exclusively in the art of paper cuts. Check out the truly exquisite work of Margarita Fick who creates these amazing black and white pieces depicting catrinas, calaveras and other Day of the Dead imagery...

And what about the beautiful work of artist Rosano who produces wonderfully colourful and subtly delicate pieces all underlined with his trademark pair of paper scissors as part of his signature. This one is of the Virgin of Guadalupe currently on display at MAP (Museum of Popular Art.)

But you can also buy the work of Rosano at his shop in Tepoztlan and at a few locations in Mexico City, namely Bazaar Sabado, Roma, and the MAP shop, whereas the work of Margarita Fick can still be bought at the artesan market in San Miguel de Allende. For more shadow shots this week, check out Shadow Shot Sunday by clicking here...

Saturdays in San Angel.....

One of my favourite ways to spend a Saturday here in Mexico City is to go down to San Angel, an old neighbourhood in the south of the city, to visit the art market and Bazaar Sabado (which is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary). The tour starts in Plaza del Carmen where the art market begins...

Then it is on to the larger part of the art market in Plaza San Jacinto where there are even more stalls, and here too you can buy original artworks for very reasonable prices....

There is a great variety of different styles to suit most tastes.... I have bought from 6 or 7 of the artists here such as Jag Sanchez and Victor Uhthoff whose vibrant works now adorn my apartment walls......




















When you get a little weary of browsing, there are infinite cafes, restaurants and street stalls to enjoy a snack or meal. After snacking on the very best of quesadillas inside Bazaar Sabado, one of my favourite places to get some refreshment is a tiny tea place called "La Esquina de Te"....

Many of the restaurants have live music on a saturday which could be salsa, marimba or mariachi.... and this saturday there was also tango music and dancing in Plaza San Jacinto...

As well as original artwork from local artists, you can also buy a huge range of other craft wares including these gorgeous textiles...




















In addition you can buy jewellery, folk art, mirrors, ceramics, papercuts, basketry - indeed it is the perfect place for present shopping in the city... (for others or more likely yourself...)

San Angel is also worth exploring beyond the markets, as it is a quiet neighbourhood with gorgeous colonial architecture and tranquil cobbled streets...

Plus there are some interesting churches to explore with peaceful gardens....such as El Convento del Carmen...

After San Angel, I always walk down three of my favourite streets, Avenida de Paz, Calle Arenal, and Calle Francisco Sosa to reach the delightful neighbourhood of Coyacan... but that is the second part of the Saturday Tour which will continue next week.... In the meantime Feliz Cumpleanos Bazaar Sabado....

To see what else is happening around the world this week, check out My World Tuesday posts by clicking here.... Enjoy! What is your favourite way to spend saturday in the city where you live??

Shadow Shot Sunday 72 - Balloon Seller, Pachuca.

In every zocalo and plaza throughout Mexico, you will always find the balloon seller (or even more often competing balloon sellers), an iconic image, which along with the shoeshiners, candyfloss spinners, barrel organ grinders, and bubble blowers, establishes the time-warp appeal of both Mexico City and the rest of the country....

These ubiquitous balloon sellers always add a wonderfully rich extra splash of colour to the zocalos they inhabit. Pictured above are those in Pachuca and Chapultepec Park, Mexico City, but what about this feast for the eyes in Oaxaca...

And check out this cheerful guy selling balloons in Cholula Plaza (near Puebla)...

For more fun with shadows, proceed to Shadow Shot Sunday by clicking here...