January... It's the most dreadful month of the year so far...

....which is not surprising since it's the only month so far in 2011. But even when it sounds a bit silly: I'm guessing it will stay that way. February will be better: It's shorter. And the days will grow longer. And lo! Spring approaches. My point is: January sucks! Today, for example i've got an appointment with my dentist. This is one of the real dreadful things in life. Black despair is what i feel right now......

Which brings me to my pictures for today: They were taken exactly two years ago in Brügge, Belgium and since i'm in terrible need of hope they show the man who died for us and our sins...

Cemetery Bad Pyrmont.... Some winter impressions

Two days ago my wife suggested it was time to do something because the christmas break turned out to be quite boring for all of us. Constant hanging around in the living room is not very satisfying. Thank god the weather decided to be warm and nearly all the snow was melted away. So we gathered our stuff together (the equipment for geocaching and the camera-gear; not to forget the umbrella since it was raining...) and we went off.

After finding the cache and having a bit of sightseeing in Hameln we went to the nearby town of Bad Pyrmont to visit the cemetery.

It's been nearly two months since i've seen one and now i was anxious to try out my new lens: A prime lens made in the german democratic republic about 30 years ago: a Pentacon 29 mm 2.8. It works well with a converter for EOS-Cameras  and here you can see for yourself:

This one was taken in Hameln City; it's a detail of a sculpture at the marketplace. 

Now for the cemtery Bad Pyrmont:

The lens has a strange circular effect in the background, you'll notice it very clear at the second image. But can notice it slightly at the third one too: The bokeh is strangly distorted in a slight circular manner. 

The lens requires a bit of practice since everyting is handled manually. The aperture as well as the focus. Especially getting tack sharp pictures is difficult. But i think the effort is worth it.

This last Image is a good example for the extraordinary quality of the lens:

All in all not bad for a lens that was less than 50€ including the converter...

Some old gems from the Prazeres Cemetery, Lisboa

Here are some gems i'd like to show you. They are quite dark and gloomy but that only reflects a main  purpose of my blog (where the other is about beauty).

The Skull is quite often a symbol to be found on portugese cemeteries and they come in a surprising variety. But before we get to the skulls i'd like to show you this one:

What really gets me is the death-mask of the man buried there. The whole grave is a stunning piece of art.















Now to the skulls. Here follows a collection of the ones i've found there.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

I'm not sure if i'm able to do more posts until Christmas so i'm using this opportunity to wish all my readers a merry Christmas!

2010 was a very good year for me when it comes to cemeteries: I've visited a fair number of them (and thankfully the majority wasn't dull) and i've made about 2.500  pictures worthwhile to keep...

Here's a list of the most notable Cemeteries i've visisted:

Budapest, Kerepesi Cemetery
Budapest, Farkasréti Cemetery
London, Highgate Cemetery
London, Kensal Green Cemetery
Italy, Cimitero Monumentale di Milano
Italy, Camposanto di Staglieno, Genoa
Italy, Cimitero La Spezia
Hamburg, Ohlsdorf Cemetery
Hamburg, Niendorf Cemtery
Hamburg, Nienstedt Cemetery
Herford, Marienfriedhof
Bielefeld, Johannisfriedhof
Minden, Nordfriedhof
Aberdeen, Nellfield Cemetery

These are the ones that really were worth a visit. I've seen many others as well but frankly, they were quite dull and depressing.

Which gets me straight to the point: Personally i'm not a big friend of Christmas. But i understand that the rest of the christian world is very fond of it. So i'm not going to spoil it for you by ranting on about the absurdity it means to me. On the contrary i'm giving you a christmas present: An Angel that will hopefully light your day and even the next year...

Just one thing though for you all: Try this as a background for browsing my pictures here. It's worth it!

And another last word: Here's one that reminds me at least remotely of Christmas:

Camposanto di Staglieno, Genova - Shadowplay-

Another Title from Joy Division but not another cover...

This looks a little bit like a dementor but since i'm a muggle that was just my imagination.

Camposanto di Staglieno, Genova: Irregular Section Part II

The irregular Section of the Staglieno Cemetery offers some real huge tombs. The Capella Raggio (1895) (Architect: Luigi Rovelli)) was inspired of the Milan Duomo, a huge gothic cathedral.

To show the opposite here's a detail of a forged iron fence that went on for at least a hundred meters.

It's a true masterpiece of forging and just wonder how much that would cost today?

Something to Celebrate: Today the 1,000th visitor arrived!

And to celebrate it properly i've selected one of my all-time favourite pictures:

It was taken at the 29th March this year in Budapest.

















The next post will continue with the Camposanto Staglieno, Genoa.

Thanks to all the visitors here. There are not many who give me direct feedback but the statistics tell me that there are quite a few regular visitors here.

Stay tuned! I'm sure it's worth it!