TigerSalad

Ideas-Photographs-Sounds: Home and Away

Posts in Category: Photography

After the Herring …

On August 30, 2026 0 Comments - Photography, Travel

***please try to look at these photos on a bigger screen. Your phone will crush all the details***

This is the final post in a five part series. To start from the beginning, CLICK HERE.

Taking out the trash

I have been back home since yesterday (or maybe the day before?)

This morning, as I sat down and started sorting through and deleting photos from the trip, I inevitably found a few shots in the junk pile that I really like. They are one-off shots that didn’t quite fit into previous posts but still hold warm memories or beautiful scenes.

Generations

For the Amsterdam leg of this trip, there were four of us travelling together: myself, my good friend and his parents. His mom is the sweetest person, considerate and patient. His dad is energetic, funny and always up to some mischief: either looking for discounts, trying to buy things that aren’t for sale (hahaha!), commandeering bicycles or impulse shopping. It was a lot of fun to spend time with them! This is the second time I have met them in Europe. We probably walked at least 20km a day and they had just as much energy as we did (possibly more).

Father and son listening to tall and handsome Dutch cheese-monger. They ended up buying a LOT of cheese! In their defence, we did eat all of it : )

Mother and son…and more cheese! Dad is way in back, plotting his next caper. Notice how both men are walking with their hands clasped in front of them…genetics at work. The sausage doesn’t fall far from the tree, as they say…

Beautiful Light

There were many hours of overcast but also scenes like this….

This is from a balcony off our Amsterdam apartment. When I travel, I always try new ways to fight jet lag. Some time ago, I read that once you get up in the morning, you should stand directly in the morning sun and let it shine into your face and eyes to reset your internal clock. So every morning, I would crawl out of bed and stare into the sun on this balcony. The air was always fresh and cool. You could smell that you were not far from the sea. The sun is burning off some early morning fog here.

The evening sun just about to drop behind the buildings. This picture was taken from a boat on a canal.

City Scenes

These are a few random shots of Amsterdam. A good-looking city overall, there were many pretty details.

Amsterdammers will make a garden out of the smallest urban spaces. Window boxes, flowerpots and cracks in the sidewalk are all sprouting something colourful. I remember the same kind of little pot gardens everywhere in Tokyo.

Woman cycling in the rain past the premium stroopwaffel shop. Stroopwaffels are made up up two thin waffle textured biscuits with caramel in between. This shop made them fresh so they were hot and the caramel was soft. You can also buy stroopwaffels in packages at bakeries and grocery stores and warm them up by setting them on top of a steaming cup of coffee. They taste great together.

This was after the Prinsengracht concert. People are happily drinking and snacking as they boat home after the show.

This is a Sunday afternoon in Delft, Netherlands, another city of canals and bridges but much smaller and quieter than Amsterdam.

To Wroclaw

We boarded our plane at the Amsterdam airport by outdoor staircase from the apron. The sun was just setting as we climbed on board and I was able to snap this shot. I really love getting onto an airplane from the outside and giving the fuselage a pat-pat-pat before I get in… I just love airplanes. For everyone who is amazed by the great leaps in technology we are supposedly making right now (eg.AI), just stop and think about a jet plane for a minute….

One of the 800 or so Wroclaw Gnomes. These little brass dwarves have been appearing in the streets of Wroclaw since 2005. Collect them all! I think there are online maps so you can hunt gnomes all over Wroclaw like Eastern Europe Pokemon Go.

One of the buildings on the Cathedral Island. It is so spotless and perfect that I can’t help but think of a fancy cake with buttercream icing.

So many different textures and colours all at once.

**The Tour Guide.** Most of the time, I travel solo and it is enjoyable but, a lot of work. On this trip, I had almost no say in the planning or the daily events. It was SO NICE! This is only the second time since I was a little kid that I have travelled strictly as a passenger. The first time was in Tokyo where I followed my daughter around all day just taking pictures and marvelling at my surroundings and trying not to get lost. Sometimes it is so relaxing to not have to make any decisions and just let someone else look after your well-being. As an adult, it is a pretty rare thing. Thanks to my Polish brother for looking after all the details. It was a very special and relaxing trip for me because of all the work you did to make it that way : )

Strange and seemingly random details and window placement. I love the way this place is put together.

Late night on Cathedral Island (sounds like a reality show for clergy: “On the next episode of Cathedral Island, Sister Anne-Margaret catches Bishop Giuseppe smoking in the vestibule…tune in Sunday night!”). The whole island is lit with gas lanterns.

Nostalgic Commie-grey against the blue blue sky. I think “communist concrete” should be a paint-chip.

A wildflower garden in a concrete planter surrounded by concrete buildings. The picture doesn’t quite capture how striking it was in person.

The End (for real this time)

This was a great trip. Whenever I go to this part of Europe I always I feel at home. I like the cities here, the way they are organized and the way they move. Restaurants and grocery stores are full of high quality and affordable meats and fruits and veggies and baked goods. And, being outside in the city is relaxing and refreshing. I hope to be back again someday.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please leave them below. I always look forward to hearing from you.

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Amsterdam, photography, Poland

Wroclaw Art and Architecture Tour

On August 26, 2026 2 Comments - Photography, Travel

***please try to look at these photos on a bigger screen. Your phone will crush all the details***

This is the fourth post is a five part series. To start from the beginning CLICK HERE.

The last full night and day in Wroclaw revealed some historical gems in the heart of the city…

Neon Side Gallery

A dark alley between old concrete buildings opens up to a narrow courtyard awash with the glow of vintage neon light. Wroclaw’s Neon Side Gallery is a collection of neon signs from the communist era: rescued, restored and put on display in this otherwise nondescript alley.

Even though colour is the main attraction, I thought these might look good in black and white…like they might appear in an old movie.

In full colour…former department store, restaurant, business and cinema signs showing the bright colours and characteristic lettering of neon advertising in Polish cities from the 60s to the 80s.

My now almost 12 year old Fujifilm X100T is still an amazing little camera. These shots in difficult lighting are just beautiful.

Communist era neon next to communist era grey cement building. These signs must have been some of the only splashes of bright colour in an otherwise washed out grey cityscape. This alley is worth a visit, especially at night. There are a couple of bars in the courtyard so you can stretch out in a beach chair, sip cocktails and smoke a cigarette in the neon glow. Pretty glamorous!

On the walk home…

Lonely streetlamp downtown late at night.

Zabka! (Polish for frog). This is pretty much the only convenience store in the country and they are on every corner. They have **everything** in these tiny shops, like a Polish version of the Japanese 7-Eleven.

A Polish gas station glowing green. This is a BP station, a brand we haven’t had in Canada since I was a kid.

The following day we had dinner at this Polish Milk Bar called “Miś”. A “milk bar” is a cafeteria-style restaurant with fresh homemade dishes cooked with local high quality ingredients. You order from a menu board on the wall (no English), pay and stand in line for your food then carry it to your table to eat. When you are done, you bring your own dishes to the dish-pit and move on. There is no service, no washroom, no tipping and you are likely to stand in line for awhile during busy times. Worth it? 100 percent. The food is incredibly cheap but fresh and healthy and home-made. As if your mom cooked it just for you!

Slightly scary statue of Pope John Paul with a big moon over his shoulder.

A 19th century monastery, restored beautifully into the Arche Klasztor **Wrocław** hotel. This was our home base in the city.

Centennial Hall

Designed by Max Berg and built between 1911 and 1913, this is an amazing building made entirely of reinforced concrete. It’s original purpose was to host exhibitions, concerts, theatrical and opera performances and sporting events. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2006.

From the courtyard. This is a massive building. I though black and white would look good here, as if it was photographed the year it was finished,

Domed and windowed ceiling of reinforced concrete. There are no posts inside supporting anything. It is a massive wide open space.

At the bottom, you can see a few rows of the spectator seating in curved natural wood.

You can clearly see the traces of all the wooden forms used to shape and support the setting concrete.

Park Hotel at WUWA Wroclaw

In the late 20’s, several local architects were asked to design and build examples of their vision of “standard” buildings to meet the need for housing in the city. Simple, efficient form and function were key to the designs. This particular building, the “Park hotel”, was intended as a “hotel house for childless couples and single people”.

Park Hotel which I thought might look more of it’s era in black and white. I like the Polish woman smoking near the entrance…a perfect detail!

These two shots of the lobby lounge are very similar but different enough that I couldn’t decide between them. I love the colour and the placement of furniture and plants and the shadows in both.

The End

I am sitting at a desk in a crappy airport hotel late at night as I write this. My alarm is set to 4am so that I can safely make the first leg of my return trip home. This has been a short trip but it was packed full of great company, good conversations, tons of fresh air and delicious food. Poland is quickly becoming one of my favourite European countries. The people are friendly and polite, the food is top quality everywhere, transportation is easy and Poland’s cities are as pretty as anywhere in Eastern Europe (except maybe Prague) I hope to spend a lot more time here in the future. Thanks to my good friend for keeping me company and making this trip possible : )

A pretty outdoor restaurant in a central courtyard hidden away down a narrow alley. A typical scene in Polish cities.

To see the next post in this series CLICK HERE.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please leave them below. I always look forward to hearing from you.

If you enjoy the content and would like to contribute towards website maintenance and development, you can make a donation here.

photography, Poland, travel

Frankfurt and Wroclaw

On August 25, 2026 0 Comments - Photography, Travel

***please try to look at these photos on a bigger screen. Your phone will crush all the details***

This is the third post in a five part series. To start from the beginning CLICK HERE.

Afternoon stopover in Frankfurt

During a long stopover in Frankfurt, Germany we rode the bus 10km to the small town of Hörscht, famous for it’s 400 original timber framed houses.

Survivors of the war: houses of Hörscht. Being so old and made of wood, many are noticeably crooked. They are all unique in shape and colour. The weather was badly overcast on this afternoon so the bright colours are muted in these photos.

Little wooden houses along the old stone moat wall.

Later on we headed back to Frankfurt for dinner…

Main square in Frankfurt. Showcasing a few different styles of architecture, all of these buildings were rebuilt after WW2, the originals having been destroyed in the war.

Kanonesteppel traditional restaurant outdoors in a courtyard under a big plane tree.

This was a premium A+ Euro-feast. Pork knuckle, liver sausage, blood sausage, potatoes of all kinds, sauerkraut, Frankfurt green sauce, pork belly, pickled herring, veggie salads, Handkäse (a local cheese dish) and home made apple wine (a regional specialty).

Onwards to Wroclaw…

Wroclaw is the historical capital of Silesia, located in southwestern Poland. It is a beautiful old city with rivers, bridges and historic buildings in all shades of pastel colours. In little corners, the unmistakable grimy grey stucco buildings of communist era Eastern Europe still remain.