Archive for April 3rd, 2008
Moscow pictures (Canon G9)
Moscow was actually quite bearable for a change. Nothing went horribly wrong. Flights on time. Airport not crowded, queues manageable. Hotel very nice. Business went as expected. I didn’t get lost, stuck, mugged or kidnapped. No terrorist action. Nice weather. Must be something wrong.
The trip was mostly business but I got these as I walked along:
The Hotel
Gasheka Street (not a famous one but one I’ve spent a fair bit of time in)
Vladimir Mayakovsky at the junction of Tverskaya street (foreground, left-right) and the Garden Ring (underneath, front-back).
and his Metro station (much nicer from the inside)
Blue onions
and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
Lastly, a shot inside Sheremetyevo waiting for check in to open
This airport was opened the same year I was born but I think I’m wearing better than it is! I’ll get some shots outside next time because they are building a new terminal and a rail link to the city.
Originals of all pictures, bigger sizes, can be found in my Moscow gallery.
Okay, now I really do feel stupid
By way of wishing this blog had an “ongoing saga” -
April came.
And so did the original language.
Hurrah!
Sign up oh ye of little faith.
Just don’t do it via their head office.
Find a little dealer who does business out of a cardboard box down a dark alley because he’ll get you all the kit in about 5 minutes versus the 2 months it took me.
Oh.
PS
The guy who installed was great. Did everything really fast – dish, cable, connections, set-up, moving Aster City to other room. It all works and cost only 280 PLN. I was generous and bunged him 300.
The strange incident of the owl on the windowsill
I was sent this picture by a work colleague. Michael, who got it from his Polish teacher (nod nod, wink wink, say no more).
It is supposed to be a picture of an owl standing on the external windowsill of our office at Zlote Tarasy.
There’s no question that the windowsill and the background are correct for such a shot. Not sure which level it was taken from but that’s not important. There are however a few questions one might ask about the owl, which I think is a Long-eared Owl (Asio otus):
- A nocturnal animal out in the daylight?
- A very secretive animal visiting the town centre?
- An animal that is written to be between 31-37 cm long suddenly growing to be (as I calculate from the photo) at least 40 up to 50 cm long?
- A scared animal (hence the tall “ear” feathers) standing still long enough to get such a clean shot on the spur of the moment?
Is this the first time anyone has spotted the “Greater Polish Long-eared Diurnal Tough-guy Owl”, did a real owl escape from the zoo or is this photo a fake?
Expert, or otherwise, opinions are appreciated.
