The 2012 Travel Project: February 2012, Brussels, Belgium

February was cold and wet in Paris...it even snowed once!  Seriously...for real!  So naturally, like any other fun loving Canadian would do, we (Myself, Julia, and 3 friends from Total) decided to travel even farther north...to Brussels.

Beer, chocolate and fries abound...but the trick would be finding those gems of photos hiding in the city...

This first picture is more a case of a great subject than a great picture...This is "la grande place" in Brussels...really an amazing place!  Taken with the Tokina wide angle.

Good subject, OK photo.

This next one is of the inexplicable famous Mannequin Pis...Yep that's it there, peeing with a Shriner suit on...To add to that, it was surrounded by like 300 people and it was only about a foot tall...inexplicable...truly...Taken with a Nikon zoom 5.8.

Inexplicable

 This picture was taken in the EU Parlimentarium museum, which is still to this day one of my favorite museums.  Viewed from the floor below these balls formed a map of Europe, but from the upper deck they simply looked cool.  Unfortunately, I feel that this is another occasion where a better angle for the shot would have made it more interesting...oh well.  Taken with a Nikon 50mm 1.8.

Balls-y shot!

Next up, Netherlands.

The 2012 Travel Project: January 2012, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

We're off to an auspicious beginning here on the 2012 Travel Project with the 1st entry for January 2012 (yes I am very late...did you even read the last article...I know)...Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.  I must admit, I am relying on people being a little kind on this one...I am cheating a little here in that Luxembourg is technically a grand duchy, not a country...but hey, it has all the criteria (royal family, flag, government..etc), so lay off!

Anyhoo...this being my photo blog and all, I am not going to spend to much time talking about the place and instead just focus on the pics.  If you want more info on our trip and what I thought, go to my other blog and check out "Eric's Uninformed Travel Tips: Luxembourg Edition" (ericinparis2011.blogspot.com). So let's see some pics...

This first one is of one of the more picturesque bridges in Luxembourg City.  I always like to try and experiment with the layout of my shots and honestly, the more I look at this one, the less I like it...but oh well, here it is...enjoy :) Taken with a Tokina 11-16 F2.8.

Diagonal lines...Still not my friend

 I really do love this shot, especially the reflection of the building in the background and the mossy stairs heading into the calm water...tres cool...Again, I feel like I could have done it more justice by lining the angle of the bank paralell with the right side of the frame but, you live you learn.  Taken with 'ol faithful (our film zoom lens).

I am a sucker for a good reflection

 Finally, I love this one more for the subject than anything else.  This church was carved into the side of one of the many cliffs in Luxembourg City (see my other blog for more details on this).  I really like how the roof just disappears into the rocks. Also taken with 'ol faithful.

If I was a hobbit, I'd live here

And there you have it...That was our only trip in January, so next up February...I wont reveal it yet but the locale is famous for beer, chocolate and cartoon reporters.

The 2012 Travel Project: The Explanation

At the risk of overstating...It has been a very, very, very long time since I have posted anything on this, or any of my blogs, but, like a married nympho in Amsterdam, I am resigned to once again lie and say that I am going to try and be more faithful...

This Faithful...Totally

I am hoping that my subject matter will keep me interested anyway.  What is that subject you ask?  Let me tell you, I say...

We have quietly been working toward a goal over the first 6 months of 2012 and I want to capture it on both my blogs...We have managed to see at least 1 country a month so far this year, a trend I am hoping to carry right to the end of the year.

I will be capturing this goal in two ways...

1. Eric's Uninformed Travel Tips, on my other blog (Ericinparis2011.blogspot.com), will be providing my views on the countries we have visited.

2. The 2012 Travel Project Album, on this blog, will be covering the progress through my favorite photos in each country.

So check back often to see the updates...the first ones (the months that have already passed) are going to come hot and heavy, so you wont have to wait long!