66 Trams: Part I
Going around the world in trams. This is an ongoing project. Presenting the part one.
(Covering : Austria,Switzerland,Hungary,Czech Republic, Netherlands,Belgium, Slovakia)
Following her..
Yellow trams, Budapest , Hungary
Overlooking the old Charles Bridge
Tram in Austria
Trams in old town Prague
The Divide
in Bratislava Slovakia
Returning home
Waiting
in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Brussels, Belgium
Electric Tram, Prague
Window to window.
Lucerne, Switzerland
Meanwhile in Italy
Meanwhile in Italy
1) Gelati and more.. yumm..
2. The Zimbabwean player with many birdies. #Venice
3. The view from my room #Florence
4. The view from my seat #Roma
5. Napolitan sea
6. Love in Ray-bans. 
7. And even more Ray-Bans
8. A view of Rome #Vatican
9. Happy girl.
10. Grandeur.
11. Inquisitive twins
12. Italian haircut.
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Images : Marcus Sam
Easter Friday
Good Friday: According to the gospels the Crucifixion of Jesus was most likely to have been on a Friday. Now why Good other than the fact that the only thing ‘good’ imaginable in the 21st century is the fact that its a holiday before a weekend.The fact is its pretty much unclear.While some claim that good has been derived from the word ‘God’ and it should be God Friday, others claim that Good might mean pious or holy.Some Christian traditions do take this approach: in German, for example, the day is called Karfreitag, or Sorrowful Friday or Gottes Freitag meaning God’s Friday. The Catholic Church treats Good Friday as a fast day, which in the Latin Rite of the Church is understood as having only one full meal (but smaller than a regular meal) and two collations (a smaller repast, two of which together do not equal one full meal) and on which the faithful abstain from eating meat. This is why many places have the typical ‘Fish Friday’. Many religion scholars believe Jesus was crucified by nails driven into his wrists, not hands. French physician Pierre Barbet wrote a book called A Doctor at Calvary, in which he said humans are able to bear their own weight with the strength of their bones and ligaments within the wrists, but not with palms alone and if Jesus was nailed only in his hands, he would have fallen to the ground. By the time of Jesus’s death, crucifixion had already been practiced for some 600 years and was a detailed procedure designed to be a very painful process for the victim.
The Tradition of Easter Eggs is however quite interesting.Eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility, and rebirth. Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus:an egg appears to be like the stone of a tomb, a bird hatches from it with life; similarly, the Easter egg, for Christians, is a reminder that Jesus rose from the grave, and that those who believe will also experience eternal life.The Easter Bunny however is German in origin. The Easter Hare originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behaviour.The custom was first mentioned in Georg Franck von Franckenau’s De ovis paschalibus (About Easter Eggs) in 1682 referring to a German tradition of an Easter Hare bringing Easter Eggs for the children.
The images in the post are from the Church of Pisa, one of the most beautiful church interiors I have ever visited. Its not very large , but its very cozy, Ideal place for Jesus to stay in..Its construction began in 1064AD. Galileo is believed to have formulated his theory about the movement of a pendulum by watching the swinging of the incense lamp hanging from the ceiling of the nave.The coffer ceiling of the nave was replaced after the fire of 1595. The present gold-decorated ceiling carries the coat of arms of the Medici.
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Images & Research : Marcus Sam
For information contact : info@marcussam.com
Five interiors you cannot leave out
Five interiors you cannot leave out during the Christmas season..
1) Starting with The Notre Dame Cathedral Paris
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2) The interior of the Pisa Cathedral,
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3) Inside the Cologne Cathedral (one of the biggest in Europe)
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4) Entrance to the Sistine Chapel
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5) Inside the St Peter’s Cathedral Vatican.
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Happy Holidays People..!!
Images : Marcus Sam
King of Jaywalking
Yep, since no one has claimed this title yet, I shall proclaim myself the King of Jaywalking..
As the fact of the matter is, I like to take pictures while crossing roads, jaywalking or not.It often provides you with angles that are unique and unexplored.The word crossing might as well be replaced sometimes by the words ‘running across’ instead, haha…Oh yes its illegal in most 1st world countries,till u are caught of course , by either the police or by the Grim Reaper. But since I am from India,its a no biggie.. stuff happens in India willy-nilly which if happens in any other country, the whole country would shut down…
Do u like to take images while crossing the street? I had this awesome comment from a friend by the name Sue Summons in my Facebook page :: ‘Not ready for that yet. Want to live a bit longer lol’..
So here are some images I have taken around the world that are from the middle of the road..
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GERMANY
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NETHERLANDS
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SWITZERLAND
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FRANCE
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INDIA
JAYFLYING OVER MUMBAI
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BELGIUM
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VATICAN CITY
The Rhine Falls
The Rhine Falls (Rheinfall in German) is the largest plain waterfall in Europe.The falls are located on the Upper Rhine between the municipalities of Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen, near the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland, between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich. They are 150 m (450 ft) wide and 23 m (75 ft) high.
Basically its a summer destination when the falls are ‘not frozen’ and the skies are blue. There is also the Schloss Wörth castle , located near the falls.Boat trips can be taken up the Rhine to the falls and the Rheinfallfelsen. Overall its a wonderful 1 day trip to the location.With friends, family or even your pet…Also the drive is super beautiful so if u can take your own car or atleast hire one, your day will be +/-10% better… (Ideal internet browser view: 125%)
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1) The Majestic Falls with Euro Rail running through it like the life blood flowing through the veins.
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2) The beautiful surrounding houses.
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3) The Schloss Wörth castle in view.
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4) View 2 of the Castle
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5) The Falls, with regular boat rides off and on.
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6) Down River, with lovely woods in the surrounding…Here u can play Little Red Riding hood with your girlfriend..hahaha
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7) And you can have a barbecue when you are done with the playing…
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8) Thats a strategically placed Indian fast food centre.(And by Indian I mean Asian-Indian, not Red Indian, as our American friends might confuse).Keeping in mind that Indians (browns/desis etc) are almost 50% of the summer tourist force in Switzerland~ thanks to the Yash Raj movies deploying us by hordes and litters .Rest 50%, comprise of China(ese) Asians (40%) and Americans/Australian/South-Africans/Rest-of-the-world ( 10%). We are the ones givin em business yea : read related article Here
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9) Finally a panorama view of the falls/area…
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The Dying Lion of Lucerne
The Lion Monument or Löwendenkmal is a sculpture in Lucerne, Switzerland, designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn..
It is basically a War Memorial that commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris, France.
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The Lion lies in his lair in the perpendicular face of a low cliff — for he is carved from the living rock of the cliff. His size is colossal, his attitude is noble. His head is bowed, the broken spear is sticking in his shoulder, his protecting paw rests upon the lilies of France. Vines hang down the cliff and wave in the wind, and a clear stream trickles from above and empties into a pond at the base, and in the smooth surface of the pond the lion is mirrored, among the water-lilies.
Around about are green trees and grass. The place is a sheltered, reposeful woodland nook, remote from noise and stir and confusion — and all this is fitting, for lions do die in such places, and not on granite pedestals in public squares fenced with fancy iron railings. The Lion of Lucerne would be impressive anywhere, but nowhere so impressive as where he is.
— Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad, 1880
Helvetiorum Fidei ac Virtuti inscribed on the top of the sculptured cave means : To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss.
The lion is portrayed impaled by a spear, covering a shield bearing the fleur-de-lis (a Lily or an Iris which is a decorative or symbolical feature of the French monarchy; beside him is another shield bearing the coat of arms of Switzerland..
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Don’t forget check my article the ‘New Asian Age’, named as The Money Spinners : Click Here or Click on the image above..
Also you might like to check another post from the same City : Lucerne
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Images & Concept : Marcus Sam
Postcard from Switzerland 2
Here is another postcard from Switzerland… Its getting tough for me to be regular in the blog along with a few too many other online profiles..But i am trying to giddy up the pace with a little change in plans & bases..lol
So here’s another postcard from Switzerland..Its of the Kapellbrücke or the Chapel Bridge..It’s the oldest wooden bridge in Switzerland built in around 1367AD ..More pictures and a proper ‘blogpost’ coming up soon..lol
Till then just the postcard…
Also Dont forget to check out my previous postcard from Switzerland if u liked this one offcourse..
Here’s the old one :
Cheers have a Happy Sunday…=)
Le Pont Neuf : the ironical french bridge..
Pardon my ignorance from the lack of proper or any knowledge of the french language, that i am using the word ‘le’ every now and then in order to sound french, the way we add ‘ish’ to sound english and ‘vodka’ to sound Russian…
Ahem, yes so the Pont Neuf approximately translates to New Bridge in french, but is ironically the oldest standing bridge across le river Seine , dans Paris …
As early as 1550, uncle Henry II was asked to build a bridge here because the existing Pont Notre-Dame was overloaded, but the expense was too much at the time, a few chicken wings and a few tons of gold, thats it (remember Marie Antoinette advising frenchmen to eat cake almost 200yrs later,yup, the bankruptcy followed, with wars and stuff u dont need…)
…So it took 30yrs to sort out the problems which included Wars of Religion , getting funds from ‘conquered lands’ in the far east & down south and the like…Finally it got completed in 1607…*le Champagne Bottles Open*…French people used to raise a toast, way before it was cool…
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When looking at the bridge its almost impossible to overlook the countless faces inscribed on the stone…Some say (please dont tell me that The Stig ‘owns’ the ‘Some Say’) that these faces represent the traders from the era,the famous and the infamous ones..Others say they represent human expressions while a few still claim that they are the faces of the various Gods who take care of the human race…What ever might be the truth, or the case, historians can never really guess whats in the mind of the real sculptor…Like if u have read uncle Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, you’ll get a shadowy idea of what it was like to stand on the bridge (Rialto) and curse down or spit on a passing boatsman, long before acting ‘extreme’ was ‘cool’ or ‘gangsta’ …. Centuries later we are still not sure who was the Merchant of Venice actually, was it Antonio or was it Shylock or was it Portia, pun intended leave alone Bassanio or Gratiano or anyone else… Scholars speculate, but can u really know what Shakespeare actually had in his mind? Similarly comes the Pont Neuf faces..If u’r Schizophenic, some of those faces even talk to you….
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At one point of the bridge u see a bearded gentleman sitting on a horse with its left leg raised, looking at u…U must almost immediately imagine that its not your vodka , ahem sorry again, but its really a bronze equestrian statue of king Henry IV ..It was destroyed during the French Revolution, but rebuilt in 1818..its history after all, who destroys old history while making a new one…
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But in the 21st century and even later, you can spend hours just waiting there, sitting on the banks..It works greatly if u have someone with you, after all its Paris, but even when u’r alone u can just sit there, looking, dreaming, watching boats go by, sea gulls fly , without fearing anyone spitting from the top, like the 15th century sky…
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Research/Writing/Images : Marcus Sam
Falling in love
Fall in love they said, it’d be fun they said..Most people keep wondering why is it always ‘Fall’ in love, and never ‘Rise’ in love, till they actually fall and then they realize why or maybe ask themselves why (?)…..But the biggest lottery people play is marriage..
In India (where this picture is not taken), there is a saying ‘Shaadi Ka Laddoo, khao to pachtao,nahi khao to pachtao’ in Hindi language, which ,means ‘Marriage is like a sweet delicacy, u will repent whether u eat eat or not’…Not ironical as its coming from a country which boasts the 2nd largest population in the world resulting almost 99.99999999999999999% (notice the non-approximation) from marriages and marriages only…Extra marital children are almost shunned down upon more than stray dogs pooping on the streets and cows sitting & eating up the 1 lane national highways like they own the road…But it shows the sheer Indian experience with marriages, though the striking 80% marriage success rate is falling faster than Greek Economy, leading to the rise of single mothers & single fathers, the question remains unanswered – why do people fall in love; and if they fall, why the breakups..? And if marriages are made in Heaven, then why isnt heaven perfect in what it makes..?
Lets leave the biology behind…Do u have an answer ?
(the Picture is set in Amsterdam,Holland at around 8.30pm in the evening)
The Arch De Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe (in English: “Triumphal Arch“) honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.onstruction stated in 1806 and completed in 1836..
The iconic Landmark has seen
1) The Return of Napoleon‘s ashes to Paris in 1840
2) The Victory March of von Moltke and von Bismarck after the Seige of Paris – 1871
3) Greek troops march during the World War I victory parade – 1919
4) Charles Godefroy‘s flight through the Arc de Triomphe Paris
5) German troops’ parade after the surrender of Paris in 1940
6) Free French forces on parade after the liberation of Paris in 1944
7) Bastille Day Military Parade of 1985
Postcard From Switzerland
Postcard From Switzerland…Small country with awesome per capita income and astounding natural & unnatural/man_made beauty…
Holland Port Buildings
If u’r in Amsterdam/Rotterdam etc u’d find buildings are tilted to the front and with hooks on the front of the buildings…Its because the staircases & hallways are so congested that u cant bring out old furniture or anything as such..Since they were sailor towns with ‘shipments’ coming in everytime, things would be infact hoisted outside the house and lowered by means of a rope…Good thinkin aint it…
The Eiffel Tower (Another View)
The Eiffel Tower just doesnt seem to end…100s of class pictures…and still its just the Eiffel Tower again & again….Nothing speaks of impressionistic romance ,more than Paris and nothing speaks Paris more than the Eiffel Tower…
Swiss Sunrise (pun intended)
Swiss Sunrise (pun intended)
Got up at 3.30am in the morning, paid extra cash to a private boatman the previous night, so that he takes me to a few ‘vantage points’ from where the sunrise looks magnificent… It takes around 30 mins to reach the middle of the lake from where we can get a superb picture of the sun peeking from between the ice capped mountains..And let me please not mention the cold, not ‘swiss bitter’ but cold none the less…So we started the waiting games, but look uncle Helios (Sun God) is so camera shy…and so no sun, instead it started raining….Yippie…! But clicked some niceish pics , duller than Swiss standards, as Swiss generally implies excruciatingly beautiful, but what can u so if the weather is not supportive…no matter what u do and how much Photoshop u use, u cant make grasslands with dull gray skies look like the same setting with blue skies…But it was good in another way….Another trip planned…..And will keep planning till i get the weather i want….
Beautiful Amsterdam Skies
Beautiful Amsterdam Skies : Oh yeah u thought all Amsterdam got was nightlife eh ?
Old Paris
Old Paris : Quai Des Grands Augustins , just in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral
View 1 (at around 7am morning)
View 2 : (at around 7pm evening) .Exactly the opposite of pic 1..ie the place visible at the horizon, view 2 is from the horizon towards the Cathedral..
The Notre Dame Cathedral Paris
Notre Dame de Paris : Groundbreaking started in 1163AD & completed in 1345AD, it is the church that contains the cathedra (official chair) of the Archbishop of Paris . Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.It suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution in the 1790s, when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. Almost the 2nd most important place to visit in Paris, after the Eiffel Tower
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View 2 (Featured on Paris.fr (official page))
View 3 (Featured in ‘Paris Tourisme’)
View 4 (Featured on Paris.fr blog)
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Marcus Sam 