Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Rinda's Summertime Photography Scavenger Hunt

Just like last year, Rinda organized another photography scavenger hunt this summer. It usually lasts from June 1st to September 23, and she has come up with 21 items we can hunt for during that time (2 items can be substituted). It was a lot of fun, and except for one item I found all of them during my trip to Europe.

So let's start, shall we?

1. A sign welcoming people to your home town
Well, this was the first item I had to substitute, because our town doesn't seem to be very welcoming. What a pity. I have a kite instead - we flew this kite a couple weeks ago on one of our local beaches when friends from Colorado came to visit.


2. A garden gnome
These garden gnomes live in a shop window at the Marché aux Fleurs on the Île de la Cité in Paris.


3. Birds on a wire
When I woke up in our farmhouse bed and breakfast in the Cotswolds I saw these birds sitting on the wire. I have no idea what kind of birds these are, but perhaps some reader from England can help me out?


4. A group of tourists
That was easy! I just had to choose. I decided to feature these tourists in front of Buckingham Palace. Perhaps they hoped to see the Queen - the flag on top of the palace told us she was home. (Perhaps they were hoping for Kate, William and George who do not live here.)


5. A rack of post cards
Again, I could choose. I loved this rack in rainy Edinburgh.


6. An urban street scene
I loved the buses in Edinburgh. Let's rephrase that - I love public transportation.


7. A rural landscape
Is there anything better than the Cotswolds? 


8. A tattoo on a person
I took a picture of this guy and his girlfriend/wife while fastening a lovelock on Pont de l'Archevêché in Paris. Only when I looked at the photos at home did I realize that he has this big tattoo on his arm.


9. A bakery
Cornish pasties are very popular, and I was happy to find a Cornish bakery up in York - quite a way from Cornwall!


10. A photo bomb
Oh my! That is something you can hardly plan for. However, I have a teenage daughter who loves to play photo bomb! And usually when I least expect it (which, I guess, is the point). Kaefer thought it very funny that she jumped right in front of my camera when I wanted to take a picture of Stanway House in the Cotswolds in the beautiful evening light.


11. A horn
York is the place to go for finding horns! When I first read the list I thought that this certainly would be an item I had to substitute, but I found it on our third day in Britain!


12. A mascot
No problem during World Cup in Europe - this one is the mascot of the Dutch national team. Of course it's an orange lion.


13. A sunrise
Didn't happen!!! So I have to substitute it with a bird house - just like the garden gnomes I found these ones at the Marché aux Fleurs in Paris.


14. A parade
Now, this was tricky. I actually didn't see any parade. I witnessed a demonstration in Paris, but does that count? So I had to get creative. Here's the poster for the upcoming Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Edinburgh Castle, an annual summer event. I had seen it back in 1988, and it was certainly a lot of fun and a great atmosphere!


15. A juggler
Again, this wasn't easy at all. Instead of a real juggler I took a picture of this guy "juggling" a ball under three pots, changing it all the time. Someone then has to say where the ball is - you have no chance to pick the right one. These guys want to get your money - and they do if someone is stupid enough to "play". You always find them in touristy areas like the Eiffel Tower.


16. A sign in a language other than English
This sign was in front of a café in Hameln, Germany, telling the customers about the rooms in their very old building. The sign is made from wood and the text is burned into the wood.


17. A lamp post
Aren't these ones just wonderful? They are in front of the Louvre in Paris.


18. A water fall
We didn't see any waterfalls during our trip, so I opted for this fountain in Trafalgar Square in London. The water is falling quite nicely.


19. A public garden
This is the Ernest Wilson Memorial Garden in Chipping Campden in the Cotswold. Wilson was a plant collector - a very fitting memorial for him.


20. A bus with a picture painted on its sides
Voilà - sightseeing bus in Edinburgh. Later I saw similar ones in York and London, and even in Paris.


21. A photograph of you with something representing the season
Those are always the most difficult-to-get photos. But here is one, taken by the Geek. Representing the season: I'm wearing a dress, sandals and I'm sitting in front of a fountain in Paris. Yeah, summer!


So here we are - 21 items in almost as many days! It was a lot of fun working on my list - yes, I always carried it with me. Thank you, Rinda, for another great photography scavenger hunt. I hope there will be one next summer!


16 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Wow, wow and wow. Huge smiles at the way you nailed that list. And I particularly love the post-card rack with its own umbrella.

Cheri said...

That's quite impressive that you completed the list during your trip! I think I'll be out taking photos the day before the contest is over!

Maria Ontiveros said...

Woohoo!!! Great job Carola. I hope it added an extra fun element to an already terrific trip.
The linky is now open at my blog, so please stop by and link up when you get a chance. I love the cotswolds, and we stayed in chipping camden when we went there a couple of years ago.
Your lamp posts are spectacular!
And i love seeing YOU.
Rinda

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

It was so much fun to see your great collection of photos, Carola! Those lampposts are just stunning, cute photo bomb, and I love the photo of you at the end. Well done!

Kerry said...

That is a lot of travelling around our little island. Great photos. I'm hopeless with birds so can't help you with that one sorry.

Linda said...

Fabulous finds! Looks like you had a wonderful trip:) I love the gnomes you found, and the shot of the buses in Edinburgh is fabulous!

Darla said...

What fun and a lot of work to put together I expect. Nice that it ends with a picture of you!

Darla

~*~Patty S said...

What a great peek at your fabulous European adventures...we took our list to the UK last year and I thought this year how many of the items we could have ticked off...
You did great!
Really enjoyed arm chair traveling from here in Virginia.
oxo

Sylvia said...

Wonderful collection! I love your take on a horn!

Carmen said...

I really enjoyed looking at all your photos. That's a lot of work! It looks like you had a wonderful holiday.

scrappyjacky said...

Love the lamp posts.

Becky said...

Well done! Looks like you had a great holiday too! Love your postcards with their umbrella!

Rhodesia said...

Well done, that is amazing. I also cannot find a welcome sign, and we are going to Paris on 22 Sept, so I am hoping for a last minute bus before the hunt closes! Meanwhile I guess I will have to substitute as well. The only welcoming sign I can find is one to a walk remembering the resistance fighters during the war, not a town!! Great photos, Diane

Sian said...

what a great collection this is. It's practically impossible to pick a favourite, but I do like that one of the buses in Edinburgh - brilliant angle

Magic Love Crow said...

Great list ;o) Great photos! Really enjoyed everything ;o) Hugs ;o)

Anonymous said...

great captures...
I agree..there is no place better than the Cotswolds!
Great photo of the waterfall too.