To take photographs means to recognize - simultaneously and within a fraction of a second - both the fact itself and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is putting one's head, one's eye and one's heart on the same axis.
Henri Cartier-Bresson
And back to work ...
We arrived home later than expected, caught up in the air-controllers strike, fortunate to have our flight only delayed by 4-5 hours.
I can't complain and would rather that air-controllers were well-paid and happy with their working conditions. Lyon Airport isn't the worst airport in the world to get stuck in either. I would have preferred it was Istanbul, as that is surely my favourite airport so far - free wifi and good food.
Lyon had great food. We took the risk and paid 14euro for a main at the brasserie there. It was the best airport meal ever however ... we surely paid for it. We had tried the cheap route earlier in the day but it was 7 euro for a bag of potato chips and 2 bottles of water.
We knew Belgium had 22 celsius but, of course, that did involve flying through a bumpy band of grey cloud and into rain. Kind of 'tropical', if you really want to stretch the meaning of tropical.
Today has been all about unpacking, cleaning the house, and getting back on task with the photo-processing I couldn't do on holiday. I'm pleased with how it's going but missing Doussard's mountains and surrounds.
The work in process ...
The Parapenting Blokes Next Door.
Gert and I were out on the terrace, here in Doussard, enjoying the last of the day and watching the light change on the mountains in front of us when a parapenter landed out there in the field.
It happened too fast. I missed photographing him landing.
A little bit later and I realised another guy was about to land. This resulted in a bit of a Di Frenzy. I gifted Gert my dessert (threw it his way really), grabbed my camera, ran to the fence and asked the blokes on the other side if they thought their friend would mind if I photographed him landing ...
Why ask them you might well wonder.
Well, they had walkie-talkies and the first parapent bloke had wandered over to their backyard after landing.
Bemused, I suspect, they said they thought it would be fine.
Two more came down afterwards. Lured, I was told, by the fact that the beer and the BBQ was set up out there.
Lunch near Le Lac Vert ... France
Gert drove me 65+ mountainous kilometres ... we took the secondary roads between Doussard and Le Lac Vert.
Mountainous, winding, narrow roads when you have have livedin Antwerp too long and your driver is a flatlander. (Gert said I have to explain that I found the drive kind of disturbing. I said, surprised, 'but I thought all that was contained in that sentence'. He said, 'no'.)
But anyway ... the view was so very worth it. The image that follows, Mont Blanc no less, was taken while seated at the restaurant called Chalet du Lac Vert.
Stunning I thought.
The Swan, Annecy
Wandering, in Annecy, France
We spent the morning in Annecy and were bemused by this lovely little French city. Although it did take us an hour to decide that yes, we will pay 11 euro each for our lunch because we're really really hungry now!
French bookshops there mostly sell books in French. I was despondent, as I think I might have loved reading so many of the authors displayed however it was all very impossible. I bought postcards and wrote one to my Dad while stuck in the traffic jam 'home'.
A glimpse of Annecy ...
