Old cellar at Pilsner Urquell

Old cellar at Pilsner Urquell , originally uploaded by miquel_martin.

Pilsner Urquell may not ferment their beer in these old barrels anymore, but that's where their heart is (or the PR deptartment's, anyway). On a smoldering hot day (35C outside), this was too cold to walk around with just a tee! This gives a better control of the fermentation, and later on, during the conditioning phase, allows for the precipitation of pretty much everything you don't want to have in your pint. One more thing, if you get the chance, have a bit of ground hops: all the bitterness of a pint in a sand grain sized scrap of the stuff! You'll want some water nearby...


Potser Pilsner Urquell ja no fermenta la seva cervesa en aquests barrils tan anacrònics, pero clarament respecten les seves tradicions (si més no, al departament de marketing!). En un dia botxornós (35 al carrer), aqui feia massa fresca com per passejar-s'hi amb samarreta! Això els hi dona un millor control de la fermentació i, més tard, a la fase de condicionament, permet filtrar tot allò que no voldries tenir flotant a la teva cervesa!. Una cosa més, si teniu l'ocasió, probeu el Llúpol tot solet: tota l'amargor d'una mitjana, en un trocet del tamany d'un gra de sorra! Assegureu-vos de tenir un got d'aigua a prop, però...

If you'd like some more info on this picture, there's a bunch of extra details in flickr.

70m above Charle's Bridge in Prague

70m above Charle's Bridge in Prague, originally uploaded by miquel_martin.

This balloon soars up to 70m above Prague's Karlův Most, for the modic price of 30 euros. Yup, there's two people hanging off the bottom of the balloon! What got me, however, was the amazing colors of the sunset on a sphere like this. Fly above the clouds, little one, but keep a theter to the ground!

Note that this balloon is actually a closed off gas compartment, more like a weather balloon filled perhaps with Helium, if any consideration is due for the passengers. The alternative would be hydrogen, which is cheaper, but we all know how that ended... So, it's only by the sheer force of an industrial crane pulling at that theter that it stays down for passengers to board, and only high enough for them to breath! I should have taken that ride...


Aquest globus flota fins a 70m sobre el Karlův Most de Praga, pel mòdic preu de 30 euros. Efectivament, hi ha dues persones penjant a la part inferior! El que em va sorprendre, però va ser la llum de la posta de sol sobre una esfera tan perfecta com aquesta. Vola petitó, pero manté aquest cable cap al terra!

Per cert, que aquest globus és, de fet, un compartiment de gas tancat, com seria un globus meteorològic, ple, tal vegada, amb Heli, si és que algú va decidir tenir alguna consideracio pels passatgers. L'alternativa seria hidrogen, que és més barat, però tots sabem com va acabar allò...Així doncs, es tan sols per la tossudesa d'una grua industrial tirant del cable, que el globus baixa prou perquè els passatgers hi puguin pujar, i nomé prou amunt com perque encara puguin respirar! Hi hauria d'haver pujat....

If you'd like some more info on this picture, there's a bunch of extra details in flickr.

Alone by Lake Zurich

Alone by Lake Zurich, originally uploaded by miquel_martin.

A man sits on his own at Zurich lake. Beyond the amazing colors, I'm astonished about the feeling of loneliness this pic conveys: a man sitting on the very edge of the bench, in a spectacular setting, and yet utterly alone.
The problem is, this is a big fat lie (sort of). Zurich horn is far from deserted on a Sunday afternoon, and there were, not only passers by, but also a bunch of kid (his own?) playing right under the grass horizon line. In these day and age, many have argued against photoshopping pictures, but the truth is, there's a lot of modification that goes beyond photoshop, as you can see from my choice of angle, focal length and moment in this picture. In my opinion, photography is subjective, and one's pics must show what one saw (another explanation in better chosen words). I saw a lonely man in a crowd, and here you have him! I do not support changing pictures to show something you did not see or with the intent of deceit.
Oh and, last note: Photoshop Disasters are not a thing of modern times!


Un home seu sol a la vora del Llac Zurich. Més enllà dels colors de la foto, estic molt satisfet de la sensació de soledat que transmet: un home seu en un extrem del banc, en un entorn espectacular, i està totalment sol.
El problema, però, és que això és una trola enorme, segons com ho miris. El Zurich horn dista de ser un lloc solitari els diumenges per la tarda, i no només hi havia gent passejant, si no també una colla de nens jugant just per sota la línea de l'horitzó de la gespa. Avui dia, molts critiquen el retoc de fotos amb Photoshop i similars, peró el cert és que hi ha moltes "modificacions" que van més enllà del photoshop, com podeu veure en la meva tria d'angle, zoom i moment de fer la foto en aquest cas. Personalment, penso que la fotografia és subjectiva, i les imatges que un crea han de ensenyar el que el s'ha vist, tal i com es recorda (explicat amb millors paraules aquí). Jo vaig veure un home sol en una multitut, i aquí el teniu! No estic d'acord, però, amb canviar fotografies per tal d'ensenyar una cosa que no s'ha vist o amb la intenció d'enganyar.
Ah i, per cert, els Desastres amb Photoshop no són pas una cosa d'avui dia!

If you'd like some more info on this picture, there's a bunch of extra details in flickr.

Walking itself

Walking itself, originally uploaded by miquel_martin.

While this dog gets to walk itself in the Heroes square of Budapest, some kids don't have it so easy...
Anyway, that's a retractable leash, and this is what it looks like inside, in case you were curious. Funnily enough, the size of this handles seems to be a problem: apparently some dogs will think they're being chased by it, after jerking it free from the owner's hands, and sometimes run in to the traffic... I guess evolution hasn't worked out that well for modern domestic dogs... your thoughts, dog owners anywhere?
At any rate, I thought the pic was cute :)

Mentre aquest gos es passeja a si mateix a la Plaça dels Herois de Budapest, molts nens no ho tenen pas tan fàcil...
En fi, això és una corretja retràctil, i funciona així, per si us picava la curiositat. El que trobo curiós és que el tamany del mànec sembla que es un problema: es veu que hi ha gossos que es pensen que alguna cosa els persegueix quan l'arrosseguen, si aconsegueixen lliurar-se del seu amo, i de vegades acaben en mig del tràfic... Em penso que l'evolució no els hi ha fet pas cap favor, als gossos domèstics... Cap experiència d'algun amant dels gossos?
En fi, tornant a la foto, l'he trobat prou maca :)

If you'd like some more info on this picture, there's a bunch of extra details in flickr.

Rock Balancing by Lake Zurich

Rock Balancing by Lake Zurich, originally uploaded by miquel_martin.

A street artist painstakingly builds these stone pilars everyday by Lake Zürich. The stones are balanced on each other, and no glue or reinforcement whatsoever is used! There's quite a few people practising this, but I had certainly never seen it before. The stones stand in delicate equilibrium, and the wind is sure to make them fall sooner or later. In that sense, this ephimeral art resembles Sand Mandalas or Street Painting, to compare to wildly different practices. There is a certain beauty to so many hours of work, knowing they are condemned to disappear...


Un artista al carrer apila aquestes pedres cada dia a la vora del Llac Zürich. Les pedres s'aguanten en equiibri una sobre l'altra, sense cap mena de cola o reforç! Hi ha tota una colla de gent que es dedica a això, però per mi és totalment nou. Les pedres estan en un equilibri molt delicat, i el vent les farà caure tard o d'hora. En aquest sentit, com a art efímer, em fa pensar en Manadles de sorra o dibuixos al carrer, per comparar-ho dues coses totalment diferents. Hi ha certa bellesa en hores d'art condemnades a desapareixer...

If you'd like some more info on this picture, there's a bunch of extra details in flickr.

A Mooring barber pole in Venice

A Mooring barber pole in Venice, originally uploaded by miquel_martin.

A barber pole design adorns this mooring pole in a little Venetian alley. I have no idea why that design is there (other than to look colorful) but barber poles themselves have an interesting meaning. Think back, way back: well beyond trimming hair, any self-respecting barber would also be a surgeon, and dentists! Of course by surgery we mostly mean bloodletting (i.e. make you bleed till you faint, and let's hope you feel better later). The thing is, "barbers" would hang the bandages to dry on a pole: white if they were fresh, and red if bloodstained (or just old?). The wind would blow on them and eventually roll them around, creating the well known pattern you see in the picture. Eventually the pole was made into a sign, and by the time doctors and dentists parted ways with their grooming colleagues, the barber had already laid claim to this symbol, surviving until today.


Un diseny de columna de barber adorna aquest piló per atracar vaixells en un carreró de Venécia. No em pregunteu pas que hi fa aqui (a part de maco), pero en qualsevol cas, les columnes de barber tenen tota una història. Penseu en fa temps, molt de temps: més enllá de tallar cabells, qualsevol barber respectable seria també dentista i cirurgià! Es clar que quan diem cirurgià ens referim a algú que feia sangries (es a dir, teure't sang fins que perdis el coneixement, i esperar a veure si et trobes millor). La qüestió és que els "barbers" solien penjar d'un pal les benes per assecar: blanques si estaven ben rentades, i vermelles si tenien taques de sang (o el barbe les portava usant des de feia anys?). Quan el vent bufava, les benes s'enroscaven al voltant del pal, creant el patró tant conegut que veieu a la foto. Finalment, del pal en van fer un cartell, i per quan els doctors i dentistes van deixar el ram dels escurça patilles, els barbers ja havien fet aquest símbol, que perdura fins avui

If you'd like some more info on this picture, there's a bunch of extra details in flickr.

The invasion has begun!

The invasion has begun!, originally uploaded by miquel_martin.

Ok, don't panic, let's not do an Orson Welles War of the Worlds drama here! (incidentally, not much people ever did). This is actually the S-Printing Horse before the Heidelberg Printing Machines building in, well, Heidelberg, near where I live in Germany. You might have heard of the company, but the chicken/horse remains, fortunatelly, largely unknown (yes, that's a guy's head reading a book out of the horse's backside). I liked this picture, at any rate, for it very much reminds me of H. G. Wells' tripods, or Half-Life's. How come that guy's looking so relaxed, by the way?


Va, conserveu la calma! A veure si podem evitar un drama estil Guerra dels Móns de Orson Welles! (de fet, ben poca gent la va perdre, la calma). Aquest és, de fet, l'S-Printing Horse davant l'edifici de la Heidelberg Printing Machines situada a... Heidelberg, prop d'on visc a Alemanya. Pot ser heu sentir a parlar de l'empresa, pero el cavall/gallina not te pas, afortunadament, gaire fama (sí, això de la cua es un payo llegint un llibre que surt del cul del cavall). En qualsevol cas, el motiu pel qual m'agrada aquesta foto es per que em recorda els trípodes del H. G. Wells, o els de Half-Life. Com és que aquell senyor va tan tranquil en plena invasio, per cert?

If you'd like some more info on this picture, there's a bunch of extra details in flickr.