Porch of the Maidens

The Porch of the Caryatids is part of the Erechtheion, an ancient Greek temple atop the Acropolis in Athens. The temple was built around 400 BC. The portico is adorned with six draped female figures (caryatids) which act as pillar supports. Five of the original caryatids are now in the Athens Acropolis Museum and the sixth is in the British Museum.

I've added a couple of textures from Shadowhouse Creations.

Demure

This little sunflower was still in the process of opening its petals when I photographed it. I thought it looked especially delicate. I added some adjustment layers and a free texture by les brumes.

Writ in Gold

This image was created from a photo that Travel Partner took in the Athens Archeological Museum of a bronze head from Delos sculpted around 80 B.C.

I've added textures from Shadowhouse Creations and les brumes, as well as a wrinkled paper texture to achieve a gold modeling effect. The original photo of the head is below.

Photo by Steve Bohn

Harlequin

Still playing with sunflower photos...

Millenium Wheel

A view of the Millenium Wheel (better known as the London Eye) and the old County Hall building from across the Thames river. I used various textures and adjustment levels to create a historic, early evening effect.

Sitting on Top of the World

As I was exploring the narrow streets of Oia, I spied this couple reading and enjoying a magnificent view from their balcony high above the submerged caldera of Santorini. It doesn't get much better than this, does it?

I've added a texture by les brumes.

Sunflower Study

I've been taking a lot of sunflower photos lately because our backyard is filled with them. So of course I've been playing around with the photos in Photoshop. This image is one of the results of my endless experimenting. The background is a grunge flower fabric.

A Dog's Life

One of the many stray dogs that can be found all over Greece, this one seems oblivious to the gorgeous views of Santorini and would rather enjoy a little nap in the shade. Our guide in Athens told us that the stray dogs in Greece are well provided for and that they have easy access to food, water and shelter, but other things I've read seem to contradict this. You see strays everywhere, even on idyllic Santorini, and although they look healthy and are friendly enough, I was concerned that they may not have access to the creature comforts that American dogs are used to.

Red Sunflower

We planted sunflowers in the back yard and were very surprised when one of them turned out to be a red sunflower, rather than the usual yellow, as we had never seen one before.

I've added a texture by les brumes.

White Tower Weathervane

Photo by Steve Bohn

The image above shows one of the four towers of the White Tower at the Tower of London, which was once
a Royal Palace for the kings of England. Each tower is topped by a beautiful weathervane depicting a crown and royal coat of arms. The weathervanes date from the reign of Charles II in the 17th century.  Today the White Tower houses a collection of armour and weaponry dating back to the time of Henry VIII.

City of Masks

I love to window shop in Venice. There are so many interesting shops, selling unique, handcrafted items, such as this mask and costume shop facing the Grand Canal and just a few steps from the Rialto bridge.

Canalside

This scene was captured from atop the Accademia bridge in Venice. I've added a texture from Shadowhouse Creations to give it a muted effect.

A View of Westminster





Early morning view of Parliament from our hotel

  After our recent cruise, we flew to London to spend a few days. Travel Partner booked us into a brand new hotel on the South Bank, the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, with fabulous views such as this one looking out over Westminster Bridge, the Thames and Parliament. The area you see at the bottom of the photo is one of the hotel's dining areas. The location was great and within easy walking distance of many attractions, such as the London Eye.

Tower Bridge



Photo by Steve Bohn

 This photo was taken from the Tower of London. Like the seagull in the last post, the plane was another serendipitous element.

I've added a texture called Painterly Effect 2 from Shadowhouse Creations.

Trogir Bell Tower

When our cruise visited Split, Croatia, we chose to visit the historic town of Trogir, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Trogir is compact enough to enjoy in a short visit, with its narrow alleys, Romanesque churches and Renaissance and Baroque buildings from the Venetian period.

This photo was taken near the town's harbor. I've added a texture from joes sistah to enhance it.

Sail Away



Photo by Steve Bohn

 This is another photo taken as our cruise ship sailed from Venice and passed by the Lido island. In my opinion, it's nearly worth the price of the cruise just to have such a wonderful vantage point when sailing in and out of ports of call.

In order to enhance the late afternoon lighting, I've made several layer adjustments to this photo taken by my travel partner.

Didyma

One of the ports on our cruise was at Kusadasi, Turkey, where there are lots of options for viewing nearby ancient Turkish ruins. Although the most impressive ruins are probably at Ephesus, we were put off by all the photos we'd seen showing hordes of people at that site, so we chose to visit three other sets of ruins instead: Priene, Miletus and Didyma.

Our excursion included lunch and we were delighted when we were taken to the restaurant above, overlooking the ruins of Didyma. We had a wonderful meal that included a huge buffet of delicious Turkish dishes and were then served an entree of sea bass. Afterwards, we walked to the ruins and explored them with our guide.

Photo by Steve Bohn

This photo shows the Temple of Apollo, the main structure at Didyma. By walking through stone tunnels, you reach a lower level of the temple. It's a very impressive sight and fun to explore.

Fishing at Eminonu

Fishing along the Eminonu waterfront is a popular pastime in Istanbul. We passed these fishermen as we walked back to our cruise ship (to the right above) docked in Karakoy across the Galata Bridge. This part of Turkey is known as the Golden Horn.

I've added a texture from Shadowhouse Creations.

Sunken Cistern

This is a view of the largest of many ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. This one was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian during the 6th century. The ceiling is supported by 336 marble columns, each 30 feet high.  Currently there is only a few feet of water in the cistern and very small fish and coins can be seen in spots where the dim lights penetrate the water. Descending and exploring this damp space can feel very mysterious, despite the fact that it is a popular attraction for both tourists and locals.

I've added a texture by joes sistah.

Sailing to Byzantium



Photo by Steve Bohn

 Byzantium was the original name of Istanbul, back when the Greeks founded it in 667 BC. It was later renamed Constantinople and was the capital of the Roman Empire until it was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. In 1930 it was renamed Istanbul.

Sailing into Istanbul was very exciting because the city straddles both Europe and Asia. The city is also a mix of ancient and modern and its people are very proud of their history. This mosque in this image is the famous Hagia Sophia

I've added a texture called sky hard by clive sax.

House on Santorini

This lovely house is located in Oia on the beautiful island of Santorini, in the Greek Cyclades island group. We spent a fun day on Santorini, walking around Oia and Thira and visiting a winery before taking the funicular back down to the port to return to our cruise ship. I wouldn't mind going back and spending a few days there someday.

I've used adjustment layers to enhance the color and contrast.

Mykonos Windmill

Most of the iconic windmills of Mykonos were built by the Venetians in the 16th century and primarily used to grind wheat. There are currently 16 windmills on the island. Some of them have been restored and used as dwellings. One has been converted to a museum.

I've added some adjustment layers to enhance the colors and brightness.

May Day in Venice




Photo by Steve Bohn

This picture of the San Marco area of Venice was taken as our cruise ship sailed through the Giudecca Canal on its way to the Mediterranean Sea.

May Day is a holiday in Italy and throughout much of Europe and celebrates International Workers Day.

Photo by Steve Bohn

And here is another view from our ship, taken a little further along the canal.

I've added textures from Shadowhouse Creations for an aged effect.