Kapellbrücke

The Chapel Bridge (German: Kapellbrücke) is a covered wooden footbridge spanning diagonally across the Reuss River in the city of Lucerne in central Switzerland. Named after the nearby St. Peter's Chapel, the bridge is unique since it contains a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century, although many of them were destroyed along with most of the centuries old bridge in a 1993 fire. Subsequently restored, the Kapellbrücke is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world's oldest surviving truss bridge. It serves as the city's symbol and as one of Switzerland's main tourist attractions.

Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and a nexus of transportation, telecommunications, and government of this region. The city's metropolitan area consists of 17 cities and towns located in three different cantons with an overall population of about 250,000 people.

Due to its location on the shore of Lake Lucerne (der Vierwaldstättersee), within sight of Mount Pilatus and Rigi in the Swiss Alps, Lucerne has long been a destination for tourists. One of the city's famous landmarks is the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke), a wooden bridge first erected in the 14th century. Lucerne was voted the fifth most popular tourism destination in the world in 2010 by Tripadvisor.

Backstreets of Brugge

When I travel I usually like to get off the beaten track and the well travelled tourist routes and quite often just dive down any alley or back lane to try and discover the real local life. This small back lane in Brugge, Belgium is a good example of what delights you can find down these small streets. These small houses were all very well maintained and this one had beautifully painted doors and windows with decorative flower boxes.

Rustic Fornication

This rustic and rough wood carving was seen in a hilltribe camp in Northern Thailand close to Chiang Rai. I'm not sure what message the artist was trying to convey but it certainly demonstrates the potency of these tribal people of north Thailand!

Ema at Kiyomizu-dera Temple

These wooden prayer tablets or Ema were seen at the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, in Kyoto, Japan. Ema are small wooden plaques on which Shinto worshippers write their prayers or wishes. The ema are then left hanging up at the shrine, where the kami (spirits or gods) receive them. They bear various pictures, often of animals or other Shinto imagery, and many have the word gan'i, meaning "wish", written along the side. In ancient times people would donate horses to the shrines for good favor, over time this was transferred to a wooden plaque with a picture of a horse, and later still to the various wooden plaques sold today for the same purpose.

Ema are sold for various wishes. Common reasons for buying a plaque are for success in work or on exams, marital bliss, to have children, and health. Some shrines specialize in certain types of these plaques, and the larger shrines may offer more than one. Sales of ema help support the shrine financially.

At some shrines, such as Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, one can find ema in many languages, as tourists leave their own wishes and prayers.

Trondheim

Trondheim in Norway is the furthest north I have ever been and in February it was extremely cold with snow and very thick ice. However braving the cold and the dangerous sidewalks I came across some lovely old wooden harbour buildings lining the Nidelva River. The view above was from the Old Town Bridge which crosses the Nidelva River, leading from the Nidaros Cathedral to Bakklandet.

The Old Town Bridge

Nidaros Cathedral

Graveyard at Nidaros Cathedral

Shop in Old Trondheim (Bakklandet)

Trondheim Harbour