Nicole's Scavenger Hunt

NicoleB's Scavenger Hunt.

I'm participating in NicoleB's Scavenger Hunt today.
The idea is to post pictures representing different aspects of your own country.
People from all over the world are participating in this challenge.
It will be a very interesting trip around the world.

And what does the winner get?

can choose between either 8 postcards, 3 Greeting Cards, 2 magnets or 2 key chains
Shipping is included

Here’s the list (it’s a bit focused on the “local” theme):

1) local currency

People in Belgium pay in Euro.

2) local flag

3) local food

Belgian waffles.

4) something rusty

5) local wildlife

Well, it IS wild and it's local. ;-)

6) local nature

7) local stamp

This was in the window of a stamp auctioneer.

8) part of your neighbourhood (it can be a very small part )

View from my patio.

9) traditional house

10) a local person

11) local weather

Capricious.

12) local transportation

13) traditional local clothing

14) night sky

Christmas lights in Bruges.

15) sunrise

16) local product non food

Art at the local garden show.

17) something furry

Yeah well, I just could NOT resist this! ;-)
It IS furry, right?

18) something feathery

19) a sign of the season

20) a part of you

21) your main hobby

Photography.
Just in case you're wondering, this has not been photoshopped.
The reflection is a real reflection. I took a zillion pictures before I got it right!

22) a local shop

23) a local restaurant

24) a street sign

No dogs allowed.
Even those on a leach.

25) a local mail box

Ruby Tuesday More Pictures from Bruges

I saved a couple of pictures from Bruges for this Ruby Tuesday post.
Remember the tiny street where my bike got stolen?
I posted it in my Weekly Winners on Sunday.
If you want to see more pictures of Bruges, this link will take you to this post.

This house is across the street from the small alley where I used to park my bike every day.
I used to look at this house from inside the shop I where I worked when I was eighteen.
I don't remember that it was painted ruby back then.
It most probably wasn't, I like it better how it is now.

No rubies here? Oh yes there are, look at the garlands on the left. See?


I love how the red reflects in the water of the canal.
Those people are waiting for the next boat to arrive to take a boat trip along the canals.

The minute I saw this, I knew this was a Ruby Tuesday picture.
I'm still having so much fun looking for Rubies each week!

If you want to see more Ruby Tuesday posts,
visit Mary the teach at Work of the Poet.

And this is my Photo of the Day 2009.
If you live in Canada or Alaska it's probably not a big deal, but here in Belgium we're not used to getting much snow. If we do get some, it's usually gone by the end of the day.
But not today. It's very very cold here, and it looks like the snow will be here a little while longer. It's the coldest winter in years.

I'm not sure if I got the white balance right on this one.
Up until now I used to shoot most of my pictures in auto mode.
But now I'm challenging myself to switch to manual settings in order to get to know my camera a little better every day. That's why I joined this challenge, by the way.
But I tend to forget to change the settings every once in a while ...

Weekly Winners, Christmas in Bruges

Bruges. If you visit Belgium, you'll more than likely visit this town.
But to me it's the town where I was born.
I left Bruges to move to Antwerp when I was 23, but she's still in my heart.
I love this town, more and more each year...
Now let me show you what Bruges is all about...

Tiny streets and little alleyways.
There is a little personal history to this spot. I used to come here every day.
The door on the right is the back door to the shop where I used to work when I was eighteen years old. I used to park my bike there, go into the shop from the main street and open the back door from the inside. One day I was running late I forgot to put it inside, and my bike got stolen.

Lace shops.
A friend of the family owned one, and we used to work there on holidays and weekends.

The canals ...
They used to smell terribly when I was young, it was horrible.
Boats crammed with tourists always made us snicker.
But they know better now, the water is healthier, there's even fish in them nowadays.
And the tourists no longer need a clothes pin on their nose to survive the boat trip!


People call it Venice of the North.



I think it's so pretty ...


Oh, and the houses look like cute little gingerbread houses ...


with crow-stepped gables. I love them ...



Respect for what's old and keeping it authentic is what makes Bruges so charming and unspoilt.
Bruges still looks like a fairy tale town to me, look ...



Yes, I know, I have already published this picture,
but that was on Christmas day, and I don't think many of my readers saw it.
I had fun playing with some layers and an eraser tool on my photo shop program.
Click here if you want to know how to do it.



The Christmas lights in the streets.
They still make my eyes sparkle, even though I'm not a kid any more!
I hate it when they take them down again, and only darkness remains.
That's why I could not resist posting them, even though I know they're not my best pictures.


Click on the banner to visit Lotus and the other Weekly Winners participants.
But wait ...
Don't leave just yet!


This is my photo of the day.
I was trying to create "bokeh" after I read this tutorial.
This is what came out of it.
I'm not there yet, but at least it's a start?