Monday 23 December 2013

Happy Christmas

This seems like the perfect time of year to thank all those who have sent Katie and I their kind words and best wishes during the last twelve months and, especially, in the last few weeks. We really appreciate the tremendous friendship and support that we have received from so many people since my diagnosis so thank you all!
 
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One of the downsides to my treatment has been my inability to travel outside the UK. Whilst I'm passionate about the British Isles it is sometimes nice to be able to go somewhere different so it was a major 'bright side' when my oncologist told me he had no objection to Katie and I travelling during my current break in treatment. As we had very little time to plan and as I'm not able to get medical insurance we decided that we'd limit our ambitions and head off for a city break in Europe, so last week we spent three nights in Prague.
 
Prague is a beautiful city with attractive architecture, a rich history and some of the best lager in the world (don't believe a word Carlsberg say, Czech lager is far superior! Try this place if you're ever in the city). Prague also has a very seasonal feel at this time of year. We had a very enjoyable time, it was a real treat!
 
The chance to photograph some of the famous sights was one of the main attractions of the city for me. These shots were taken using a technique known as 'high dynamic range' photography. This involves taking several shots of the same subject with different exposures and then merging these together using software. This is good for capturing detail in scenes in which there are both very bright and very dark areas (click on the images to see larger versions).
 


 
This last picture seems like an ideal cue on which to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year - "Veselé vánoce a šťastný nový rok" as they say in Prague (no, I can't pronounce that either)!  
 
 
 


2 comments:

  1. Merry christmas Katie and Paul. Glad you managed to escape to Prague especially at this time of year. Photos amazing. Hopefully recharged and ready to tackle 2014! Laura

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    1. Many thanks Laura, hope you and the family had a good Xmas too! Paul.

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