Herat, Afghanistan 1975

I visited Afghanistan twice in the 1970s and these slides were taken on my first visit in 1975. When I returned three years later Russian tanks were on the streets. The main invasion took place in 1979 but troops were already there in 1978. I would like to have shown you photos but I wasn't foolish enough to start photographing an invading force.  

 However these photos were taken in happier times in 1975. They were taken in Herat where there was a funfair taking place. I assume it was in celebration of some festival, possibly the end of Ramadan but maybe not. 

 

Fungi

Conditions were perfect this weekend for lots of fungi.

Brompton Cemetery

 

Once the restrictions were lessened I have been trying to visit more underground stations. I started my 'Above the Underground' challenge in 2014. There are 270 different tube stations and to date I have visited and written about 125 stations. Ensuring I remain safe means not travelling on the tube as much as I did prior to the Covid outbreak. This means that I walk more between stations and also find other ways of  getting to them such as using National Rail. I have found that travelling early on Saturdays or Sundays means the NR trains are almost empty and I can open all the windows. 

I enjoy exploring the areas surrounding the stations as often they are unfamiliar to me. This week's gem was Brompton cemetery, a few minutes walk from West Brompton. Read more at http://62andthenext10pathways.blogspot.co.uk

Leicester Square

 There are 39 theatres in the West End of London with another 54 venues outside the West End. I wonder how many will survive this Covid crisis?

This is Leicester Square in the heart of the West End. It was 10am on Saturday when I took these photos. There was hardly anyone there. There are very few tourists in London at the moment which means many restaurants, cafes and shops have not reopened. 

I was able to photograph the statues around the Square with ease without anyone sitting next to them taking selfies.

Could almost be an advert for social distancing.

Don't think I have ever seen the Lego shop or M and M's without queues outside. There again it could just have been the rain keeping everyone indoors.

St James's Park

Last weekend I went into London for a look around. This is a very deserted Horseguards Parade.  There were no guards on horseback on duty outside the barracks on Whitehall.

St James's Park was delightful. The borders were still full of colour.

Looking towards a stationary London Eye.

A view in the opposite direction shows Buckingham Palace.

The Mall with the flags of the RAF flying as well as the Union Jack. The flags commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Hand feeding the parakeets.

 

Trafalgar Square

It is 6 months since I last visited Trafalgar Square, a place that I would regularly walk through or visit when going to the National Gallery. Just when we thought a little normality was returning, the number of confirmed Covid cases is on the rise and consequently more restrictions are going to happen soon. They already have in certain towns and cities and we are waiting to hear what is going to happen in London. So, on Saturday I decided I would go for a wander around this tourist hotspot and what it was like. I arrived in the Square at about 9.30am having travelled on an almost empty train. Even at this early hour there would be buskers and entertainers setting up ready for the influx of tourists but not today. There was hardly anyone around. I spotted the falconer with his Harris Hawk ready to do a sweep over the Square and keep the pigeons at bay. 

The National Gallery is open to the public but you have to book in advance. To allow for social distancing they have set up the National Gallery cafe outside.

A new exhibit on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square complete with its own drone and fly. 

'The End' by Heather Phillipson.

Sharing with Our World Tuesday

Amritsar

These photos are from slides that I took when I was in India in the mid 70s. We travelled to the Punjab in the northwest to visit the city of Amritsar. It was one of the most stunning sights I had ever seen. 

Coming from the crowded streets, this was the view that took our breath away. The Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) is the holiest gurdwara in the Sikh religion.

It is in the middle of a lake where  the worshippers bathe.

Food is prepared and served free to anyone who visits the gurdwara.

These may have been taken inside the temple but not sure. It was such a long time ago.

Sharing with Our World Tuesday