Collin's Bakers

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The coat of arms of the Dublin Baker's Guild preserved and restored on the wall of one of the entrances to the main square in Collin's Barracks in Dublin.

Metal Cleaner

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The street sweeper in Madrid's Plaza Santa Anna. It reminds me of the quirky bronze figure of usher Jim Mulvaney outside the Screen Cinema on Dublin's D'Olier St.

Bike or Trike

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A 19th century railway inspector's track bicycle, or is it a tricycle, on display in Berlin's Technikmuseum. A real boneshaker. I wonder how it felt going over a set of points.

Softly Softly

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These two policemen were part of the operation to control the potentially violent confrontation between Kurds and Turks at the recent "hands off Kurdistan" demo in Berlin. They don't carry any weapons and sport longer hair underneath their casual style caps, unlike their tough uncompromising colleagues who are waiting nearby in their thousands to wade in, if the softly softly approach fails to have any effect. I couldn't help but notice the slouchy stance, which is not typical of a German policeman or woman. I suppose it's all part of the psychology of diffusion. Another interesting point is the use of English on the vest. You'd wonder will there be any of the German language in common use in Germany in twenty years. Even the TV adds now are about 50% English. It makes me ask myself if there is any sense in continuing with my German language studies.

Flowers on Friedrichstrasse

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Almost every railway station in Berlin has at least one flower stall. This display is at one of the exits from Friedrichstrasse.