Ambiance lugubre au Belvédère

VDP can't resist this scene... It isn't the first time she has taken this photo though it wasn't shown on VDP but here on AV. To see the Belvedere at Petit Trianon castle inside out click here.

VDP a les pires difficultés du monde à résister à cette vue. Ce n'est pas la première fois qu'elle prend cette photo, mais ne l'avait montrée que sur AV, c'était ici. Pour voir toutes les photos du Belvédère au Petit Trianon, cliquez là.

What is a Messerschmitt but doesn't fly?

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Ta-da!  It opens up!
Lihi, the nice guide of the Open Museum at Omer Industrial Park, is proud to show us this special microcar.

It's a 1960 Messerschmitt Isabela, with a 690 cc, 2 piston engine, made in Germany of course.

After the war, the Allies for a time did not allow  Messerschmitt to build aircraft.
In the early 1950s the company turned instead to small motor vehicle manufacture.

The collection of 32 antique cars exhibited at the Omer Open Museum is owned by Eitan Wertheimer, son of entrepreneur and industrialist Stef Wertheimer.
I'll show you some more in future posts. 
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A Labyrinth is not a Maze

What is the difference between a maze and a labyrinth.  Although the two terms are basically synonymous, there is a difference.  In this case a maze refers to a complex branching multicursal puzzle with choices of path and direction, while a unicursal labyrinth has only a single path to the center. A labyrinth in this sense has an unambiguous route to the center and back and is not difficult to navigate.

The difference between the two meant the KidZ learned something during our summer holiday in the Overberg region of the Western Cape.  We drove to the town of Napier and I told them that we were going to make a stop to do a cache at a labyrinth.  They wanted to know what a labyrinth was and I told them it was like a maze.  That was where I made the mistake.  They had done the big maze at the Plett Puzzle Park before and in their minds there was going to be something similar.  When we got to The Red Windmill outside Napier and dashed off to go and find the maze only to be met by a "wall-less" labyrinth.  Oh the disappointment.  The ran off to the middle though following the path round and round, kinda defeating the purpose of this labyrinth being one of meditation and contemplation.  They had fun regardless.  While they were following the route to the middle I retrieved the cache from its hiding place and signed the log, adding another smiley to my Geocaching map. 

A Posh Tree House

A novel way of advertising dream holidays in Africa is there reason for the treehouse on the Southbank.  There was an opportunity to win an overnight stay in the lofty hut by registering your details with the company.  No lions and tigers to see from your bedroom window but a not half bad view over the Thames instead, and plenty of people wandering by to replace the trumpeting of a stray elephant.

Self Expression

I don't think you could find a car that looks like this anywhere in the world but the US. This kind of complete cover is uncommon but it's not unique. You do see plenty of vehicles that have lots of stickers on the back promoting political or sometimes religious views, any kind of music from heavy metal to the symphony, organizations of every kind or just whatever the owner wants to make a statement about.

Makes you wonder if the weight of all the stickers reduces the car's fuel economy. On the other hand, think of what the owner could save on car washes and minor body work.

Found in University City along the Delmar Loop.                      

The theme for City Daily Photo bloggers on February 1 is
"A Scene from a Cafe or Coffee House.”