It’s a big place Donegal. One of Ireland’s biggest counties, it’s rugged, remote and a wee bit different. They even speak like us Northern Irish in some parts.
Donegal town is a nice quiet place – shops, pubs, a castle built by Red Hugh O’Donnell and plenty of churches
One thing Ireland isn’t short of (other than pubs) is pilgrimage sites and general Saint Patrick related places of interest. One picturesque site is Lough Derg in County Donegal, just outside village of Pettigoe which like the Brexit vote, is half in the North and half in the Republic – and hence the EU.
Lough Derg has a nice walk around the lakeside, a visitors centre and a church but is mainly used for the boat crossing over to the Station Island of retreat – St Patrick’s Purgatory. This isn’t available to non-pilgrims but it’s a nice spot for a walk and a photo. I had the chunky Praktica L from this post with APX100 and being in Donegal, guessed exposure with Overcast 8. Or 5.6.
Bangkok is a wonderfully colourful place, so why not try some black and white film, head out to a market or two – or a temple and see what clicks.
Markets are incredible places in Thailand – hot, sticky, crowded, aromatic (in so many ways) and no-one seems to object to a photo being taken. These were taken around the Chinatown food market areas and the ridiculously big Chatuchak Market in the north of the city using the trusty Olympus OM20 and a roll of Ilford FP4.
On all my visits to South East Asia I encounter groups of students who are looking for a tourist to practise an interview in English with. The first time it happened I, of course (and without any justification) thought ‘is this a scam?’ And of course it isn’t. All the times it has happened, I’ve talked to bright, enthusiastic students about Ireland and visiting Thailand while at all times trying to curb my natural Norn Iron accent tendencies. Studying English as a foreign language is one thing, trying to understand Belfast is another.
Actually the SP500, a budget Spotmatic from the early 1970’s whose shutter speed only went as fast as 1/500th. But actually it did 1/1000th but it wasn’t shown on the dial – you just move it round.
I got this for a tenner on the eBay with a Tessar 50mm/2.8 lens, all working except for the meter. So Sunny 16 for using what is an aesthetically pleasing, delightful to handle and well build classic.
The SP500 is a no-frills M42 SLR but it’s useful to compare with the Eastern European counterparts. The Pentax looks and feels smoother and lighter, it handles really well and there’s no recoil from the shutter like the Praktica MTL3.
One of the factors contributing to it’s overall sleekness is the absence of a hotshoe, but there’s sockets for normal flash sync (X, 1/60th) and FP (focal plane) for higher speed fill in flash, not that I’ll be using this much with flash.
On top there’s the basics including the unmarked 1/1000th shutter speed setting. I’m sure Pentax had a good reason for that… Shutter release (threaded for a cable) and a pointless film identifier ring around the rewind crank finishes off the lo-fi feature list of the SP500.
Using it though, with Sunny 16, is a delight. It’s got a bright viewfinder (complete with non-functioning exposure needle), Olympus-OM-levels of ergonomic niceness and is a suitably admirable film camera for the inevitable Instagram post. I took it on a photowalk with a roll of expired Kentmere 100 which was developed in Ilford ID11.
The SP500 – a basic budget M42 Pentax – has no unique selling point other than it’s a delight to handle, looks great and you can pick them up for a song on the eBay. It’s a sleeker alternative to the DDR and Soviet M42 SLR’s and there’s a ton of lenses out there.
Last few shots of Munich. It was my favourite spot on the European tour – the beer, the weather, the very German signage, the beer, the architecture, the metro (clean and punctual) and the fact that every green space contains a beer garden. I’ll go back.
And finally – lederhosen, sex and falafel all under one roof. So German
Ricoh KR5 and Agfa APX
As a central square and meeting /arrival place, Marienplatz is hard to beat. There’s the large Rathaus, S-Bahn station, shops, all the beer you can eat and all the tourist tat you can buy.
In the Rathaus courtyard there is a pricey restaurant (I didn’t) and plenty to photograph.
Munich is all about the beer – there are countless places to drink – indoor and outdoor, particularly outdoor and even on a Sunday, when shops are all closed the drink continues to flow.
Viktualienmarkt round the corner from Marienplatz is a great palce to start.
Away from the main beer garden,you can always find somewhere for a beer when you see that exquisite signage or well turned out staff.
or if you don’t fancy a beer, there’s aways the traditional Bavarian Coffee Haus..
All shot on the Ricoh KR5 and Agfa APX100 – €4 a roll from Drogerie Markt
Visiting the Eagle’s Nest.
The Kehlstein, site of the Eagle’s Nest and the Nazis’ Bavarian getaway outside Berchtesgaden has always held a bit of fascination. Is it a case of considering whether even the most evil of humanity needed the odd vacation or a natural curiosity to visit a significant historial site which happens to be in a spectacular location? I’ll go with the latter.
The Kehltstein can be reached on foot (long and very hot in summer) or you can get the bus from the train station and use the path (about 40 mins climb) or you can get the lift via a dark and cold tunnel.
Once up, it’s time to enjoy the views from the top and have an enjoyable walk as well as a suitably priced coffee at the Kehlsteinhaus.
I enjoyed Salzburg – plenty to see and a great city for walking about. I probably didn’t get the best of it not being a classical music lover or enjoying fine (= expensive) dining. However there are a few city views that would warrant a return.
Kit – Ricoh KR5 and Fomapan 100
Austria and southern Germany have really eye catching signage on hotels, cafes, shops – whatever some old building needs to identify itself with.
Ricoh KR5 with fomapan 100.
