Tuesday, 18 August 2015

Flowers, clocks and coffee

Hi Everybody!

Hope your week got off to a good start!
It's been very wet here, and the rain was much needed. The cooler
temperatures are pleasant, too.

Today is the start of a new challenge at TIOT -
Sending you flowers.

As always, you have 2 weeks to create something, and all formats are allowed.
Hope to see lots of you joining us again!

I made another flower face, which is also meant for the '49 faces'  private challenge which Susi and I have started, and of course for 

I am also linking to Kim Dellow's 'Friday Face'








For Elizabeth's T stands  for Tuesday I have a photo of my favourite drink, coffee, this time as cappuccino.
After finishing my coffee I noticed there was a chip in the cup, so told the waiter when he came to present the bill. Much to my surprise I didn't have to pay anything, so that was good!


And now I have more photos from last weeks's trip to the Altstadt of Düsseldorf.

This is the Spee Palace, now a museum:





This is the monument to Anna Maria Luisa de Medici, the last scion of the house of Medici. She was married to the Elector Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz, the ruler of Düsseldorf, who was better known as Jan Wellem - I showed his equestrian bronze statue yesterday. They were both great friends of art and music, and founded the first art museum in Düsseldorf (the contents of which are now for some reason in Munich!). Her memorial shows the things she loved. After Jan Wellem died in 1716 she went back to her home town of Florence, where she lived until her death in 1743. Jan Wellem was also responsible for the destruction of our castle, built by the Emperor Barbarossa, here in Kaiserswerth - there were always enmities between the 2 towns, and in 1702 it was reduced to ruins with canon balls, because Jan Wellem was afraid that his enemies could hide there! Hmm, love your neighbours - those were troubled times!




Here the garden side of the palace


The 'Spee'scher Graben', the moat surrounding the palace and part of the Altstadt:




Here you can see the perimeter wall from the palace gardens:




Another quiet street:



I still have a few photos, so will show them tomorrow.
Till then, have  a great day, take care,
and thanks a lot for coming by!

46 comments:

  1. So what number face is this for you? I think your quote fits this flower face so well. And more great photos. I am really enjoying this little trip from the comfort of my couch. Enjoy your day!

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  2. Another pretty face! Enjoying the photos, what a beautiful swan!

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  3. Love your face with all the flowers, and the photos are great, you know some corners of Düsseldorf that I never saw. Have a lovely day, good luck with the dentist, hugs, Sarah

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  4. ooohh val,das ist eine wunderschöne seite,sieht aus wie eine elfe.
    tolle bilder hast du gemacht,die teiche und seen sind ja so schön,und der schwan gefällt mir sehr.
    hab einen tollen tag heute,hier regnet es in strömen.


    gugs jenny

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  5. I KNEW you would find a way to incorporate your latest face with a journal or challenge entry. This one is stunning. I was very impressed. I was waiting to see if you were going to draw a face coming out of a cup of coffee, but I like the picture of the cappuccino better, and the fact you didn't have to pay for it, was all that much better, too.

    After all the photos you had and the link you sent me yesterday, I spent a LOT of time looking at the statues and also familiarizing myself with Dusseldorf. For one thing, I learned that Altstadt was one of the 49 boroughs in District 1 in the city. I know you said it was called Old Town, but didn't realize that was what Altstadt stood for. It was one of those DUH moments.

    Dusseldorf loves its statue of Jan Wellem, because every site I visited had it showing somewhere on their front page. Your photos of Old Town really piqued my interest in this city, and I'm ready to learn more about it, especially when I start working in Europe in my 7 continents altered book again.

    I have to admit the photo of your white swan was a lot more in focus than my black swan from the zoo photos I took. Lovely and fun to see the rest of the photos of that lovely area of the city.

    Thanks for sharing your art, your cappuccino, and your photos with us for T this Tuesday.

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    1. The swans were amazing, I was able to walk right up to them!

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  6. I forgot to mention. We have those same geese living along our river, too!

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  7. Fantastic page.. Faces and flowers work so well together. I like this delicate style.

    WOW to the photographs.. So many things to admire. I always love you special photographs of door and the swan picture is wonderful

    Have a good day

    Love Chrissie xx

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  8. Was für eine wundervolle Seite das ist ! Ich bin schwerstens begeistert! Auch von den herrlichen Aufnahmen und Zusammenhängen !
    Ich wünsche einen wunderschönen Tag Liebes!
    Ich drück die Daumen grad für den Zahnarzt.
    Bussi
    Susi
    Happy T-Day!

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  9. Your page is very lovely, very delicate flowers and colours. A joy to look at indeed.
    Your city photos are all very interesting to see. My favourites are the window shutters. Dusseldorf is a beautiful city. Have a great day {{Hugs}}

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  10. Lovely post..... great art.... loved seeing all the close up shots.

    I love seeing your photographs.... my favourite one is the last one with the flowers in the shrine (?)

    Karen x

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  11. A beautiful face again today, everything fits so well together. Loved my continued tour, seeing these photos, the moat around the palace were my favourites.
    Yvonne xx

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  12. Mit deinen tollen Fotos kann man Städte auch gut kennen lernen... habe deinen Düsseldorf-Trip sehr genossen!
    ... ich sterbe hier schon wieder ab bei 15°. Da ist mir die Hitze wirklich fast lieber! Ulrike

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    1. Hier ist es auch kalt und nass. Bald kommt Sommer wieder!

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  13. Super photos Valerie, I love the Anna Medici plaque. I had to laugh that you complained about the chipped cup after you'd drank the coffee, I'll have to remember that one! Your faces are beautiful, the one from yesterday is stunning. Have a good day, pouring of rain here :( x

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    1. Yes, must try it again if I get the opportunity! Very wet here, too!

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  14. A lovely journal page, love the quote, great pictures I really enjoy reading about your travels hugs Bee.

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  15. Photos are amazing love seeing them every day...Fabulous creation of your journal page as always, love the whole design and colours are lovely.. .xx {The Journey Is The Start aNNie my personal blog}

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  16. Hi Valerie, Your art work is stunning! I find the colour green difficult but you seem to have no problem at all using it. The whole composition is beautiful.
    Thank you for our tour of the Spee castle and parts of old Duesseldorf. I must go to your other pages and see the other photos. Very interesting. I know very little about German history, so keep it coming!
    Greetings from Spain,
    Lisca#5

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  17. Touring Germany without going. Nice. Would love to see part of this area though. Such ornate care in the buildings. Lovely gal with her flowered hair and timekeeping ornament. xox

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  18. Lovely lady you created...the piece is so full of energy and very uplifting Valerie!
    We could really use some rain here in Virginia.
    Yesterday was SO hot and sticky...with the humidity if felt like more than 37.777C =ugh!
    So much history to enjoy in your area which fascinates me
    AND that swan oh my so beautiful!
    Cappuccino is my favorite weekend drink when we go out.
    Glad you didn't cut your lip on the cup :-)
    Happy T Day oxo

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  19. Beautiful flowery lady! I am always awed by the detail on the doors, plaques and buildings you show--so full of history!

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  20. Oh my Valerie this lady is stunning! I am so enjoying your photos too! Hugs, Chrisx

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  21. My favorite part is the flowers in her hair. Reminds me of a song from my youth :)

    Vicarious travel is one of my favorite things! Thx!

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  22. Wow! Another great face! I love how contemporary the flowers are. They are quirky and bright and go so well with the face. I really like flowers that surprise by being unconventional. Once again your photos are fabulous. My favourite is the lion door knocker: I just love those so much. My house is a tiny cottage, so one of these would look ridiculous on my door; but I do have a real passion for them on huge and heavy mysterious doors, leading to ancient spaces. xx

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  23. Bright, fun, light, airy, free and she's lovely Valerie... makes me feel "pleased" - "satistfied" - "at ease"... looking at her.

    Oh and thank you for more pics of your trip - we have so enjoyed seeing them. I hope you will make a layout from Anna Maria monument - I can just picture you doing it so well!!! j.

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  24. What a fantastic post this is. Your art work is beautiful.

    Thanks for sharing all the photos of the museum, so lush and green and I could hear the water running by..............

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  25. You know how much I love your photographs Valerie - would love to be able to travel to Dusseldorf. You often include some history that I do like to read. There is never enough time to learn so much but you help with the journey.
    I love this face Valerie and all the flowers that surround her. Beautifully designed. I think a time piece as decoration in her hair is quite lovely!!
    You are not going to believe it Valerie - but I actually posted today with some photographs that you might enjoy!!
    Sandy xx

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  26. Your face is great and I love all of the photos of your trip.. The coffee looks so yummy , chip and all :) Love seeing the castle and garden photos . Thanks so much for sharing.

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  27. Your face is stunning as always Valerie!

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  28. Lovely photos Valerie! Thank you for taking us along with you for Tea... Its wonderful being able to 'travel' while sipping my coffee in the morning. :) LOVE the swan picture. AND your artwork is breathtaking. Hugs! Happy Tday ... deb

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  29. Wonderful page, Valerie! Lovely face with all the beautiful flowers. Great photos too!
    Hugs, Mar

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  30. The pastel colours along with the pink create a beautiful page today, Valerie. I love flowers of all kinds and it is always a treat to see them in your projects. More memories as you shared your photos again today. They are marvelous plus the history lesson well received. Thank you!

    Hugs,
    Carolyn

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  31. Beautiful work of art! All the flowers look fantastic!

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  32. Very pretty artwork! That was so nice of them to give you your coffee for free when they served it in a chipped cup. Now that is quality service! What beautiful palace grounds. It does look peaceful and quiet there. Happy T-Day! :)

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  33. Hi Valerie! WOW! I absolutely love your gorgeous work of art! The colors, the perfect quote, your pretty face, everything looks amazing! And cappuccino is one of my favorite drinks, too! Thanks also for sharing your beautifully amazing photos. I always love looking through them - these are simply stunning!

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  34. Another beautiful face Valerie, love how you incorporate the flowers.
    Fabulous photos, really enjoying the tour.
    Avril xx

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  35. Your journal page is quite lovely, and wonderful photos too! Here in the U.S. there isn't much that has such a long history...unless it is Native American. wonderful post!

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  36. Your face is lovely. Great pictures you have shared h ere. I love love the photo of that swan.

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  37. Magnificent scenery, architecture and art where you live. You are an amazing photographer. I know I don't always comment on the pictures you take, but you are very talented in this art form as well as the others.

    Your page is gorgeous and the face is really lovely. I adore the dot detailing, especially in her eye.

    Hugs,
    Teresa

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  38. Your photographs are astonishing, could inspire (for me) so much artwork, especially the architectural ones.
    I like the photo of the chip in your coffee cup, hope you enjoyed the coffee.

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  39. Hi Valerie, love this face and the colors. The eye is stunning. Love your photos from your area. You are so talented with your camera. Love the swan! Have a great day. cm

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  40. Beautiful artwork today Valerie, she looks so delicate, and the flowers are so pretty. Fab photos too, I hope you had a wonderful trip xx

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  41. Just wonderful. I really love how the bright colours ping! Gorgeous work and I look forward to watching you guys with your 49 faces on Pinterest and your blogs too :) Thanks for linking up to Show Your Face and for the shout out too. Kx

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  42. Such fresh summery inspiration for the TIOT theme - this is really uplifting. And the photos make me feel as though I've had an afternoon Spaziergang around the Aldstadt - thank you!
    Alison xx

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  43. Such cool architecture!! How inspiring it all is and how wonderful to see this in person!! xo

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