The Digital Capture of Light

'Temple Tales' returns, this time with a look at Weiss Kirche (White Church), a classic small church in the middle of a meadow in the Bavarian countryside of Germany. The classic architecture of Bavaria is generally extremely ornate and exemplifies drama and grandeur. When this ornate 'Baroque' architecture is used with curves and shell-like structures, the architecture is termed 'Rococo' for a combination of the French Rocaille, or shell and the Italian Barocco, or baroque styles.


As you approach the Weiss Kirche, it looks like most of the churches in small-town Germany and shows nothing of the ornate sculptures it holds inside. Its only when you venture in that you're overwhelmed with the amount of rococo art.







The Church was built in 1746 AD and has an interesting story behind it as well. Apparently a carved figure of Jesus was dug up nearby in 1738 and it began crying real tears and the church was then built at this site. The church is today a UNESCO World heritage site. The large ceiling fresco depicts the Second Coming of Christ and the Last Judgment.


The Weiss Kirche is located in the area called Pfaffenwinkel between Munich and Fuessen. If you take the Romantic Road bust tour in Germany, this is a stop on the way and well worth it. You spend about 30 minutes here and there is a nice cafe nearby with delicious local food.

This post has been a long time coming! We visited Dubai during the first week of July enroute to India. We came back to Houston on the first week of August and since then, I've been wanting to make this post - but after finally wading through all the 300+ photos I took in Dubai, here are some of the sights of Dubai.

Dubai can be distinctly divided into two parts: Old Dubai where the souqs are, and the general feel is like a typical Arabian city with mosques and bazaars galore. And then there is new Dubai, a showcase of the vibrant oil and tourism economy of Dubai and UAE. This side is represented by the skyscrapers, the hotels and the malls. Lets just say, in Dubai you can enjoy the best of both worlds!

Old Dubai:

Traditional Arabic architecture, Bastakia Quarters

Dhows bringing in goods to the souqs along the Dubai Creek

The Jumeirah Mosque

The ship of the desert

An interesting earthern lantern lights the desert camp

The Wafi city mall has an Egytian theme

The Burj Dubai, soon to be the tallest building in the world

The medinat Jumeirah mall, themed on traditional souqs

The magnificent Burj-Al-Arab hotel

The Burj Dubai at night

Having settled back into routine life, here in Houston, it feels so good to sit back, look at the photos and remember those days... 30 days - 4 cities - almost 2000 pictures! Here's a brief glimpse into the places we visited. More photos of each place will follow later. Ofcourse, do visit Scary-on for our travelogues. The first write-up comparing the desert safari in Dubai to the luau in Hawaii is up here.

Old Dubai Architecture at the Bastakia Quarters...

...and the Burj-Al-Arab hotel showcasing Dubai's modern architecture

The gopurams of Srirangam, as seen from the Rockfort Templein Trichy

A view of Madurai from Pasumalai

Colorful plastic pots lined up ready for the water at a village near Madurai

The majestic architecture of Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal

A kingfisher spotted in the potramarai kulam of the Meenaksi Amman temple in Madurai

Jain Carvings at Thiruparankundram in Madurai

The unfinished Gopuram at Thenubureeshwarar Temple near Chennai

A percussionist practices on his drums at Dakshin Chitra near Chennai

A model Chettiar house at Dakshin Chitra near Chennai

A tranquil scene at Kovalam Beach near Chennai

Roadside Fruit Market at Pondy Bazaar, Chennai

If you've ever driven through the roads of Texas, you'll know that the countryside has predominantly two colors - green during te spring and summer and brown during fall and winter. However for a couple of weeks before spring starts giving way to summer, the roads are lined with a colorful display of the wildflowers. The Bluebonnet, the state flower of Texas dominates the early wildflower season and then gives way to a multitude of colorful wildflower species.

This year, we decided to combine the hunt for wildflowers with a little bit of history as we spent a day around the town of Independence, TX. Along with wildflowers that we saw in abundance we also found some typical Texas landscape - small oil rigs, major agricultural fields and ghost towns. We also managed to get some time in an awesome Rose garden and immerse ourselves in some Texas History. You can read all about it in our travelogue here.

Bluebonnets the state flower of Texas, 80-200@200mm, f/2.8, 1/2500s

An oil rig stands functioning amidst a sea of green and a sprinkling of yellow, 17-35 @35mm, f/11, 1/320s

How do you irrigate the huge farms of Texas? 17-35 @35mm, f/11, 1/800s

Ghost Town Gas Station, 17-35 @17mm, f/11, 1/320s

While the fuel prices have skyrocketed, thank god the telephone rates have come down, 17-35 @17mm, f/11, 1/320s

Have you ever wondered what the inside of a gas pump looks like?, 17-35 @24mm, f/11, 1/320s

True to Texas: pipeline, farm and flowers, 17-35 @17mm, f/11, 1/320s

Blue and Green, 80-200@185mm, f/2.8, 1/2500s

The first Black Church in Texas, 17-35 @19mm, f/11, 1/640s

Independence Baptist Church, 17-35 @17mm, f/11, 1/640s

Welcome to the Antique Rose Emporium, 17-35 @35mm, f/11, 1/125s

Lovely in Pink, 17-35@35mm, f/11, 1/320s

The pavilion and fountain, 17-35 @35mm, f/18, 1/50s

Indian Paintbrush blowing in the wind, 80-200@200mm, f/3.2, 1/2000s

Red, Blue and Green, 80-200@80mm, f/3.2, 1/2000s

A funky looking flower, 80-200@145mm, f/3.2, 1/5000s

White Rose, , 80-200@200mm, f/3.2, 1/8000s

A nice setting for a statue, 80-200@155mm, f/3.2, 1/320s

An interesting doorway, 17-35 @19mm, f/11, 1/320s

The Luckemeyer general store in Independence, 17-35 @17mm, f/11, 1/100s

The Old Baylor University in Sepia tone, 17-35 @20mm, f/11, 1/320s

These four columns once held up the Womens College of Baylor University, 17-35 @17mm, f/11, 1/320s

The colorful field behind the old Baylor University, 80-200@86mm, f/3.2, 1/2000s

80-200@200mm, f/3.2, 1/2000s

80-200@200mm, f/3.2, 1/2000s

The antique gas station by the old Baylor University - Notice the price of gas!!, 17-35 @17mm, f/8, 1/400s