Underpass in Berlin

Nothing to do with Christmas or winter or snow this time, apart from the fact that the holiday period has been a good time to sort through pictures taken earlier in the year and get them in some kind of order. This one is from the summer, taken on my last day in Berlin – a city filled with more stories than most and one I return to as often as I can. It's taken from the east side of the Spree, with the magnificent Bode museum on the island on the other side. What intrigued me here was the way the building was framed by the tunnel, with enough light coming in to illuminate the walls and features - sombre and baroque and modern and urban all in one shot. And even more intriguing is the pairing of the chairs –one balcony type and the other, incongruously, a comfortable office chair. I have no why they were there or who used them, but they certainly seem too perfectly situated to have been merely dumped. It seems to me that the chairs are happily enjoying the moment, relaxed, peaceful and together – but that may be just my imagination working overtime! Location: Berlin, Germany

Winter Scene

I promised snow in my last posting, so here is a picture taken on Christmas Eve just outside Oslo. It was a beautiful day –blue sky, crisp air, and snow that has not yet been unsettled or sullied. The river has not yet frozen over, though it will in a few days if the present temperatures prevail. All is peaceful; all is quiet; and all is rather beautiful, I think. Location: Bryn, Norway

Oslo Christmas

The Royal Palace in Oslo on a cold, foggy morning a few days ago, with a sprinkling of frost on the ground, and some hardy tourists in front of the statue of Karl Johan. The Christmas tree is up on the balcony, but there is no snow, as yet – This came later the same day, so now the picture is already history; but then, every picture is the moment it is taken. There's already a fond sense of nostalgia for the long weeks of winter we've had so far without snow, but as I write it's white and magical outside and perfect for Christmas. My next pictures will feature snow – but who knows, perhaps by then it may all have gone, and this picture will again be correct. But somehow I think it will last. Happy Christmas, and thank you for watching this space. Location: Oslo, Norway

Under London

I've always had a fascination for London Underground and consider it not only one of the world's great engineering feats, but one of most iconic and exciting examples of urban design. I know many people regard the whole system with frustration, or find it simply a means of getting from A to B, but I find any journey through the maze of tunnels and levels that worm beneath the ground to be uplifting and wondrous. During rush hour crowds make it somewhat stressful, but when things are quieter it is endlessly fascinating. I think the genius of the whole system is the use of curves –tubes are always so much more fun than regular straight walls. Then there's the widespread use of colour-coding, making it impossible to get lost when changing lines, adding brightness to the white or cream tiling. This is a connecting tunnel between lines. There's an element of science-fiction about the picture, 2001 maybe, and I loved the way the lines and curves create almost a fish-eye effect as the tunnel rather soothingly beckons us forward. Location: London, England

Warehouses in Hamburg

I happily got lost in this district of Hamburg while looking for a museum, but reasoned that the whole area was a like a musuem in itself. I was drawn to the height of these buildings, old warehouses looming over narrow canals, suggesting trade and commerce and bustling activity, but here silent and still. There is something mysterious here, or even dreamlike – a feeling that the buildings on either side of the water are almost glaring at each other; and there's a sense of the epic in the perspective as are drawn to the bridge in the distance. Oh, and I liked the colours –the warm reds of the brickwork and the spooky green of some of the roofwork. Location: Hamburg, Germany

Hair Style

I came across this facade in Vienna and was immediately drawn to it for a number of reasons. The salon was closed and faded, but had the marks of nostalgia and one-time modernity. The chic, very moderne,1920s lettering is particularly exciting. The two doors would once have opened to two very different worlds –the women's salon and the men's salon, but there is perfect symmetry in their arrangment. The displays case now boasts an odd assembly of lace, a vase of flowers and one forlorn wig, but it is easy to imagine displays of previous decades, of all manner of styles. There is something theatrical about the picture, as if we are looking at a stage- or film-set; but one that has been abandoned, finished with. I am intrigued by such places; I want to know their story, their ghosts and step through the doors and into that fading past...Location: Vienna, Austria

Snow Bubble at Piccadilly Circus

Another one from London and one of its iconic landmarks –the statue of Eros and its marvellous plinth on Piccadilly Circus. The plinth is hidden here, and Eros appears to be floating in the middle of a huge bubble set up over the statue for Christmas. It even features snow at regular intervals, resembling a gigantic version of one of those fascinating snow toys you often find in gift shops. This one went a bit wrong soon after the photograph was taken as high winds caused the plastic bubble to rip and collapse, spreading large quantities of artificial snow all over Piccadilly, but here the effect is tranquil and rather pretty. I was quite pleased with the light, both in the background and bubble and on the figures in front. Sepia seemed right, too. Location: London, England