People watching in Zagorsk

Other than at the monastery, elderly women definitely dominated the landscape in Zagorsk. Like anywhere else, young people flee to the cities; and, of course, among the older generations, many more men than women were lost in World War II. Russia lost more people than any other country in that war—20 million, I believe—and many more were killed by Stalin when they returned.
I confess I really enjoy taking photos of older people, especially in the countryside—so I didn't put my camera down much in Zagorsk.

People watching in Madrid

As you might know by now, I love people watching... I took these photos in Madrid; the top one, which is one of my favorites, is in Sabatini Gardens. I love the peaceful look on this man's face. If you look closely you'll see he might be worried as something is growing on his ankle. The other two photos are in Retiro Park, where my friend and I rented a rowboat and actually went out on the lake.

Another day at the beach

Thought you might enjoy a few shots from another less-than-idyllic beach I visited in the Former Soviet Union, this one near Tbilisi, Georgia. The beach was covered in rather painful pebbles--who am I kidding, these were full-fledge stones, as you can see in that last picture--so I was happy I had my camera and was able to indulge in some excellent people watching. The old Prodigal likes to complain about pebble beaches in England, but he couldn't believe these photos! Made him quite nostalgic for the waterfront by our rental house in Deal--and indeed, there were certainly no cockles and shrimp to be had at the Tbilisi beach!
The water was quite pretty, though I can't remember anyone in my group actually swimming.

People watching in Old Tangiers

Got some great people-watching in when I was in Tangiers--all men, of course, the women were home working.