Waterloo

This morning I went to the famous site of the Waterloo battle. In June 1815 this was the scene of indescribable carnage as Napoleon's army collided with the allied Anglo-Dutch and Prussian forces. Now there is a famous monument - the "Butte du Lion" - which towers above the undulating fields.

I was at the "Butte" a few months ago, with the family and accompanied by fellow photographer Johan Doumont. The result was a series of promising series of pictures, most of them taken at the panorama platform on top of the "Butte". The one shown here is my daughter Emma peering through one of the telescopes (taken with the Bessa L and the 15mm Heliar on Efke 100 film).

One way or another, people are more relaxed on these few square meters 40 meters above the ground. It's as if these 225 steps (or so) are enough to remove one from the hustle and bustle of the world down there. So, you can indulge in some interesting people watching and photographing.

This morning it was very cold. The car thermometer showed -3°C but on the platform with the wind head on it felt more like -15°C. Despite the cold there was lively traffic up there. I stayed for 45 minutes, witnessing whirlwind visits of Belorussians, Koreans, Germans, Spanish crowds (most disappeared within a minute). I hope I have some good shots. But I am sure I missed quite a few good ones. This time I took the M4 with the 15mm Heliar, the M2 with the 35/2.8 Summaron and an old Olympus OM-10 with a 55/1.2 Zuiko.

This could be an interesting photo project. From next year onwards, the whole site will be renovated (to be finished in 2008). Most of the buildings (cafés and visitor centre) will disappear and a completely new visitor center will be built, including an exhibition space ...