Holidays 2013, Netherlands and Belgium pt 1: Clouds

This year, through a series of fortuitous events, I was lucky enough to be able to go overseas for two weeks.

Stressed at work? what better way to relax than a quick trip overseas? To go to places you have never been to, that you don't know much about, place in which you don't know anyone there or even speak the language! A place to just 'be' and to experience.  The place was decided on a whim, "what about Amsterdam?" he asked me. I shrugged, "ok, why not? I've heard it is good". I was to fly into Amsterdam and 13 days later fly out of Brussels.

Despite the long flight to Europe (21 hours or so), the fact I can never sleep on the plane and find it cramped, even for a shorty like me! I do look forward to catching up on all the trashy fun movies I have missed. This time was no exception, films like; 'Orblivion', 'After Earth', 'A good day to die hard', 'G.I. Joe-Retaliation', 'Star Trek- Into madness', 'Midnight in Paris'... as well as classics like 'Funny face', 'Bridget Jones' Diary' and TV programs like; 'The middle' and 'Parks & recreation'. I am sure that I am missing some other things I had watched! Still, it was a movie marathon!!!

Something else I love watching and am often transfixed by, are clouds. Floating, ever shifting and changing... whether watching from below or above... it can be mesmerising. There is something about clouds that fills me with a sense of wonder and hope. A sense of inspiration and of the endless possibility.

I thought I would start my series of blog posts of my trip to the Netherlands and to Belgium, with  a post collecting some of the images I took above the clouds.... both on my way to Europe and on my return back home. These are all taken around 30,000 feet up!

Going there:

I love the lines in this one.. the horizon, clouds and airplane wing:

One my return home I captured these images of the sky just before dawn, at dawn and then later in the day:

Not sure which way I prefer this image of the sky, 

30,000 feet up, just before sunrise.. 

this way:

or this way, the right way up:

The sun starting to poke itself above the horizon line:

Later, much later in the day:

All photographs copyright matthew schiavello 2013.