With my mind’s eye (and my camera’s memory) still full of images from yesterday’s Tulip Festival, I could easily have done a flower theme this week, although I already used that as a theme during Macy’s Flower Show in NYC last year. Instead, as I was flicking through my tulip photos, I found a few shots I’d taken of some sassy tulips that dared to stand out from the crowd. They put me in mind of one of my favourite moments from Monty Python’s ‘Life of Brian’.
Brian: You’re all individuals!
Crowd: Yes! We’re all individuals!
Brian: You’re all different!
Crowd: Yes, we are all different!
Dennis: I’m not…
Crowd: Shhh!
Are you ready to break out your inner dissident and celebrate nonconformity? If you would like to join in this week’s travel theme (everyone’s welcome!) here’s what to do:
- Create your own post and title it Travel theme: Contrast
- Include a link to this page in your post so others can find it too
- Get your post in by next Thursday, as the new travel theme comes out on Friday
- Don’t forget to subscribe to keep up to date on the latest weekly travel themes. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.
Dare to be different!
xxx Ailsa
Where's my backpack? 
All the photos are beautiful. Here in Michigan. First buds of Spring are finally showing. Maybe the flower will be here soon. Thank you form the photo.
Hya John, here’s hoping you guys get a burst of blossom soon, you’ve had a long, hard winter, I bet you’re ready for springtime. 🙂
Great photos, Ailsa. I’m going to have to give this some thought and it will be exciting to see what others come up with.
Me too, Pat, it can be interpreted so many ways I’m looking forward to seeing all the different takes on this theme. 🙂
Lovely travel theme Ailsa. The tulips are just gorgeous! 🙂
I’m still smiling at the memory of traipsing through those dazzling fields, Sonel 🙂
Oh, I would believe that Ailsa. Such lovely memories. 🙂
Tulips, tulips everywhere!! 😉
I love it and yes, you’ve given me an idea for tomorrow’s post… I’ll throw in a tulip just for good measure!! 😛
Hurrah, because you can never have too many tulips 😉
😉 As promised… a few tulips!
http://ouchmybackhurts.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/contrast-ailsas-wtt/
Oh how lovely, aj, those boats are wonderful, and thank you so much for the tulips! 🙂 Tell your GLW I love her dark sky photo too. xxx Ailsa
Hmm, this is going to be interesting, not sure about what I can do….Love your tulip images.
I can’t wait to see what you come up with, Sue. xxx
Hello Ailsa. these pictures are beautiful. I posted a blog last week on your theme of park benches and I put a link to your blog. Is that all that needs to be done? I just want to be certain I did it right. Thanks
Hi Laurie, I just found your benches post, it’s lovely. In your post you linked to wheresmybackpack.com, but if you want a link to your post to come up directly into the comment stream for the challenge, you need to link to the exact page – so for this week’s challenge, link to https://wheresmybackpack.com/2013/04/19/travel-theme-contrast/ and it will come up in the comment stream and everyone can find it. 🙂
Oh, I get it now. Thank you for taking the time to explain it to me.
Yaay. xxx Ailsa
Nice theme, Ailsa! Life is a contrast. I dedicate my Blog to Boston: http://lonnalisawilliams.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/life-is-a-contrast/
A beautiful post and sentiment, Lonna. Those Nutcracker twins are adorable too. xxx Ailsa
Dare to be different! These are fabulously unique. Hoping to return…
Yaay, see you soon! 🙂
I can’t believe you found all these independent, and sassy, tulips! 🙂
The nerve of them, out there on their own in a field of conformity! 🙂
Yes! Good for them! I hope I can come up with something soon for your challenge!
Brilliant! 🙂 Great topic and I miss the Tulip Festival… thanks for the trip down memory lane…
It was my first time visiting, Patricia, what a glorious way to say goodbye to winter! 🙂
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love the singular contrast
Thanks Indra, they were pretty eye-catching 🙂
Love your photos and love the topic! http://patriciaddrury.com/2013/04/19/travel-theme-contrast/
And I love your post too, Patricia, especially the cactus, and that amazing blue-gold sunset. Stunning.
thank you so much, you inspire me to be a part of your wonderful community.
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Thought of doing flowers but yours are unmatchable so went the feedbag route http://antsinherpants.com/2013/04/19/travel-theme-contrast/
Ooh, I’m so glad you went the feedbag route, what a gorgeous pony and that feedbag is a lively pop of colour in the depths of the Himalayan forest. You just made me want to go pony trekking in the mountains. Yaay. 🙂
I love your odd-man-out tulips. They seem to have snuck out of their own garden and into one of a different colour like very naughty flowers. You take beautiful photos.
Hya Trish, just saw your post, that first shot is great, I love the expression of the Australian soliders at the table. Ireland too was slow to adopt the French culture of tables on the sidewalk – a little too rainy most of the time!
this post makes me smile! ‘Dare to be different!’ – and then there are your amazing examples! – how great! z
It’s one of my favourite phrases, Z – words I try to live by 🙂
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Love those! Ours is not colorful, but it is contrasty black and white for sure if that counts! And involves trees 🙂
http://brokenlightcollective.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/up-all-night/
Fascinating photo, and I love the narrative behind it shot too, Broken Light. xxx
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Amazing photos, Ailsa!
A bit of contrasts from me here: http://esengasvoice.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/travel-theme-contrast/
Hi Ese, such a lovely post – that Crutcher quote is perfect, I especially love the top white/green shot and the dolphin one, wonderful! 🙂
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So Ailsa, how did you manage to find the ‘one’ off colored tulip in each patch? Lovely example of Contrast if I do say, my take is a little different and I hope everyone enjoys mine as much as they do yours.
Oh Lyle, these are wonderful, what a great story about the first little girl, and I just love the candid shots you got of the children away from the tourist paths. That little boy with the lamb stole my heart!
I’m not sure I found those individual tulips – I suspect they found me – they sort of hopped into focus as I was scanning the vast fields of colour – and I couldn’t resist snapping them in all their unique splendour. 🙂
The boy was actually walking with a small herd of sheep, down one of the back roads that we like to drive. He picked up the lamb just for the picture, very nice kid.
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Thanks again for another fun travel theme! http://beyondpaisley.net/2013/04/19/travel-theme-contrast/
Ooh, what a gorgeous series of shots! The light in that first one is wonderful, and the second one is enchanting – not only the sky but those amazing bursts of water catching the light at the bottom. Ahh, Paris, yes, I agree. Must. Go. Back. 🙂
brilliant choice … and well spotted – my favorite is the red in with the yellow. A bit like penguins … all the same .. stand in the same direction and then suddenly there is one .. standing the opposite direction. Great … post.
Thanks viveka, glad you enjoyed my cheeky, non-conformist tulips. They made me smile. 🙂
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Contrast, another nice theme, Ailsa! Your tulips are stunning.
Here’s my contrast: http://drieskewrites.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/travel-theme-contrast/
What a beauty, Marion – and I am so excited you included video with your post. Lovely! xxx
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Wonderful photos, really be contrast – great… 😉
Thanks Drake, I just saw yours, what a wonderful post – I love the Victor Hugo quote.
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Love the tulips! Love the theme! Here is my contribution:
That was a really fascinating post, Sharyn – I love your photos and narrative – especially where you mention contrasting objectives of service groups and start thinking about what it means to help. Really enjoyed your post. 🙂
Thanks Ailsa for taking the time to look at my post!
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this was quite a difficult challenge. Here is my miscellany of contrasts
My goodness, for such a tough challenge, you’ve come up with a whole world of stunning contrasts. Gorgeous shots!
Well, here’s mine..http://suejudd.com/2013/04/19/weekly-travel-theme-2/
Ooh Sue, what an impossibly beautiful shot – I could stare at it for hours. Excellent capture, my friend. I have a visual of you leaping from your car to take that shot. 🙂
So lovely. I especially like the photo of the field of red tulips and the one lonely yellow one standing proudly in the middle. Rather like a strong confident person taking a risk.
Yes indeed, Kayti, that’s what I thought of when I was taking the shot. 🙂
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Here’s one…
hyraven23.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/travel-theme-contrast/
Ooh Rosemarie, the High Line is hands-down my favourite park in New York, thanks for reminding me of this wonderful little park. xxx Ailsa
Almost forgot, my favorite is the purple and white.
Thanks Lyle, I think it’s my favourite too – the yellow and red are such strong colours, but the purple and white are somehow gentler on the eye.
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The tulip photos are wonderful!
Kayaking in Mongolia is already a contrast with the usual tourist activities. Then we had some contrasting weather.
Hi Paul & Jodie, so glad you enjoyed the tulips, it was pretty spectacular to wander through fields full of colour like that! I love your kayaking shots, wow, the before and after is dramatic – I can’t get over how those sparkling turquoise waters turned so muddy. Great shots! 🙂
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Ailsa, the tulips are beautiful….I feel like reaching out and touching it. No flowers here….
Oh I wish you could have been there wandering through those amazing swaying fields of colour, it is truly an experience I will never forget – and yes, I brushed my hand over many of those amazing tulips as I passed by. Very cool shots of the Chrysler Building – that and the Flatiron Building are my two favourite NY high rises. 🙂
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Hi Ailsa … He is my post for this week
http://alienshores52.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/travel-theme-contrast/#
There’s something poetic about every one of these images; the light in each of them is stunning. The misty road is gorgeous but wow, that shot of the names on the 9/11 memorial is achingly beautiful. Sublime shot. xxx Ailsa
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Great theme Ailsa, enjoy ya’ll!
–Love and Liberation–
Jan @ TheRewildWest
Hya Jan, wonderful series of shots, I love the human vs sequoia shot, but my favourite is the lichen, what stunning colours. 🙂
Thank you! =)