May 11 2013

Jake’s Sunday Post: Attraction

Here I am squeaking in at the last minute for Jake’s Sunday Challenge ‘Attraction’.

I’ve shown you many of the places which have attracted me to travel to different places, The most memorable in my mind, being the amazing sight of Machu Picchu. This 15th century Inca site is to be found in the Cusco region of Peru, and is almost 8,000 feet above sea level.

Egypt had long been on my bucket list, and one of the attractions I really wanted to see, was The Great Sphinx of Giza, situated on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile River. The head of the Great Sphinx is believed to be that of the Pharaoh Khafra.

The fallen and badly damaged limestone statue of Ramesses The Great, near Memphis, would have stood over 13 metres high. He was the most powerful Pharaoh of them all, and ruled Egypt from 1279 to 1213 BC.

The famous Terracotta Army in X’ian, dates back to 210-209 BC. These soldiers and their horses were buried with the Emporer Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, supposedly to protect him in the afterlife.

Another attraction in China, is the Li River in Guangxi Zhuang. We did a cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo, and the scenery was truly breathtaking.

The USA has many attractions, and the most amazing place I’ve ever visited is Yellowstone National Park. Something we had to see, was the Old Faithful cone geyser, which shoots 3,700 to 8,400 US gallons of boiling water to a height of 106 to 185 feet. The average height of an eruption is 145 feet, and occurs roughly every hour and a half.

Something else I’d always wanted to see was the huge bronze Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.It was inscribed with the words, “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” It dates back to 1752 and in its early years, was used to summon lawmakers to legislative sessions and to alert citizens to public meetings and proclamations. It acquired its large crack some time in the early 19th century.

A well-known attraction in San Francisco, is the iconic trolley bus, or tram. The first ones were pulled by horses, who managed with great difficulty to climb the city’s steep hills, until the electric tram was tested and brought into service in 1873.

Of course, you can’t go to San Fran without visiting Fisherman’s Wharf, the most popular tourist attraction there.

I was so excited to see the Statue of Liberty on my first visit to New York. Lady Liberty is located in New York Harbour, and was a gift of international friendship from the people of France, in 1886.

So many attractions, so little time, but to end off, I just have to include another photo of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. This is one of the most photogenic attractions I’ve yet to see.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my pics. To see more attraction, visit Jake’s Sunday Post. He has already posted the next challenge, so why not have a go at it?

May 4 2013

Weekly Photo Challenge: From Above

“The Earth is Art. The photographer is only a witness. ” ~Yann Arthus-Bertrand

This week’s photo challenge, ‘From above’, had me especially remembering the thrill I had of flying in a helicopter over Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. It was my first time going up in one, and I hung back whilst the other passengers got on, not out of politeness, but because I realised that the last one on, got to sit at the front, next to the pilot. Method in my madness. 🙂 I took several photos, but this one came out the best, and hubby, who was white water rafting at the time, was very complimentary.

Here is one taken at Niagara, looking down across the falls.

This is an aerial view of the approach to Belize.

Looking down over the Hong Kong skyscrapers, to Victoria Harbour.

A view of the famous New Orleans Bourbon Street, from the balcony of The Four Points Sheraton Hotel, which is built on the site of the legendary French Opera House.

Whilst in Palm Springs, we took a fifteen minute Aerial Tramway ride, and ascended 8516 feet up Chino Canyon. The rotating cars allow for breathtaking views for up to fifty miles in all directions.

Looking down at the Pacific Ocean from cliffs in San Diego.

Half way up the Rock of Gibraltar, looking down on the bay of Algeciras.

The city of Granada viewed from the beautiful Alhambra Palace.

You don’t get much higher than this; soaring above the clouds like an eagle, looking down at The Alps on our flight back from Venice.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my “From Above” photos. To see more entries for the WordPress Photo Challenge, just click here.

Apr 23 2013

On Earth Day…….Love is the answer.

On this Earth Day, 2013, I decided to share this wonderful song which I remember England Dan and John Ford Coley recorded in 1976. The words, “Love is the answer” are still as true now as they were then, but the ‘ticket to paradise’ is just as elusive.

“Name your price
A ticket to paradise
I can’t stay here any more
And I’ve looked high and low
I’ve been from shore to shore to shore
If there’s a short cut I’d have found it
But there’s no easy way around it

Light of the world, shine on me
Love is the answer
Shine on us all, set us free
Love is the answer

Tell me, are we alive, or just a dying planet?
What are the chances?
Ask the man in your heart for the answers

And when you feel afraid, love one another
When you’ve lost your way, love one another
When you’re all alone, love one another
When you’re far from home, love one another
When you’re down and out, love one another
All your hope’s run out, love one another
When you need a friend, love one another
When you’re near the end, love one another
We’ve got to love one another.”

Here are just a few pics of some of the natural wonders of our world, which I’ve been privileged to see. The amazing wild animals, some of which are in danger of extinction because man has neglected to properly protect and care for their well-being. “Love is the answer.”

Another song which also came to mind, of is of course, “What a wonderful world.” How amazing are the truly natural wonders of our world.

We need to really care for this wonderful world we live in, to ensure its preservation for our children and our children’s children. Love is the answer.

Mar 10 2013

Arrangements for Jake’s Theme.

Jake’s theme this week is to show some photos of our idea of arrangements, be it people, things or places. I guess that most things look better if some thought is given to the way they are arranged. No-one would appreciate their meal being served as a horrible mess of ingredients. It looks far more appetising like this.

Desserts can be arranged so beautifully too; almost too pretty to eat. 🙂

Whilst we’re on the subject of food, Here is something which I found quite tempting, but not wanting to spoil the careful arrangement of these calorific treats, I managed to resist the temptation. 😉

However, this gorgeous arrangement of healthy fresh fruit, was soon devoured without a guilty conscience.

The art of stained glass windows requires careful placement and arrangement of hundreds of small pieces of coloured glass, as in these lovely examples at Chichester Cathedral in England.

Retailers need to arrange their wares in an ordered and appealing manner. Vegetables look so much better when thought is given to their arrangement.

Even boring old cleaning stuff and pesticides can be arranged to look attractive.

Of course the absolute and ultimate expert at arranging things perfectly, is Mother Nature. You really can’t fault her judgement, can you? 😕

Karsts along the Li River.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

To see Jake’s arrangement animations, and links to other responses to the challenge, just click here.

Nov 23 2012

Ailsa’s ‘Liquid’ travel theme.

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
~ Mother Teresa

For Ailsa’s theme, I have a few photos to share, all involving the uses of that most necessary liquid commodity, water. Click on any image to see slideshow.

: Adding beauty to an already spectacular view in the Hinchingbrook Channel, south of Cairns.

: Washing the boulders along the beach in Umhlanga, South Africa.

: Lots of liquid at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

: Bringing in the tourists to a beautiful African country suffering from a failed economy.

: Creating hydroelectric power at Niagara Falls.

: Jet skiing in Key West.

: Keeping cool on a hot day in Phuket.

: Sailing down the Nile in a Felucca.

: Skiingi n Whistler, Canada.

: Creating icicle patterns on wheels in Wyoming.

: Old Faithful, just letting off steam in Yellowstone.

: Liquid home for a shark at uShaka Seaworld in Durban, South Africa.

: Doing the weekly laundry in Morocco

: Decorating my son’s house for Christmas, in New York.

: Getting all your ducks in a row on our lake in Florida.

: Providing a great fishing ground for the pelican and anhinga in Florida.

: Reflecting the Washington Memorial.

: Creating the stunning blue of the Grotto Azzurra on the Isle of Capri.

You can click here to see other bloggers interpretations of Ailsa’s theme.

Jul 25 2012

My 7 Super Shots.

My blog friend, Gilly over at Lucid Gypsy chose me for the http://blog.hostelbookers.com/travel/7-super-shots/ I’m supposed to choose seven out of the many thousands of photos lurking on my computer.

The first is to be one that “took my breath away,” so I’ve chosen this one taken over Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, when I did my first and only helicopter ride. I was lucky to be seated in the front, next to the pilot, and took several shots. This is the one that came out the best, and the view from up there did literally “take my breath away.”

The next is to be the one that “makes me think.” Shamu the magnificent Orca at Sea World in San Diego, made me think about how these creatures are really missing out on their freedom to swim the vast oceans, by being confined in such a limited space for our enjoyment and entertainment.

The third photo taken on Sunset Beach on the north shore of Oahu in Hawaii, is one that makes me dream. What about you?

“A shot that makes me smile,” has to be this one of Dolly the Bottlenose dolphin, also taken at Sea World. She sure does look happy. 😉

“A photo that tells a story,” is quite a difficult one, but I think this one fits the bill. Here’s my granddaughter at her school prize giving, with her awards for academic excellency; a story of hard work and dedication to her studies.

“A photo that makes my mouth water,” will of course have to be food orientated, so I’ll roll out my Godiva chocolate cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory in New Jersey. Absolutely mouth-watering. 🙂

Now for my “worthy of National Geographic” shot. Every time you visit my blog, you will see this photo on my background, taken from the top of Machu Picchu in the Cusco region of Peru. It’s often referred to as “The City of the Incas,” and is a UNESCO site, having been voted one of the new seven wonders of the world in 2007. This is the most awesome place I’ve ever visited, and as you can see, very photogenic.