View from Mrs. Macquarie’s Point
Several cities around the world are defined by a single building or structure. Paris and the Eiffel Tower, San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge and Sydney and its Opera House. Because of this strong association, the convenient location of our hotel and the terrible summer heat wave, I did little else in Sydney other than make short excursions exploring various views of the Sydney Opera House.
Continue reading
The Stari Most (English: Old Bridge). Notice the Christian cross on the hillside in the upper right and Muslim mosques below.
Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina is all about its famous old bridge, Stari Most. This bridge served as a link between the two sections of the city of Mostar, Catholic and Muslim, for over 425 years. It was destroyed by the Serbs and Croats fighting the Siege of Mostar during the Bosnian War in 1993.
Continue reading
Madrid Avenida del Ensanche de Vallecas 51
Bullfighting would be more likely associated with Madrid, Spain than its architecture. However, the draw for me was some uniquely designed buildings and staircases. The bullfights had ended about a month before my arrival.
Continue reading
Dark Hedges
The most northern tip of Northern Ireland is one of the more scenic places we have visited from a photographic viewpoint. Part of that can be attributed to a visit from a photographer friend who made me get ‘out and about’ more than I normally would have, so thanks, Doug! This is also the place where the well-known Dark Hedges and the Giant’s Causeway are located. We visited each multiple times in different lighting conditions.
When you click on “Continue Reading” a slide show of ten photos will play at the TOP of this article.
Continue reading
What is now a fun tourist attraction in Northern Ireland near the town of Ballentoy used to be the means of getting to a very important salmon fishery for a hundred fishermen. When first erected the Carrick-a-Rede Bridge was simply a thick rope spanning the 60 feet between ridges and 1,000 feet in the air. The fishermen would carry their equipment over in the morning and the fish they caught back in the evening, going hand over hand. The distant island serves as a breakwater for the ocean waves from the Atlantic. We could see large waves crashing the rocks on one side of the island, but calm waters for the fishermen to string their nets on the other. This point is no longer used by the fishermen as the Atlantic Salmon is on the endangered species list. A salmon fisherman’s house still on the island is shown in the picture below, click the ‘continue reading’ button below to see it.
Continue reading
(Click to Enlarge)
This is one of those lay-over locations or stops we scheduled. We had traveled five hours from the last stop in Dingle, and had another five to go to get to Bushmills and the Giant’s Causeway at the northern tip of Ireland. So we stopped for two nights in Westport, a city of about 5,500 people. Finally in a bigger city, we opted for Indian food, and took my photographer friend along for his first ever dish of Indian cuisine. With no real sights to see, we walked around the town, photographing the buildings and city life.
Continue reading
Paris is a beautiful city with a great deal of wonderful sights to see. However, due to the Bastille Day festivities, many were fenced off or had fences around them that spoiled photographs. Also, the unusually hot humid weather made venturing out a chore. It seems a month-long stay in Pairs would be necessary to see the public fountains and sights in the right light.
Photos here are of the ‘Three Graces’ in the Louvre looking at an adjacent painting and the winding staircase leading to the Versailles royal library where I got a rare, private tour.
Continue reading
Representing the California Condors, here is #83!
A Face Only a Mother could Love
Sing it HIGH
Sing it LOW
On the Navajo Bridge, near Lees Ferry in Arizona a couple of California Condors were seen resting on the bridge structure. This one was number 83. Each wing, top and bottom have a large number 83 banner attached. On the bird’s right wing, you can see the antenna of a radio transmitter. While the head is fairly ugly, it is certainly colorful. Representing the fighting California Condors, here is #83!