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.All Trips / Europe / Italy
A Religious Procession in Palermo
Sometimes you encounter unexpected sights while rambling around the streets of a city. While wandering Palermo in Sicily early one February afternoon, we came across this religious procession. I don’t speak the language, so it was unclear to me what was being celebrated. But the icons appear to be old and of an Orthodox nature.
After I took a few still photos, I switched to video mode and captured this amateur footage, to give you a feeling for what the experience was like.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge photos)
.All Trips / Europe / Spain
Doors of La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
One of my favorite buildings in the world is La Sagrada Familia. In today’s post I thought I’d share photos of some of the doors and entrances to this beautiful (still unfinished) cathedral.
The photo above features what will be the cathedral’s main entry when the building is completed, and is known as the Doorway of Majesty.
The first completed entrance to the cathedral was themed after the Nativity, and the doors at this entrance show some imaginative details:
Even this more traditional cathedral entrance has an interesting skylight feature….
…
Tagged architecture, Barcelona, Cathedral, doors, Gaudi, La Sagrada Familia, portals
“Pic of the Week”, March 17, 2023: Room with a view, Trincomalee
The Amaranthe Bay Resort is located just north of Trincomalee on the Pillaikulam Aru river. It’s a lovely resort in a quiet neighborhood and the view over the river is nice, especially at sunrise. We spent a few days here.
As I was dealing with jet-lag at the time so I was up before dawn each morning. I’d spend a good deal of that time looking out over the river. There were lots of birds that awoke with me and birdsong at dawn is always something I enjoy.
I think there were some fishing nets strung across the other side of the river, as this man tended to something out there every morning. But it was far enough away that I wasn’t …
.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
The Mormon Temple, Cardston, Alberta
Besides being home to a world-class carriage museum, the small Alberta town of Cardston also has an impressive Mormon temple—the first built in Canada, as well as the first built outside the USA. Mormon settlers came to the region in late 19th century and settled here, some 15 miles north of the USA-Canada Border.
The temple site was dedicated on 27 July 1913 by Joseph F. Smith, with groundbreaking later that year. Construction was delayed because of World War I and the building was not completed until 1923, when the temple was dedicated. Cardston’s is just one of eight Mormon temples that do not have an angel Moroni statue.
The temple sits atop a small hill — the high …
Tagged Alberta Temple, Cardston, Mormon, Temple
.All Trips / Idaho / North America / Pacific Northwest
Idaho’s Roaring Lochsa River
Idaho has some outstanding whitewater experiences for rafters and kayakers, but few compare with the Lochsa (pronounced lock-saw) River, especially for those looking for a string of seemingly endless rapids. Apparently the fishing is also great, but most people come to run the river, especially in late spring when the water is at its best. At times of peak flow, many of the rapids are class VI (at the limits of navigation), with at least 60 being graded as class III – IV (medium to difficult). The water passing through the river at peak flow is twice that going through the Grand Canyon.
The name Lochsa is a Nez Perce word meaning “rough water”, and rafting it is not for the …
Tagged Lochsa, rafting, River, whitewater
“Pic of the Week”, March 10, 2023: A Courtyard in Cordoba
We sought shelter in this courtyard when the clouds opened and a heavy downpour began while we were exploring the streets of Cordoba.
It was a pretty courtyard, bricks, stonework and white plaster walls with dozens of colorful flowers growing in small matching pots on the walls. There were a few shops around the courtyard, but these didn’t interest us. It was such a cool place to be that when the downpour stopped, it almost seemed a shame to leave.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge)
.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Ontario
Family Fun in Centennial Park, Thunder Bay
Developed in 1967 in celebration of Canada’s 100th birthday, Centennial Park covers approximately 147 acres (60 ha) along the Current River. The park is situated at the north end of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The park was built to represent the history of logging in the area, which is well known for its pulp and paper industry. The park features replicas of conditions at logging camps in the early 20th century. Very popular during the summer is a ride on the Muskeg Express Train,
The park also has recreational facilities, such as hiking or cross-country skiing trails, a picnic area, an animal farm, and a toboggan hill. A new children’s play area is being constructed. It is a great day’s destination for a …
Tagged Centennial Park, Park, Thunder Bay
.All Trips / Central USA / North America / Wyoming
Yellowstone National Park’s beautiful Hayden Valley!
There are many beautiful valleys in Wyoming, but this one deserves a closer look. Hayden Valley contains the outflow of Lake Yellowstone, with its Yellowstone River continuing north to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, then on towards the Missouri River. The valley is named in honor of Ferdinand Hayden who did important early geologic surveys in the Yellowstone region.
The valley was known to pioneer trappers and explorers who made their way to Yellowstone Lake along the Yellowstone River. Today it’s best known for a migrating herd of bison, which my wife and I have seen every time we’ve visited Hayden Valley.
(Bison herd, Hayden Valley)
If you’re lucky you might spot a grizzly or black bear, fox, coyote or wolf. Elk, …
