Getting ready to capture Egypt’s landscapes and culture always is filled with more last minute items than I had planned
It is a bit of a crazy week, as I’m getting ready for my trip to Egypt, which will be a wonderful return to this great and ancient country. Even though I think of myself as a somewhat seasoned traveler, there are always many last-minute items to take care of, and they take more time than I budgeted for them. It’s easy to underestimate the little things that can add up and create a sense of urgency before departure.
Amazingly, one aspect of my packing that has turned into a series of multiple repacks revolves around my camera gear. Photography is a passion of mine, and when traveling, I want to capture the stunning landscapes, rich history, and vibrant culture that Egypt has to offer. For this trip, I made the decision about what equipment to take with me pretty early on. This includes my Fuji X-H2 camera, a Canon 5D MkIII for infrared photography, a variety of lenses, and extra batteries. However, as I’m guilty of owning a number of camera bags, the real challenge has been deciding on the perfect bag to accompany me on this journey.
The art of packing light seems to be a paradox in travel; the more I try to minimize my load, the more items seem to find their way back in. This balancing act is all part of the pre-trip excitement, creating anticipation for the incredible experiences that await me in Egypt.
After I get on the plane, I will be looking forward to connecting with this interesting pharaoh once again…
Akhenaton
So, stay tuned over the next set of posts for lots more from Egypt, where I will explore the rich history, stunning landscapes, and vibrant culture of this incredible country. In addition to captivating travel tales, I will also share insights into local traditions, culinary delights, and hidden gems as I come across them.
The nature of travel filled with the joy of discovery and connection. Iceland captivates me with its stunning landscapes and resilient culture. The post highlights the unique Icelandic horse.
We all travel for a variety of reasons, and none of them are without their merit. For me, the act of visiting a location away from home is a blend of discovery, connection, and a general sense of curiosity that I have. Over the years, my reasons have evolved from checking off a list of sights that I can say I have seen; nowadays, I like to slow down my travel pace so that I can enjoy the people, the place, and the overall mood that envelops me.
One of the countries that I have come back to a number of times is Iceland. I’m drawn to its rugged landscape, its flora and fauna, and its wonderful people who embody a spirit of resilience and warmth. The uniqueness of this country’s geographic features, from its towering glaciers to its bubbling geothermal hot springs, fascinates me endlessly. Each visit feels like stepping into an entirely new world, where the elements shape the environment in ways that are both striking and serene.
Of course, one cannot mention Iceland without alluding to the many stunning waterfalls that dot its landscape, each cascading down rocky cliffs in a breathtaking display of nature’s power. From the magnificent Gullfoss to the delicate Seljalandsfoss, there are countless opportunities for photographers and nature lovers alike to capture the magic these sites hold. Today, I’m sharing part of Iceland’s fauna, highlighting an animal that thrives in this harsh yet beautiful environment…
Icelandic Horse
The Icelandic horse is a truly unique breed, having evolved from the ponies brought by the island’s Norse settlers during the 9th and 10th centuries. Adapted to the harsh Icelandic environment, these horses exhibit remarkable resilience and strength, allowing them to thrive despite the island’s challenging climate. The breed has a unique characteristic in its gaits; in addition to the walk, trot, and canter/gallop, it has two additional gaits: a lateral ambling gait (tölt) and flying pace (flugskeið). The tölt is a natural gait for the Icelandic horse that is present from birth, providing a smooth and comfortable ride, which has endeared these horses to riders of all skill levels. The flying pace, on the other hand, is a specialized gait that is taught and used in races; not all the horses will learn this pace, as it requires specific training and talent. This diverse range of gaits not only showcases the physical capabilities of the Icelandic horse but also highlights the deep bond between rider and horse, as they navigate the stunning landscapes and rugged terrains of Iceland together.
This particular photo came about during a photography group trip under the guidance of Loren Fisher. Some of the participants had asked to get the opportunity to capture some shots of Icelandic horses, which led to our stopping by the side of the road next to this meadow filled with vibrant wildflowers and lush green grass. Trying to attract the horses’ attention with clumps of grass didn’t work, so I switched to simply talking to them in a soft, reassuring tone, which eventually brought them closer to the fence. As I spoke to them, I observed their curious nature and gentle demeanor, and it was heartwarming to see their large, expressive eyes focus on me. This gorgeous animal was definitely my favorite of the bunch, with its sleek mane flowing in the wind and a curious spark in its gaze. It seemed to sense the moment, and after a few moments of hesitation, he obliged with this amazing pose, making the photograph truly special and capturing the spirit of the wild Icelandic horses beautifully.
Insights from a walk around Boston Seaport with a camera’s eye view. We catch the Art Deco United Shoe Machinery Building at 160 Federal Street as a highlight of this image.
Sometimes our travel doesn’t need to take us very far to cause us to have interesting observations. For this installment, the travel was just my commute to work, and the opportunity to walk around the Boston Seaport area with camera in hand.
Here’s one of the views from my saunter…
Boston Skyscape
What caught my attention, as you can well imagine, is the shining roof of the art deco building. This building is located at 160 Federal Street in Boston, and was built in 1930 as the United Shoe Machinery Building. At 24 floors, it actually was the tallest office building in Boston for 20 years. As you can tell, it is no longer that.
What really attracted me to this skycap was the contrast of varying styles and eras of building construction. It’s always interesting to see how architecture evolves and how differences can come together. Sounds like a great concept for many other facets of society.
A little brain teaser for all of you observant blog readers… from this photo, can you tell which city I’m visiting?
As I’m traveling for work for a week of face-to-face (F2F) meetings, I thought I’d share an image from Monday morning’s stroll to the office. I noticed something that was new to me, as it’s been a while I went to our corporate headquarters.
Here’s what I came across…
Acorn to the Max!
This rather sizable acorn was standing proud as a reminder of the city’s nickname. So for fun, I will leave it up to all of you to guess which city I am in! The winner gets bragging rights!
This week we highlight a photo from Jokulsarlon Lagoon taken during a rainy August 2022 visit.
In the most recent Travel Tuesday post, we visited the wonderful city of Brno. As I was working on (finally) putting together my photography web-site, I started with a test gallery page for Iceland. Thus far I’ve put 13 of my images from the various trips to this great country with many more to come!
That gave me the idea to post this one…
Jokulsarlon Lagoon
This is from an August 2022 trip, and as you can probably tell, it was raining pretty steadily during our visit to Jokulsarlon. Given the tricky conditions (and the amount of people at the site, I decided to also take a couple of iPhone shots. This is one of those photos, which I kind of like. There are definite coloration artifacts, which are a little too early for blue hour (especially in August).
Just as a heads up, if you visit the web-site, it’s still doing some unpredictable things, plus there are some pages from the demo site that I’m using as a starting point. Plus many links will become active when I add many more galleries, as well as some shop pages. Lots to come!
This week’s Travel Tuesday highlights a whimsical umbrella art installation in Brno, Czechia.
After the rather sunny image in last week’s installment of Travel Tuesday, it’s time to prepare for a little rain. Or rather, it wasn’t really raining during that day in Brno, Czechia, when I captured this week’s image, but everyone was prepared!
Here’s that abundance of preparation…
Let it rain!
This rather fun, whimsical art installation in one of the main shopping streets in Brno is definitely a great way to bring a little color. With this splash of shades from these umbrellas, one cannot help but smile! It certainly made me smile and look up for this photo!
Reminiscence of a work trip to Israel and getting to visit Apollonia National Park. A great location with stunning views.
After last week’s visit to wonderful Scotland in our installment of Travel Tuesday, it’s another opportunity to visit a warmer climate. This week’s photo goes back just over 9 years, when I had just started working for Red Hat. My first work trip took me to the warmth of the Mediterranean coast in Israel.
Here’s a photo from that visit…
Apollonia National Park
As I was staying in Herzliya and had some time on my first day, I walked up to Apollonia National Park, which is just up the coast. This site has been occupied from around the Persian period (500 BCE) and prospered during Roman rule. The remains of a Roman villa were excavated in 1980.
During the Crusader period, a fort was constructed, the remains of which are still evident across the entire site. It’s a great location and with the gorgeous blue Mediterranean Sea, you just can’t go wrong.
Traveling through Scotland we find a memorable location on the Isle of Mull. Idyllic scenes abound!
After visiting the desert climate of Egypt in last week’s Travel Tuesday, I’m taking you to a country with a bit more rainfall. Scotland might be known for getting more than its fair share of nimbus clouds, but during our trip there in 2013, the weather was nothing if not delightful. During our week and a half there, we may have seen about 45 minutes of showers. We brought so much sunshine with us, that some of the locals asked us to stay longer!
Here’s a sunny moment from that trip…
Mull Idyll
There’s nothing better than finding little gems just off the road, where the water cascades amidst an ocean of greens. This lovely spot was on the Isle of Mull during the early part of our journey. A wonderful island with great single-track roads and plenty of opportunity to brake for sheep (they don’t leave the road for a mere car).
We explore the beauty of encountering diverse cultures, such as our recent trip to Egypt. Rather than crediting alien influence, we can appreciate the rich mythology and imagination of the Egyptians.
Our travels take us to interesting locations and provide the opportunity to meet with people, learn about cultures and, in general, stand in awe of the world, as we’re speeding through space. This year’s trip to Egypt certainly gave me plenty of opportunity to stand in awe of not only the ancient civilization and its accomplishments, but also the people who live there now. Of course, some of the feats from antiquity make us question how things were accomplished.
Here’s one image that gave me pause for thought…
Ancient Alien?
We’ve all heard the explanation of ‘Ancient Aliens’ to questions about the amazing structures and how they were built, not only in Egypt but many locations on our planet. This stone block at the temple complex at Philae might steer some to that explanation, as does this one…
Otherworldly?
These are some different looking characters that we don’t expect to see walking around. Still not evidence of early arrivals by E.T.
Egyptians had a rich imagination and mythology, in which many unusual creatures feature. I find that these carvings are not any stranger than three-headed snakes with legs or gods with the heads of animals. They were some great thinkers and they still are!
This week we highlight an image of the falcon statue at Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple from our most recent trip.
This week’s episode features another image from our most recent big trip to Egypt. My wife and I try to aim for a major trip every other year or so, as there’s always quite a bit of planning involved, as it’s not just us. We also have to think about the 3 Cardigan Welsh Corgis and 2 Siberian Forest Cats. So yes, these trips get planned at least a year in advance!
Here’s another image from Egypt…
Hatshepsut Falcom
This mighty Falcon sits by the second ramp that leads to the incredible mortuary temple of the pharaoh Hatshepsut. Part of what drew me to this falcon is the intrigue of the detail of the feathers that is visible in the outer layer of the statue. Much of this outer layer has been lost, but it still provides a sense of what the original look of the falcon was. Additionally, note that there is still a bit of paint visible around the eye. It would be magical to travel back to antiquity and see this statue when it was just installed.
You might be able to tell that I’d love to return to Egypt, just to spend more time at all of the monuments visited and many more… a lifetime might not be enough!
