travel Archives

Urban Landscape

Observations from my visit to New York City, highlighting contrasts between old and new architecture.

As I explored a little bit of New York City this weekend, there were definitely some things that struck me, as a tourist. I’m sure that for residents, these are normal, everyday non-observations, but for me they stood out. As I came prepared with my trusty Fuji X-H2 in hand, I have a significant number of images.

I’ll kick off with this one…

This is a view from the High Line Park and what struck me here is that the old and the new construction are so radically different and contrasting. The solidity of brick against the fluidity of glass surfaces, and the chimney, which has no modern equivalent, as we hide those details. I expect that over time more of the brick facades will disappear and be replaced with multiple angles of glass and shiny surfaces.

Much more to come!

A View from 24

A view from the 24th floor, reaching across avenues and streets toward a landscape of structural giants.

I’m making a short visit to New York City, where I am always intrigued by the vistas. Being surrounded by skyscrapers gives me a sense of being in an otherworldly landscape, as their size and angles appear beyond what feels human.

So here’s a view from my hotel room…

A landscape of angles, juxtaposition of directional language, as if it is looking to outdo their neighbors. Each is built to impress, make a statement of the importance of what is happening inside each edifice. If these structures could speak they might tell us epic sagas of great achievement, or would they?

Return to the Forum

The Forum Romanorum, located on the Palatine Hill near the Colosseum, is a historic site filled with the intrigue of the Roman Empire.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s iPhone Friday post, I really enjoyed the Forum Romanorum, which is on the Palatine Hill. This is located across the street from the Colosseum, which was featured in that post. I have a bunch of photos from that visit and I have to spend some time with them to have them presented at their best.

In the mean time, here’s a teaser that still needs work…

The Forum Romanorum, or ‘Public Place of the Romans’, is steeped in the history of the Roman Empire. Many significant events took place on these grounds, a lot of which were not that savory. Murders, secret plots, weighty decisions and grand speeches were among these events. Walking across these grounds, one can feel the weight of history.

It is a truly memorable experience to visit the Forum and I heartily recommend it over the Colosseum.

iPhone Friday

Let’s go back to a photo from a 2017 trip to Rome, specifically a classic shot outside the Colosseum.

As I looked for an image to use for this week’s installment, I came across some shots from our trip to Rome in 2017. The amusing part is that I was almost misled by the Mac OS Photo app, as it bundled my photos shot with my Fuji camera with my iPhone shots. Of course, metadata saved me!

So here’s a view in Rome…

Of course, this is a classic tourist shot outside the Colosseum. What I like about this image is the sense of scale as there are people visible on the second level on the left in the image.

This also reminds me to go back through all of these vacation images to put together a more consistent set of posts about these locales. In the mean time take a look at a post from 2017, ‘A Walk across the Forum – pt.3‘which happens to be my most successful post ever thanks to WordPress highlighting it.

Along the Nile – Living pt. 3

We reflect on life along the Nile, waxing nostalgic about ancient features and the more leisurely pace.

In the previous Along the Nile – Living post, I showed a bit of the community aspect of life along the river. This post takes a bit more of a nostalgic look and highlights some specific aspects. There are a number of features that stand out, as we look at the landscape along this longest river.

Here’s one that is rather ubiquitous…

Dovecotes pop up along the landscape in many places, and have a strong connection with both farming and raising pigeons. They go back to antiquity as a means of addressing the need for manure and having pigeons become a staple in the Egyptian diet.

One of the things that I noticed is that along the river, life doesn’t seem to be as hurried…

It was not unusual to see people taking a moment to observe the Viking Aton, as we sailed by at a gentle pace.

And sometimes we even got a bigger reaction…

The lad in the striped shirt came running into the water to share his greetings with us! I figured that it was a slow day for boats that day, as I can’t imagine him doing that on a day when 20-30 boats pass.

Sometimes it felt like we were in a different era…

It was truly nice to unwind a bit and watch the landscape float by.

I hope you enjoyed this more nostalgic look at our journey.

iPhone Friday

A moment at Dendera with Nut, the sky goddess, preparing to swallow the Aten, symbolizing her daily ritual in Egyptian mythology.

While in Egypt I took a significant amount of photographs with my iPhone 16 Pro Max. There are 2 simple reasons for this: lower light performance is easier to manage than with most cameras and RAW Max! The ability to shoot and not lose to compression is magnificent, as it gives much more post-processing freedom.

Here is one of the shots…

In this image we see Nut, goddess of the sky, heavens and stars, getting ready to swallow the Aten. In Egyptian mythology Nut swallows the sun-god at the end of every day and gives birth to him each morning.

I’ll do a more complete post or two on the Dendera Temple Complex, as it is a magnificent site and we got to spend some quality time here.

Along the Nile – Fishing

A view of the more traditional fishing practices along the Nile, highlighting a hands-on and sustainable approach compared to industrial fishing.

In this series of posts, I didn’t want to leave out one of the obvious industries of the Nile: Fishing. Nowadays, most of us are used to the industrial scale of fishing that takes place on our seas and oceans. Traveling along the Nile, I observed fishing at a much smaller scale.

Here is one of those endeavors…

A much more hands-on approach to fishing along the grassy islands that form in the river. Throwing out a net from a rowboat and gathering the catch. In this scenario there is a division of labor between gathering the fish and rowing, so I wonder if this is a trawling approach.

Here’s a one man operation…

I have to admit that looking at this type of fishing, I don’t feel the hurried pace of our lives. There is a certain balance with Nature in working this way, as it would be unlikely to deplete the supply provided by the river.

Along the Nile – Living

The Nile River is central to Egyptian life, offering vibrant views and fostering habitation near its banks. Improved water predictability due to dams has encouraged closer living.

As mentioned in earlier posts, the Nile is the beating green heart of Egypt. As one cruises up and down the river, cities and life is visible right from the ship. As the river has become more predictable in its water volume since the introduction of dams, people will live closer to the water.

Here’s a view from board…

Among the palm trees houses have been built to enjoy the river’s proximity. Note the rebar sticking up from one of the houses. This was a practice under earlier tax laws, as one would not have to pay property taxes until the building was finished. This loophole has now been closed, but the rebar sticking up from buildings is still rather commonplace.

And another view…

Kids wave as we pass by. I can imagine that they are waiting for their parents to take them for a bit of boating themselves!

Of course there are risks associated with living right next to the river…

River banks do shift over time, as they meander. It would appear that this was a little too close for comfort! Although, I still wonder if this was meant to be a pleasure boat.

Along the Nile – Grazing

We explore the serene Nile River, the vital green corridor of Egypt. The slow river features small islands ideal for grazing cattle, allowing them to enjoy lush vegetation and relax while observing passing boats.

For this Sunday, I want to bring a touch of serenity, as we cruise along the Nile river. The Nile is the strip of green that can be traced from the south of Egypt (and beyond) to the delta that stretches along the Mediterranean Sea. It provides the 5% of the land in Egypt where most of the population lives.

One use of that land is for grazing…

As the Nile is a rather slow moving river, there are many small islands just off its banks. These are ideal for putting some cattle out to pasture for grazing. After all, it’s not like they are about to wander off.

Sometimes we find a single cow…

There is plenty of lush vegetation for this cow to keep it well nourished!

And after a good meal…

It’s now time for a lie down and chew the cud. I imagine that watching the boat traffic is a source of relaxation for this cattle, as they are well-fed and entertained.

Along the Nile

While cruising the Nile, it was fun to capture fleeting glimpses of life along the river, highlighting the ongoing significance of the Nile to Egypt.

As we cruised up and down the Nile river, there were numerous photo opportunities to capture from our Viking ship, the Aton. Photographing some of these quick-takes provided a bit of what life along the Nile might be like for some of the Egyptian people. While these vignettes provide a rather incomplete picture of Egypt, I want to share them nonetheless.

Here’s one of those moments…

The Nile is still a major transportation network for Egypt; most of the goods are now transported over the road with trucks, but there is still a connection to the river for many people. Boats, such as the one here, are frequently used to transport tourists to points of interest along the river. This one is parked for later use…

	Pepper on Sunday Serenity
	Marie on A Saturday Shortcut
	jansenphoto on A Saturday Shortcut
	Marie on A Saturday Shortcut
	jansenphoto on iPhone Friday