Challenges
Responses to various challenges appear here
-
A stroll around Avebury’s stone circle
I find it a little odd that Avebury is not as well known, nor as visited, as nearby Stonehenge. Personally I find it just as impressive and in some ways more atmospheric. Its stone circle is so large that over time people have built their houses around and among the megaliths; so that today it seems almost as if the somewhat unearthly stones are slowly encroaching on human space.
-
Gallery: making eyes at me
Giraffes’ eyes are beautiful but they can look rather mournful. Maybe that’s a touch of anthropomorphism, attributing human emotions to an animal? And yet …
-
Introduction to some monuments in Riga
Riga was a city in which I quickly felt very comfortable. It has a compact old town with plenty to see but not too ‘aspic-like’; by which I mean that it felt both touristy and homely at the same time, somewhere I could imagine that the locals don’t feel too overwhelmed by the history and the visiting population. It is also a city of monuments.
-
Gallery: pick a word (June)
Not for nothing is this blog subtitled ‘travel snapshots’. In it I try to blend my two passions of travelling and photography, often both in the same post! I can be wordy, but sometimes it’s better to be succinct and let the photos do the talking. Well, most of the talking; being me, I can't resist a few words to accompany each!
-
A visit to Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain
Nowhere in England is the summer solstice more famously celebrated than at Stonehenge. This ancient site has been a place of worship and celebration of the solstice for thousands of years. Every midsummer it draws crowds, some committed Druids, others merely curious observers, to watch as the sun rises behind the Heel Stone to the northeast, and its first rays shine into the heart of the stone circle.
-
Gallery: when one door closes …
We all know that saying: when one door closes another one opens. Doors symbolise opportunity, a chance to discover something new and maybe unexpected. There’s also a sense of mystery about a door, especially an unusual one. What would we find were we able to open it?
-
Gallery: what is green?
Green is the colour of nature, the colour of spring and summer. It is restful on the eye and calming to the soul. I think it must have inspired more poets and authors than any other colour. And there are almost as many shades of green in our world as there are writers to describe them. Or indeed photographers to try to capture and preserve their beauty!
-
Gallery: three flowers, three fruits
There are always flowers, and for those of us in the northern hemisphere, especially at this time of year. Is there a photographer anywhere, I wonder, who doesn't want both to see them and to capture them forever?
-
Gallery: a walk in a tea plantation
Kerala can be regarded as consisting of three parallel environments, running north to south down the state. There is the coastal strip and backwaters, where the emphasis is on fishing and trade; the slightly higher agricultural strip where pineapples, bananas and a variety of other crops are grown; and the so-called High Range, part of the Western Ghat, where tea, coffee and spices predominate.
-
Gallery: on our doorstep
Anyone who has spent even five minutes exploring my blog will know that I love to travel. The world is full of wonderful places to explore! But I have to admit that there are some pretty wonderful places right on my doorstep too.
