Neutral colours in a neutral Moroccan landscape…go look for details at Ailsa’s!
Landscape
Wordless Wednesday
A Piece of Spring
The path…
…and a little house
Spring is yellow…
Saxifraga granulata
Oystercatcher…
….landing!
Travel theme: Breathe
Ailsa’s Travel theme this week is about taking it easy – and breathe. Nature is the place to be…and that almost says it all for me.
Autumnal crisp air, walking with my dogs and my children – Breathing. In the header, the Swedish lakes and faraway mountains of Lapland.
Ouarzazate – a Moroccan Hollywood
Its name comes from a Berber phrase meaning ”without noise” or ”without confusion”. Ouarzazate is also nicknamed The door of the desert, and the city is capital of Ouarzazate Province of south-central Morocko. To the south of the town is only desert.
The area is well known for its many prominent kasbahs, and nowadays a noted film-making location, with Morocco’s biggest film studios.
Many famous movies have at least some scenes shot here, such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Gladiator (2000) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005), as was part of the TV series Game of Thrones.
The arena in the movie Gladiator was right here in this open space, behind the people and their banner.
Ait Benhaddou was originally an old karavan station between Marrakesh and the Sahara Desert. Astonishingly beautiful, traditionally built of clay, straw and dirt.
Today, we can admire the old kasbah in the movies – only four families still live here permanently. The rest of the great kasbah is left to fall apart – but a first class tourist attraction.
The heat made the paths and the stores empty…
…only the cats were on the alert
Thursday Thoughts – Desert Inhabitants
Life in the desert – we all know there is life, but for me it was rather a shock to see how Much life.
Human beings might turn up – like in the header – but seldom without camels.
If you walk the dunes of the Sahara Desert an early morning, waiting for the sunrise, there are other creatures catching your attention…
…like this super fast moving gerbil, or desert rat. Puffs of sand coming up of this hole made me curious…
I waited for him to show himself properly…but swooosh, and he was up and back in his hole in less than a milli – second, digging along again. At least I got a glimpse of his fascinatingly big eyes!
After the sunrise, we walked over the dunes towards the camp. The grey light had shifted into pink, and was now turning more and more into a warm yellow. But who is making these patterns then? And, looking at the tiny footprints, there must be a multitude of these creatures…
And here he is – a scarab beetle scuttling the big sand waves. I guess a cousin to those scarabs highly revered in old Egypt. In the shadow of a dune I found this little one digging along.
We rode camels to the dunes and watched the sunset from one of them. A beautiful experience – beyond words. One of the Berber men told us we had been followed by a desert fox – I was sorry he did not tell us when the fox was still there.
Lastly – a picture of the scarab footprints…and something else…Who made these tunnels under the sand? I hope someone out there in the blogosphere has the answer!
SL-WEEK 40: Panorama
As I have been to Morocco, I am a bit late…but for Sylvain Landry, here is a panorama piece of the Sahara Desert. Three pictures in one. Click to enlarge.
Seven Day Nature Photo, Day Seven – Home
I have been nominated by my friend Sue, at WordsVisual, to take part in a challenge of a photo per day for seven days, of anything from the natural world. And every day I should nominate a new member.
On my last day, I must tell you the truth – nothing in Nature is more dear to me than ”my own” forest. The paths I walk every day, sitting under the giant beech tree, nodding to My Old Friend when passing – in whatever costume he greets me. I may travel the world and enjoy its beauty – but This, is my home.
Today, my last entry, Day Seven. Again, I would like to nominate all my followers and readers who love Nature and feel they can find time and joy in participating in 7-day Nature Photo. Again, my heartfelt thank you to all of you – and to Mother Nature.
WPC: Landscape
For this week’s challenge, Cheri wants us to share a photo of a landscape: a wide establishing shot of a scene in nature or an urban setting.
This is the Flüela Pass in Switzerland. Summer morning, crystal clear, not a wind. Breathe!
For more of landscapes, click here.
Seven Day Nature Photo, Day Four – Morning Walk
I have been nominated by my friend Sue, at WordsVisual, to take part in a challenge of a photo per day for seven days, of anything from the natural world. And every day I should nominate a new member.
Today I would like to nominate my blogging friend Callum, studying at the University of Bangor in North Wales, Studentinsnowdonia, to take part in the 7-day Nature Photo Challenge. He takes the most beautiful series of photos on his hikes in Wales and I would love to see what he might come up with for this challenge….. It’s OK, I understand if you should be far too busy for this, Callum!
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