Wordless Wednesday
Travel
Lens-Artists#242 – New Experiences
Anne is leading us this week, looking for New Experiences.
Every day there are new experiences, but some days there are fantastic new experiences. Looking forward to that experience can create overwhelming feelings, and even more so when the experience is something you wished for but thought would never happen.
Anne went to Australia and had a long wished for photographic tour with Leanne Cole. An amazing adventure! I too have chosen a dream come true – The Amazon Forest and the Galapagos Islands. In 2016 we left Sweden for the great adventure. Here – some memories from the Amazon.
Arriving at the lodge!
We went to Ecuador, lived in the jungle for a week and then sailed the Galapagos Islands. Every day was an adventure, something I had dreamed of since I was a child. To fall asleep to the sounds of the jungle, to walk high above the gigantic canopy of trees… fighting mosquitos in the morning, but wow, these are unforgettable memories.
Trees are a passion with me, and at Sacha Lodge on the Napo River, I lived my dream in every moment. The birds, the flowers, the hilarious monkeys shouting through the jungle while jumping over our canoe. And, watching the sunset over the Amazon from a Kapok tree, to all the sounds of the jungle – is hard to beat.
From the canopy down to the forest floor, everything was fascinating. The night walk was intense…no light, only sounds. Our excellent guide knew where to look, and he spotted Tarantulas, lizards, snakes and frogs – effortlessly. We were so impressed, but of course – he grew up in the jungle and was well acquainted with every creature there.
Every day we spent many hours in the canoe, ”looking for anacondas”, but we felt (rather…) safe. Immersed in the dense jungle and its many sounds, I just wanted to stay forever.
When we returned home in the evenings we always felt we’d been blessed with new, exciting experiences. I wished we could have stopped the time there for a while.
But today, your challenge is to show and tell us about a new experience You had. It could be a trip, the birth of a child or grandchild, a road trip to a new place, the possibilities are endless. Please link to Anne’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag.
We all enjoyed your responses to Sofia’s challenge of Spring. Your beautiful images made us all long for spring wherever in the world we live. Next week, April 1, Donna Holland will be challenging you so …Be ready for anything! Go to her lovely site for more inspiration.
Thank you to this week’s host, Anne, for encouraging us to share our New Experiences. Visit her site to see photos from her travel to Australia. Amazing!
Interesting in joining the Lens-Artists Challenge? Click here for for information.
LAPC #236 North Meets South
It’s never the differences between people that surprise us. It’s the things that, against all odds, we have in common.
― Jodi Picoult
Thank you to Amy of The World is a Book, for hosting this week’s interesting challenge. She asks us to explore, East Meets West or North Meets South. Read her creative post here to inspire your thoughts. Remember to link to her post and add the Lens-Artists tag so we can find you.
I must declare this was a difficult task for me – how to? I hope my solution is OK with you.
Because, I have focused on North meets South, and two very different countries with much in common. Just like we humans, wherever we come from – we have got so many things in common.
I guess you already know from the first images which the two countries are…
Both have got spectacular natural phenomena as volcanoes and hot springs, and ice and snow in beautiful nature.
They have got similar houses too…(!) even if one of them only is from some famous films made here.
So, how do we use their natural resources, the hotsprings? We can bathe in them…
cook in them…
or maybe just love the sight of them as a tourist. For energi they are outstanding and sustainable resources.
Both countries also boast spectacular natural layers of stone.
In one of the two countries, there are no forests – in the other one the jungle lives side by side with the glaciers.
If you follow me, you know how close to my heart these two countries are. They carry the clear light of a natural world less spoilt. One of them is called the land of the long white cloud, while the other one, if you look at the images above, maybe is the land of the short white cloud…
A special thank you to Patti as she made us look at Shadows and Reflections in Monochrome last week. Once again, the interpretations to the challenge were creative, fun and inspiring. This way, we also learned something about what photos work best in monochrome. Next week, we welcome Bren as our guest host. She challenges us with: ”Lowering That Clarity To Bring Softness.” We look forward to more learning next week!
Interested in joining the Lens-Artists Challenges? Click here for more information.
Thursday Thoughts – Walking in Porto, Things that Caught My Eye
Today I feel like sharing another random walk…in Porto. When we walk it is not always a scheduled walk, I love lonely walks without a meticulous plan. Just to see what cathes my eye…so, come walk with me. Not many words needed.
Abandoned places always speak to me…
Walking on bridges gives you a different view of things.
Narrow streets are often tempting to walk…quite irresistible.
Realising the scale of things can be breathtaking.
His view?
This one! The young Brasilian playing was a complete virtuoso. He played among other wellknown artists, Carlos Santana. It was almost impossible to stop listening.
Just for fun.
Old houses and new art.
And who can resist a sight like this?
Some more of the beautiful wall art.
And we ended our Porto tour with a beautiful play of light and music in the neighbouring church.
Wordless Wednesday
LAPC #223 – Flights of Fancy
John leads this week’s challenge, and it is no surprise it involves a ”flight”…
I was a little bookworm, a girl with my head full of dreams. Many dreams of foreign countries I read about in books and saw fascinating pictures of. Mostly special places in these books, not so much whole countries. I never thought they would be more than dreams, but then I met a young man as eager as myself to see the world. We started travelling together when I was 16 and he was 21. And we never stopped. Today I am very grateful that so many ”flights of fancy” from my childhood really came to fruition. Of course I have many dreams left, but in fact there is only one more great travel dream, and that is to see the cherry blossom and the wisteria tunnels in Japan. Somehow I don’t think that dream will come true – but it feels good to still have dreams!
Please go to John’s site for more inspiration!
I have picked three different ”flights”… big and small, and in two out of three there is a real flight involved.
One of my first ”flights of fancy” was this house. As a young girl I used to spend every summer in the public swimming pool of our village. And on my way to the pool, every day I passed this white house, surrounded by a big garden with lots of birches, apple trees, plum trees and pear trees. It was built on a bit higher ground than the other houses, and I also knew that one of the most handsome young boys in my little village happened to live there…
Little did I know that my boyfriend and I would buy this house when I was only 21 – and we have lived here since then, for 44 years now. And, it is still my dream house!
This image is from quite some years ago, when we had both Mille and Totti waiting for us to come home.
Another ”flight of fancy” was going to New Zealand. I had a pen friend when I was 11 (one of many…), and this girl sent me a calender with photos from both islands, North and South. I was so mezmerised, so in love with these extraordinary nature sceneries, that I started dreaming of getting there one day. In my mind, no other country could literally have ”everything” I loved: high mountains and glaciers, volcanoes and hot springs, magical forests and jungle, unimaginable animals…yes, everything. A dream which of course sounded absolutely impossible…NZ was at the the other end of the world – the New Zealanders are our antipodes.
Then there is another ”flight of fancy” involved too. I had always loved the novels of JRR Tolkien, and especially Lord of the Rings. Our children loved it too…so, finally we arrived in NZ, North Island around Christmas 2011. We travelled the islands for a month, and of course we had to visit Hobbiton! And do you know what – it looked just like in my dreams.
Yet another ”flight of fancy” started with a novel, James Hilton’s Lost Horizon. I dreamt of the magical Himalayas and mystical Tibet, but realised I would never get there. This was literally another world. But, in 2009 my family took the train from Beijing over permafrost and the Tibetan Plateau to Lhasa. It is the world’s highest railway, 5,068 meters at Tanggula. The cars are equipped with oxygen supply to avoid altitude sickness. Still today, we all think this was one of our greatest adventures.
Over the last years, our home has become a ”flight of fancy” for birds and insects, plants and hedgehogs. I try to make it my own Shangri-La, a hidden paradise behind birches, bird cherry and lilacs. I cannot save the planet, but I know I can be of great help to make this little piece of Earth thrive.
According to John, and to Dictionary.com, the idiom “flight of fancy” refers to “an unrealistic idea or fantastic notion, a
pipe dream. For example, ‘She engaged in flights of fancy, such as owning a million‐dollar house.’ This idiom uses
flight in the sense of ‘a soaring of the imagination,’ a usage dating from the mid‐1600s.”
I believe we all need imagination and flights of fancy to survive in this unruly world, so, keep dreaming…
A big thank you to Amy for a spectacular mountain challenge – and to you all for your fabulous entries! Now we are looking forward to seeing what was your flight of fancy (or someone else’s) that came to fruition? Please link to John’s original post and tag Lens-Artists.
Next week, Sofia hosts challenge #224 – Exposure. Be sure to visit her beautiful site for inspiration. Until next, stay calm and kind.
Thursday Thoughts – Porto’s Sister, Gaia
On the other side of the Douro river, is Gaia. Home to the wineries and the good food, the salesmen and the old boats – and great street art. Let’s pay the area a visit.
My first impression was of a rather run down area, nothing fashionable at all. The best thing was the lovely views of Porto on the other side of the river.
Walking along the Gaia waterfront, you can see the slender old port boats and even a vintage tram rattling along the Porto streets.
Bacalhau! A national dish in Portugal. We got a first taste of it here, with a glass of port of course…The neighbour was a spectacular sardine shop. You could even buy a box of sardines with your year of birth on it – luckily the fish was not the same age… I bought a box for my father, who turned 89 two weeks later.
A marvelous work was this rabbit, or hare, made of debris and I guess whatever found… We met him at a corner and could not stop looking at all the details. I told him how amazing he was, and he nodded gracefully – I am sure!
Thank you for walking along with me in Gaia, and now, a glass of port – cheers!
Thursday Thoughts – Douro River
From Porto, a boat trip along the Douro river into the beautiful wine district was a must. The Douro valleys have a microclimate allowing for cultivation of olives, almonds, and especially grapes, which are important for making port. According to our guide, the region around Pinhão and São João da Pesqueira is considered to be the centre of port, with its quintas (or farms/estates) along the steep slopes of the river valleys. Today, many of these are owned by multinational, reputed wine companies.
The grapes had been harvested two weeks before we arrived, so the fields were empty – but still eye-catching.
We went by bus to the vineyard where we were going to eat and try their wines. With those lovely views everywhere, you could not fall asleep…
…neither on the river nor on the bus.
The rolling green hills and the blue sky – all softness and harmony.
The vines were almost always combined with olive trees – giving a soft silvery touch to the landscape.
Finally, as our trip was coming to an end, we inhaled the magnificent view from Quinta S Luiz before entering the bus again.
Of course we had delicious Portuguise food and nice wine along with it. Strolling through the wine cellar of Quinta S Luiz, I found ”my” vintage wine – but I did not buy it… maybe I should have…
Thursday Thoughts – Porto and the Waterfront
As much as I love the alleyways and narrow, cobbled streets, Porto has a beautiful waterfront too. We walked and we took a boat trip to see the colourful houses from a distance. And we were not disappointed.
…or walking up from it – was always a treat. I even met some dogs enjoying the shadow.
Colourful and happy houses makes the wanderer happy too!
The bridge across the river made for beautiful views all over. The city looks delightful any time of the day.
A boat trip along the river is always to be recommended. I am not a boat person, but you will see all the bridges and the waterfront up close.
So far we had only walked the Porto side of the river. Another day we would walk the Gaia, where there are many good restaurants and all the wineries.
Gaia photographed from another bridge. We couldn’t get enough of the river – or the many bridges. We’d had a delightful day, so thank you for coming along!
Wordless Wednesday
Leya 
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