Saturday, September 13, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Europe Holiday 2008 Final Day Dubai
Dubai is a city of contrasts. We have visited there before but travelled around a few different spots on the OnOff Bus this trip.
This is a view of one of the traditional old buildings - notice the wind towers - the old version of air conditioners. They are quite effective if you stand under them but with the extremely high heats in Dubai I think I'd rather opt for the air conditioners.
And here the locals are packing their trailers before pulling them through the souks to the various shops.
One of our stops on the trip was this new centre which is made in the image of an Egyptian building - having just been visiting the ruins around the Mediterranean I suspect the original buildings would have looked a little like this.
And didn't we see Obelisks like this in Paris and Istanbul? Much older of course.
Another modern building - a little of a lean here - blame the fact that I was sitting on the outside of the bus fighting a strong wind!
The ancient mosques.
The entrance to one of the beaches - on this particular day it was open only for women and children.
We stopped here to take photos of the Burj al Arab - very much a contrast with these old boats.
If you are able to enlarge this photo - there is a very interesting body (I am assuming it is male) with very little clothing - yet another contrast!
Another hotel complex.
We then stopped at ski complex for lunch. Wayne was very confused - we sat in the middle of the desert drinking Dutch beer, eating sushi and watching people ski!
The next day saw us winging our way home. There were some devastating cyclones further North but our pilot must have been having fun at 40,000 feet dodging around some of these clouds - I must admit we had a very smooth flight.
This is a view of one of the traditional old buildings - notice the wind towers - the old version of air conditioners. They are quite effective if you stand under them but with the extremely high heats in Dubai I think I'd rather opt for the air conditioners.
And here the locals are packing their trailers before pulling them through the souks to the various shops.One of our stops on the trip was this new centre which is made in the image of an Egyptian building - having just been visiting the ruins around the Mediterranean I suspect the original buildings would have looked a little like this.
And didn't we see Obelisks like this in Paris and Istanbul? Much older of course.Another modern building - a little of a lean here - blame the fact that I was sitting on the outside of the bus fighting a strong wind!The ancient mosques.The entrance to one of the beaches - on this particular day it was open only for women and children.We stopped here to take photos of the Burj al Arab - very much a contrast with these old boats.
If you are able to enlarge this photo - there is a very interesting body (I am assuming it is male) with very little clothing - yet another contrast!Another hotel complex.We then stopped at ski complex for lunch. Wayne was very confused - we sat in the middle of the desert drinking Dutch beer, eating sushi and watching people ski! The next day saw us winging our way home. There were some devastating cyclones further North but our pilot must have been having fun at 40,000 feet dodging around some of these clouds - I must admit we had a very smooth flight.Saturday, July 12, 2008
Europe Holiday 2008 Part 20 Vicenza
After disembarking from our ship we made our way to the Venice train station (and that is another story!). Our train took us to Vicenza - a small city half way between Verona and Padua - where we were staying with friends. These scenes are the views from the villa - you must agree a very relaxing way to finish a wonderful holiday.
The church in the distance is Sanctuary of Monte Berico and we could hear the church bells ringing out across the valley. They did have to compete with the cuckoo who was consistently calling for his mate!
And our hostess insisted we sit outside and watch the sunset each evening before moving in for dinner.
Our first evening we went to Monte Berico and this is the view looking back across the valley. The building to the left is The Rotonda which we visited the next day.
The view looking over Vicenza from the church - because of the haze we were unable to see the mountains in the distance.
The Sanctuary of Monte Berico
The walkway (and this was taken halfway down) turned left at the end and continued on down the hill - frescos adorn the walls and tell the story of Christ.
This is the road we walked down towards the villa where we were staying - we aren't sure where we would have gone had a car come along the road - or indeed what happens when cars meet each other - the road is not exactly straight and, as you can see, is very narrow.
The next day we visited the villa next door - it is full of frescos by I Tiepolo in the main building, which tell the story of Jupiter, and more in one of the other buildings which were done by Tiepolo's son.
The view looking back towards the church from the villa.
This is a statue of Palladio, an architect who designed the most amazing buildings in Vicenza, including the Rotonda.
The church in the distance is Sanctuary of Monte Berico and we could hear the church bells ringing out across the valley. They did have to compete with the cuckoo who was consistently calling for his mate!And our hostess insisted we sit outside and watch the sunset each evening before moving in for dinner.Our first evening we went to Monte Berico and this is the view looking back across the valley. The building to the left is The Rotonda which we visited the next day.The view looking over Vicenza from the church - because of the haze we were unable to see the mountains in the distance.
The Sanctuary of Monte BericoThe walkway (and this was taken halfway down) turned left at the end and continued on down the hill - frescos adorn the walls and tell the story of Christ.This is the road we walked down towards the villa where we were staying - we aren't sure where we would have gone had a car come along the road - or indeed what happens when cars meet each other - the road is not exactly straight and, as you can see, is very narrow.The next day we visited the villa next door - it is full of frescos by I Tiepolo in the main building, which tell the story of Jupiter, and more in one of the other buildings which were done by Tiepolo's son.The view looking back towards the church from the villa.This is a statue of Palladio, an architect who designed the most amazing buildings in Vicenza, including the Rotonda. Each of the four sides of The Rotonda are identical.
Hercules and the lion in the grounds of the Rotonda
Looking up towards The Rotonda from the road.
And the view back towards the church.
A typical staircase.
The Palazzo Chiericati - an art gallery and museum we visited which was also designed by Palladio.
And the Teatro Olimpico - a most amazing theatre, once again designed by Palladio and still being used 450 years later. For more information go to http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Teatro_Olimpico.html I was fortunate in having heard about the theatre in a lecture a month or so before we went overseas so did know a little about it.
A statue in the courtyard of the theatre.
On our last day we walked into the city square and watched the world go by while we enjoyed a beer.
The Alpini - part of the Italian Army - were holding a reunion in Vicenza - there were hundreds of soldier wearing their distinctive hats. We were fortunate to be in the square while a group were singing arcapello.
Hercules and the lion in the grounds of the Rotonda
Looking up towards The Rotonda from the road.
And the view back towards the church.A typical staircase.
The Palazzo Chiericati - an art gallery and museum we visited which was also designed by Palladio.And the Teatro Olimpico - a most amazing theatre, once again designed by Palladio and still being used 450 years later. For more information go to http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Teatro_Olimpico.html I was fortunate in having heard about the theatre in a lecture a month or so before we went overseas so did know a little about it.
A statue in the courtyard of the theatre.
On our last day we walked into the city square and watched the world go by while we enjoyed a beer.
The Alpini - part of the Italian Army - were holding a reunion in Vicenza - there were hundreds of soldier wearing their distinctive hats. We were fortunate to be in the square while a group were singing arcapello.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Europe Holiday 2008 Part 19 Return to Venice
Early Thursday morning we sailed back into Venice. I was up early watching the scenery from our balcony. I hope you enjoy these photos - the early morning light is quite beautiful. We were due to disembark in the next few hours and continue our travels elsewhere.
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