Valaise Blacknose Sheep
Valaise Blacknose Sheep in front of the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland
Click image to enlarge
Two Swiss Couples Beneath the Matterhorn, Zermatt, Switzerland
Switzerland has the second highest life expectancy in the world, and living here, I never wonder why!
Gaudí’s Moderistá Architecture, Barcelona
Please click on any image to enlarge
Sagrada Família Basilica, built 1882-present
The Crossing
Baldachin and Crucifix over the high altar
Details of the Passion Facade, which was designed to convey Jesus’ suffering
Casa Batlló, built 1877 and redesigned by Gaudi in 1904
Casa Milà (La Pedrera) built 1906-1912
Eerie Skeletons and Towering Red Dunes of Deadvlei in Sossusvlei, Namibia
Deadvlei (Dead Marsh) is a white clay pan in the Sossusvlei area of the Namib desert, Namibia. Surrounded by the highest sand dunes in the world, Deadvlei was formed when the river Tsauchab flooded it’s banks and formed shallow pools. Camel thorn trees once grew in abundance here, but decades of drought and the advancement of the nearby dunes ultimately blocked the water source, and the trees in the vlei were unable to survive. The trees are believed to be up to 900 years old and have been dead since the 14th century. Scorched black by the intense sun and able to stave off decomposition due to the arid climate and lack of insects, these bizarre skeletons along with the white clay pan and surrounding red dunes together make for one of the most unique and beautiful landscapes on earth. Click on any image to view Hi-Res version.
- Epic view from the top of Big Daddy dune of the Deadvlei pan and surrounding landscape.
-
Entering the Deadvlei pan
Skeletal remains of long since dead camel thorn trees
Skeletal remains of long dead dead camel thorn trees
Some life stubbornly persists in the pan
Scorched black by the intense sun
Too dry to decompose
Barren forest amongst towering red dunes.
Climbing Big Daddy Dune, Namibia
Sossusvlei, with it’s massive red dunes and bleached salt pans, is Namibia’s most recognizable landscape. Big Daddy, the tallest dune in the Sossusvlei area and one of the highest dunes in the world, towers over the surrounding dunes at 325m (1,066ft). Extremely high heat and perpetually cloudless skies makes for an extraordinarily arduous 2 hour trek to the top, however climbers are rewarded with breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape. Click on any image to open Hi-Res copy.
Extreme temperatures and long travel time to the dune mandates a very early predawn start to the trailhead. To grasp the scale of the dune, click on the above image to open a larger image, and look for the specks of people over our heads that have started up the ridge.
10 minutes down, almost 2 hours to go.
Windswept ridge.
Almost to the summit, but about to get sandblasted by heavy winds.
Epic views of the Deadvlei and surrounding landscape.
Sossusvlei Sandstorm
Sossusvlei, consisting of a salt and clay pan and surrounding massive red dunes, is located in the Namib Desert, and is the worlds oldest desert. It is where the dunes join together to prevent the Tsauchab River from flowing any further towards the Atlantic, however the river very rarely reaches this arid pan. Walking over the windswept Namibian pan at the beginning of our first climb to the dunes felt as if we were walking on Mars during a sandstorm.
Lonesome Mist
Lonesome mist at dusk
HAND-PULLED NOODLES
Preparing Lanzhou-style hand-pulled noodles in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City.
Water Breathing Dragons in Zürich
Details of the Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling statue created in 1889 in honor of Alfred Escher, a renowned Zurich politician and entrepreneur.
Stars Over Brüschstockhügel
Star Gazing Selfie from Mount Brüschstockhügel
View over Lake Wägitalersee. This outing was to be my first serious attempt at photographing the Milky Way. My youngest daughter and I drove from our home to nearby Mount Brüschstockhügel (1488m) in Canton Schwyz. We hiked up to the peak and settled into camp as low thin clouds slowly started to contaminate the previously crystal clear Swiss mountain sky. So ended my first quest. No worries, it was great practice, and pics would have simply been an added bonus anyway to ‘hangin and camping in the mountains with one of your kids!
Swiss Winter Solitude & New Camera!
Swiss Winter Solitude on the Wanderwegs
Finally! Like any self-respecting photographer (not) worth their weight in salt, I am about a year behind in posting my photographs. Today, however, marks a special day for me. I have finally caught up to the point where I post my FIRST PHOTO from my new camera (new Xmas 2016), a Sony A7R II. Today I officially retire postings from my Nikon D90 camera, a 12.3 MP camera that was my first DSLR camera, a trusty travel companion throughout Europe for the last 7 years, and a wonderful introduction into the world of digital imaging.
This is a shot taken last winter on the Glarnerweisweg, one of the many wanderwegs (trails) immediately behind my home. The Swiss are passionate about the outdoors and take their hiking seriously. Not only are there more than 62,400 km (38,800 mi) of marked hiking trails in this small country (roughly the size of West Virginia), but it seems that no matter where you are in any Swiss city or suburb, you are ALWAYS only a stones throw away from beautiful trails and open space.
Obergefell v. Hodges
On April 28, 2015, the US Supreme Court heard arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges over whether gay marriage was guaranteed by the Constitution, and whether or not gay marriages legalized in other states must be recognized in states which ban the practice. The Court subsequently ruled that gay marriage is a constitutional right, making it legal in all 50 states, and that all existing bans are invalid. Here are just a few of the demonstrators who rallied in front of the Supreme Court as it heard these historic argument.
Crete Sunset
Goodnight Crete. Time to move on.
Caïque on Elounda Bay
Casque traditional Greek fishing boat, Elounda Bay, Crete – 2015
The Leper Colony of Spinalonga
Spialonga (Kalydon) is a Greek island in the Gulf of Elounda in north-eastern Crete. The island has a long and turbulent history given its strategic location protecting the waters around the ancient city of Olous (Elounda), one of the most important towns on Crete between 3000-900 BC. In the 16th century the Venetians built the first bastion-type fortress on Spinalonga to protect the entranceway of the port of Olous. The fortress was key in helping the Venetians defend against the attacks of the Turks led by Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, also know as the pirate Barbarossa. The island later fell to the Ottoman Turks, who held the island until 1903, after Crete won its independence
In 1903 a leper colony was established on the island. Cretans with leprosy were then rounded up from the caves where they had been forced to take refuge and sent to Spinalonga, where they received medical care, food, and shelter. The leper colony was maintained for approximately 50 years, until soon after a cure for leprosy was discovered in 1948 . The last of the lepers left the island in 1957. Approximately 400 people inhabited the colony during its era as a leper colony.
Church Bell On Spinalonga Island, Crete
Bell on the Church of St George on the island of Spinalonga, Elounda, Crete, Greece. The church dates back to 1661 AD.
Caïque Boat at Sunrise – Crete, Greece
Caïque Passing Spinalonga as Sunrise
Fall 2015 brings us to the Greek island of Crete. The tranquility of a cool sunrise is broken by the slow puttering of a traditional Caïque Greek fishing boat as it passes between the mainland town of Plaka and the island of Spinalonga in the Gulf of Elounda in north-eastern Crete.
Wheats Fields in Hjo, Sweden
Lightbox3D 