Tag Archives: travel

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle
“Eilean Donan Castle” — Eilean Donan Castle, on the inland sea near Isle of Skye

We have been traveling. A week ago we returned from a six-week visit to the British Isles — a couple of weeks in Scotland, a bit more than a week in Ireland, a one-week walk in the Cotswolds, and then some time in English cities. The photograph comes from near the start of the trip, just before we arrived on the Isle of Skye. We paused at the Eilean Donan Castle along the inland sea before crossing to the island. It was a welcome break on my first day of driving on left side of the road!

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Beco do Garcês

Beco do Garcês
“Beco do Garcês” — A meeting of steep, narrow lanes in Alfama, Lisbon.

My recollection is that we came to this little wide spot among narrow Alfama lanes by following an interesting-looking stairway that led off to the side from a busier way. Our general plan was to climb up through Alfama to a viewpoint, and then to traverse over to the St. George Castle. But we were not in a hurry, and when we saw the side-route we decided to investigate.

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Alfama, Tagus River View

Alfama, Tagus River View
“Alfama, Tagus River View” — Buildings of Alfama overlook the broad Tagus River, Lisbon

Lisbon, Portugal is a city of hills. (It is sometimes called the “City of Seven Hills.”) Deepening upon which direction you go, even short walks can involve some significant climbs. There’s a reason for the Elevador de Santa Justa, the famous elevator structure, and for cable cars or funiculars. A positive result of all of this climbing is that there are some spectacular views.

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Boardwalk, Morning

Boardwalk, Morning
“Boardwalk, Morning” — The winding boardwalk at Salt Creek in morning light, Death Valley.

We arrived at Salt Creek before sunrise, planning to walk down to the end of the boardwalk and photograph some further areas at dawn. It used to be that you could continue on from there and investigate other interesting terrain, but there is now no obvious way off the boardwalk, likely because the park service is trying to protect those areas. So we photographed from the boardwalk as the sun came up.

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