Be Original!
To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles ~Mary Davis
July is the month of midnight sun in Norway. Due to the high mountains we do not experience the fantastic view of sunset – sunrise but anyways it doesn’t get dark at night in late june and july.
Here are some images from our late night walk along the river yesterday. It was very warm during day but extremely pleasant at night 😀
How are you spending your weekend?
For Jo’s Monday walk
After yesterday’s heavy rain we decided not to walk on tough terrain today rather chose country side for our walk with some light hiking on asphalt roads. It was cloudy with just a few light showers and temperature was perfect for a walk and especially going up hill.
While passing by the river we saw a duck who was desperately looking for his/her mate. It was just yesterday when we noticed this pair for the first time. The river is not flooding but the amount of water is none the less. The duck was making some sound but we could only hear the loud sound of the river. We stopped and watched this wonderful drama of hide and seek and were glad to see the happy ending. The river is full of fishes during this time of the year which might have brought this young couple to this place.
For Becca’s Sunday Trees and Jo’s Monday walk.
Every year on May 17, Norwegians shed their typically reserved shell to dress up, hit the streets and party. It’s a day full of national pride, yet there’s no displays of military power and the politicians keep quiet. Norway’s Constitution Day is all about the children.
The lack of military parades is perhaps the most notable difference about Norway’s Constitution Day compared to many other countries around the world. Instead, the main parade is full of children from local schools, often in marching bands. Proud parents watch on with smartphone cameras at the ready before joining a people’s parade later in the day.
Some highlights of the day’s parade.
Also joining the people’s parade are Norway’s high school graduates. Known as russ, they are easy to spot in their brightly-colored overalls. On May 17, they are likely to be taking it easy as the day marks the culmination of a two-week period of partying that is seen as a rite-of-passage by most Norwegians.
I was invited for tradition brunch/lunch with a norwegian family. I met the 94 years grandma, a fantastic enthusiastic lady. She is still actively living in her own house. She talked about flowers, garden, grocery shopping and even she told us about her country tour on bicycle during war time.
The whole event reminds me of celebrating festivals in India. The table was full of fantastic traditional dishes. Members of extended family paying small visits and tasting the food. It was a sunny day and as we were sitting outside, passing neighbours were stopping by for a moment and some even dropped in and enjoyed their share of champagne. All in all it was a fantastic day for everyone.
My contribution for Jo’s Monday walk and lens-artists-photo-challenge as I see the parade an example of lively street art.
Reference article:
This morning I told Kate about my plan to visit Rhododendron section in arboretum and I managed and I am really happy about it as it’s going to rain tomorrow and as per our weather forecast department we might see more snow on Monday.
Rhododendron is the national flower of Nepal, the state flower of Sikkim in India and the state flower of West Virginia and Washington. It is is a genus of 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family. I am sure I have seen more than 100 plants/shrubs and I found it difficult to see the exact difference between two similar plants with similar colour. All were gorgeous.
All the parts of Rhododendrons are dangerous, especially leaves, showing symptoms of Stomach irritation, abdominal pain, abnormal heart rate and rhythm, convulsions, coma, death. Honey made from the nectar of Rhododendron flowers is also toxic and should not be consumed.
Azaleas make up two subgenera of Rhododendron. They are distinguished from “true” rhododendrons by having only five anthers per flower. I wanted to see the Christopher Wren Mollis Hybrid Azalea (the above bud). The Mollis deciduous azalea hybrids were developed in Belgium. These are orange azaleas which were yet to bloom. They might be ready in next couple of days.
It was good to see many smiling faces.
Weather and the flowers change human behaviour in a good way.
None the less, I enjoyed the beauties today and was quite surprised seeing various shades of blue. Each one was different yet more gorgeous than others.
Rhododendrons are referred to as the King of Shrubs since they are regarded by many as the best flowering evergreen plants for the temperate landscape
For more information:
https://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/mostpopularflowers/morepopularflowers/rhododendron
Málaga’s history spans about 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest cities in Europe and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. According to most scholars, it was founded about 770 BC.
If you are fan of branded items. This street has so much to offer.
I was caught up by the colours of the buildings and their fancy balconies.
This important cultural infrastructure and the artistic heritage have culminated in the nomination of Málaga as a candidate for the 2016 European Capital of Culture.
The painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso, Hebrew poet and Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol and the actor Antonio Banderas were born in Málaga.
For Jo’s Monday walk
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1laga
While you see these images I shall be on my way to Florence.
Happy a wonderful week everyone!
Finally – Spring has arrived.
After yesterday’s hike it was time for a leisurely walk in a garden. What’s better than visiting an arboretum.
Spring is the time of year when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade ~ Charles Dickens
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I was alone but not lonely as I enjoyed various kinds of birds sounds even when I was taking photographs. I saw many robbins but photographing them was not easy. There were not so many flowers but it was very plesant and everyone I met was prasing weather. I saw first batch of Cherry blossoms, only one tree has a few flowers. I suppose by next week, it will be more colourful and by that time tulips will also bloom.
For Jo’s Monday Walk theme & for my weekend walk theme.
Last Monday was tour day/ski day in my office. I could not accompany my colleagues for a tour as I had an unavoidable external meeting. Half day was already gone so I planned a hike on the closest mountain as I didn’t want to miss the chance to go out in nature. I am sure you will also support my decision as after that day we are enjoying wet, cold and grey weather.
Just one last turn but then the path was covered with snow.
If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. -Raymond Inmon
The weather today was fantastic which insisted me take a stroll during lunch time. We clearly see spring signs. Instead of concentrating on distance covered I thoroughly enjoyed my time out in sun.
Tomorrow we shall expect rain, snow and strong winds. No worries!
These are my entries for Jo’s Monday walk.
It’s almost 3 weeks since we returned from the US but there were many things going on at the same time restricting me to arrange my photos. Now I shall recall and make respective posts.
Our first destination was San Diego. Actually we landed in San Francisco, collected our baggage and checked in for a domestic flight to San Diego. After reading all the suggestions on the internet we thought it would be a good idea to book a late flight . You know what, we were out without any problem apart from the hour we were in pass control queue.
Have you ever felt that the service for the queue you are waiting in is the slowest one for no reason when others are passing by quickly. Anyways after putting stamps on our passport and returning it to us, the officer was in mood for some light discussion on immigrants. The irony was both parties belong to the same category 😀
As it was quite early, we decided to try our luck by asking for the seats on the earlier flight. I think we would have granted all our wishes on “that” day. The seats were rebooked for the fee of $25 each. Can you believe? This is not gonna happen here.
I am sharing a group of images for Jo’s (Monday) walk, taken at the La Jolla Cove in San Diego.
La Jolla Cove is a small, picturesque cove and beach that is surrounded by cliffs in La Jolla, San Diego, California. The Cove is protected as part of a marine reserve; underwater it is very rich in marine life, and is popular with snorkelers, swimmers and scuba divers.
There are hundreds of sea lions that call the La Jolla Cove home, sometimes being seen in the deeper-water parts of the Cove or basking on rocks. All sea animals in this area are protected by law, including the orange Garibaldi fish, which are unusually common in the Cove. (I didn’t get chance to see even one 😦 )
The cove is also home to hundreds of cormorants and brown pelicans and some other species of birds. I am not sure about other species of birds but quadron of pelicans and flight of cormorants were all over.
From the park at the top of the Cove, there are a few steps down on each side to a “gallery” area with a lot of benches. This gallery includes the entrance to the lifeguard station, where the lifeguard’s chalkboard shows useful information updated throughout the day. From the gallery level there are two steep sets of concrete steps that lead down to the beach itself, although visitors often have to step on rocks to get all the way down to the sand.
Some of you might have noticed that some images were taken in the evening and some in broad daylight. Yes we visited it twice with two different hosts who were incredibly supportive.
I wandered everywhere, through cities and countries wide. And everywhere I went the world was on myside ~Unknown
Here I am walking on streets of Hong Kong- the main island and Kowloon to get the feel of this city with such dramatic and compact skyscapers.
Victoria peak is a tourist favourite place to capture the beautiful cityscape of Hong Kong. Sadly the occasional smog obscure the view.
Images taken while walking on streets.
This was my favourite spot to caputre skyscapes.
For Lens-artists-photo-challenge and Jo’s Monday walk.
