Monday, February 21, 2011

On the Road: Best of the West

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page" 

Glacier Point, Yosemite
what sunshine feels like


 King of Yosemite

Moon Safari


Captain Jack's Stronghold, Lava Beds National Monument
During the Modoc War, Modoc chief Captain Jack's band settled here following the Battle of Lost River, and held off a United States Army force outnumbering them by as much as 10 to 1 for several months. The lava beds made an outstanding stronghold for the Modocs because of the rough terrain, rocks that could be used in fortification, and irregular pathways to evade pursuers
 
Someone's own private Idaho

Crater Lake



The Painted Hills





Smith Rock

 Can't you feel it?


Seen on the Streets, of France

 Avignon










Strasbourg

Paris

Prague


 Journal excerpt:
Sooo Prague. I made a list of things I noticed within the first hours:
  1. Service people are not only unfriendly but seem genuinely miserable
  2. Czech boys are shorter and stockier
  3. Czech electronics move very fast. I had to calculate when to jump on the escalator and fight to keep the elevator doors from crushing me.
  4. Czech girls dress quite trashy (according to Bets it’s the eastern europpean thing to get carried away out of your poverty by attracting westerners)
Basically the city was beautiful and I spent everyday from 1-6pm touring different quarters. So I got used to Prague in the evening and my walks back along the river and numerous bridges until I reached the Fred (Astaire) and Ginger (Rogers) building and turned into New Town to Betsy’s. Because I organized where I was going it was all very walkable and I never used public transportation, though it was a lot of walking. I liked Prague probably more than Paris…it was so pretty! The large carved Art Nouveau facades of New Town, and the little village like ones in Old Town, the views and greenery up on the Petrin hill in summer…
 bridges
buildings
John Lennon memorial wall
the other rose city
  
the following triptych was featured at an exhibition at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian studies "Eurasian Exposure: Engaging the Old and New"

Red Sea of Rooftops
 In Step
 Sunset Facade

Nice: buildings and beaches