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#TerryTravelsBWPhotos6 Barcelona Heading to the area where the 1888 Universal Exposition was held I am here to say the "rumor" of Gustave Eiffel (who proposed his iconic structure) was rejected by the city because it was too expensive and an eyesore, is just not true Other engineers did put forward some proposals for a massive style iron observation towers, but Barcelona kindly said no Final Selection It chose to build the classical brick Arc de Triomf for the grand gateway to the exposition With one year later, Eiffel was successful with his 300 meter (984 feet) design for his metropolis of Paris and its 1889 Worlds Fair |
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Kotor Montenegro I am learning in the culture here, Zmaj is the "good dragon" that is highly intelligent, has a deep spiritual wisdom, is skilled in magic and uses his powers to protect human crops, farmlands plus villages from the bad weather |
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Peggys Cove Canada Part of the granite landscape that was formed millions of years ago from the tectonic movement and glacial activity in this area |
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Madrid Spain The Victory Arch, because of its ties to the dictatorship who built it (Francisco Franco) it has many locals and politicians calling the structure Puerta de Moncioa, to strip away any military association |
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Reykjavik Iceland Because of its isolation, the Old Norse language has changed very little here since the Viking Age, so is still practiced and used |
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Ronda Spain The region is known for its rugged beauty, so much that American author Ernest Hemingway (who loved the area) used his feelings for the inspiration in writing For Whom the Bell Tolls |
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Pitigliano Italy Counting the scraped cars and folded-in mirrors as i walk the streets, apparently the locals tell me its very "normal" to see Its because of the narrow street grid that was designed thousands of years ago With that in mind; there is a Sunday ban on heavy trucks and freight carriers on major highways for this day to ease congestion, plus make long distance trips safer |
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Aoraki / Mount Cook Heading towards my next adventure to take on the "cloud piercer" Did you know that Sir Edmund Hillary (first person to summit Mount Everest in 1953) honed his alpine skills by climbing this mountain first While i am not in this class of climber, i hope to learn some things from my experience here |
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Crows Nest While i help out here; you learn quickly because it sits far above the ships center, it means any small rocking movement of the hull is amplified into a huge sway This can cause severe seasickness even for seasoned sailors, which i am not 😄 Punishment A Captain would sometimes send misbehaving crew members up to the crows nest as a form of a disciplinary "incarceration" |
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Rabat Morocco These courtyards are built by design as an open-air area with plants and water fountains, which then creates a cooler microclimate |
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Halifax Canada My city and the wrought iron fence around the our Government House Its the oldest consecutively occupied official residence in the country |
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Portugal After the massive earthquake in 1756 Lisbon rebuilt using a smart architecture strategy The buildings featured internal wooden "x" shaped crossbeams that would act like shock absorbers, making the area an early quake resistant metropolis |
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Naples Because its the birthplace of the Margherita Pizza, well i need to have one It was created in 1889 and named after the Queen with the toppings of tomatoes (red) mozzarella (white) and basil (green) that where chosen to mimic the colors of the Italian flag |
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Iceland Road-Trip You will notice quickly there is no trees outside your vehicle windows The original Viking settlers chopped down most of the native timberlands, with today less than 2% of the country that is forested The local joke goes; if you get lost in an Icelandic woodland, just stand up 😅 |
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Eastern Europe Counting the crosses, as i am told its to signify that the building is a House of God and a gateway connecting heaven to earth |