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It’s been a while since I’ve revisited Italy. Here’s a shot from Venice looking down a canal toward the Madonna dell’Orto church. This photo also features my reflection in the water as I snapped the photo from a bridge, and the Italian flag hanging from a window in the upper-left corner.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
This was taken during my hike through Yosemite Valley last year. I think I was on the Cook’s Meadow loop (at least that’s the trail I had been looking for when I started, though I had trouble finding it and just sort of made my way toward the open area). It was a beautiful October day and I had the trail mostly to myself for large stretches.
One thing I like about this photo is how the tiny people in the distance provide a sense of scale to the enormity of the tall tree and surrounding mountains.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
As today is the 104th anniversary of the discovery of Machu Picchu by archeologist Hiram Bingham, I thought it appropriate to share a photo of the fabled Lost City of the Incas. This was taken on our way down from the Sun Gate in the early morning after completing the Inca Trail.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
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July 5, 2014: After returning from the Scottish Highlands I took a brief break before heading back out into the city. On the recommendation of my guide George, I decided to take a sunset hike up to Calton Hill, which offers breathtaking views of Edinburgh. But first I stopped for dinner at a fish & chips place, where I tried a fried cheeseburger, which was basically a cheeseburger deep-fried in batter like you would do with chicken. It seems that this type of frying is quite popular in Edinburgh, as there were many similar items on the menu, including deep-fried pizza, though I didn’t get a chance to try that.
Once I finished shoving that deep-fried decadence down my gullet, I continued on up to Calton Hill. Here are some photos I took along the way (click on any photo to view a larger version in a gallery).
I arrived shortly before sunset, which is around 10:30 p.m. that time of year, and was immediately grateful for George’s advice—the views were indeed spectacular. I would not have time on this trip to climb Arthur’s Seat, the large hill that looms over the city, so this was the next best thing. I stayed well into the night, so the following photos run the gamut from sunset to night shots. In addition to photos of the Calton Hill monuments, some of the wider shots showcase the picturesque cityscape, including Edinburgh Castle perched high on its hill, while shots from the other side of Calton Hill feature the sunset over the Firth of Forth.
At one point I climbed up onto the Greek-looking structure visible in a couple of the photos, known as the National Monument, an unfinished memorial to soldiers and sailors from the Napoleonic Wars that now appears to be a place for young people to hang out. The climb onto the monument was much harder that it looks—I actually needed a hand from one of the guys already up there, who was kind enough to help me up. Only after getting to the top did I realize that at some point I would have to make the long jump back down. 🙂
Eventually it was time to make the long walk back to my room. I arrived around midnight and got to bed as quickly as possible after packing my bags. In the morning I would be checking out of the guest house and then spending the day at Edinburgh Castle before catching the train back to London.
So, do I recommend a visit to Calton Hill? Absolutely! It’s well worth your time.
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During the Croatia leg of my month in Europe back in 2011, I spent one gloomy November day in the capital city of Zagreb before heading down to Split and Dubrovnik. Zagreb is a very interesting city, with a mixture of the old and the new; definitely worth a visit.
This was one of the first buildings I saw during my walk into the city: the Art Pavilion in Tomislava Square.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
This is where we stayed on our final night on the Inca Trail. Our tents were so close to the edge of the cliff, in fact, that at one point, as I was walking behind someone who was getting something out of his tent, had he decided to back out of his tent at that moment, he would have sent me flying over the edge.
It was an amazing way to end three days of arduous hiking before beginning the final leg to Machu Picchu in the morning. Sleeping on the edge of that mountain is an experience I’ll never forget, and I’m eternally grateful to our guides and porters for staking out this prime real estate for our group.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
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This shot features one of the Eiffel Tower’s massive legs. It’s a color photo, but the contrast of the tower silhouetted against the overcast sky makes it look almost black and white.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
I shot this photo of two bees pollinating a flower during my hike of the Delaware & Raritan Canal in Princeton. Not quite a macro since it was taken from further away with a zoom lens, but my Sigma does a pretty good job of approximating macro photos. However, the bees and the flower ignored my request to sit still for the photo. 🙂
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
Here’s a photo of some donkeys grazing up high in the mountains, shot during the first day of my Inca Trail hike. Every time I look back on these photos I’m thankful that I decided to do the hike–there’s so much beauty along the Inca Trail that I would have missed had I chosen to take the train straight to Machu Picchu.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
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While the Jersey beaches are now flooded with Independence Day revelers, here’s a photo from my walk on the Ocean City boardwalk earlier this week, a few days ahead of the madness, gazing across the water at the Atlantic City skyline.
You can view more featured photos at my Photo of the Day Collection.
Michael Rappa 