Arcadia Discussion Zone

Ok. Here we go. My attempt to see if I can upload my own images to the site.

These are some photos of Egypt. May be stuff you've seen before. But, I was there, and these pictures are indeed mine.

The Sphinx -- didn't look 10,000 years old to me. But, whadoiknow?


The Great Pyramid -- likewise


Temple of Luxor

Grand. It works! Now, here's some shots from Israel. (Not on the same trip.)

This is Yad Vashem, you know, that museum commemorating something that never happened.


BTW this is Terezinstadt, the concentration camp in Prague, which was never there. (Different trip)


I know we have some Templar fans in here... this is the underground tunnel they constructed in Akko (Acre)


Here is Qumran, where the Essene Dead Sea Scrolls were found


And of course Mt. Zion!


This is a shot of the inside of the Cenacle, the only part of what remains of the original Abbey of Notre Dame de Sion - converted into a mosque after the Ottomans took control of it from the Franciscans.


This is Armageddon! (OK, it's Mt. Megiddo, where John of Patmos says it will occur.)


Here's the famous model of what Jerusalem looked like in the Biblical period, complete with the Temple


These are the Bahai Gardens, on the slopes of Mt. Carmel, in Haifa


Yitzhak Rabin's memorial plaque

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul


Rock Churches of Kapadokya - carved into the sides of mountains

Unfortunately, on many of these trips I shot more video than photos... so sometimes this means I have to go back and grab stills out of the videostream, and those don't come out very well.

Anyway, I have lots of more shots of all three countries, particularly of Israel, where I've been several times. I picked out a few that I think people might be most interested in. I also have shots of the inside of the Holy Sepulchre, of the Museum of the Diaspora, of Caeserea, Masada, the monasteries of Mt. Carmel, Safed (Tzvat), the Wailing Wall, and Bet Shean and Bet She'arim.

nice pics.....do you have any more from Istanbul in the area where the church of the apostles once stood??

No... you mean the Fatih Mosque, which stands over the original Church of the Apostles? Didn't go there.

We did go to the Blue Mosque, I have some shots of that. Also the obelisks in the city's Hippodrome, and the underground aqueduct.

Thanks for the photos Seeker, much appreciated.....when i spent time in Istanbul & Göreme en route eastwards, it was way back in '74... we didn't have digital cameras then....unfortunately....but then hey!...we didn't have to contend with tourists either.

....yes please!

See sheila ... I actually answer questions that people ask me. And when they request me to do stuff politely, I do it.

Especially when they ask nicely, and don't include the close-to-obligatory insults.

Here's some pictures of the aqueduct. Warning, they are a bit dark, the flash didn't come out too well down there.

Byzantine Cistern


Aqueduct 1


Aqueduct 2


Ok, this is not from the aqueduct, but it is a sign from the Bazaar. Can't help but throw this in. You know me.


I found the Kapadokya region of Turkey really fascinating. There are these early Christian churches literally carved straight out of the rock. Plus all these really strange rock formations. Now I know roscoe & some others are into the fairy-faith so I can't help but point this out.

Fairy Chimneys of Kapadokya (these pictures here are better than most of mine)
http://www.geocities.com/intrepidberkel ... ge15I.html

They were probably formed by volcanism, but the local folk tradition says they were originally the dwellings of faery-beings.

There's no doubt people were living in caves in this region long before the Christians, probably going back to the Phrygian and Hittite eras.

Thanks for the pics Seeker, the "Medusa heads" in the aqueduct looks quite weathered to me, is that through water damage?
Kapadokya looks incredible! Any more photos are appreciated.
Regards
Nic

It's about 1400 years old. I would suspect so.



Ahhh, now see, haven't we settled on a wonderful new vibe. Can't we just share photos and be all nice to each other? I'm gonna bust out into Kumbayaaaaaa any minute now.

Hmmm.... so nobody wants to see some more of Egypt or Israel? Well, OK, anywhere, here's some more Turkey. Yeah, Kapadokya is a .... surreal.... place.

It's full of underground cities like this one.


Here's more of the fairy chimneys


These formations took the shape of a camel. I found that kind of cool.


Here's the Cave Man of Moulin Rouge (well, that's what it said on his sign)


back to Istanbul--

This is the Blue Mosque of Istanbul - unfortunately this is not the mosque tingra wanted to see.


Two more shots from Cairo. Sorry gonna throw these in.

This is the Coptic area of Egypt where the church of St. George is - by tradition, the Copts believe the Holy Family stayed here in Egypt. We didn't come to see that primarily, but it happens to be in the area of the Ben Ezra synagogue, which is what we were really there to see.


Cinema Miami


It just tickles me that Cairo has a Cinema Miami.

Thanks Seeker for the Photos. Perhaps I need another holiday.

Best!

Another link to Cappadocia - Kapadokya
http://www.turkishclass.com/turkey_pictures_gallery_12

I thought this was a serious discussion Forum not the Readers' Snaps page of the Amateur Photographer! These pics are as boring as the reminiscences of Gap Year travellers.

The reading, or not, of any thread is entirely optional.

Personally, I enjoyed looking at the photos, and am grateful that they were posted.

Each to their own; live and let live; etc.

I never claimed to be a pro photographer.

Oh, and BTW, I never claimed to have taken all the photos, either. I can tell you the ones with the finger blocking the lens are not mine, for sure.

I agree they'll never win a prize in National Geographic.

Just thought some folks would like to see them. If you don't, well, like someone just pointed out, you don't have to look at them.

The reason I mentioned that is because TCJ posted some pictures of the aqueducts in another thread but the "Medusa's" seemed in reasonable condition.
http://ernesto51.files.wordpress.com/20 ... aray_5.jpg
It hasn't been that long since the public have been allowed inside the aqueducts and I just wondered if that may have contributed to the damage?
Regards
Nic

There is a saying that " the camera never lies ", which is a lot more that can be said for the writing of diaries
Regards
Nic

Seeker - keep on posting pics.

...Eginolf...sounds like your time spent in Istanbul was a different sort of time to mine....did you carry on eastwards afterwards?

Your wish is my command. Here's some others from my trip to Europe. No, never been to France, not even our favorite spot, but I'm planning on going soon.

I did visit Prague, which I really enjoyed. Especially all the stuff associated with the Golem, with Franz Kafka, and the great museums ... like the Torture Museum.

I enjoyed Vienna, too, which was on the tour.

Prague astronomical clock - some high school students were protesting that day while we visited


I know we like symbolism here so let me point out the Abbey of Melk is full of all kinds of weird symbolism - like this infinity symbol


Shops like this one in Germany really made me laugh out loud ... I know this word from Yiddish, and it has a very different meaning there.


I have several of Terezinstadt, the place that wasn't there, where nothing happened.

Beautiful city. I went in 2001, but before I had a digital camera, and had a great time just wandering the streets. I think it's the only major European city that didn't get bombed in either world war, and it's very unspoilt. Milos Forman shot "Amadeus" there, getting it to stand in for 18th century Vienna. Particular highlights for me were the Charles Bridge, stunning on a foggy night, and the Jewish cemetery, which was very moving.

Did you get out of the city? I ask, because the town of Kutna Hora, only about ninety minutes away, is well worth a visit for anyone thinking of going. A tiny place, almost like a mini-Prague, with some lovely buildings, and one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals I've ever seen.

Also, about a mile out of town, is this place - the village of Sedlec and its church. Known as the Church of Bones, it contains the remains of about 40,000 human skeletons, many of which have been arranged in decorative displays. Sort of horrible, but fascinating. And very memorable. This link, from the Sacred Destinations website, has some good photos and some more information.

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/czec ... ec-ossuary

Cesky Krumlov is also a very pretty place. And the parts of the countryside that I saw I also liked - rolling hills, beech and chestnut forests, tiny villages and so on.