Seville Cathedral, Spain

Seville Cathedral was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. This was built on the site of grand Almohad Mosque in the years 1402 – 1506. It was hard to capture the cathedral and its bell tower (Giralda) in the same frame. Giralda (ht. 105m) was the minaret of the mosque that existed there. This was constructed between the years 1184 to 1198. The cathedral is also famous as burial place

The Roman Bridge, Cordoba, Spain

Just before exiting Cordoba we paused to have a good look at the Roman Bridge. We were actually wonder struck looking at the mighty structure existing from 1st century BC. Beneath the Roman Bridge, tamed for centuries by this bridge, River Guadalquivir silently flowed by.

The arches seemed most majestic; there are 16 of them. This Roman Bridge has undergone several reconstructions and

Bell Tower of Cordoba, Spain

Here are a couple of pictures of Bell Tower of Cordoba. This bell tower was built over the ruins of a Muslim minaret in 1660. When the Mesquita got Christianized, the minaret got converted to Bell Tower of Cathedral of Cordoba. For centuries when it was under the control of Muslims a cleric would ride up the ramp of minaret to call out to resident Muslims to face the direction of Mecca and pray.

Road Trip Seville to Cordoba, Spain

Another hectic plan for the day! After the near tiresome day at Granada and drive from Granada to Seville I was surprised to see the family all eager and full of energy for the next road trip. 141kms to Cordoba! We had the option of halting at Cordoba but chose to halt at Seville for one special reason. Can you guess what? If you guessed it was for Flamenco dance you are right. More about it in

Alcazaba, Alhambra, Granada: History, Tour and Tickets

Alcazaba, Alhambra History
Alcazaba is the oldest and most ruined part of Alhambra, rich with history. Even before the Muslims arrived here, the place is believed to have several constructions, probably some from Roman times. History has it that Alcazaba was first built in 9th century by Sawwar ben Hamdun during the fights between Muslims and muwalladins (Christians who converted to the Islam

Street Lamps from Barcelona

Barcelona has some amazing street light fixtures from the 19th and 20th centuries. Most of them are functioning well. These old ones are made of cast iron and have such beautiful designs. Some of them are just single lamp holders while some have 3 or more. I showed two old lamps in my post: The Ramblas Ramble Walk, Barcelona. One was the Font de Canaletes, located at the Ramblas, where Barça

Sunset in Harangi Backwaters, Coorg

Some of the sky shots I took in the evening I spent at Harangi backwaters, 

when I was hosted in a camping trailer. 







.



.



.




SkyWatch Friday

Sunset at Tanjung Aru Beach, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

At Tajung Aru beach of Kota Kinabalu I saw one of the most stunning sunsets of my life. The sky took on a golden yellow complexion, but soon changed to bright orange. Later it sobered down to pink till darkness conquered it completely.

Tajung Aru beach is one of the top 10 sunset view points of Kota Kinabalu. At a distance in the South China Sea you can see the Sulug and Manukan Island. It is

A Morning in Meteora, Greece

Again a photo essay! I have taken so many pictures there and I want to share them with you here. I hope you are not bored with monastery photographs.

The morning of 29th Dec 2014 was spent clicking the glorious sights of Meteora. The sky exhibited huge contrasts in terms of color and brightness. At the east end it was blue and bright but the other end was dark and grey. Whatever the weather the

Thermaic Gulf, Thessaloniki

Our trip to Thessaloniki was badly timed. We reached the city after a long drive from Athens after 4 in the evening when almost all the places of sight seeing, the churches had shut down for the day. Winter timings are like that! We did the walking tour of Thessaloniki on our own with the help of the map provided by the hotel we stayed in. The sights to see are situated so close to one another

Drive from Athens to Thessaloniki, Greece

This distance of 500kms was completed in 5hrs approximately. Throughout the journey we were on the highway E75 and we kept paying at toll gates. We drove by the Aegean Sea for some distance. We crossed the well known Olympic beach and could see the yachts all lined up along the shore. From here on patches of dark clouds followed us threatening to pour. But wind God favored us and they were blown

Sky from Nafplio, Greece

The weather seems to be clearing little by little. No more snow predicted and the drive back to Athens from Sparta should be smooth. 










SkyWatch Friday

Sky from Thessaloniki, Greece

Completed 4th day in Greece, I am in Thessaloniki today. It is the second largest city of Greece and is considered the cultural capital of the country. I am amazed at the contrasting historical and modern structures standing side by side. We had a good walk along the waterfront. Sharing with you all a piece of Thessaloniki sky.

Clouds, Clouds and Clouds

A couple of drive by shots while on our way back from Goa. The blue of the sky and the white and grey of the clouds looked mesmerizing. The distant dark ones looked like water bags almost waiting to pour down about the white ones in the foreground were in an amazing pattern. The first pic isn’t edited; the blues of the sky in it surprised me. The sky had different shades in the same frame. I

Sunset at Candolim Beach, Goa

A not so dramatic sunset at Candolim beach, Goa! 

The beach and sea had lot of fun events going on. 

Sea surfing, para sailing, 

castle building, 

thankfully the dark clouds decided not to pour that evening. 







.




Sky Watch Friday
Thursday Challenge: Pink

Beach Watching in Goa

A not so sunny sky, cool breeze sounds perfect for beach activities. But for those colorful umbrellas and parachute the sky would have looked dull.








While all were relaxing there was somebody keeping a watch. Several life guards sat alert for the safety of beach goers. ‘What a wonderful job they are having!’ I thought. Sit and watch the beach whole time and do the noble deed of rescuing

Jayamahal Durga Puja, Bangalore

Can you guess where this picture was clicked without scrolling down? 








This was taken in my own Bangalore city!

The pandals that come up during Durga puja in different parts of the city are usually very sober and traditional types. This year Jayamahal Puja pandal was different. It took up ‘Egypt’ as theme. The entrance was through a model of sphinx, the pandal top was like that of an

Krishna Raja Sagara Dam, Mysore

Krishna Raja Sagara Dam is another hotspot to visit if you are in Mysore as a tourist. The gardens are done up beautifully and what adds to the charm there are the numerous fountains. We were there late evening when the sun had set and darkness was sinking in. The garden was lit up.

 The major attraction here in the evenings is the musical fountain display of one hour from 7PM to 8PM. There is

Sky Watch in Madurai

Three of the 14 gopurams (gateway towers) of Meenakshi Temple, Madurai against a sunset sky. Shot taken during a recent visit to the temple.





SkyWatch Friday

Goan Skies

Goan skies taken on flight to Goa during my recent trips.

I got quite carried away seeing the beautiful blue skies while about to land. But during monsoons of Goa, the skies change its color too fast. I distinctly remember after I landed I quickly unfolded my umbrella.








SkyWatch Friday