112 Search Results for "wonder"

• Baptistry Bronze Panel

  • From: rschoeff
  • Description:

    This one of the of the 28 bronze panels that decorates the doors of the Florence Baptistry that resides in the Piazza del Duomo in Florence Italy.  This panel is the Joshua panel and is located on the Gates of Paradise doors.  The ten panels of the Gates of Paradise were created in 1425 and took 27 years to build.  The panel in the picture is a copy of the original which were replaced in 1990 due to over 500 years of environmental damage.  The details of the panels and the surrounding figures iare amazing.  Some of the original panels were sent on tour in 2007 & 2008 and have since returned to Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.  If you ever get a chance to see them, it will be well worth your time.  One of the few copies ever made of some of the panels reside in Grace Cathedral in San Fransisco.  If you look carefully you can see the soot that collects on all parts of the baptistry. Little wonder that the Piazza del Duomo has been closed to motor traffic.

  • 6 days ago
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• Our Budget Travel Trip to Irel

  • From: CliffK
  • Description:

     

    

    This trip actually began last June, when I was notified by email that I had won the Budget Travel Photo Contest with a photo I had taken in Costa Rica. My wife didn't even know I had submitted an entry, and she was in a meeting all afternoon, so I could not call her. We were meeting friends for dinner and had all of five minutes in the car together for me to inform her, "Um, honey, I have some news for you..." She screamed and quickly responded, "Well, I guess we know how we're going to use our furlough days this year!"

    After doing our research, we settled on a region (southwest Ireland) and a time frame (October, after the high season but before it gets too cold). I worked with Una at Sceptre Tours to iron out the details, and before we knew it we were on our way.

    We flew directly into Shannon, arriving at 7:00 a.m. on a Friday morning with a full day ahead of us. A friend had told us how beautiful it was to fly into Shannon where you could see all the green as you were landing. Well, at 7:00 a.m. on an October morning, the sun had yet to rise and it was still pitch black. Not to mind, we got our rental car and hit the ground running (that is, with a little adjustment for getting used to driving on the left side of the road). First stop: Galway. Although it was raining, we weren't going to let a little rain deter us from having fun. After stopping at the TI, we walked through Eyre Square (aka John F. Kennedy Park) and explored the old town center. We stepped inside the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas, where I was impressed with the testament to the Widow Jane Eyre's generosity, commemorated on a plaque. We then walked, struggling to keep our umbrellas open against the wind and the rain, to the much more modern Galway Cathedral. This is a cathedral you want to visit during the day so you can better see and appreciate a more modern approach to stained glass artwork. Keep an eye out for the Irish Holy Family, where Mary is knitting and Jesus is offering tea to Joseph. Also look for the mosaic (hidden the day we were there behind a curtain, but that did not stop us) of John F. Kennedy.  Needing some lunch, we found our way to Busker Brownes, where my wife had Aubergine and Sweet Potato Gratin and I had delicious Irish Seafood Chowder, accompanied by tasty brown soda bread. We did not want to sit too long and let our jet lag overcome us, so we got back to our car and pushed on, driving northwest toward Letterfrack and the Kylemore Abbey. One of the best ways to combat jet lag is to spend time outdoors, and so our first activity at Kylemore was to tour the walled garden. Still nice in October, this must be even more beautiful in the middle of summer. The Abbey itself is lovely, though only a few rooms are open to tour. Also on the grounds is a small Neo-Gothic church, which is also worth a visit. Finishing at the Abbey, we still had a relatively short drive to Clifden and our first night accommodations at the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel. We checked in, dropped our bags in our room, and then walked about a mile into town to find a light supper. Back at the hotel, we headed downstairs to a common room where we thought we could sit by a fire and write in our journals. Ha! The combination of the warmth of the fire and the full day of touring, on top of our jet lag, and we were both dozing after writing only a sentence or two. However, it was also very effective: we got to bed early, got a full night's sleep, and when we woke up in the morning, we were both effectively over our jet lag.

    Saturday morning we woke up to the first of our full Irish breakfasts: a lavish buffet spread of cereals, yogurt, fresh fruit, rolls, eggs, bacon, sausage, and the traditional Irish accompaniments of grilled tomatoes and black and white pudding. Although we had another full day ahead of us, we decided we did not have to be held hostage to our agenda and allowed ourselves to backtrack a bit, driving back towards Letterfrack and the Connemara National Park. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day to hike, so we took the trail to the top of Diamond Hill. This wasn't the Ireland I was expecting: instead of the lush greens one hears about, this area was still beautiful but much more in shades of brown. Partly this was due to the season, but also the geography, as the terrain is very wet and boggy. We made it to the top of the hill, and were rewarded with wonderful views both of the harbor and of Kylemore Abbey from above. Once back in the car, already past noon, we headed out towards our next destination: back past Galway and on to the Burren. The Burren is a region of massive outcroppings of rock that have been scoured by glaciers, rich in archaeological sites, the most famous of which is the Poulnabrone Dolmen. One look at this landscape and it is no wonder why there are so many stone fences and stone buildings in this country. It was getting late, and we had one more goal for this day: to get to the Cliffs of Moher. I had hoped we'd have a beautiful sunset looking out over the Atlantic from the cliffs, but although the sunset itself was obscured by fog, it was still light when we arrived and we enjoyed the day dwindling away to twilight while there. After another full day, we recognized the wisdom of our chioce to go in October: pleasant weather for hiking and no crowds to contend with. Saturday was the night of our castle stay, so we drove (now in the dark) back to Dromoland. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that they had upgraded us from a standard to a deluxe room. This is not your drafty medieval castle: the room was quite spacious and luxurious. Sunday morning I went for a run on the castle grounds, through a wooded area where I came upon (and frightened) many pheasant.

    Friday and Saturday were both extremely full days, but this was our first time in Ireland and we wanted to see everything. Recognizing the need to slow down a bit, we had planned to spend two nights at our next stop: Kinsale. Driving south past Cork on Sunday we got our first taste of the beautiful green countryside that Ireland is so famous for. As the sun breaks through the clouds, the lush green fields just pop out at you. Kinsale very much has a small-town feel, located on a beautiful, well-protected harbor, rich in history. It is one of Ireland's "Tidy Towns," a competition first launched by Bord Failte in an effort to improve the appearance of towns and villages throughout the country for the main tourist season. In addition to just wandering the streets and exploring the shops and restaurants, we took the "Historic Stroll in Old Kinsale." Our guide, Barry, was a wealth of information about the history of Kinsale, from the occupation by the Spanish Armada to thenearby sinking of the Lusitania, including stories as well of the real Robinson Crusoe. Fun side trips included Charles Fort across the harbor and the Cobh Heritage Center, about a 45-minute drive. Our mainstay through most of Ireland was basic pub food, which we enjoyed, but in Kinsale ("the Gourmet Capital of Ireland"), we had to try a nicer restaurant. We couldn't have been happier than with a visit to Jim Edwards, where we had a delicious meal of grilled salmon.

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 1 week ago
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• No wonder we love it!

  • From: horbinsr
  • Description:

    The young boys are practicing being chefs at this Chinese Academy near Singapore   No wonder Asian food is so good. They start so young!

  • 1 week ago
  • Views: 12

• I have to fit into those?

  • From: jcjlkrebs
  • Description:

    While walking along the beach outside of Bar Harbor, Maine, I spotted this young boy stareing at the big shoes and I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking

  • 3 weeks ago
  • Views: 30
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• Great Pyramid at Night

  • From: Buqo
  • Description:

    View of the Great Pyramid from the balcony of our room at the Mena House Oberoi Hotel in Giza, Egypt.  This was the view we got our first night there and even after the long flight from Abu Simbel to Cairo, we still got excited the second we saw this Wonder of the World, both ancient and modern.

  • 3 weeks ago
  • Views: 90

• Mathew71

  • Points:652
  • Views: 29
  • Since: 4 weeks ago

• Reflective Wonder

  • From: landasmoo
  • Description:

    With a group of adult Girl Scout friends, my daughter and I spent three weeks visiting India. It was most definitely the trip of a lifetime. Experiencing the hectic nature of the cities, the desperate poverty, the colorful dispositions of the locals and amazing sights were all exactly as had been described: sensory overload. In contrast, though, our visit to the Taj Mahal was the most serene, surreal experience of the trip. We have spent a lifetime reading about the Taj, viewing pictures in books and online, but nothing could prepare you for the symmetrical perfection, detailed workmanship and poignant beauty of this work of love. Taking this reflective picture seemed a fitting way to capture my emotional state while on the grounds.

  • 4 weeks ago
  • Views: 69

• slickspin

  • Member
  • Points:2913
  • Views: 35
  • Since: 1 month ago

• Sea Lions cluster for safety

  • From: vfhess
  • Description:

    Sea lions migrate from Mexico to Monterey Bay every fall.  In this photo, taken from the Santa Cruz CA pier, the juveniles are clustered in a pod.  We later found that two great white sharks had been seen in the bay that day.  We wonder if the sea lions were following the old saying "safety in numbers" by trying to appear larger.  Taken September 30, 2009.

  • 1 month ago
  • Views: 55

• Arches' arch

  • From: shattman
  • Description:

    This one made me think of an elephant's trunk. I wonder how much longer it will be around-- is it a matter of decades, centuries, millenia??? I guess that also applies even more so to structures in Bryce Canyon.

  • 1 month ago
  • Views: 31
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• Giza Plateau

  • From: jldeste
  • Description:

    The Giza Plateau is a site everyone should be able to see. Yes, it is in the middle of a one of the world's largest cities, the scale and magnitude, mystery, and wonder that you experience when you see these masterworks up close is overwhelming. This shot was taken from one of the few locations where you can get all of the pyramids with no visual of the city in the background.

  • 1 month ago
  • Views: 39

• Chicago Botanic Garden Fountai

  • From: Buqo
  • Description:

    In early September 2009 we had the opportunity to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden, located about 20 miles north of Chicago in Glencoe, Illinois.  Admission to this sprawling 385 acre wonder is free but be forewarned, parking is $20.  The garden boasts a world class display of more than 13,000 trees, one million perennial flowers and almost as many bulbs, countless shrubs, bonzai trees, nine islands, more than 250 types of birds, and 23 theme gardens. The have a tram for a nominal fee that takes you on a guided tour if you wish. We chose to just hoof it and spent the entire afternoon walking throughout the huge botanical garden.

  • 2 months ago
  • Views: 58

• Denali and Wonder Lake, Alaska

  • From: tmtango
  • Description:

    This picture was taken from the south shore of Wonder Lake in the backcountry of Denali National Park.

  • 2 months ago
  • Views: 71
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• Santorini Greece, Nun

  • From: luvtravel
  • Description:

    From our hotel room in Santorini, I could see this nun come out of a church crying.  It was very touching and emotional, and will always wonder what made her sad.

  • 2 months ago
  • Views: 47
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• Bradcarters

  • Points:652
  • Views: 28
  • Since: 2 months ago

• West Baden Springs Resort

  • From: rdon47630
  • Description:

    Sometimes you come across something that just defies vocalization. In instances such as this only pictures will convey the absolute beauty of the moment. Such was the day we came upon West Baden Springs..Carlsbad of America. What history and monumental architectural beauty. First of all I would like to give you a little history of this awesome place.
    
    
    
    The West Baden Springs Hotel is a historic landmark hotel in the town of West Baden Springs in Orange County, Indiana, USA known for its vast domed atrium. It is currently part of the French Lick Resort Casino complex. Prior to the completion of the Assembly Hall at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1963, the building had the largest free-spanning dome in the United States and was the largest in the world from 1902 to 1913. It was listed on the National Register Of Historic Places in 1974, became a National Historic Landmark in 1987 and is a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
    
    In 1778, George Rogers Clark is thought to have discovered the area's mineral springs and salt licks. The region's reputation as a mineral springs resort area began with the building of the first French Lick Springs Hotel in 1832.In 1852, John Lane built a hotel on a site near the town of Mile Lick that he named the Mile Lick Inn. The town was renamed West Baden in 1855, so Lane changed the hotel name to the West Baden Inn. In 1887, the Monon railroad built an extension to take guests to the springs and the hotel. By the late 1800's, seven railroads brought guests from all over the country to the Springs Valley^[2] for relaxation and the alleged curative powers of the mineral water.

    A group that included Lee Wiley Sinclair from Salem, Indiana acquired controlling interest in the hotel in 1888. Sinclair soon became sole owner and transformed it into a sophisticated resort, including an opera house, a casino and a two-deck, covered, one-third-mile oval bicycle and pony track. A lighted baseball diamond in the center of the track became the spring training grounds for several major league teams including the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. Fire destroyed the entire hotel building in less than two hours in June, 1901; however, no guests were injured. Owner Lee Sinclair declared that the new hotel would be fireproof and would have the world's largest dome. Most professionals in the architectural community considered it impossible, but unknown West Virginia architect Harrison Albright completed the new West Baden Springs Hotel on time. The new structure opened in September 1902 and if the advertisements and artcles about the new hotel were true, the facility deserved being called the Eighth Wonder of the World. It was claimed that the resort's mineral baths and drinking waters could cure everything from sterility to senility. The hotel's amenities included two golf courses, billiards, bowling, baseball, swimming, horseback riding, bicycling and hiking on scenic trails, movies and nightly theatre. On-site personal services included a stock brokerage, banking and a barbershop. Birds flew freely in the 200-foot-diameter atrium, and an enormous fireplace burned 14-foot logs to take the chill off on cool evenings

    
    

    Notable guests

    Paul Dresser is rumored to have composed Indiana's state song "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" at the hotel. Boxers John L. Sullivan and James J. Corbett trained there. Al Cpone was a frequent guest as was Diamond Jim Brady. Politicans included Mayor "Big Bill" Thompson of Chicago and New York Governor Alfred E. Smith. Professional baseball teams even held their spring training at the resort

    A massive renovation effort was begun in 1913, but Sinclair died in 1916. His daughter and her husband took over the hotel's operation and restoration. Overextended by the refurbishment, Lillian Sinclair sold the property to Ed Ballard for $1 million in 1923. Ballard, who began his career as a bowling alley worker in the hotel, made a fortune by operating a flourishing, albeit illegal gambling business in the Springs Valley. Ballard also owned several nationally recognized touring circuses. The rise of the automobile and resorts in Florida drew business away from the West Baden Springs Hotel, but Ballard aggressively promoted the hotel to conventioneers and trade exhibitions. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 spelled the end of the hotel. As word of the plummeting market spread, people gathered in the brokerage firm's offices at the hotel, which emptied of guests almost overnight. Ballard closed the hotel in June 1932 and sold it to the Jesuits for one dollar in 1934
    
    The Jesuits removed many of the building's elegant appointments when they transformed the hotel into a seminary. The four Moorish towers were dismantled when they fell into disrepair. Known as West Baden College, the seminary operated until June, 1964 when declining enrollment forced the Jesuits to close the facility. In 1966, the Jesuits sold the property to a Michigan couple who in turn donated it to Norwood Institute, a private college, which operated a business management school on the property until 1983 Vacant after 1983, the building slipped into extreme decay, resulting in the collapse of a good portion of the west wall in 1991. In 1992, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the hotel as one of America's most endangered places. Bill Cook, a Bloomington, Indiana, entrepreneur and billionaire, financed a partial restoration of the property by the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana which assumed ownership in 1996. It was marketed nationally for almost ten years without a buyer and over 400,000 visitors toured the hotel. In 2006, title was transferred to a subsidiary of Bill Cook's Cook Group to become a part of the French Lick Resort Casion development. In May 2007, the building began hosting guests as a hotel in 246 luxury rooms for the first time since 1932. (Source Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Baden_Springs_Hotel)
    
    There are 30 Jesuit graves in a small cemetary located adjacent to the hote still under the ownership and maintained by the Jesuite Order. The racehorse Peter the Great, owned by Ed Ballard and sired 600 offspring is also buried on the grounds.
    
    The resort once boasted a large covered multilevel track. The lower level was for exercising the horses and ponies, while the middle level was a bike and walking track. The upper level hosted a view of the full size baseball field located in the center of the track. This structure was destroyed in 1927 and was never rebuilt. It stood near and connected to the pavilion which is the only part of the structure left.
    
    I hope you enjoy this photographic tour as much as we did seeing it ourselves. This would be a great destination spot with plenty of things to do on site as well as in the immediate area.
    
    
    

    THE HOTEL
    

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    THE GARDENS
    

    
    

    THE CHAPEL
    

    
    
    
    

    THE PAVILION
    

    
    
    
    
    

    THE REAR OF THE HOTEL
    

    
    

  • Blog post
  • 2 months ago
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• RossGel

  • Points:652
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  • Since: 2 months ago

• rainbows

  • From: pthomas156
  • Description:

    When we started out to visit the 100,000 penguins on Isla Magdalena in Patagonian Chile, it was rainy. By the time we'd ogled the birds in wonder, the sun came out. As we left a rainbow appeared, as it often does in rainy Patagonia.

  • 2 months ago
  • Views: 88

• The 5 Winter Destinations For

  • From: elecbrown
  • Description:

     

    Next few months winter is starting. Winter interested person or travelers search (if they new) hot destinations where they will do best see or do activities. Here top five hot destination of world for snowboarding recommended by the snowboarding experts.

                                                    In Snow boarding hot destination, where you can see more rush because reach there both travelers, related things to see or things to do guys.

     Top five hot destinations where you can play snowboarding

     

    Whistler- whistler is most famed hotel destination for snow boarding and winter vacation, its located in Canada. Whistler is top consistently plinth for winter as they not stop its succeeding, its everyplace to boost impressive such as fun parks, which is best for business purpose as well as for fun. The pistes area is fantastic in morning instance as well as free riding at to their military landmarks. In this 2009 winter time, new of there gondola which connect to whistler and Blackcomb mountains for the first instance and will open in December season. Much better accommodation lives nearest area and not to far airport from there. For Party of celebration of event places is Garfunkels and The Boot is the top most two biggest snowboard hangouts in this city.

     

    Les Arcs—is the second hot destination for snowboarding, which’s located in France Country. Here pistes in 144/66/29 and Les Arcs nearest famed place is Geneva, also a biggest travel spot of worldwide.

    Accommodation website: hotelsatanywhere.com

    If you pick the train for Les Arcs, see wonder around the area scenery in winter time as well train travel is fantastic for morning 8am to 7pm, most of the hotel and resorts are eco and snowboarding-friendly in Les Arcs. Most famed fun parks and landmarks provide best travel as well as now has been opened Vanoise Express in December Christmas instance 2008. You can take best enjoyment there at bar area,  and nightclub, both of them are snowboard-friendly most of time.

     

    Chamonix—is the third famed snowboarding- friendly hot destination, which located in France also. Its pistes are 41/25/13 and most nearest hot place is Geneva also. All resorts like Mozine are snowboard-friendly as well here located most seven-night co-friendly accommodations in Chamonix city. Here to be found fantastic bar, but some après ski at the Cafe Terrace is hard to bang.

     

    Mammoth—is the fourth top destination for snowboarding, which is sited in California State, USA. That town is the famed for themselves rides in season, for what season—which will starting in October to may. You can take enjoyment to there with more cheap hotels, resorts, inn , kinds of meals, fantastic bar, night clubs, three world-class parks, two fully maintained superpipes and more to there.

    Few are best town where you can take reservation in winter season – Los Angeles hotels, San Francisco hotels.

     

    Island Lake Lodge—is the fifth most famed destinations, they sited in Canada. As well famous for snowboarding, night club, budget accommodation, bar, you can booked this island lake lodge at – cheap lodge in Canada.

     

    You have right now more time to reservation for accommodation and resorts by any cheap hotels travel sites. Such as hotelsatanywhere.com, orbitz.com,  Travelocity.com and more.

     

     

     

  • Blog post
  • 2 months ago
  • Views: 429

• Sunflower Family

  • From: davidspiel
  • Description:

     

    While I am loathe to include family photos in a photo contest, this is the first of two that I cannot resist. My wife and two daughters loved the trip to France which started in Paris and made it’s way through the Loire Valley to Provence. This was shot just outside of Arles on the way to our hotel. Prior to dinner, I convinced my family to take a detour back to this spot which we had seen from the car that day. It resulted in a paparazzi like frenzy by all of us with our cameras. I do, however, think I got the best shot.

    It is no wonder Van Gogh loved this piece of country. It also has food to die for! I can’t wait to go back.

     

  • 3 months ago
  • Views: 69