Monthly Archives: July 2009

Cairo Mosque Prints

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Picture of the Alabaster Mosque in Cairo - Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha

Alongside the pyramids, one of the highlights of our visit to Cairo was the Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha at the Citadel. The Mosque is a major tourist stop for a reason. It’s an exquisite early 19th century Ottoman mosque, and although still a mosque, it’s prominence and age has transformed it into sort of a gateway for Islam for visitors to the city. There were easily as many tourists padding about inside as Egyptians. The amazing mosque pictured above was built between 1830 and 1848 in memory of his … Continue reading →

Egyptian Pyramids

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Silhouette photo of the great pyramid of Khufu in Gizah

There are many pyramids across Egypt, and if I ever make it back, I hope to see more of them, but I did get to see THE pyramids.  THE pyramids being the ones on the Giza plateau in greater Cairo.  These are the pyramids that were on the original list of the 7 wonders of the world.  There were various iterations of this list – essentially a travel guide for the Ancient Greeks.  When the 7 wonders were defined, the pyramids were almost 2000 years old already and another 2,000 … Continue reading →

Edinburgh Prints

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Artisitc Picture of the Red British Phone Boxes on Edinburgh's Royal Mile

If I was pressed to pick a  favorite place to visit, most people could tell you it was London – with all apologies to the rest of the world and some of the fabulous places I’ve visited.  But a very close second would be Edinburgh.  Despite the cold winters I’ve visited during, there is a warmness in my memory of this welcoming, old city.  There is evidence of human activity around Edinburgh stretching back into the Iron and Bronze ages.  By the 8th century, Edinburgh was part of the kingdom … Continue reading →

Scottish Highlands Photos

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Textured Picture showing the monument to William Wallace near Stirling Bridge in Scotland

Although it was my second trip to Scotland before I saw any of the Highlands, it was an absolute highlight of my that journey. The Scottish Highlands are full of history and rugged landscapes.  Home of some of the largest national wilderness areas in Europe, the Highlands are sparsely populated since the Clearances of the 18th and 19th century where the bulk of the population was forcibly removed, either to the coast or the Lowlands, or the United States. The Highland clearances played a large part in the modern Scottish … Continue reading →

Isle of Skye Photos

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Dramatic Panorama Photo of the incredible Scottish Landscape on Isle of Skye

The Isle of Skye was a true highlight from my Haggis tour of the Scottish Highlands.  An incredible place of natural beauty, the island is the northernmost of the Inner Hebrides.  Archaelogical digs on the island shows that it has a long history, dating back at least to Mesolithic times.  The Gaelic name for Skye is An t-Eilean Sgitheanach, the exact meaning of which is unknown.  It may mean notched or winged isle.   Amongst the earliest written references is the Romans which labeled the isle, Scitis. The island also has … Continue reading →

Celestún Photos

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Beautiful Gulf Beach - Celestún Mexico in the Yucatan

There are two beach destinations near Mérida, Mexico. The closest is Progreso, a typical destination for the locals and from everything I had heard before visiting a bit crowded and just not quite as pretty as the further destination, the fishing village of Celestún.  Celestún is in the midst of a large bird sanctuary (Parque Natural del Flamenco Mexicano – also known as the “Celestun Biosphere Reserve”).  As you can tell from the Spanish name, it’s a large roost for Flamingos, their winter home (although I saw plenty in summer, … Continue reading →