Sunday, July 29, 2007

Icy reflection



A reflection of the ice floating in the waters in Prince William Sound in Alaska. The sound was the site of one of the largest man-made disasters back in 1989 when the Exxon-Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil into the ocean.

The reflection is on the glass windows of the cruise boat we were in. You can take half-day and full-day cruises in the Prince William Sound by going to Whittier which is about a 1.5 hour drive from Anchorage. There's a one-way tunnel (Anton Anderson tunnel) that you will need to pass through to get to Whittier. It's open in one direction for 15 minutes in every one hour. So, if you miss one time slot, you might have to wait up to an hour. The cruise boat company should be able to give you a schedule for this.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

The stone ceiling



This was taken inside a mosque in the 40+ year old Fortezza complex in Rethymnon on Crete in Greece. That's the ceiling of the dome.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Under the bridge

This was taken on the island of Crete in Greece while hiking through the Aradena gorge.



This was shot from down below in the gorge while looking up at the bridge crossing it. The little square jutting out in the middle of the bridge is a bungee jumping platform. The hike itself starts near the bridge where you go down into the gorge and follow the trail and finally arrive at a black pebble beach - a great way to stop and recharge your tired feet. On a normal day, you should be able to see dozens of goats embedded in seemingly impossible places all along the walls of the gorge. Most of these are owned by people and have little bells around their necks, which form the source of a beautiful symphony when the goats run around. Goat-powered music at its best.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Life imitating television

Recently, 7-11 converted some of their stores to "Kwik-E-Marts" - the fictional store in the television series The Simpsons. Twelve of the 7-11 stores in the country underwent this transformation as part of a promotion for "The Simpsons Movie." Below is a pic of the one in Mountain View, California.



I saw a line of people queued up outside the store waiting to get in. Once you got in, you could buy cookies in the form of Homer Simpson and "Squishees" and pink donuts, among other things that until now part of the virtual world. We've seen product placement in movies, e.g., the BMW automobile in the James Bond movies. The 7-11 idea seems to be a neat twist on the idea - life imitating television. Reverse product placement?

Monday, July 02, 2007

Parthenon

Parthenon in the sprawling complex of Acropolis in Athens, Greece - a 5th century B.C. temple of goddess Athena after whom Athens is named.



These shots was taken in spring when it's not much crowded. Once the summer vacations start, going to this place is just slightly better than going to a free Rolling Stones concert in Copacabana beach. Nonetheless, that shouldn't deter one from going there - it's an awe-inspiring place. Pictures can't really capture the true grandeur.