On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Good Morning All,
This weekday feature is for Balloon Juicers who are on the road, travelling, etc. and wish to share notes, links, pictures, stories, etc. from their escapades. As the US mainland begins the end of the Earth day as we measure it, many of us rise to read about our friends and their transient locales.
So, please, speak up and share some of your adventures, observations, and sights as you explore, no matter where you are. By concentrating travel updates here, it’s easier for all to keep up-to-date on the adventures of our fellow Commentariat. And it makes finding some travel tips or ideas from 6 months ago so much easier to find…
Have at ’em, and have a safe day of travels!
Should you have any pictures (tasteful, relevant, etc….) you can email them to [email protected] or just use this nifty link to start an email: Start an Email to send a Picture to Post on Balloon Juice
Without further ado, a full set from Mallorca, courtesy of OzarkHillbilly:
A few pics of one of the more visited sights in Mallorca, the Catedral de Santa María de Palma de Mallorca. Begun in 1229 by Jaume I (King James I of Aragon) it was not finished until 1601. Repairs began in 1602 and continue to this day. From Wikipedia:
*”Built by the Crown of Aragon on the site of a Moorish-era mosque, the cathedral is 121 metres long, 55 metres wide and its nave is 44 metres tall. By way of comparison, the height of the central nave reaches 33m in Notre Dame de Paris , 38m in Reims, 42m in Notre-Dame d’Amiens and 48m in Saint-Pierre de Beauvais, the highest of all Gothic cathedrals.”*
I’ve seen all of those in France, but never made it to Spain or any Mediterranean islands.
The 1st pic is of the front of the Cathedral, and the 2nd is a close up of
the same doors showing a little bit of the mastery of the stone carvers
that I have found throughout my wanderings about this fabled isle.
The 3rd pic is of the nave, where resides the main altar, as well as the
Rose Window and a…. candelabra? whose purpose I am unsure of. (take note
of the X-mas tree laying on the floor awaiting…. erection)
Just…wow! Such a great photograph in a challenging environment!
The 4th pic is of one of the many crypts in the floor of the cathedral.
There were many crypts in the cathedral, both above and below the floor. A
number of the ones in the floor bore the “skull and crossbones”. Due to the
eras this church was built, I theorize that it is because they were plague
victims, but for all I know it is actually indicative of a curse being put
upon the inhabitant or those who might disturb the bones of those there
interred.
The 5th pic is of a “relic”, the ulna of a martyr or a saint. I do not
remember who it was (nor do I care, the Church has a Saint/martyr for every
season and every reason, usually more than one) and obviously enough, to
Catholics at least, the words “Rest in Peace” mean nothing. To me it means
Catholics are really weird. But as a failed Catholic, I already knew that.
Neat! I’ve only seen dark, semi-coagulated phials of ancient blood.
The last 2, are of the Cathedral from the far side of the man made lake
underneath the old sea wall, one in day light, and one from during my
previously mentioned 3 am stroll around the bay. The first is by far the
better picture, but the 2nd…. there is something about the lighting that
captures my imagination. I see things.
Thank you OzarkHillbilly, and do send more. I’m sorry it took so long to get to these magnificent pictures! Folks, he went through over 700 shots to amass this great contribution!
As always, we welcome your pictures, and have a wonderful day, whether you’re travelling the world or just your front yard!
Major Major Major Major
Wow, that cathedral looks incredible. And of course that’s a very nice bone.
Today we went to the Angkor National Museum, which didn’t allow cameras ? but was pretty interesting, especially showing the differences between the many periods of Khmer art as punctuated by the changing of the king. Such a fascinating combination of Hinduism and Buddhism. They had a local artist’s batiks on sale and we bought one, then got lunch at a place called Try Me (so we did). In love with lok lak now. Pictures from the day here (I did get in a couple artifacts).
Last night we went to the Phare Cambodian Circus, which is the performance put on by graduates of their program that takes street kids and trains them in art, performance, and circus stuff. They said they turn out about 150 professional artists a year. It was of course hard to photograph but here’s one example of what I was able to get. The performance was a metaphorical journey of the founder, a journey from an idyllic childhood, through the brutality of the Khmer Rouge, and out the other sidw through the healing power of art.
And now we’re off to Hanoi. The Cambodian leg was quite short. Will check out Phnom Penh some day.
raven
Sweet!
raven
@Major Major Major Major: This was filmed in Hanoi.
Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes
Lovely.
rikyrah
The cathedral is so beautiful…Thanks for the pictures..??
Major Major Major Major
@raven: I’ll have to give it a look from somewhere with more data.
Mustang Bobby
That is beautiful. Thank you.
It took 372 years to build it, and that was before environmental impact statements and labor unions.
raven
@Major Major Major Major: It’s a music video by Good Graeff. It’s not important.
raven
@Mustang Bobby: Where ya bean frijole?
JPL
Wow! The pictures are amazing.
I have to put out campaign signs for a local city council candidate by six-thirty. Suddenly, I realized that with eighteen candidates for district 6, my signs are not going to show. Maybe I’ll go a few minutes late and be the first as you drive in.
Major Major Major Major
@JPL: sadly, that’s probably a good strategy to get votes.
JPL
@Major Major Major Major: At this point, it’s just important to remind folks that there’s two elections. You have to get a ballot for each election.
Major Major Major Major
@JPL: that’s a bit peculiar, innit?
JPL
@Major Major Major Major: I voted early and you get your card, vote, go to another line and get a card and vote at another machine. Maybe the state should hire a new IT crew.
Mustang Bobby
@raven: On spring break last week, which meant late — for me — rising and working on a research paper for the scholars conference at the William Inge Theatre Festival in Independence, Kansas later this week. (They’re also doing a short play of mine in their New Play Lab and I’m doing a workshop on writing dramatic criticism.) Back at work yesterday and today, then cue up the traveling music.
satby
Wonderful pictures Ozark! Thanks!
Raven
@Mustang Bobby: nice, we’re headed to the gulf coast Thursday!
Major Major Major Major
@JPL: probably not an IT problem, sounds bureaucratic in origin to me.
Mustang Bobby
@Raven: Tight lines if you go fishin’.
JPL
@Major Major Major Major: What an amazing journey you are having. I’m jealous.
Major Major Major Major
@JPL: thanks! You too can go on adventures if you’re flexible and check theflightdeal.com regularly.
?BillinGlendaleCA
Per the WaPo, the British PM has called a snap election; scheduled for June 8. I guess she wants to see if there’s still support for Brexit.
OzarkHillbilly
@Major Major Major Major: Love the stone work.
Actually the # of shots I took of the cathedral were 100+ on 2 separate occasions. I get camera happy, taking several shots of the same thing from different angles and different exposures, but I don’t get crazy… or at least not certifiable.
Major Major Major Major
@?BillinGlendaleCA: this year is weird.
@OzarkHillbilly: wish I could’ve taken pictures at the museum of the stonework features in the different eras instead of sneaking a shot of a Naga.
Mustang Bobby
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Wish we could do that and see how long Cheeto McShitgibbon would last.
OzarkHillbilly
@Major Major Major Major: travelzoo is good too.
Major Major Major Major
@Mustang Bobby: he would easily clear 40% if the GOP cleared the field. Could the Dems coalesce around one person in time?
debbie
Wow, cathedrals are unbelievably amazing feats of architecting!
@JPL: Good luck with the election!
Major Major Major Major
@debbie: always makes me think of Pillars of the Earth.
debbie
@Major Major Major Major:
I never read that. Is it good? What I know of cathedrals I learned in art history. Who would ever have thought flying buttresses would work?
Major Major Major Major
@debbie: I liked it. It’s not a complicated book, just large.
OzarkHillbilly
@debbie: The things they could do way back when.
Waratah
Lovely photos. The stained glass is what draws my eyes when I see old cathedrals and churches, I was happy to see the ones in your photo.
I also liked the night photo with the lights reflecting in the water.
raven
@Mustang Bobby: Ha, I remember when we were going to Maui and my bride said “IF” you go fishin!!!!!
MomSense
Wow, OH these are fabulous.
J R in WV
Great photos! Good job. Cathedrals epitomize everything odd about Roman Catholicism… relics and tombs, gold stolen from slaves in mines in Mexico and Peru, obvious waste of money on private altars and family tombs, competition to see which local family can spend more on stuff in the cathedral, etc.
But so photogenic and full of art ! And flying buttresses are barely effective but make a building like it could fly if it wanted to, space enclosed but still open.
El Cid is entombed in three separate different distinct cathedrals in Spain. LIke General Washington slept here in America, soft of.
So thankful for digital cameras, shoot and shoot, no extra cost, other than the time to pick a favorite. Till your battery runs out. I’ve never filled my storage up, ever. And I shoot 6-800 a week traveling. Over a thousand on a 16 day trip to Spain and France. Still have every blurry out of focus crooked one, too. But a separate file of select photos, and another of them after post processing in Gimp [Graphic Image Manipulation Program]. Open source free photo tools.
J R in WV
If anyone remembers my abortive attempt to fly to Tucson, AZ two weeks ago, when I got caught up in total collapse of Delta’s system of moving people and aircraft where needed to transport people where they want/need to go. Yesterday I stopped by AAA where I booked those flights and got 80% of my fare refunded.
Anyway, Delta did better than I expected. So I’m glad for that.