Hello and welcome to this week’s mrlukeniktravels blog. This week I shall be doing something a little different. Over the past seven months I have visited quite a few places and taken a few photos too. This post I shall share some of my favourites from my travels so far. I think it is important to take time to review and not be constantly looking forward to what comes next. I am writing this post from Blenheim as I head down the east coast of New Zealand towards Christchurch. The sun is finally appearing after some much-needed rain this morning, which provided the backdrop to today’s visit to the supermarket. It’s not always an enviable lifestyle! Anyway, without further ado, these are some of my favourite photos so far…
Taken back in June at the start of my travels, this is the Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik, Iceland. The spire rises 74.5 metres (244 ft) above the city and is the tallest in the country. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgimur Petursson, being consecrated in 1986. This photo shows off the dark shadows cast by the bright, 24 hour sunshine in the Icelandic summertime. The view from the spire of the city below is spectacular!
I am keeping the religious theme with this photo, but this time a world away- literally- in Kyoto, Japan. The shrine of Fushimi Inari is a popular site with its famous Torii (orange gates) climbing up mountain side. These fox models, however, are offerings to the god Inari in hope of success in match-making. They are made of ceramic and hand painted. If the offerings provide success the couple can either donate them to the shrine or keep them at home as a reminder of answered prayers. The orange in the models’ kimonos matches the colour of the Torii perfectly. They really stand out against the granite background.
This photo is of a Japanese garden, but not actually in Japan! This is the Miyazu Japanese Garden in Nelson, New Zealand. Sometimes appearances can be deceptive. The duck sits defiantly on the boardwalk, perhaps waiting for the next helping of bread. The garden was built in the 1990’s and named after Nelson’s sister city on Honshu, Japan. I like the circular framing, through the window of a folly, which gives a different feel.
From the carefully manicured to the wild Canadian Rockies. The residual snow on the lower slopes shows how sheltered some areas of the mountain are. This picture was taken in mid-August, height of the summer. Behind, the taller peak retains a blanket of snow. This photo is from Banff National Park in the mountains above Lake Louise. Soon after this photo, the clouds on the left covered both of these peaks from view. The bare upper slopes stand in bleak contrast to the lush, green lower slopes below.
This photo is again from Canada, further east in Calgary. Many visitors to the country usually stick to the coasts, but the interior does have some worthwhile stops. This picture was taken after a warm day (37 degrees Celsius) with a film crew using fake snow to shoot winter footage near by! Taken within 100m of my hostel, sometimes a journey isn’t really necessary.The colour of the sky is a delightful pink with the city’s lights below.
In this photo it is completely dark, the bright lights of the Auckland Sky Tower reflected on nearby buildings. Using a middle-level smartphone as a camera does have drawbacks, in low light for example. However, being able to carry as few electronics as possible is how I prefer to travel. Having a camera, phone, internet device, alarm clock and so on in one device does make travelling light easier. The Sky Tower provides an easy reference point for getting around the city. New Zealand’s largest city is not big by international standards, but getting lost anywhere is not fun!
Another photo with the theme of tall buildings, a pair of lighthouses in Akranes, Iceland. Little and large stand guard over the entrance to the harbour. I partly chose this picture because it was one of the few days in my time in Iceland when the sun shined! The lighthouse on the left replaced the smaller one, the rocks they are warning of are evident in the front of the frame. The mountains in the distance are part of the peninsula containing the capital, Reykjavik.
This is the peace memorial in Hiroshima, Japan. In the distance under the monument stands the Genbaku or Atomic Bomb dome, one of the few buildings to remain standing after the bomb detonation. The darkness and lights of the Peace Park add a further dimension to this shot. After dark, there are also few tourists standing directly in front of the memorial to be able to have time to take a good photo. The park is so peaceful in the darkness, belying the horrors that took place in the city over seventy years ago.
A sunny (and very hot) day at Niagara Falls, Canada. Perhaps I should say US, as that side of the river is the land of the free. The falls pictured are the American Falls, mainly because Horseshoe Falls (the famous ones) produced so much spray it’s difficult to get a good photo! However, the spray did provide some relief from the unrelenting heat. The churning waters seemed to change colour every second and the noise was deafening!
Finally, one of the first pictures I took on this trip on the waterfront in Reykjavik, Iceland. The time when this picture was taken seems, quite literally, half a world away as I write this post. It also reminds me of the physical distance I have travelled since then and still have yet to travel.The blue of the sea is reflected by the colour of the sky. The sculpture is the Sun Voyager, a long ship made of stainless steel. It was, of course, by sea that people arrived in New Zealand, first the Maori on ocean-going canoes and then later Europeans by sailing ship. More recently, I travelled to the South Island by ferry across the Cook Strait.
After the photo top 10, that is all for this week’s update. Next week I shall be in Kaikoura right by the ocean. For more regular hilarious (!) updates there is my Twitter feed @mrlukeniktravel. If these photos have made you want to see more, my Instagram feed is @mrlukeniktravels. So, from now until next time, stay safe and travel on!