Archive for the ‘Photos’ Category

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It’s Valentine’s Day, in case you didn’t know, and so in light of this romantic date, I thought I’d do a little digging to find something really special today: photos of love from around the world. Our idea of love is often tainted with red and white hearts, especially around February 14, but it is important to remember that love goes far beyond greeting card romance (though there’s nothing wrong with sending a sweet valentine!), and it takes on many faces and actions around the world.

So, I hope you can celebrate love today, in whatever form it takes wherever you are. Here are some photos that I think express love, in all its many forms, around the world.

Photo by Flickr user DaveBleasdale

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Photo by Joey Parsons

It might sound cheesy: you settle into your flight and spy a beautiful set of clouds below, so you pop out your digital camera and begin snapping. Inevitably, the pictures turn out murky from the scratches or ice on the window, the view is mired by dust in the air or you are simply too far away for a camera lens to appreciate what you can see with your eyes.

Is it even possible to take an amazing photo out of an airplane? These wonderful Flickr users prove that it is.

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From Königssee in Germany to Tianchi in China, there are some overwhelmingly beautiful lakes on this earth. Many of them are located in deep mountain vales or are partially or completely inaccessible to large numbers of people, which is part of their draw and what helps keep them so beautiful.

Photo by murmel.clausen

Königssee, Germany

Photo by Prabhu B

Tso Moriri Lake, India.

Photo by Wolfgang Staudt

Lake Powell, Utah, USA

Photo by Mark Bowman

Lake Bohinj, Slovenia

Photo by Frank Kovalchek

Eklutna Lake, Alaska, USA

Photo by Andrew E. Larsen

Peyto Lake, Banff, Canada

Photo by Mike Locke

Lake Rotoiti, New Zealand

Photo by Carl Montgomery

Lake Band-e-amir, Afghanistan

Photo by Sergio R. Nuñez C.

Grey Lake, Torres del Paine, Chile

Photo by Frank Kovalcheck

Mono Lake, California, USA

Photo by Lee Coursey

Teardrop Lake, Oregon, USA

Photo by Valdiney Pimenta

Laguna Verde, Bolivia

Photo by T Chu

TianChi Lake, Xinjiang, China

Photo by Geof Wilson

Lake Malawi, Mozambique

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What does China really look like? So many coffeetable books have given us the idea that China is a beautifully misty country full of mystical pagodas and shimmering lakes, temples with bald-headed monks and quiet vistas. That’s why many visitors are shocked when they arrive to find China is a bumbling, buzzing, humming nest of activity, noise, pollution and people.

The following photos portray a more, perhaps, realistic image of the Middle Kingdom – it’s good, bad, ugly, beautiful and downright crazy bits. Thanks is due to these photographers who were not afraid to capture an honest portrait of China in all its insane glory.

Photo by jurvetson

Photo by tylerdurden1

Photo by babasteve

Photo by faungg

Photo by dearbarbie

Photo by galaygobi

Photo by tinali778

Photo by Marc van der Chijs

Photo by Let Ideas Compete

Photo by Philou.cn

Photo by jiashiang

Photo by SlytherinPrefect

Photo by sandandtsunamis

Photo by cocoate.com

Photo by paularps

Photo by d'n'c

Photo by d'n'c

Photo by drs2biz

Photo by *etoile

Photo by ehnmark

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Photo by Megan Eaves

Sitting on a quiet corner in an quaint Baroque building that is, by Prague standards, simple, the 987 Prague Hotel (Map | Book) is a refreshing clean space in an increasingly crowded city. Especially if you visit Prague during the summer, you will find the city near filled to capacity with admiring visitors all clamouring to get a good look at just what makes the Golden City so golden.

Run by 987 Hotels, the 4-star Prague 987 has a sister hotel in Barcelona, and there is another in Prague, confusingly called the 987 Soho. It’s not surprising that we’ve been hearing a lot of Spanish around the breakfast area each morning, and the clean design seems to have attracted plenty of Scandinavian guests, as well.

The theme here is an incredibly modern, almost-space age atmosphere, complete with white bubble furniture and an orange, plastic, see-through lift, but all is done in autumnal hues of orange, brown, red and grey, lifting the warmth of the place over its incredibly stylised aesthetic.

A double room here is spacious enough by European standards and comes as a fully remodelled space within an older room, so you still benefit from the tall Central European windows and lofty ceiling. An outer sink is situated between the shower and toilet, which are very conveniently located in their own separate water closets.

Photo by Megan Eaves

Downtstairs, the lobby is punctuated by a long breakfast nook-slash-bar, where you can take in your free morning fare (which is quite an impressive spread of cold cuts, cheeses, fruits, breads, pastries, muesli and beverages) or eat a later meal or have a drink. The 987 Prague also offers room service.

Being that this is Prague, it is difficult to escape the familiar rumble of the street trams that constantly chug through the city, and indeed there is a tram line that runs adjacent to the hotel. The sweet sounds of trams running into the night is not enough to bother but the most sensitive sleepers, though, and has not even remotely been a problem for us.

The 987 Prague Hotel’s location is also quite convenient, as it is not entirely in the middle of the city, but on a less congested corner a few streets away. It takes about 5 minutes to walk to the gaping Wenceslas Square, and perhaps another 10 to make it to Old Town Square and the Charles Bridge. All things considered, they could not have picked a better locale if they tried.

The hotel’s free wifi service (in-room and lobby) has been an incredible convenience, as well, and the room has perhaps the largest number of outlet plugs of any hotel room I’ve ever stayed in.

To find a fault in the 987 Prague Hotel, for the first 24-hours we were staying here, our keys had to be re-coded at least four times, which was only a slight inconvenience, and the staff has been more than helpful with the process each time.

A night’s stay in the most basic of rooms at the 987 Prague Hotel (which still comes with wifi, flatscreen TV and minibar) runs an astonishingly cheap  £71, while the Junior Suite, which has its own living room, is only £129 per night.

987 Prague Hotel
Senovážné náměstí 15, 110 00
Praha 1
+420-255-737-200-4
www.987hotels.com

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This ancient Chinese city stands at the intersection between the northern and southern branches of the Silk Road, a last outpost before reaching Kyrgystan and Tajikistan. It was a hub of activity during the golden age of the Silk Road, when silk and spice traders used it as a trading post and a refuelling station on the long road between Central Asia and the Chinese capital.

Today, it is more Central Asian than Chinese and boasts a Sunday Market that is busy with farmers selling produce, and its livestock market is also always busy. There are a number of Central Asian style bazaars dotted around Kashgar where you can find stores of brightly coloured Persian carpets, silks and other exotics, and the city’s old centre, which is slowly being torn down by the Chinese government, is one of the most well-preserved Muslim old towns in the world, with a number of gorgeous mosques.

Photo by DPerstin

Photo by Kiwi Mikex

Photo by sandandtsunami

Photo by moniquz

Photo by DPerstin

Photo by sandandtsunami

Photo by sandandtsunami

Photo by sandandtsunami

Photo by Larsa

Photo by lapin.lapin

Photo by DPerstin

Photo by Gusjer

Photo by eviltomthai

Photo by benpaarmann

Photo by Kiwi Mikex

Photo by mmadsen

Photo by Travelling Runes

Photo by taylorandayumi

Photo by taylorandayumi

Photo by mathieudreo

Photo by chenyingphoto

Photo by Clemson

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Jiayuguan

Welcome to our second installment of Silk Road Cities. Today, we are venturing up the road from Xi’an to the town of Jiayuguan, the ancient end of the Chinese empire. Jiayuguan’s name means “joyful valley pass”, for it sits between two mountain ranges along the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province in northwestern China. This unique location made it one of the last outposts of Chinese rule and here, the Chinese built the last remnants of the Great Wall and erected a fort at the pass to control whatever came in or went out of China. Today, the town is a dusty, unremarkable outpost of Han Chinese culture. The only interesting draw in Jiayuguan is the fort and the Wall, which has been partially restored, and the very remote desert landscape.

Photo by unfoldedorigami

Photo by gwydionwilliams

Photo by gwydionwilliams

Photo by sandandtsunami

Photo by eviltomthai

Photo by gwydionwilliams

Photo by sandandtsunami

Photo by unfoldedorigami

Photo by sandandtsunami

Photo by unfoldedorigami

Photo by neal_mcquaid

Photo by sandandtsunami

Photo by eviltomthai

Photo by palindrome6996

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Over the next week, I will be doing a series of photo blogs about the Silk Road, with images of these long lost places that were once thriving commercial centres of trade. For many, the Silk Road holds an allure of exoticism seldom found elsewhere in the world, and it is a route that has called many sojourners to follow its rigorous, sometimes hostile, path from end to end.

Starting in Xi’an, China, the historic Silk Road was actually a series of routes that connected the far east to the Mediterranean. The northern Silk Road is the route most imagine when they traditionally think of the Silk Road, and that is the route we’ll be exploring in these blogs. So follow along and make sure to sign up for our RSS feed so that you don’t miss an entry.

Xi’an, China

In a truly east-meets-west atmosphere, Xi’an (pronounced she-ahn) is one of the few cities in China that has been allowed to remain largely religious, with a substantial Muslim population and a culture that is reminiscent of Central Asia. People here are an interesting mix of Chinese and Central Asian, and the food, architecture and traditional pastimes all reflect that fact. Once an ancient capital of China, Xi’an is the site where the world famous Terracotta Warrior Army was uncovered and is still on display.

Photo by The Humanaught


Photo by Jakob Montrasio

Photo by Jakob Montrasio

Photo by eviltomthai

Photo by zieak

Photo by watchsmart

Photo by SmokingPermitted - "Cosa sono? La bambina dei no"

Photo by Jakob Monstrasio

Photo by magical-world

Photo by Running Toddler

Photo by Richard.Fisher

Photo by andreweland

Photo by BillHoller

Photo by Photodiary of Lili, Cili & Krisztian

Photo by jminnick

Photo by Photodiary of Lili, Cili & Krisztian

Photo by Jakob Monstrasio

Photo by andreweland

Photo by Photodiary of Lili, Cili & Krisztian

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Situated along the southeastern tip of the Indonesian archipelago, Bali is sandwiched between Java and Lombok in what is one of the remotest and most exotic locales on earth. Bali lies some distance south of the equator and, with its white sand beaches, turquoise blue waters, smouldering volcanoes, colourful wildlife and dense jungles, is easily one of the world’s best tropical paradises.

Photot by Java Tourism

Photo by tropicaLiving

Photo by didiz | fotokahwin.com

Photo by Ilse Reijs and Jan-Noud Hutten

Photo by D. Meutia

Photo by tropicaLiving

Photo by ^riza^

Photo by sektordua

Photo by didiz | fotokahwin.com

Photo by Marufish

Photo by Mr Wabu

Photo by erlebe.fernreisen

Photo by Sean McGrath

Photo by sektordua

Photo by ^riza^

Photo by Jelle Oostrom

Photo by ^riza^

Photo by Zenubud

Photo by yeowatzup

Photo by egorick

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Montevideo is the charming, colourful capital city of Uruguay, a small South American country sandwiched between Argentina and the Atlantic Ocean. Most recognisable for its brightly-coloured building facades in the Ciudad Vieja (Old City), Montevideo has a genteel atmosphere derived from its historical connection to Europe via the city’s Spanish founders.

Special thanks to the photographers who have captured this truly beautiful city and shared their photos with the world.

Photo by vincealongi

Photo by Libertinus

Photo by vincealongi

Photo by Tiago Zaniratti

Photo by PolifemusPhoto by Antoine Hubert

Photo by vincealongi

Photo by vincealongi

Photo by vincealongi

Photo by Libertinus

Photo by Emi♫

Photo by vincealongi

Photo by jikatu

Photo by vincealongi

Photo by jikatu

Photo by Marco Gomes

Photo by vincealongi