Mt Takau Temple

Mar2019

On my return trail from Mt. Takau San I picked the scenic Waterfalls trail (#6). After crossing this temple, 

It being a cloudy day and not many people on the trail provided a very eerie as well as exciting experience. On one hand a very raw foot trail path, thick forest, sound of running waterfall and on other hand it was unknown country, uncertain if path was right, cloudy & dark atmosphere and me alone. I enjoyed the experience.

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Albert Memorial

Albert Memorial from across the street during walk around Hyde Park.

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The Thumb

The sculpture is by French sculptor César Baldaccini is quite striking at La Defence and just as you get out of the metro station. I found it quite amusing as it could be interpreted as "thumbs-up" to encourage or all is well, while in some cultures it's a "thenga" as in mocking gesture for not getting something.

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Palace of Versailles

Latona fountain of Versailles: It turned out to be a clear but windy day when I visited Versailles palace with my friend. After browsing the palace we went to the gardens behind the palace. The approach from the palace is quite beautifully laid with number of fountains.

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Notre Dame Cathedral

The facade of the Notre Dame Cathedral - When I saw this from Sacre Coeur the cathedral seemed to be broken and incomplete. However it is not, its a fine example of Gothic architectures. It was a bright day and there was a huge crowd at the entrance. I spent about 20-30mins inside the cathedral in peaceful ambiance.

The below picture is the approach to the cathedral from the bridge:

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Les Invalides

It was a weekend walking self tour of Paris. The sun was playing hide and seek and so was the rain. I walked towards the Louvre and it started raining. I was near Les Invalides and just went in. I thought it was a paid entry, but it was not. The entry into the building just took me to world war era. The numerous canons seemed to be waiting to fire and the center court awaiting a troop marching in. Les Invalides is also the burial of Napoleon. The golden dome is of chapel Saint-Louis-des-Invalides

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The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower - Finally seeing is believing. Its a huge structure and looks very grand especially during night when the spot light from top of the tower sweeps the city. I got a cloudy day when I could leisurely take a snap of this monument from Palais de Chaillot.

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Grande Arch

Grande Arch: This is a view towards my left from same place as the previous picture.

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Towers of La Defence

I happened to visit La Defence just because I wanted to visit a friend in Paris. I did not have any interest to visit this side of the city given my short trip. However landing at La Defence metro station, I was awed with these high and modern structures which were in contrast to the historic feel of Paris. Apart from these, the place is also famous for Grande Arche. So that is what a business district means !

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Place de la Concorde

Place de la Concorde: One of the major squares in Paris. The Louvre is behind the giant wheel after the Tuileries Gardens. The full stretch walk of Champs-Élysées is not to be missed for a visitor in Paris.

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Night Walk in Paris

How I badly missed my tripod for this walk. Finally I got a chance to get out into Paris during my hectic schedule of work and bad weather in Paris. Sense prevailed when I picked my camera for this walk. Earlier day was disaster as it was drizzling the whole time.

We started from Avenue Des Champs-Elysees to Concorde and crossed the Seine. This was picked on the bridge across the river. All during the walk in this region we could catch a glimpse of Eiffel Tower with it eye sweeping across the city.

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On The Wall

Desert View Watchtower: It was a two day visit which proved to be quite short time to visit even just the south side of Grand Canyon. However we took time to visit this watchtower at extreme east side which put the landscape and its civilization in perspective.

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The Gateway

Roosevelt Arch - the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park - gateway to amazing geology. It was just thrilling to know that we were to enter a huge volcanic caldera.

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Charcoal Kilns

Charcoal Kilns, Death Valley: It was the day of my return back from this trip and towards the South, this was the last point on my list. Driving on this road alone and high noon was kind of scary - with the last 3mi stretch on unpaved road. As the road passes through the trees, at one point these bee-hives pop-out.

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Pillars of the Past

Golconda Fort: Though the place was crowded on a weekend, I managed to get this secluded shot of one of the stone passages in the vast fort. The stone walls have a way of telling their own story. The light and sound show in the evening is definitely recommended for anyone visiting the fort.

Adding the color version: