Beautiful thoughts

FOUR Beautiful THOUGHTS of Life :

Look back & get EXPERIENCE

Look forward & see HOPE

Look around & find REALITY

Look within & find YOUR SELF

 

 

 

Mafra's Baroque royal palace

The words "massive," "monumental," "gigantic," "colossal," and "vast" fail to describe the scale of Mafra's Baroque royal palace. The grandiose monument was built in 1717 to celebrate the birth of a daughter to King João V and includes a convent and a basilica.

The extravagant king wanted the palace and basilica to compete in magnificence and grandeur with Spain's Escorial and St. Peter's in Rome, and at the time it seemed that such a huge project would never be completed. At one point there were 45,000 men working on it, and several artists came from abroad, with 7,000 soldiers overseeing the workforce. They ended up creating 5,200 doorways, 2,500 windows, 880 halls and rooms, 154 staircases, 29 courtyards, and two bell towers boasting the world's largest collection of bells (57 in each) that can be heard for 24km (15 miles) when they're played on Sunday.

In 1720 the French ambassador reported to his king that all the money in Iberia would be insufficient to pay for it, but the gold that flowed in from the rich mines of Brazil made it possible in 1735.

Jambiani - Zanzibar

Jambiani is one of the most beautiful villages I’ve ever seen. This village of palm hut roofs relies entirely on the white sandy beach. The coconut trees generously offer its shadow over the whole village, there are no roads or even dirt, just sand. There is no electricity or running water, television or telephone. Only the lodges or guest houses hold this comfort.

Trade is carried out directly on the beach, where everything can be offered, from fried cakes to Masai crafts, shells coming directly from the reef, pareos and scarves, Henna tattoos, or even dinner booking at any fisherman house.

 

We did not resist one of them, Captain Cook, who prepared us a dinner of lobster, rice and spinach (that looked like seaweed from the beach), we were served at a fine sandy courtyard covered with palm leaves, while the dog played with crabs under our table. It was an amazing evening! :)

The whole village survives from lobster fishing  and fish for their own consumption, and from the seaweed harvesting  greatly appreciated by the Japanese. Given the nature of the reef, which is close to a mile from shore, wave action during tidal leaves thousands of seaweed trapped in ingenious frames driven into the sand. Once harvested, the seaweed are sun-dried and exported to Japan.

 

 Algae culture are caught daily at low tide

Small fish caught by women, who cast the nets at low tide

The coconuts are cut and frayed so braided rope can be made.

Rides in "Dhow boats", local fishing boats for snorkeling near the reef or simply watch the sunset are also a source of income for the entire village.

The preferred transport of the entire population is the bike used only on the beach where the sand is harder and also where are the signs showing directions. Not only do people use the beach as a road. Cows, goats and other animals also roam the beach up and down all day long.

 

 

 

 

 

Diving from a boat in the clear, blue ocean of Zanzibar is one of the most exhilarating experiences to be had on a holiday in this part of East Africa. The visibility is usually very good, the water warm and the marine life diverse and innumerable.

 

 

 

Almost ... a Love Story

 

 

 

 

Once, long ago, before people appeared on Earth, the land was not the same as it is now. There was no Moon and the Sun was alone in the sky. The Sun was lonely, and would wander day and night through the sky. Always was the Sun searching for someone to be his friend, his companion. One day, the Sun wandered farther north than he ever had before, and there he saw a Glacier resting between two Mountains. The sun thought the glacier was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

And so it was that the Sun came to the north more often and spent many days watching the Glacier from the cover of the Mountains and the horizon. The Sun was clever but he could not hide forever, and the Mountains soon told the Glacier that he was hiding from her and watching from a distance. The Sun was ashamed and began to run away, fearing the Glacier would be mad at him. To his surprise, the Glacier was not mad and called out to the Sun, "Come closer, so that I may see you as well." But the Sun was bright and hard to look at. The Mountains told her to climb upon their backs so that she could see better. Still, she could not clearly see the face of the Sun, and so she leaped to him in the heavens and became the Moon.

The Sun made a home for them in the heavens and there the Moon and the Sun danced together, and they were happy. The Sun had never been more full of joy. He had found his mate, and was no longer lonely. He beamed down upon all the earth and sung his love. In this way, they lived a long time, but one day the Moon was not as happy as she usually was.

"Why are you not happy", asked the Sun?"

"I LOVE YOU, and I like dancing through the sky with you, but I am homesick for the Mountains and their firm embrace. I am going to return to them."

"I am sorry my love", replied the Sun, "but you cannot return. You are no longer the glacier that you once were. You are now the Moon and cannot return to the Mountains."

Her reply was filled with tears, "I shall try to return anyway. Do not think I love the Mountains anymore than I love you, this is something I must do."

"I understand, and I will not let you leave my heart", said the Sun, "every day you try to return to the mountains, I will follow. When you decide that you no longer wish to search for the Mountains I will be behind you, waiting with my heart open for you. Whenever you feel you cannot continue, turn around and return to me."

When the People appeared on Earth they saw the Sun and they watched as it followed the Moon. Every day they watched as the Moon continued her quest searching for the Mountains of her youth, and the Sun followed. The Sun has never stopped following the Moon, and he never will.  (by Roninspoon)

 

 

Fall shades

No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace,

as I have seen in one autumnal face.

John Donne

Our way

 

 

 

 

"Our way is not soft grass,

 it's a mountain path with lots of rocks. 

But it goes upward, forward, toward the sun."

- Ruth Westheimer

Photography...

. . .  is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving.

What you have caught on film is captured forever . . . it remembers little things,

long after you have forgotten everything.

 

 

 

 

Pleasures

It is of the small joys and little pleasures
that the greatest of our days are built.

- Mary Anne Radmacher

Sailing

I am sailing, I am sailing
Home again across the sea.
I am sailing, stormy waters
To be near you, to be free

I am flying, I am flying,
Like a bird across the sky
I am flying, passing high clouds
To be near you, to be free

Can you hear me? Can you hear me?
Through the dark night, far away
I am dying, forever crying
To be with you, who can say?

Can you hear me? Can you hear me?
Through the dark night, far away.
I am dying, forever crying,
To be near you, who can say?

We are sailing, we are sailing,
Home again across the sea.
We are sailing stormy waters,
To be near you, to be free.

Oh Lord, to be near you, to be free

(Sailing – Rod Stewart)

 

Have a Great Weekend

LIFE

Life is ironic. It takes Sadness

to know what Happiness is, Noise

to appreciate Silence and Absence

to value Presence.