2010 |
|
Barcelona - Summer 2010
United Arab Emirates - Spring 2010
Picnic near Ras Al Khaimer February 2010
Edward & Verity rest on the way to the summit
Picnic near Ras Al Khaimer February 2010
Drying mud after the spring rains
England vs. Pakistan 20/20 Cricket 19th Feb 2010, Dubai Cricket Stadium.
Dinner and dancing fountains - Burj Khalifa - April 2010
England - May 2010A business / leisure trip to England in blazing May sunshine gave me the opportunity of the quick tour of the country - including: Manchester (my old University town); Bedford (where I was at school) and nearby Woburn (near my parents house), and Exeter (near a client factory site).
Manchester City Centre- two pubs in Shambles Square
Swan Hotel, Bedford - overlooking the River Great Ouse.
Cricket at Bedford School
Bedford Law Courts
Bedford's Shopping Mall - The Harpur Centre
Bedford's Shopping Mall - The Harpur Centre
Bedford Tourist Information Office
Shops by Exeter Cathedral - May 2010
Exeter Cathedral by moonlight
Woburn Abbey and the Duke of Bedford's Deer Herd.
Barcelona - Summer 2010
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya Poble Espanyol
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
Gaudy Gaudí architecture and modernistic statues
The Salvador Dali Museum kindly allowed us to take photographs (unlike the Picasso museum)
Photographic flash can degrade delicate pieces of artwork, and was consequently banned in most museums. For this reason I have never used flash photography for art exhibits. Unfortunately many camera users were incapable of switching off their flash when photographing the exhibits. Galleries had no choice but to ban photography completely. Consequently I have no photographs of the Picasso gallery or many other art treasures throughout the world. An exception is the privately owned collection of Salvador Dali works in Barcelona.
Monte Carlo - Summer 2010
Florence - Summer 2010
Ponte Vecchio from the Uffizi Galley
No photography is allowed inside the Uffizi gallery. However there is a fantastic collection of paintings by Cimabue (1240-1302), Giotti (1267-1337), Botticelli (1445-1510) and Leonardo da Vinchi (1452-1519) which demonstrate the development of depth and use of backgrounds in paintings and the application of mathematics to portray perspective. The Uffizi also houses some fabulous Caravaggio works (1571 - 1610) demonstrating a beautiful and dramatic use of light.
The Basilica di Santa Maria Statue of David by Michelangelo
The Basilica di Santa Maria
Gates of Paradise, Florence Baptistery The Rape of the Sabine Women, The Loggia dei Lanzi,
Ponte Vecchio
Piazza della Signoria View from Ponte Vecchio
Rome - Summer 2010
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican CitySt. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Flavian Amphitheatre (Coliseum), Rome
Flavian Amphitheatre (Coliseum), Rome
Palatine Hill, Rome
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Pompei - Summer 2010
Pompei with mount Vesuvius in the background
Trek to the summit crater of mount Vesuvius Street in Pompei
Pompei
Pompei Brothel (bordello) - Informative Fresco and Stone bed
Luxury Villa in Pompei
Fast food outlet Floor of Luxury Villa
Casts of volcano victims in Pompei - they were probably poisoned by toxic gas and then buried by fine volcanic ash in 79 AD
Mykonos - Summer 2010
Istanbul - Summer 2010
Blue Mosque, Istanbul
Hagia Sophia mihrab in the apse where the alter stood Ceiling of Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia was built between 532 and 537 AD as an Orthodox patriarchal basilica but later became a mosque. The building was designed with the alter facing east for Christian worship. The Islamic mihrab was built later pointing toward Mecca which is 15° south of east.
Ceiling dome of the Blue Mosque
Shopping - The Covered Bazaar.
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
Ephesus - Summer 2010
Library of Celsus (distance) Nike, the winged goddess of victory
Roman Villas, Ephesus
Amphitheatre
Roman Villas, Ephesus
Library of Celsus (135 AD)
Temple of Hadrian Athens - Summer 2010
Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion (built 440 BC)
Graffiti on Temple of Poseidon - including Lord Byron
The Parthenon temple in the Athenian Acropolis, Athens
View of Athens from the Acropolis
Erechtheum temple in the Athenian Acropolis
Odeon of Herodes Atticus at Athenian Acropolis
Venice - Summer 2010
St Mark's Campanile (bell tower of St. Marks Basilica) and Doge's Palace (to the right)
Venice
20th Wedding Anniversary in Venice, where we began our Honeymoon. Pino Grigio and classical music in St. Mark's Square
Gondola on a canal Doge's Palace
Back to Dubai - August 2010Dubai welcomed us back with a hot day 119°F (48°C) but we missed a heat wave in July when temperatures exceeded 123°F (51°C)! Ouch. Roads and shopping malls are eerily quiet as many people have left to avoid the ferocious summer heat. The economic downturn has caused many expatriates to leave for good. This has occurred just as many housing developments were being completed, leaving many housing estates with hundreds of beautiful but empty properties. Rental prices have plummeted.
Deserted Estates in the Desert Autumn 2010
Desert Sunset - October 2010
The iconic Burj Al Arab Henna Hands
A chance to buy and drink some camel's milk
Sultanate of Oman - October 2010
Dhow cruise around the Musandam Peninsula near Khasab, Oman.
Within a 3 or so hours drive from Dubai (including the border crossing) is the Arabian version of the fjords. Not as beautiful, or as green perhaps but ruggedly spectacular. The sea teems with butterfly fish, groupers, angel fish and wild dolphins. Friendly locals will take you out on a Dhow for the day, serve you mint tea and fruit, show you the spectacular scenery, let you swim and snorkel in the warm sea and then barbeque fresh tuna for lunch.
Wild dolphins racing our Dhow Swimming in the Arabian Gulf near Telegraph Island
Telegraph Island is the most famous landmark in the area. Here the British laid the first telegraph cable in 1864. It ran from India to Basra, Iraq.
Esra apartments, Khasab
Desert Girls
Dhow cruise around Musandam Peninsula, Oman - October 2010
See other trips to Musandam in 2009, 2012 and 2015 China - November 2010
Winter sunset at the Summer Palace, Beijing
Building close to Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven
Temple of Heaven
Tiananmen Square
Pre-dinner drinks at the Beijing Shangri-La (with sister 3/4 and family)
Great Wall of China at Badaling
Great Wall of China
Changling Museum (Ming Tombs)
Changling Museum (Ming Tombs)
Summer Palace
Summer Palace - World's longest corridor
Marble Boat at Summer Palace
Summer Palace
Roof architecture at Summer Palace
Winter scene at Summer Palace
Lone fisherman in Summer Palace grounds
Winter Sunset, Summer Palace
Winter Sunset, Summer Palace
Forbidden City - Through a Beijing pollution haze
Forbidden City
Lama Temple
Lama Temple
Incense shops near Lama Temple
It was mildly surprising to see people openly praying in this former communist society
Sunset from Ming Tombs
England and Scotland - December 2010
Tower Bridge and a very cold river Thames - London, December 2010
HMS Belfast - London, December 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland - December 2010
Happy New Year!
Burj Khalifa fireworks display from our garden - Dubai, New Year 2011
Top |
||||
Monte Carlo
| Living in Dubai |
Click here to see the Historic Guest Book |
www.theamblerfamily.com