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A trip to the wonderful Lofoten Islands for hiking and the midnight sun.
After a night in Oslo we flew to Bodo to catch a ferry to Svolvaer, where spent our first days exploring.
Lunar Eclipse tonight - bust out the telescopes, binoculars and face east from 6-9.
postscrypt:
ETowers posted a nice series of eclipse photos taken from his family home on a hilltop in Mexico City: www.flickr.com/photos/etowerszonephotos/
Climbing towards the Roraima "ramp" through elfin rain forest; Canaima National Park, Estado Bolivar, Venezuela; 31 March, 2007
Cut this way it seems like this were the final steps before reaching the royal palace.
Actually it is just the State Capitol and the end of state street (decorated for Christmas). State Street is a pedestrian walk way that leads from the heart of the UW campus to the Capitol.
The scene looks eerie and alone. Why? Well....it was 4 am. I am definitely a night owl.....a creature of the night judging by the direction this photo stream is taking:)
Ham House,
LB Richmond-upon-Thames.
TAKEN - 5.03p.m. Tue 6th July'21
Ham House is a 17th-century house set in formal gardens on the bank of the River Thames in Ham, south of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It was completed by 1610 by Thomas Vavasour, an Elizabethan courtier and Knight Marshal to James I, but was later leased by William Murray, a courtier and close friend to Charles I. The estate came to prominence during the 1670s as the home of Elizabeth (Murray) Maitland, the Duchess of Lauderdale and Countess of Dysart and her second husband John Maitland, the Duke of Lauderdale. At that time, the house was expanded and furnished to the highest standards of courtly taste for the comfort of the Lauderdales' eminent guests. They decorated the house lavishly with artwork, tapestries and furniture from around the world and the formal gardens also reflected the status of the owners and their visitors.
Canon 6D on Manfrotto 055 carbon fiber tripod with Really Right Stuff BH 55 LR head and L-plate. Rock solid.
The next weekend Raf and I planned to go to the town of Mai Chau, ride up into the mountains and stay in a village. I had been thinking of getting back to Saigon by motorcycle, so I got an old Russian Minsk and we eschewed the bus to do the trip on two wheels. This turned out to be a very good idea. The mountains were like nothing I have ever seen, the landscapes were quite beautiful, and we could turn down any road, stop anywhere and everywhere... We stayed overnight with a family in a stilt house in the forest, and we got to try the local canine barbecue.
MAMLESHWAR JYOTIRLINGA PHOTO MADE BY KAILASH MANSAROVAR FOUNDATION, SWAMI BIKASH GIRI , www.sumeruparvat.com , www.naturalitem.com
Omkareshwar (Hindi: ओंकारेश्वर) is a Hindu temple dedicated to God Shiva. It is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is on an island called Mandhata or Shivapuri in the Narmada river; the shape of the island is said to be like the Hindu ॐ symbol. There are two temples here, one to Omkareshwar (whose name means "Lord of Omkaara or the Lord of theOm Sound") and one to Amareshwar (whose name means "Immortal lord" or "lord of the Immortals or Devas"). But as per the sloka on dwadash jyotirligam, Mamleshwar is the jyotirling, which is on other side of Narmada river.
Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga also has its own history and stories.Three of them are prominent. The first story is about Vindhya Parvat (Mount). Once upon a time Narada (son of Lord Brahma), known for his non-stop cosmic travel, visited Vindhya parvat. In his spicy way Narad told Vindhya Parvat about the greatness of Mount Meru. This made Vindhya jealous of Meru and he decided to be bigger than Meru. Vindhya started worship of Lord Shiva to become greater than Meru. Vindhya Parvat practiced severe penance and worshipped parthivlinga (A linga made from physical material) along with Lord Omkareshwar for nearly six months. As a result Lord Shiva was pleased and blessed him with his desired boon. On a request of all the gods and the sages Lord Shiva made two parts of the lingas. One half is called Omkareshwara and the other Mamaleshwar or Amareshwar. Lord Shiva gave the boon of growing, but took a promise that Vindhya will never be a problem to Shiva's devotees. Vindhya began to grow, but did not keep his promise. It even obstructed the sun and the moon. All deities approached sage Agastya for help. Agastya along with his wife came to Vindhya, and convinced him that he would not grow until the sage and his wife returned. They never returned and Vindhya is there as it was when they left. The sage and his wife stayed in Srisailam which is regarded as Dakshina Kashi and one of the Dwadash Jyotirlinga.
The second story relates to Mandhata and his son's penance. King Mandhata of Ishvaku clan (an ancestor of Lord Ram) worshipped Lord Shiva here till the Lord manifested himself as a Jyotirlinga. Some scholars also narrate the story about Mandhata's sons-Ambarish and Mucchkund, who had practiced severe penance and austerities here and pleased Lord Shiva. Because of this the mountain is named Mandhata.
The third story from Hindu scriptures says that once upon a time there was a great war between Devas and Danavas(demon), in which Danavas won. This was a major setback for Devas and hence Devas prayed to Lord Shiva. Pleased with their prayer, Lord Shiva emerged in the form of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga and defeated Danavas.