These European larch are an exception among their kind. They shed their needles in autumn, which turn yellow, red and brown before dropping. It is the only conifer in Europe to do this.
It is sometimes called the mountain oak, because of the exceptional wood it produces. Slow-growing, it is the most durable and strongest of the coniferous woods.
Rot-proof, it is used for boat design, roofing frames, shingles and railway sleepers.
Happy #TravelTuesday, adventurers! Check out these 5 Magazines we love to follow for travel inspiration, recommendations and tips.
🗺️ Around the World with 33andFree: Exploring countries around the world, one mile at a time, from Australia, Africa and beyond! @around
🌎 Discover America: Your ultimate guide to U.S. travel by Sidewalk Safari. @discovering
🧳 Go World Travel Magazine: Stories for travelers, explorers, adventurers and nomads. @go
💡 The Travel Exchange: Follow this Magazine for the latest in travel news, hacks and recommendations from over 100 travel experts and enthusiasts. @the
✈️ Travel Inspiration by Afar: Inspiring and enabling travelers to have deeper, richer, and more fulfilling experiences. @travel
ICYMI: What do you get as a souvenir when you travel to Japan? Recently, more inbound tourists are treating themselves to a uniquely Japanese gift: hanko, or seals, engraved with their names.
Near Ouarzazate, me and @cobic have just met Czech cyclist Mirek and Slovenian cyclist Katya, who travel all around the world on their bicycles and live on the road and work as artists. I have introduced them to Mastodon and they are now @Cyclingnomads on our #fcz instance...
So if you want Cycling Nomads in Fediverse instead of just on Facebook, don't hesitate and follow @Cyclingnomads !
Step into nature's embrace and let its beauty enchant your soul. From the whispering trees to the dance of wildflowers, every moment in nature is a symphony of wonder.
Kajū-ji or Kanshū-ji (勸修寺) is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Kyōto founded in 900 by Emperor Daigo. It is near Daigo-ji and was built where the Emperor's wife lived as a tribute to her. The Imperial family traditionally provided the head priests.
I go there mainly for the garden and pond, which are also historic. Wisteria blossoms are over, and now there are yellow, purple, and white irises in the pond along with pink and white water lilies. I've also noticed big herons nesting in the treetops, but they are too far for a mobile phone to capture a clear picture. By the pond I did startle a young egret, to my regret 😅 .
We're in Le Havre today, resting our feet in a craft ale bar (surprise!) after walking around for several hours with no firm plans. We've seen some very nice sights and great architecture but none nicer than the Église Saint-Joseph designed by the mentor of Le Corbusier, Auguste Perret. It is absolutely incredible and really difficult to describe, sorry.
Built from the ground-up as a separate city to settle workers employed in the newly built steelworks (it's even in the name, which literally means 'the new steelworks'). Designed as a poster city for Soviet propagandists. Huge, industrial, pompous. These days it's one of the most populous parts of Kraków, even though it completely didn't feel that way during my long weekend visit.
I barely scratched the surface, as severe planning mistakes were made on my end. Plus I don't like taking cliche postcard photos in harsh light. But I managed to see three different faces of this place and that counts I guess.
We start with the socrealistic face. The one that dates back to 1950s and truly feels different than whatever my peanut Warsaw brain assumed Kraków to be.
There are many lakes along the length of the African Rift Valley, which runs from the Red Sea in the north to Mozambique in the south. Kenya’s eastern Rift Valley has a string of eight lakes.
The Rift Valley is subject to ongoing plate tectonics and crustal movement that can affect the lakes. The recent rises, though, are directly associated with above-average rainfall. The lakes have been even higher in the past, and with rainfall in the Rift Valley Basin being on a rising rainfall trend, higher lake levels can be expected in the future.
Lakes Nakuru, Bogoria, and Baringo have risen to their highest levels in decades, inundating roads and building infrastructure, yet they also are not as high as they were in the early part of the last century.
It's a rugged place, this high valley in the wilderness of Oregon. May the artwork take you to such a place -- one of wild beauty, intense silence, and timeless majesty.