The while-we-wait-for-river-cruises photo quiz

[jpalbny]

So if not the Rhône, Seine, or Loire... is it the Gironde near Bordeaux? 

[Canal archive]

Yes absolutely how they managed to pack so many different experiences into our cruise, I really don’t know. The next day so many on board wanted to cycle ride they had to hire more bikes. Watching them all head off was certainly entertaining.

Jpalbny well done for your perseverance. The winner

[notamermaid]

 

Thank you @Canal archive for this last challenge, with the sounds of hunter's horns while we sail to better times that are in sight and within reach, and new adventures on travels that are just round the corner now.

 

Hooray! And here we are witnessing the last hand-over, the grand prize. 👏

 

It is all yours, @jpalbny

 

What are you going to show us? May we see your Audi at a lake overlooking Switzerland? Chris triumphantly smiling on top of a castle? The grand fireworks at a lake in Ukraine? Or perhaps your favourite spot at a river in the state of New York?

 

It is all yours.

 

And then onto champagne🍾 and nibbles!

 

 

notamermaid

 

[Renmar]

52 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

And then onto champagne🍾 and nibbles!

I second that.

 

Theo

[jpalbny]

What an honor to be given the opportunity at the "end of the line" on this amazing thread!

 

And the pressure is intense as well, to choose an appropriate picture. I think I will bend the rules a little bit and post more than one.

 

This is a region that has not yet appeared in this thread, I believe. But the landscapes on the rivers here are so varied and beautiful, that I hope that the pictures are OK here.

 

So I will present a few pictures from South America. We spent some time here in January 2019 for Chris's big birthday trip.

 

One. I think most people are familiar with Iguazu Falls. This photo is from the Brazilian side and shows one of the minor falls called the Three Musketeers. There are just so many waterfalls here, as the Rio Iguazu turns a big corner, widens out, then falls into a huge chasm. They stretch over a very large area. Chris was so happy - she is a waterfall enthusiast and this was just spectacular.

 

 

Two. This picture was taken in the Chilean Altiplano, at least 14000 feet above sea level. The area is a desert, but where the small rivers flow, lush vegetation grows and the wildlife thrives. It is very close to Bolivia here. Some of the mountains in this photo are either on the border, or actually in, Bolivia. So, Rio Putana appears in this photo. It flows into other rivers before making its way to San Pedro de Atacama, where we stayed for a few days.

 

 

And three. The sign says that it's the end of the trail so I thought it would be a fitting last picture. We hiked to this beautiful spot in Chilean Patagonia, within Torres del Paine National Park. The two mountain peaks behind us look like horns, thus their name. This is Mirador Cuernos. The lake is Lago Nordenskjöld, named after a Norwegian explorer. It drains into Lago del Toro before flowing into the Rio Serrano, which eventually flows through Seno Ultima Esperanza (the Sound of Last Hope) on its way into the Pacific Ocean.

 

 

I hope that you enjoy these pictures of a totally different landscape and area. We found these places to be beautiful and hope to return some day.

 

I've enjoyed this game so much. Now, let's get back to exploring these different places in person - if all goes well we will be in Corsica in less than 8 weeks! Happy travels to all!

Edited July 21, 2021 by jpalbny

[Ritabob]

A huge thank you to Notamermaid for starting this thread and to JPAlbany for the beautiful 'end of the line' photos.

Following along and participating has been such a fun and educational journey.

We still have a way to go before we can travel as freely as we once did, but we will eventually get to see in person what we have seen in the photos in this thread.

RB

[Renmar]

Thanks JP & Chris for a wonderful end to this tread. I also like to mention that I think that 99,9% (Oh well, nobody is 100% perfect 😉) of your pictures on SmugMug are amazing. I give most of them a 9.9 out of 10. I hope I can borrow one ones in a while to show our friends when we are planning land/river & ocean vacations.

 

Theo

[Daisi]

Thanks to @notamermaidfor creating this thread, and thanks to all who joined in with pictures of places they have traveled to.  It's been a great way to pass the time, and (unfortunately?) has added some extra trips onto our bucket list.  I guess it's a good thing we retired young, we'll need a lot of time to plan & explore now!

 

Thanks to all.

[acwmom]

Another thanks from me! It has given me something to look forward to each day. We have been watching National Geographic and the Smithsonian Channel a lot during the pandemic and have also added to our list...Now to go somewhere!

[jpalbny]

23 hours ago, Renmar said:

Thanks JP & Chris for a wonderful end to this tread. I also like to mention that I think that 99,9% (Oh well, nobody is 100% perfect 😉) of your pictures on SmugMug are amazing. I give most of them a 9.9 out of 10. I hope I can borrow one ones in a while to show our friends when we are planning land/river & ocean vacations.

 

Theo

 

Thank you for the kind words. Chris and I both love to take photos and then we spend plenty of time going through them, labeling, and sorting after each trip.

 

I only post what we consider to be the best ones on SmugMug, at least for public view. The others are in a private folder, only for backup! I have over 100,000 pix in my Adobe PSE databases. The program struggles when I open it... So you only see the tip of the iceberg. 

 

We have been extremely fortunate and have visited some incredible places. The past 18 months have been a very weird experience without all of that travel but it's great to have threads like this and to be able to reminisce about our past trips. 

 

Definitely feel ready to make up for lost time! I need to get to the summit of Kilimanjaro while I still can.

[texasstar]

I also enjoyed this post, as it was the only way to travel during this time.  It was a way of relaxing and dreaming while we wait for our future travels.  Thanks