SOUTH AFRICA

Greetings from South Africa! Groete van Suid-Afrika!

The wonderful diversity of South Africa - from the magnificent wildlife and scenic splendour to the sophisticated metropolises:

• Johannesburg 
• Durban
• Bloubergstrand

The beach featured in the main picture is Bloubergstrand

• Eastern Transvaal - The eastern Transvaal still has more than a hint if wildness in its glorious visual scope. Mountains, valleys, rivers, waterfalls, pockets of primal forest and a colourful profusion of flowers and birds decorate the countryside. The savannah lands of the lowveld teem with wildlife, including the 'Big Five': lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and buffalo, offering an unparalleled experience.

• Garden Route - Between Mossel Bay and the Storms River, the Garden Route runs parallel to a coastline which features lakes, mountains, golden beaches, cliffs and dense indigenous forests. From sources high in the Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma Mountains, ambercoloured rivers plunge into an ocean of mercurial moods. Surrounded by indigenous forests, the delightful town of George (principal town of the Garden Route) nestles on a coastal plateau at the foot of one of the highest peaks in the Outeniqua mountain range.

Received from Lynne, Cape Town

PASADENA

Pasadena is located 10 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city is bordered by the San Gabriel Mountains to the north and seven cities - La Canada Flintridge, South Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, San Marino, Glendale, Los Angeles and unincorporated Altadena. The latitude is N. 34 9' and longitude is W. 118 10'. The elevation is 864 feet above sea level. The word Pasadena literally means "valley" in the Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indian language, but it has been interpreted to mean "Crown of the Valley" and "Key of the Valley", hence the adoption of both the crown and the key in the official city seal.

Elegant gardens and tree-filled courtyyards provide a lush landscape for Pasadena's City Hall and City College

Pasadena City Hall was built in 1927 to inspire a city with beauty, boldness and vision. It is an important part of this community's rich architectural heritage. Pasadena City Hall is one of the finest examples of the California Mediterranean style. It is the dominant building in the Pasadena Civic Center, a complex of government, institutional and cultural buildings that epitomizes the City Beautiful movement. 

Website: City of Pasadena

NORTHERN IRELAND

Within its compact area, encircles a wealth of surpassing scenic splendour. Vibrant, fresh and green in appearance, the natural features it encompasses are as diverse as they are exhilarating, from barren plains to expanses of lakeland, and from low-lying areas to lofty mountain ranges. Quite apart from its aesthetic charm, historic castles and ruins are scattered lavishly throughout the country, recounting tales from Northern Ireland's rich history.
The scenery is the prime allure - the Giant's Causeway, one of the wonders of the world on the Causeway Coast, the Mountains of Mourne, the Glens of Atrim, the Fermanagh Lakeland are the top districts to head for.

Not only in friendliness is Northern Ireland like the rest of Ireland. The pace of life is slow. The cuisine often lacks finesse, but comes in mammoth portions. In the bars the Guiness and the "crack - as the repartee is called - are great, as are the "sing-alongs". Some would say that the most significant differences between the two neighbors are that it is cheaper in the north and the roads are better.

MOUNT ASSINIBOINE

Mount Assiniboine, at 11,870ft (3618m), is the tallest mountain in the southern region of the Canadian Rockies. The mountains distinctive pyramidal shape has led to it being referred to as the ‘Matterhorn of North America’. Visible for many miles in every direction, it soars well above other nearby peaks, and serves as the focal point of the Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, a 386 sq. km reserve created in 1922. 

 

Mt. Assiniboine was given its name by George Dawson, a renowned Canadian scientist, who spotted it from Copper Mountain on the south side of the Bow Valley in 1885. It was named ‘Assiniboine’ as on the day Dawson set eyes on the mountain, a plume of cloud trailed the summit, reminding him of the smoke he had seen rise from the Assiniboine Indians’ tipis. The first successful ascent of Mount Assiniboine to take place. In 1901, the British climber James Outram and Swiss guides, Christian Bohren and Christian Hasler claimed the accolade.

FRASER ISLAND

Situated off the Queensland coast near Maryborough, Fraser Island World Heritage area is the largest sand island in the world. It is a place of exceptional beauty, with its long uninterrupted white beaches flanked by strikingly coloured sand cliffs, and over 100 freshwater lakes, some tea-coloured and others clear and blue all ringed by white sandy beaches. Ancient rainforests grow in sand along the banks of fast-flowing, crystal-clear creeks. 

Fraser Island, Queensland, is the world's largest sand island, a spectacular natural wonderland and a World Heritage Area. Left to right: Wanggoolba Creek running through rainforest to the sea; Lake McKenzie; pristine sand dunes and deep blue ocean. Inset: Dingo.

Fraser Island stretches over 123 kilometres in length and 22 kilometres at its widest point. With an area of 184 000 hectares it is the largest sand island in the world. Dunes weathered into unusual towering formations fringe ancient rainforest, crystal creeks and lakes of blue, green and brown.

Lake McKenzie The beautiful clear waters here are surrounded by white sands and blackbutt trees.

TABLE MOUNTAIN

One of the greatest natural wonders of the world...

The summit of Cape Town's world-famous landmark is 1086m above sea level and is a national monument. The mountain is covered with a wide variety of wild flowers and is the natural home of the famous silver tree. Table Mountain is floodlit periodically throughout the year. The mountain also offers a number of hikes and walks of varying degrees of difficulty from an easy stroll to rock climbing. Maclears Beacon - the Highest point on Table Mountain is 1087 metres above sea level.

 The plateau of this massive that stands more than a thousand metres above Cape Town and suburbs provides excellent views of the picturesque Cape Peninsula.

This familiar landmark may be explored either on foot or by cable car. The Cableway was officially opened on the 4th of October 1929. The lower station is 366 metres above sea level and situated on Tafelberg Road. The distance separating the upper and lower stations is covered in one span of cable measuring 1244 metres. The upper stations is 1067 metres above sea level. The latest cabins carry 25 people and travel at 17km/h. The actual trip takes 5 minutes.

Received from Lynne, Cape Town

SEATTLE

The City of Seattle is located in the State of Washington on Puget Sound, 113 miles (182 km) south of the U.S.-Canadian border. 
Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest state-supported institutions of higher education on the West Coast and is one of the preeminent research universities in the world.

University of Washington - Husky Stadium

Scenes of the beautiful University of Washington Campus and Husky Stadium

Nestled high above Union Bay on Lake Washington, Husky Stadium's seating capacity of 70,138 makes it the largest stadium, college or professional, in the Pacific Northwest and ranks it among the nation‘s top 15 largest on-campus facilities.
The view from Husky Stadium is unmatched, overlooking Lake Washington and offering sweeping skylines of Downtown Seattle, Mt. Rainier and the Cascade Mountains to the east and the Olympic Mountain Range to the west.

The beauty of the graceful ferries that cruise Puget Sound captivates onlookers

Seattle lies on a narrow strip of land between the salt waters of Puget Sound and the fresh waters of Lake Washington. Beyond the waters lie two rugged mountain ranges, the Olympics to the west and the Cascades to the east. It is a city built on hills and around water, in a mild marine climate that encourages prolific vegetation and abundant natural resources. Amongst the best things about Seattle are the wonderful mountain and water views.

CITY OF NEWRY

This cathedral town and port is in a hollow among hills at the head of the Newry River estuary. The town is intersected by canals built in the early eighteenth century, now disused for commerce but stocked with fish and they are a venue for international angling contests.

 

The distinguished history of Newry has resulted in a fine array of both civic and religious buildings. Known as the Gateway to the North, the area has a history of continuous settlement dating back to 4000BC and enjoys wonderful architecture, including beautiful Georgian houses, a cathedral that dates back to the 1830s and a unique town hall built over the Clanyre River. The Town Hall (half in County Down, half in County Armagh) actually spans  the Clanrye River. Evidence of the town's mercantile past can be noted in the names of the streets. The Catholic Cathedral in Hill Street has some good stained-glass windows.

SPIRIT ISLAND

World-famous Spirit Island, on Maligne Lake is the heart and soul of Jasper National Park. Spirit Island is a tiny little island that held a spiritual place for the first Nations people. It's one of the most picturesque spots in the Canadian Rockies which is used for so many photos and postcards. Maligne Lake is surrounded by a circle of rocky peaks.

It is the largest glacially formed and fed lake in the Canadian Rockies and those remnants of the last Ice Age still cling to the cliffs, rest in the cirques and cap off the pinnacles of Maligne Lakes' fabulous ring of 3,360 meter mountains. It is the melt waters of those glaciers that give the lake its' lovely, tranquil-blue colour and that backdrop of lofty peaks which holds back the busy world and provides a calming wilderness experience.

DAINTREE

In Far North Queensland, just north of Port Douglas, the Daintree Rainforest is a dense jungle area part of the Australian Wet Tropics environment protected by World Heritage Listing, United Nations since 1988). The Daintree Rainforest consists of the Daintree village, the Mossman Gorge and Cape Tribulation. It is amongst the most ancient ecosystems on earth, over 110 million years old. More than 18,000 known plant species exist. Some trees are more than 2,500 years old.

 

 

Daintree National Park, with Cape Tribulation top left

In the Daintree National Park, the Mossman Gorge is home to some of Queensland's most beautiful tropical forest. Rare birds shelter in the overhanging green trees and fish inhabit the cool, shady pools. Cape Tribulation is in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest, home to some of the oldest rainforest on the planet, and this Word Heritage listed rainforest is adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef.