Surviving the Passages of Time

Traveling, especially throughout Europe, allows you to see how difficult it is to keep time from eroding everything that is man made. Rain, wind, hail, sleet, and snow take their toll on everything from buildings, bridges, monuments, and statues. Of all of those, seeing the statues that have had pigeons perched upon their shoulders, bronze faces turned green, and stone limbs turning black, feels especially sad at times. If you look into their eyes, you can almost see their sadness, the desire that someone would restore them to their original beauty. You can almost imagine them watching as hundreds of years worth of visitors pass by them, feeling trapped in their frozen bodies, unable to communicate to us. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Weathered and we have chosen photos of statues from throughout Europe that have survived the ravages of time, but not without it having taken its toll.

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Statue Outside of a Castle in Koblenz, Germany
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Statue of Goethe in Vienna, Austria
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Snow Covered Statue in Bucharest, Romania
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Soldier Riding Horse in Cologne, Germany
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Statue on the Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic
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Statue in the Streets of Florence, Italy
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Statue on the Grounds of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland
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Statue in a Fountain in Heidelberg, Germany
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Another Statue in Snowy Bucharest, Romania

 

Looking Back at 2017

This has been an interesting year with a lot of changes including moving back to the United States and changing jobs. We visited seven different countries including the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, France, Romania, Ireland, and Ecuador. We enjoyed each of those countries for various reasons. Obviously, having moved back to the US, our opportunity to visit different countries in 2018 has been reduced, but we hope to make a couple of trips to places that we haven’t visited before. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is 2017 Favorites, so we have tried to pick our favorite photo from each of those places. As we fly to Chicago tomorrow, we will likely be quieter than normal. We wish everyone Happy Holidays and Best Wishes in the New Year!

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Amsterdam from the Roof of Our Hotel
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Colosseum in Rome
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Hiking Around the Rim of Quilotoa in Ecuador
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Sunset Behind the Acropolis in Athens
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Statue in Bucharest
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The Eiffel Tower in Paris is Impressive even on a Rainy Day
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View from Kilkenny Castle in Ireland

 

Trying to Make it to the Top

Everyone wants success in life, both personal and professional, but it isn’t always easy to achieve. Obviously it takes hard work and perseverance, but sometimes it takes a little luck as well. As we near the end of the year, it is time to look back at the year and determine whether things are getting better, staying the same, or needs some adjusting. This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Ascend. We have chosen several photos of places where we have climbed steep stairs, trails, and walks. Just like life, sometimes if you willing to make the effort to keep climbing, there can be travel rewards. Hopefully life is on its way up for all of you!

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Stairs Leading Down to Gullfoss Falls in Iceland
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Climbing up a Waterfall in Bolivia
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Climbing the Stairs in Koblenz, Germany
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The Start of the Trail at the Quilotoa Volcano in Ecuador
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Hiking Up Pikes Peak in Colorado
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Climbing in the Paint Mines Interpretive Park in Colorado
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We Walked this Twice in Heidelberg, Germany
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Walking Up to the Michelangelo Piazza in Florence, Italy