Do Animals Smile?

Probably anyone who has ever had pets would agree that animals definitely show emotion, but do they smile? One look at animals will remove any doubt as to whether they actually do smile. They most certainly do smile and they do it quite often. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is the letter H with a topic of Happy. One of our favorite memories of visiting Sun Island on Lake Titicaca in Bolivia was of a llama that was curiously observing us as we walked among the ruins. The question isn’t really whether he was smiling, but what was he thinking of us? Did he just think we were strange looking creatures that didn’t belong on his island?

Very Curious
Hint of a Grin?
Are You Following Me?
Happy Llama

Braving the Elements

There are some trips that test your willingness to endure difficult conditions. That can be humidity and rain in the jungle, snow and ice in the mountains, or even overwhelming crowds. We are in the process of packing for our trip to Ecuador, which isn’t easy because we will be in Quito and climbing up the side of a volcano, which will mean that we will have cold temperatures, and we are also heading into the jungle, which means that we will be dealing with the heat. That means that we need to take cold gear as well as comfortable clothes for the jungle. In order to cut down on the amount of clothes that we need to take, we are counting on layering. During our trip to Iceland, we found some light-weight cold gear that wicks away moisture and definitely keeps you warm without being overly bulky. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is about the letter C and we have decided to share a few photos that represent being Cold. Instead of being near the top of the world, we will be at the middle of the world for the next two weeks, so it is a definitely a different experience than our time in Iceland.

We Were Frozen Too
Driving in Iceland
Sunrise over Frozen Tundra
Hazy Sunrise

The Eiffel Tower is an Iconic Landmark

There are very few man-made structures that come to symbolize a city or country. The Statue of Liberty, the Sphinx, and the Eiffel Tower all invoke images of the countries where they reside. We have yet to visit Egypt, but we have gone to the Statue of Liberty in New York as well as gone to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Not surprisingly, you can find replicas of all of these in Las Vegas, but clearly that isn’t the same thing as seeing the real thing. Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time almost a decade ago is definitely one of our favorite travel moments. There is something special about the Eiffel Tower, whether it is its raw architecture with the exposed beams or its graceful curvature as it reaches skyward. Clearly it is the most photographed landmark in Paris and every souvenir vendor has miniature replicas galore. We have seen it in autumn with brightly colored trees in the foreground, at night from the Seine, as well as on a cold, wet, winter day. The time of year doesn’t seem to matter, when you see the Eiffel Tower you get a sense that you looking more at a symbol of the French people than a tower constructed to be the entrance of the world fair in 1889. For this week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge, Structure, we have chosen a variety of photos that we have taken of the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower from the Seine
View of the Eiffel Tower from the Top of the Arc de Triomphe
Crossing the Bridge towards the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower in Autumn
Eiffel Tower Lit Up at Night
Interesting View
Eiffel Tower against Autumn Sky
Eiffel Tower on a Cold Winter Day