When we talk to people about our blog site, we often get asked for the meaning behind our name, LivingTheQLife. It is actually pretty simple, our last name starts with the letter Q and when we first decided to start writing about the places that we’ve traveled to and the food that we’ve eaten, we thought to ourselves that we are fortunate to be living a good life. That simple thought turned into our name since we were living our lives in the best way that we could. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is anything with the letter Q, so we could have chosen just about anything, but here are few photos that represent the theme.
Queen Victoria Memorial in LondonHiking Around the Rim of Quilotoa in EcuadorLivingTheQLife in AmsterdamOpaque Clouds in ColoradoChanging of the Guards in Syntagma Square in Athens, GreeceAnother View of the Victoria Memorial for Queen Victoria in London
We had heard that we could get wonderful views of Quito by climbing to the top of the towers of the Basilica del Voto Nacional, so we made sure to put that on our itinerary. The architecture of the church is truly fascinating and some of the most interesting items are the grotesques, which aren’t gargoyles, but instead are native animals of Ecuador. Seeing the iguanas, turtles, caimans, and other creatures jutting from the stone walls was definitely interesting and unique. In other ways, it is a typical basilica similar to any that you find in Europe and around the world.
Church GroundsView from the BasilicaCarved DetailsClock TowerJutting AnimalsFront of the Basilica
In addition to the architecture, the stained glass windows are truly stunning. On your way to the tower, you get great views of the main cathedral as well as a closer view of the windows. In order to reach the tower, you must cross a rickety wooden platform and then climb a ladder. You aren’t done climbing at this point and our fear of heights kept us from getting all of the way to the top, but we did get the amazing views that were promised.
View above the Cathedral PewsAnimal FeaturesStained Glass WindowsWooden WalkwayClock Tower Up-CloseWalking the Grounds
This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Peek and we are hoping that you get a good peek at the details of the Basilica.
View of QuitoLooking Up from the RoofBeautiful WindowSo Much DetailColorful AltarOne of the Ornate Doors
Situated along the Rhine River where it connects with the Moselle, Koblenz is a wonderful city to visit, especially in the fall. One of our favorite memories from our time in Germany last year was taking the train along the Rhine and seeing all of the beautiful foliage. There are many different sites to visit in Koblenz, such as the fortress, the Basilica of St. Castor, Stolzenfels Castle, and the German Corner with its monument of William I on horseback. Regardless of sightseeing in Koblenz, we enjoyed simply walking along the river and enjoying the beautiful scenery. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is anything with the letter K. We hope that you enjoy a few images of our time in Koblenz as much as we enjoyed visiting it last October.
Basilica of St. CastorWalking along the RhineSuburbs of KoblenzThe German CornerBeautiful FoliageClock Tower at DuskThe Train Tracks along the RhineThe View down the Rhine RiverKoblenz Fortress
