Nature

FLOWERS

2008-07-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

Keukenhof-Garden of Europe

I, along with a group of Heidelberg friends made a trip to Netherlands during the Easter holidays. We were lucky since we had a pleasant weather throughout the trip. Of all the places we visited, Keukenhof is the most admirable. Though the best time to view the tulips is around mid-April, we were fortunate to see the blossoms. Above pictures were taken in and around Keukenhof. I should not fail to mention that few of the pictures were taken by Ashish, one of my friends.

Achensee

As I have mentioned elsewhere, Achensee is a wonderful place. The hotels and houses in Achensee were beautifully decorated with flowering plants which were pleasing to the eyes and mind.

Tropical flowers

TREES

2008-06-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

Cherry Blossom

This picture of cherry blossom was taken in Keukenhof garden, Netherlands. It reminded me the beautiful 3,000 cherry blossoms in Washington DC.

Fall foliage

This brilliance of fall foliage colors is taken in the New Hampshire, USA. I had a nice trip with my friends Viji, Anu and Arvind.
Want to know about fall foliage colors? The leaves change colors when trees stop producing the pigment chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. During the spring and summer months, the chlorophyll absorbs energy from sunlight and uses it in transforming carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrates. In the fall, the decrease in intensity and shorter hours of sunlight and the changes in temperatures, causes the chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the other pigments already in the leaf become visible. When the days of fall are bright and cool, and the nights are chilly but not freezing, the brightest colorations usually develop.

Fall color in Vienna

My brother and myself made a trip to Vienna during the fall of 2007. These bright yellow colored trees were in the garden surrounding the schonbrunn palace.

Apple tree

This picture was taken when I had gone for apple picking with my friend Viji and her colleagues. I had a nice time. I also came across a garden snake when picking the apples.

Mango tree

This mango tree belongs to my dad's garden in Madurai. The mango season is around May. I love ripened mangoes!

MOON

2008-05-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

Moonrise in Heidelberg

SUN

2008-05-01T16:23:00.000-07:00

Sunrise in Rameswaram

Sunrise in Kanyakumari

Sunset in Boston

Sunset in Tokyo

Sunset in the Mediterranean sea

Sunrise in Heidelberg

Sunset in Lake Binsfeld, Germany

Sunset in Venice

Sunset in Barcelona

Sunset in Mykonos

Sunset in Martha's Vineyard

Sunset in Sanibel Island

Sunset in Hawaii

Sunset in Maui

MOUNTAINS

2008-04-17T17:32:00.000-07:00

Alpine mountains-Austria

In this picture, you see the Alpine mountain peak taken in Obertauren, Austria. Alpine mountains cannot be described, it must be seen. I also visited Salzburg and Innsbruck. It was a nice unforgettable trip with my friends Ranjit, Michael and Julia.

Alpine mountains-Switzerland

Above pictures were taken in Switzerland. Myself and my brother Pari made a trip during winter. The scenic route from Basel to Interlaken to Luzern was extraordinary. I wish to make a trip again but during summer.

Natural Arch

This is the picture of a natural arch arising in a beautiful landscape in the Capri Island, Italy. It is the result of the collapse of a cave (probably, in pre-historic times, over the surface of the water, when Capri was still part of the mainland) and of the action of wind and rain that, in the course of time, have moulded the arch into its present shape.

Iao valley

Maui hills

Waimea valley

Mt.Vesuvio

The above pictures are the volcanic mountain Vesuvio. The first is the view from the Naples Harbor in Italy. It is 1227m high and is the only active Volcano on the European mainland. The mountain is notorious for its destruction of the Roman city of Pompeii in 79 AD and the last one was in 1944. Today it is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. I climbed to the top of this mountain just in curiousity to know how the crater looks. It was a great experience.

Halemaumau crater at Kilauea

Thurston lava tube

Courtrallam hills

These hills are part of the courtrallam mountains, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India. There are eight waterfalls in the courtrallam mountains. Go to my blog on waterfalls to see the picture of two out of the eight waterfalls.

Mykonos Hills

This is the picture of Mykonos island. Its rocky terrain rises from the sea to form gentle hills and small valleys. The rugged mountains are composed primarily of granite and are really steep.

Mt.Fuji

This is the picture of Mt. Fuji in Japan. It is 3776m high. Actually, I came across Mt.Fuji accidentally when I was on my way to see the tallest Buddha. By the end, I didn’t see Buddha but got down on a train station when I saw the Mt. Fuji sandwiched between the lake and sunset from behind. The picture has not come out well but was a very beautiful moment.

WATERFALLS

2008-03-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

Niagara falls

In this picture, you see both the American & Horseshoe falls. I took this picture from the border of US & Canada. At dawn, other than the sound of the waterfalls, the place was so calm. I am so happy that my friend Anuradha dropped me at the falls.

This is the view of the American falls when seen from Canada.

In this picture, you see the American falls view from the prosepect point. It is worth seeing it on a bright day.

Horseshoe falls-morning

Horseshoe falls-noon

Horseshoe falls-evening

The canadian horseshoe falls should be viewed from Canada. I spent a whole day admiring the flow of water. The calm Niagara River that runs from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, gives rise to the falls that make tremendous sound. One should not miss the scenic route from the Old Fort Erie to the Niagara falls. I also took the trips “journey behind the mist” where you will be behind the falls hearing the thundering sounds of the falls and the “maid of the mist” where you will be taken by a ferry to the base of the falls in where you will find yourself amidst the pure white mist. The height of the falls is 51 m. The summer daytime flow is 675,000 gal/sec.

Rhein falls-distant view

Rhein falls-closeup view

Boat trip at Rhein falls

Rhine falls is the largest waterfalls in the Europe. It belongs to Switzerland. It is situated near the town of Schaffhausen which is close to the German border. The height of the falls is 23 m. The average water flow in summer is 159,000 gal/sec which is larger than the summer water flow of Niagara falls that belongs to the USA.

Abbey Falls

In this picture you see the abbey falls in Madikeri or Coorg. Coorg is a.k.a. "Scotland of India". What beauty lies in the Abbey falls and not in the Niagara falls? The Abbey falls is amidst the coppice. So, one has to walk through the coppice to reach the falls, which is a great experience. I had a nice trip to this place, also made some friends-Kavya, Pallavika,Sheetal & Seema.

Courtrallam-Main Falls

Courtrallam-Five Falls

In this picture, you see the 167m Courtrallam falls situated near Thenkasi, India. The falls is believe to have medicinal value since the water flows on the medicinal herbs before it falls. So, hundreds of people take shower under this falls everyday. When I was a kid, I have taken a shower too!

Akaka Falls

Waterfalls in Hawaii

Waterfalls in Maui

Avalanche Falls

In this picture, you see the 13.6 m Avalanche waterfalls which was formed in 1883. It creates a crescendo of sounds as Flume Brook enters the gorge. This falls is in the Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire. It is so nice that Dr.Kannan & family gave me a ride to this place.

Gainfeld Waterfalls

The Gainfeld waterfalls is situated just a 10-minute walk from the Bischofshofen village center in Austria. The water falls into the Pongowe ruins. Myself and my friend Ranjit came across this place during our trip in Austria.

LAKES

2008-02-17T19:30:00.000-08:00

Lake in Salzburg

This is a lake in Salzburg, Austria. I visited this place along with my friend Ranjit during our easter holidays. We came across this lake while we were in the 'Sound of Music' tour. If I remember this lake is the St. Wolfgang lake.

Lake in Interlaken

Actually I'm not sure whether this is a lake or a river in Interlaken, Switzerland. I believe this is a lake as Interlaken is located between two lakes namely Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. I went with my brother Pari to this place. I took a walk in the evening in the town which was really peaceful.

Lake in Tyrol

This is the Achensee lake in the Tyrol region of Austria. It is the gateway to the Karwendel mountains. One can see numerous hikers, gliders as well as sailors during the summer. The emerald green water along with the peaks impressed me. The Mountain goats were peacefully gracing on the alpine meadows. I enjoyed the nature with my companion Mahesh here. I wish to visit this place again.

SEAS

2008-02-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

Kanyakumari

In this picture, you see the meeting point of three water bodies: Arabian sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian ocean. Kanyakumari or Cape Comorin is located at the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula. The rock seen in the picture is the Vivekananda memorial rock where Vivekananda, the great philosopher and saint meditated.

Muttom Beach

The muttom beach is well known for its high tides. It used to be a beautiful shooting spot for the South Indian movies.

Yuigahama and Zaimokuza coast

In this picture, you see the Yuigahama and Zaimokuza coast in Kamakura, Japan. I took this picture from the Kannon hill which is famous for the Hasedera(Hase Kannon-11 headed Buddha Temple).

Naples Bay

The Mediterranean sea of the Naples is beautiful particularly on a bright day like this one. I should thank my dad’s friend Prof.Vecchio who took me around the Naples bay.

Capri Island

The Capri island is a popular destination in Italy. Capri is located on the Tyrrhenian Sea, south side of the Gulf of Naples. In this picture, you see the port of Marina Grande. The blue grotto is famous in this island. This place is a wonderful place to be visited. I made a good friend out of this trip, Anna from Australia.

Scheveningen Beach

Scheveningen beach is at Den Hague, Netherlands. I was there with a group of my friends during the easter holidays. The water was extremely cold at that time.

Venice Canal and Gondolas

Venice is situated in the Venetian lagoon of the Adriatic sea. Venice has been known as the "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Bridges", and "The City of Light". Venice is world-famous for its canals. It is built on an archipelago of 118 islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The classical Venetian boat is the gondola.

Murano Island

Murano is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, it is actually an archipelago of islands linked by bridges. It is located about a mile north of Venice. It is famous for its glass making. I visited Venice during the Christmas holidays with my brother Mani and sister-in-law Lakshmi. Mahesh, joined us there. The Christmas decorations were excellent. Oh! it was too cold! We stayed in a hotel in the Lido island.

Mykonos Island

Mykonos, is part of the Cyclades (comprising about 220 Greek Islands). Cyclades are located in the Aegean sea – a sea arm of the Mediterranean sea. This picture is a view of Mykonos town (a.k.a. Chora) from the windmills. Myself & Mahesh had a great time in Mykonos.

Chora Town

This picture of the Chora town reminds Venice since the buildings have been constructed right on the sea's edge with their balconies overhanging the water. Probably thats the reason it is called also called as “Little Venice”.

Super Paradise Beach

The most famous beaches are the Paradise and Super Paradise beaches, they are also one of best party beaches in Greece. This is the picture of Super paradise beach showing breathtaking crystal blue color sea water. It is accessible by bus or boat only. However we reached by riding a scooter via the high and then down a long, thin, steep path & we walked back through hills of thorny bushes. Thus our exploration turned to an adventurous one.

Crystal clear sea

The beaches of Mykonos are famous for their golden sand and their crystalline waters. I admired it a lot.

Havelock Island

Havelock Island is the largest of Ritchie's Archipelago, a chain of islands to the east of Great Andaman in the Andaman Islands. The beaches in this Island are known for their white sand, crystal clear turquoise blue water and calm waves.

Pololu valley

Pacific, Hawaii

Hookipa beach

RIVERS

2008-02-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

River Ganga or Ganges

In this picture, you see River Ganga flowing in Rishikesh. Rishikesh is a place at the foothill of Himalayas mountain. Rishikesh is a.k.a. "Gateway to the Himalayas". Himalayas is the source of the River Ganga. This trip requires some amount of treking. I am so happy that my friend Thamil Nangai accompanied me. Forgot to mention that this river is 2510 km long!

Neckar River

The Neckar is a 367 km long river in Germany, a major right tributary of the River Rhine, which it joins at Mannheim. Neckar river passes through Tübingen, Nürtingen, Esslingen, Stuttgart and Heidelberg. This picture was taken in Heidelberg, the place which is often described as the “Romantic City”. I spent three years in this beautiful city.

Charles River

In this picture, you see the beautiful Charles River flowing in the Boston city. It serves as an entertainment for the Harvard and MIT people. In winter, it freezes giving a different kind of beauty.

Charles River-frozen

River Cam

The Cam connects Cambridge with the North Sea at King's Lynn, a total distance of about 64 km. Cam river is a large recreational source for the students at Cambridge, students & visitors enjoy punting. This picture shows the north view of the river from the King's college bridge.

Vltava River

The Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic. It is 430 km long. Prague, the capital of Czech Republic is situated on this river. Nicknames for Prague include "city of a hundred spires" and "the golden city".

Amstel River

This is the Amstel river in the Netherlands which runs through the city of Amsterdam. It is 31 km long.

Estuary

In this picture, you see the estuary, the place where the river meets the sea. There is a village by this estuary called Thenkaipatinam (the place which is covered with coconut trees) in Tamil Nadu, India. You can also see small boys actively involved in fishing.