Saturday, September 22, 2012

China - The Country, not Dishes

The Quilt travelled a good long distance to visit the country of China. It was a fascinating trip; filled with beautiful sites and places.


Temple of Heaven
天壇
The ancient emperors came here to pray for a good harvest and peace.

Mao's Tomb
毛主席紀念堂
The body of Mao Zedong is on display in this tomb. We heard that perhaps it is now only a plastic replica and that the actual body has been moved to a safe location.

Tiananmen Gate
 天安門
Tiananmen Gate - Gate of Heavenly Peace - is decorated with a portrait of Mao. The gate is on the northern end of Tiananmen Square and marks the beginning of the Forbidden City.

Great Wall of China Badaling

The Great Wall lived up to all expectations. It was absolutely amazing. The Quilt had heard that the wall could be seen from space, but this is only a myth, it can not be seen from space nor the moon. 


At the Great Wall, the Quilt climbed to the highest section in order to have this portrait taken with the Chinese Flag. The Large star is for the communist party, the other four stand for the four classes of people: Peasants, workers, bourgeoisie and businessmen

Water Cube
北京國家游泳中心
Beijing National Aquatics Center
This was one of the most exciting things to see, the inside of the Water Cube where Michael Phelps won all his gold medals. The texture of the building was very photogenic.

Bird's Nest
Beijing National Stadium
The Bird's Nest was a bit of a disappointment, don't know what we were expecting, but it didn't live up to the hype quite the way that the Water Cube did.


View of the Oriental Pearl Tower from the Bund
外灘 东方明珠塔
Shanghai was a wonderful city. The view of Pudong from the Bund was great, especially at night when everything was all lit up. The Bund was also quite nice at night all lit up.

Overall, the quilt was quite impressed with its visit to China, it was grateful that it didn't have to eat!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Quilt visits Door County, WI

Two weeks after visiting Vegas, the quilt decided to take a more sedate trip with a visit to Door County, Wisconsin. The trip included great hikes at White Fish Dunes State Park and the grounds of the Chanticleer Guest House.
Beach at White Fish Dunes

The Hike at White Fish Dunes begins along the beach. The quilt loves this hike because of the variety of eco-systems.
The pine forest

The deciduous forest

Birch trees on the back of the Chanticleer property

Quilt visits Las Vegas and Environs

This past July, the quilt made a trip to Nevada to see Las Vegas and the surrounding area.
The quilt feels welcomed

While it wasn't completely sure whether Vegas was to its liking, the quilt absolutely loved the surrounding area; visiting Red Rock Canyon a couple of times and making it up to the Valley of Fire. Of course, what visit to the area would be complete without a visit to Lake Mead?

The Rock that gives the name

New art visits pre-historic art
Hoover Dam from above (Lake Mead)