Scenic Sunday - Tis the season

For Scenic Sunday, I'm sharing a series of Christmas photos from my recent vacation in Singapore. Since Christmas is just a few weeks away, decorations have already been put up in hotels, stores and shopping malls. The festive mood is just contagious and I could already feel the Christmas spirit in the air. They also had Christmas music playing everywhere!

Here are some shots of my early Christmas experience in VivoCity.


Looking along the main gallery, there are strings of Christmas lights lit up all along the glass railings. I think the green tiled roof adds greatly to the lovely decoration.


Lots of stalls selling a wide array of Christmas goodies but I did not buy anything! I only look and take photos. :)



Along the way we were greeted by a delightful Christmas tree dressed in glittering ribbons and shiny baubles.



Adorable puppies grinning happily enjoying the occasion. I would gladly love to have them decorating my home.



Vibrant colours of poinsettia and shiny ornaments vying for attention



Cheery baubles waving from the distance welcoming everyone.



And here is VivoCity’s iconic 105 feet tall Christmas tree festively decorated with twinkling lights bringing pure joy of the season.

I just love this time of year. And to be with family and friends made it even more memorable and joyful.

The Underground city of Derinkuyu, Turkey

The Underground city of Derinkuyu was one of our stops before arriving in Ihlara Valley. Being the largest excavated underground city in Turkey, the early Christians used this city to escape from persecution from the Roman Empire and later from the Arabs.



Derinkuyu is 11 stories deep though many floors have not been excavated. It has several tunnels connecting it to other underground cities, and large enough to accommodate between 35,000- 50,000 people together with their livestock and food stores. I find it so hard to imagine that large numbers of people could live in these narrow passageways for such long periods.



This is one of the many passageways in which we venture with the charred ceilings in view. As you descend towards the depths of the city, you come across many different rooms such as kitchens, chapels, living quarters, bedrooms, eating areas, churches and even wineries. The whole trip takes around 2 hours.



Taking sharp pictures are quite difficult as the only sources of light are the light bulbs they placed along the wall. I was glad I was able to get a few good shots in low light conditions.



The city is full of incredibly small hallways and requires a lot of crouching and crawling over. If you are claustrophobic, I strongly don't recommend going down there as you are climbing underground through sometimes small and tight spaces.




Aside from that, some of the tunnels are often narrow with very low ceilings and quite dark and eerie at times. It works pretty well for me but I have avoided the deepest levels and the narrowest spaces.



I find it amazing that there are huge ventilation shafts which works incredibly well. The ventilation shaft plunges 80 meters into the earth with access points on all levels to keep the fresh air circulating.



Just a word of caution. It is an enormous underground structure so it is easy to get totally lost and confused, although there are arrows pointing towards different directions. Trust me, you do not want to lose sight of your guide.



It's truly remarkable that people during its heyday were able to build such structures so reliably that they never collapsed and that the ventilation systems were so wonderful that they still work today. The air seemed refreshing cool the entire time we were underground.

Flowers in My World

My little corner of the world is aglow with colour as thousands of bougainvillea grow in abundance and bloom to their fullest throughout my neighbourhood. They have become popular choices for roadside beautification efforts too. The colours are so vibrant and eye-catching and I just had to pull over to take some photos. I hope you enjoy these flowers as much as I do!

Scenic Sunday - Up, close and personal with Venice (Part 1)

The Grand Canal in Venice has gotta be one of the most beautiful stretches of water I've seen anywhere in the world, packed with scenic views, quaint streets and not to mention, the magnificent canals. There are no automobiles and the only modes of transportations are either on foot or taking a gondola, vaporetto or traghetti through the canals.

Our waterbus or Vaporetto journey began from Santa Lucia station cruising towards Venice waterways and canals. Everything I see here is absolutely unique, charming and it's great to get a taste of the architectural wonders of the city, feel the atmosphere and also discover the hidden corners on foot. We didn’t mind getting lost in the streets by walking around because there was always something fascinating to see in every nook and corner of the waterways.

Some people might think a trip to Venice is incomplete without a ride in one of the city's gondolas but seriously, I'm not one of them, and I might be in the minority here. The gondola ride is overpriced for a short trip and not worth the money. Nevertheless, if you insist on having a gondola ride through the Venetian canals, then by all means go for it. :)

In the meantime, hope you enjoy these pictures.


view of the docked gondolas with San Giorgio Maggiore Island from St. Mark's Campanile in the background


A vaporetto, the Venetian water bus or public ferry, arriving on the Grand Canal


The famous Rialto Bridge seen from a waterbus


A traghetto ferries passengers across the Grand Canal.



sunset over the Bell tower (Campanile) of St. Mark's square


While the sun slowly sink beneath the horizon, these lovely hues of colours awesomely lit up the beautiful sky and reflected upon the surroundings.


The sights of hidden passageways, clusters of tightly packed buildings in the evenings


Venice waterfront facing the lagoon

There are rumours that Venice is gradually sinking into the sea. I don't know how true this is, but if the city is really sinking, be sure to get there before Venice sinks completely out of sight.

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Scenic Sunday - Acropolis of Athens

For years it had been my dream to visit the Acropolis of Athens and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit Greece. It was a beautiful spring day with clear blue sky but it was pretty humid for a walk around the ancient sites. Despite the warm sunny weather, it truly was amazing to see how well preserved these sites were and we got several nice captures over Acropolis.

Here are some of my favourite shots of different scenes from the historical Acropolis, in Athens.


The Propylea is the Gateway that serves as the entrance to the Acropolis. Walking along the paths can be difficult as they were rocky, slippery marble so watch your step.


As we walked through the entrance, we couldn't help but be awestruck by the glorious sight of the Parthenon. The temple dedicated to the Athena appears to glow in all its glory. I can understand why tourists are mingling busily around the sites, waiting patiently for their place in the photo with the Parthenon.



This is another classic view of the Parthenon. It is what most people would envision when thinking of Athens. It is a sight to behold, even when part of the structures are seen through restoration scaffolding.


There are few other structures up on the Acropolis as well. One of these is the
Erechtheum, the most important monument of the Ionic style and this temple was devoted to the worship of Athena and Poseidon, as well as Erichthonius.


The first thing that impressed me of Erechtheum is the famous Porch of the Caryatids, where six female figures supporting the weight of the porch roof. Today's statues are replicas though. Not all of the sculptures from the Acropolis remains in Athens. As far as I know, four of the original ones are in the Acropolis Museum, one is in storage and one is in the British Museum in London.



In a near distance, you will see the Odeon of Herodes Atticus at the south slope of Acropolis. During ancient times, the theater was used as a venue for various performances and music concerts with a capacity of 5,000 people.


One of the best things about the Acropolis is not just about the monuments. It also has the best views of the city and as can be seen here, Lycabettus Hill is the highest point in Athens.


and here is another magnificent view over Athens from the top

If you should visit Athens, Acropolis is definitely worth a visit. Pictures alone cannot do justice to this amazing feat of architecture and history.

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