Category Archives: landscape

Even without the elaborate tomb and temple architecture carved into the walls of the sandstone canyons, this mountainous desert terrain – high above sea level – is magnificent. Adding in the majestic artifacts created over two thousand years ago renders the landscape truly awe-inspiring! A few hours north of Wadi Rum (see: A Morning in […]

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As we parked our car and followed the stone and concrete walkway into Wadi Bani Khalid, I had Maria Muldaur’s Midnight at the Oasis dancing through my head. Walking towards the green date palms after two days in the magical Sharqiya Sands Desert (see: Sand Songs and Desert Dreams and Life in the Desert), it […]

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When I was a child, one of my favourite Christmas activities was to get into the car at night, wrapped up in blankets against the cold, and drive out to the more affluent suburbs and gaze in wonder at the elaborate displays of festive lights. These lights were especially magical against the winter snows. It […]

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You could say that the Norwegians invented fjords. Their country is certainly home to some magnificent UNESCO-listed examples, and it is they who originated the word. A rough line around Norway’s sea borders (the coastal perimeter) adds up to about 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi). But, if you measure what is called the ‘low-resolution coastline’ which […]

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Lawrence of Arabia screened on free-to air television here in Australia on Easter Saturday. It seemed an odd choice for the Easter weekend, but nothing is ‘normal’ this year. I’d forgotten what a long movie it is (four and a half hours with ad breaks!) but with the Covid-19 lock-down, it’s not as if I […]

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