Nefertiti, the bust: 2001

Impressed by Egypt in 1996 we had to see the world famous bust of queen Nefertiti in the Egyptian Museum during our visit to Berlin.

"And the heiress, great in the palace, fair of face, adorned with the double plumes, mistress of happiness, endowed with favours, at hearing whose voice the king rejoices, the chief wife of the king, his beloved, the lady of the two lands, Nefertiti, may she live for ever and always."

Inscription on a stelae of Queen Nefertiti's husband Pharaoh Akhenaten.

Rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center: 2000

10 November 2000, 12:14 PM. Boeing Delta 2 rocket 7925 lifts off from pad 17A and roars to space. The sight, the sound: a once-in-a-lifetime experience from the pier in Jetty Park!

Alligator, the trademark of the Everglades: 2000

An alligator in Florida's Everglades National Park basking in the sun, keeping an eye open for it's next big catch .....

This photo was published in the Time To Travel Agenda 2005.

Petra, a rose-red city half as old as time: 1999

The lost city of Petra remained unknown to the western world until 1812, when it was rediscovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. In 1839 David Robert captured this beautiful ancient city in his sketches as Burckhardt discovered it.

The Siq

At the end of the Siq stands Al Khazneh, the Treasury, Petra's most elaborate ruin.

The Treasury

The Treasury was used as the entrance to the temple housing the Holy Grail in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

 

Amazing coloured rock

The Monastery, El Deir, Petra's largest monument.

The Monastery, sketched by David Roberts (1839).

"... a rose-red city half as old as time."

John William Burgon on Petra (1845)

Amman, urban monotony: 1999

Monotonous buildings on the 7 hills of Amman, the modern and ancient capital of Jordan.

This photo was published on the cover of Artists in Town, a brochure of the European Commision on a cultural exchange project.

Bryce Canyon, hoodoos at sunset: 1998

The hoodoos, amazing pillars of rock, in Bryce Canyon are formed as a result of erosion by ice. The view from the rim, over one of the most impressive landscapes on Earth, is breathtaking. No wonder we came back after our first visit in 1995 en probably will return here in the future!

"It's a hell of a place to lose a cow"

Ebenezer Bryce - immigrant on Bryce Canyon (1875)

Grand Canyon, walking into the Earth’s heart: 1998

Amazed by the view from the South Rim over the Grand Canyon we knew in 1995 that we had to return to this wonder of nature. Overlooking a canyon bigger than our home country, the Netherlands, we realized that the only way to fully comprehend the greatness of the Grand Canyon was to descend 1.6 kilometre down to the Colorado River. This spring we obtained the necessary permit for a two day hike and one night at the Bright Angel Campground at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

We descend down the steep and dusty switchbacks of the famous South Kaibab Trail into the canyon.

South Kaibab Trail

South Kaibab Trail

Colorado River and the Kaibab Suspension Bridge

















Kaibab Suspension Bridge

At the bottom of the Grand Canyon wee cross the Colorado River by the Kaibab Suspension Bridge and reach the Bright Angel Campground.

Colorado River and the Bright Angel Campground

 

Avoiding mule trains we climb back to the rim using the Bright Angel Trail.  

Bright Angel Trail

Looking back from the South Rim into the Grand Canyon just one thought comes to mind: we did it all, we did the whole thing!

"The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American, if he can travel at all, must see."

Theodore Roosevelt - US President on Grand Canyon