Okay, so here's a post of a different kind.....
Some time ago, my sister introduced me to the website showmystreet.com. I forgot about it, then looked it up again last night when I needed to give someone directions, and wanted a screen-shot of a location. Since my last visit to the website, I see that there have been some upgrades. Consequently, I think one website will change my evenings for the next while! Television is no longer interesting. I am hooked on geography.
If you go to the website showmystreet.com, you'll see that it's much like Google Earth, except web-based, which seems to be faster on my laptop. I also prefer the interface. So, why, you might rightly ask, am I spending my evenings hooked on a website? Well, it's simple, really... it's virtual travel!! It's not just looking at things from an aerial view. It's a full virtual tour of some places.
This evening I decided to tour the Vatican City. I recommend this trip! (Of course, I would much rather visit in person, but as my finances and schedule are at odds with my travel desires, this way will have to do). I started off at the very top of the Cathedral, and got to move down, scanning the gorgeously ornate artwork from bygone eras. There were "other" tourists everywhere! I stretched my Latin comprehension to try to read the inscriptions on the walls. I recall some words, but can't really piece the meanings together. I guess that's what happens when one does not revisit one's undergrad studies for a decade. (Goodness - it really HAS been a decade since I took Latin!) I don't know if I've ever really marvelled at a ceiling before. In Las Vegas, I certainly took note of the ceilings, but by contrast, those were just huge, whereas these are majestic, somehow. I'm in awe, really. Of course I have seen arched windows and domed buildings before, but this is something else! I have read descriptions and watched video clips before, but somehow, this virtual tour beats all of those, as I'm looking at things on my terms. There's something empowering about that, I think.
I "walked" up a flight of stairs, and looked down on the city. I admire how they have used every piece of their building lots. (I think the word is "admire." Perhaps I am appalled, really, that they have left no garden, not even a strip of lawn in the front. That gives me a hint at the cost of real estate, I suppose.)
I think this evening marks the first of many virtual adventures!
Where shall I go tomorrow? Brunei? Paris? Aruba? Oh the opportunities abound!! The best part of all is that I can revisit my favourite places time after time. I would much rather visit these places properly, and actually walk up the stairs, board the ferries, and hike up the mountains. But until I get to go in person, my bank account remains in-tact; my passport remains in a safe; body clock remains on Pacific Time....
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