Two weekends ago, I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia for a few days. Although it was cold and rainy during the last day of our trip, that didn’t stop us from enjoying the beautiful foliage outside.
Tag Archives: Outside
Snapshot Challenge Saturday
Sometimes the most beautiful sights can be seen right outside our windows.
Day 2 In Bogotá Colombia Continued: Monserrate
After learning to play Tejo and enjoying a local lunch, it was time for us to continue our tour with a visit to Monserrate. Monserrate is a mountain located in the center of Bogotá, which is more than 10,000 feet above sea level. In order to get to the top of the mountain, one can walk, take a funicular train, or a cable car. We took the cable car, since it was the fastest and easiest means of transportation.
Upon arriving to the top of the mountain, we came across a type of plant called the angel trumpet bird which hummingbirds are attracted to, and which are unfortunately used by many to make date rape drugs.
At the top of Monserrate, there is a church which contains the Lady of Monserrat (Matron Saint of Monserrat), a replica of what can be found in Catalunya, near Barcelona. This replica has been around since 1630, and was fixed over in the eighteenth century. The mountain was named Monserrate due to this famous image being held here. This was supposed to be the main focal point to see (besides the view of course) here on Monserrate, but now, it is most famous for its statue of Jesus Christ being taken off the cross named “El Señor Caído,” (fallen Lord).
In 1656, the statue of Jesus, which is pictured below was brought to Monserrate. The hair on the statue is actual human hair, and if you’re wondering whose hair it is, I had the same question, but was not able to get a definitive answer.
The rest of the church was completed in 1925 and is a beautiful place of worship, not only for the incredible artifacts inside, but for the breathtaking view outside as well. As we walked around Monserrate, we spent a few minutes adjusting to the high altitude level by drinking coca tea. As a snack, hormigas culonas were passed around for us to sample, which translates to “Big ass ants.” Hormigas culonas have their name because the rear end of the ants are much larger in size. Only the queen ants are eaten, since the others are not considered edible. Often times, the wings and legs are removed, as the ants are soaked in salty water and roasted as a delicacy. I couldn’t bring myself to indulge in the ant eating, but both my brother and sister did, and watching them eat it was still quite the experience.
Angel Trumpet Bird
View from Monserrate
View from Monserrate
View from Monserrate
View from Monserrate
View from Monserrate
Church at Monserrate
Matron Saint of Monserrat
El Señor Caído
Church at Monserrate
Coca Tea
Enjoying Coca Tea
Walking Around Monserrate
Walking Around Monserrate
Walking Around Monserrate
Walking Around Monserrate
Church at Monserrate
View from Monserrate
View from Monserrate
View from Monserrate
View from Monserrate
View from Monserrate Cable Car
Fernicular Train at Monserrate
Snapshot Challenge Saturday
There is nothing quite like stepping outside and enjoying a truly beautiful day.
Snapshot Challenge Saturday
This past week, my family and I went to dinner at a local seafood restaurant. When we took our seats at an outside table by the water, we were fortunate enough to have come across this beautiful view.
Snapshot Challenge Saturday
The concept for this week’s Snapshot Challenge is simple: Make time to go outside and enjoy your surroundings. There is beauty to be found everywhere, but if we don’t make time to seek it out, such moments will merely continue to pass us by.
My 2015 Blogging Challenge and Goal for the Year
With the New Year having just begun, I wanted to set some kind of blogging challenge/goal for myself for this next year. A popular challenge that I’ve noticed is to post a picture a day but seeing as I’m just rebooting my blog, I want to make sure to set a realistic goal for myself. Since the weekends are meant to be a time to relax and refresh, I’ve decided to post a picture each weekend as a constant reminder of the beauty in our surrounding environment.
In today’s society, it’s easy to get caught up in technology and social media, and unfortunately we focus so much of our time and energy on our cell phones and computers that we tend to forget what is around us and truly take advantage of it. So my blogging challenge for 2015 also happens to be a goal of mine for this next year. The goal is to enjoy all that is around me, with hopes of putting aside my technological distractions and living in the present moment.
With that being said, this first picture I’d like to share with you is from a trip to North Carolina that I took last spring. When I put my social media craze on hold and decided to go for a walk outside, I came across this beautiful sunset. Enjoy your Saturday!
North Carolina Spring 2014
hurdlestohappiness 