Travels in Lisbon – Day 3

Wednesday 28th March 2010

Today we decided to see some of the country near Lisbon and took a short tour out of the city.  We started at Sintra where we visited the Palacio Nacional de Sintra, a summer pleasure palace built during the 14^th and 15^th centuries by Dom Jaob and his successor, Dom Manuel. Then we headed up the hill to the Castelo da Pena, a 19^th Centuary summer royal residence famous for its glazed tiles and  fairy tale towers.  From there we continued on to the Cabo da Roca which marks Europe’s most western end.  Then we went along the cost to the Boca do Inferno with its striking waves and the small town of Cascais and its harbour.

The Palacio Nacional de Sintra

The Castelo da Pena

Cabo da Roca

Boca do Inferno

Cascais

Valentine’s Day – and ideal opportunity for book promotion.

There are a number of times throughout the year which provide opportunities for book promotion and Valentine’s day is one such occasion.  Although this might be considered the domain of the specialist romance writer most stories have a romantic component to them which can be exploited.  Jack Lindsey’s short story, “Returning Love”, fits snugly into the genera of romantic fiction, this and the humorous element that runs through all his narratives may prompt the reader to seek them out.  The story itself is taken from the collection, “Crime and Passion”, and makes an ideal audio book which is available until 14 February 2012 as a free download from http//:peatmore.com.

 

Travels in Sri Lanka – Day 3

25^th September 2010

I was unable to connect to the Internet at the Topaz Hotel so will try again at our next stop.  This morning we toured the Botanical Gardens in Kandy which are well set out and well worth a look.

In the evening we saw some Sri Lankan dancing performed by the Kandy Dancers.  This was followed by fire eating, and hot coal walking.

Then we visited the Temple of the Tooth where the sacred tooth of the Buddha is kept.

Travels in Sri Lanka – Day 2

24^th September 2010

Left Colombo and headed for Kandy.  On the way we stopped at the Pinnawela Elephant Sanctuary to see the bathing and feeding of the baby elephants.  The santary was established in 1975 to protect young wild elephants either lost or abandoned and is set in 25 acres of lush forest.

We then visited a Spice Farm before continuing to Kandy to check into a hilltop inn called the Topaz Hotel

Travels in India – Day 2

The whole day was taken up by a coach tour of both Old and New Delhi.  There was no sign of the monsoon rain we were warned about last week.  Instead it was hot and sunny.  Road traffic was dense and noisy because of drivers’ incessant use of the horn.  There was remarkably little pollution due to extensive use of gas cylinder powered vehicles.  The town was clear bright and vibrant.

Old Delhi is particularly lively with street vendors boiling up food to sell to passersby.

Site seeing began with a visit to the Jami Masjid, the largest Mosque in India built by Shah Jahan, the Gandi; Memorial Park where the body of Mahatma was cremated; Humayan’s Tomb, the inspiration for The Taj Mahal and the Qtub Minar, built to announce the advent of the Islam Muslims.

Digital World

Books, cameras, music, watches, TV, radio, audio have all been revolutionised by digital technology.  Reel to reel tape recorders, 35mm cameras, pen and paper still exist and are used less but will never die.  Their legacy has been passed on to the digital age.  Book publishing, recorded music, radio and TV were once the domain of the professional or the serious amateur enthusiast but not anymore.

The analogue recording/film studio may be a thing of the past.  Photography meant taking time to get the exposure right followed by many hours amongst chemical solutions, tanks and trays in a dark room.  Not anymore.  The new technology makes it is so much easier for anyone to produce work of expert quality.  The artist is freed from having to translate his or work for the technical specialist and can take direct control.