Loose_Grip/Pete's photos

Saqsaywaman/Sacsayhuamán was an Inca fortress complex & the historic capital of the Inca Empire. The site is at an altitude of 3,701 m (12,142 ft). The complex was built by the Incas in the 15th century. Dry stone walls constructed of massive stones were erected on the site, with the workers carefully cutting the boulders to fit them together tightly without mortar. The figures on the extreme left give an idea of scale. The Spaniards used Sacsayhuamán as a source of stones for building Spanish Cuzco; within a few years, they had taken apart and demolished much of the complex. The site was destroyed block by block to salvage materials with which to build the new Spanish governmental and religious buildings of the colonial city, as well as the houses of the wealthiest Spaniards. HI (Inca) WW to everyone!

What a sky! The Penyal d'Ifac bathed in the sunset light. It was known as the Northern Rock to the Phoenicians, the Southern Rock was Gibraltar.

No doubt the beach at Villa Joyosa is busy in the summer but on a warm sunny winter’s day it is a very pleasant place for a stroll (with a dog or not!). HBM to everyone. Enjoy the day.

It's the sheer scale of it really but if steam engines still ran on the metre gauge Alicante - Dénia Line there is no doubt that they would be working so hard that the exhaust would make a train passing through the Garganta de Gata gorge much more obvious! The gorge cuts through a line of mountains made up of Cretaceous limestone which is very actively being quarried. Sadly all the crushed rock is transported out by road. A FGV Stadler dual-traction tram-train is seen about to enter the third tunnel in this section on its way to Dénia. The line opened in 1911 and has been upgraded over the last decade reopening throughout in 2023. The Mediterranean Sea and the mountains behind Valencia city are just visible in the far distance. The fence is in there. It may take some finding but so does the train-tram!! HFF to everyone. Enjoy the weekend.

The two cannons by the old town wall of Calpe as seen from the foot of Carrer del Rector Penalva. HWW. Enjoy the mid-week.

Early in 2023 Tram-trains finally ran all the way from Alicante to Denia on FGV's (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana) metre gauge line without any bustitution & here is the proof. We have just arrived in Denia terminus on Stadler unit 5004 Ifach from Calpe. But it's not all about trams! HBM to everyone. Enjoy the day!

The early morning view from Norway House at 2501 Vallejo, San Francisco. The Fort Mason Center with the red roofs is on the bay front to the right & Alcatraz is the island in the bay. The main hill left is Angel Island State Park. We were staying at the Norwegian Sailor's Mission although we were not Norwegian or sailors! In fact it was very reasonably priced & open to anyone but this was not generally known. It had been recommended by our neighbour in New Orleans who was a retired Norwegian-American sailor.

Located 39km west of Agra the city of Fatipur Sikri was founded as the capital of the Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar but only served in this role from 1571 to 1585, when Akbar abandoned it due to a campaign in Punjab. Given its condition today it seems incredible that it was completely abandoned in 1610. We rented a car and driver in Agra and drove out here for the day. Presumably it can get busy but on this day we were the only tourists in the whole complex! A very atmospheric place. It was overcast but it was very hot! Happy Stone Fence Friday! Enjoy the weekend.

Textures in a chevron slate wall. HWW to everyone. Enjoy the mid-week.