DESKTOP 2497 - PASTORAL

People who follow this blog know that I like taking photos from the plane when I travel. Here is another such photo from archives, taken while approaching Melbourne. The tracts of fertile farmland have been blessed by a few years of good rains. I am sure that all who love to travel have missed such experiences now that we are locked down due to COVID 19!

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Blue Monday meme,
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and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

DESKTOP 2218 - HOT AIR BALLOON

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DESKTOP 2096 - WINDOW SEAT

When flying, I always like choosing a window seat, as I enjoy the view and it gives me the opportunity to take photos like this one, which I took when flying out of Melbourne.

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DESKTOP 1987 - AIRPLANE

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and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

DESKTOP 1841 - FLIGHT

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and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme.

DESKTOP 1596 - SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

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and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
 and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
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DESKTOP 1550 - AIRPLANE

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme.

DESKTOP 1106 - CAIRO, EGYPT

Cairo (Arabic: القاهرة‎‎, al-Qāhirah) is the capital and largest city of Egypt. The city's metropolitan area is the largest in the Middle East and the Arab world, and 15th-largest in the world, and is associated with ancient Egypt, as the famous Giza pyramid complex and the ancient city of Memphis are located in its geographical area. Located near the Nile Delta, modern Cairo was founded in 969 CE by Jawhar al-Siqilli ("the Sicilian") of the Fatimid dynasty, but the land composing the present-day city was the site of ancient national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo.

Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life, and is nicknamed "the city of a thousand minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture. Egyptians today often refer to Cairo as Maṣr ([mɑsˤɾ], مصر), the Egyptian Arabic pronunciation of the name for Egypt itself, emphasising the city's continued role in Egyptian influence. Its official name is القاهرة al-Qāhirah , means literally: "the Defeater", in reference to the fact that the planet Mars ("Al Najm Al Tahir") was rising at the time when the city was founded as well as, "the Vanquisher"; "the Conqueror"; Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [elqɑ(ː)ˈheɾɑ], "the Defeater" or, " "the Victorious" (al-Qahira) in reference to the much awaited Caliph al-Mu'izz li Din Allah who arrived from the old Fatimid Ifriqiyan capital of Mahdia in 973 to the city.

Cairo has the oldest and largest film and music industries in the Arab world, as well as the world's second-oldest institution of higher learning, al-Azhar University. Many international media, businesses, and organizations have regional headquarters in the city; the Arab League has had its headquarters in Cairo for most of its existence. With a population of 6.76 million spread over 453 square kilometers, Cairo is by far the largest city in Egypt. An additional 10 million inhabitants live just outside the city. Cairo, like many other mega-cities, suffers from high levels of pollution and traffic. Cairo's metro, one of only two metros on the African continent (the other is in Algiers), ranks among the fifteen busiest in the world, with over 1 billion annual passenger rides. The economy of Cairo was ranked first in the Middle East in 2005, and 43rd globally by Foreign Policy's 2010 Global Cities Index.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Travel Tuesday meme,
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DESKTOP 993 - UP IN THE AIR

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DESKTOP 973 - CAPPADOCIA

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DESKTOP 633 - CONTRAIL

Contrails are clouds formed when water vapor condenses and freezes around small particles (aerosols) that exist in aircraft exhaust. Some of that water vapor comes from the air around the plane; and, some is added by the exhaust of the aircraft. The exhaust of an aircraft contains both gas (vapor) and solid particles. Both of these are important in the formation of contrails. Some elements of the exhaust gasses are not involved in contrail formation but do constitute air pollution. Emissions include carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons such as methane, sulfates (SOx), and soot and metal particles.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Weekly TopShot meme.

DESKTOP 574 - GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA

Gold Coast is a coastal city in southeastern Queensland on the east coast of Australia. The city is 94 kilometres south of the state capital Brisbane. It is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and the most populous non-capital city in Australia.
 
Gold Coast has the largest cross-state metropolitan area population in Australia, due to the inclusion of Tweed Heads, New South Wales in its metropolitan area. Gold Coast's metropolitan area converges with that of Greater Brisbane, forming part of an urban conurbation of over 3 million people.
 
The first settlement in what is now South East Queensland was as a penal colony at Redcliffe. The Gold Coast region remained largely uninhabited by Europeans until 1823 when explorer John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach. The hinterland's red cedar supply attracted people to the area in the mid-19th century. Later in 1875, Southport was surveyed and established and grew a reputation as a secluded holiday destination for upper class Brisbane residents.
 
The Gold Coast region grew significantly after the establishment of the Surfers Paradise hotel in the late 1920s. The area boomed in the 1980s as a leading tourist destination and in 1994, the Gold Coast City local government area was expanded to encompass the majority of Gold Coast's metropolitan area, becoming the second most populous local government area in Australia after the City of Brisbane.
 
Gold Coast is today a major tourist destination with its sunny subtropical climate, surfing beaches, canal and waterway systems, its high-rise dominated skyline, theme parks, nightlife, and rainforest hinterland, making tourism one of its most significant industries. Gold Coast will host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

This post is part of the Waterworld Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
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and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,