Tag Archives: photography

Ecuador — First look at Guayaquil


Guayaquil Malecón Simón Bolívar

Yes, we sometimes travel by land rather than cruise ship. Ursula and I did so in February, 2016, for a comprehensive tour of Ecuador. We flew into Guayaquil, Ecuador, one day before we were to meet up with our tour group, which meant we had an entire day in Guayaquil to explore on our own. So, departing our room at the Hotel Oro Verde, we headed east along Avenue Nueve de Octubre to Malecón Simón Bolívar. It certainly didn’t take long to start finding photo opportunities, less that half a block.

Guayaquil street

Guayaquil art

At 2.7 million people Guayquil is the most populated city in Ecuador. We found the city energetic, colorful, pulsating, and very photogenic.

Guayaquil street

The buildings, both traditional and modern, were a nice visual mix that seldom clashed. And the highly traditional street lights really seemed to tie it all together.

Guayaquil street

Of course the colorful façades didn’t hurt any, either.

Guayaquil street

I found some buildings even deserved multiple photographic treatments from various angles.

Guayaquil street

Our stroll eastward took us directly through Parque Centenario with its beautiful statuary.

Parque Centenario, Guayaquil

It was here, in the park, where we ran across this rather famous gentleman:

007

Beyond the park is the Church of San Francisco.

Church of San Francisco, Guayaquil

From the church we turned north for a couple of blocks before once again heading east, which turned out to be rather fortuitous turn because we came across the Bank of Guayaquil. On the side, above the bank’s entrance, was this beautiful mosaic mural:

Guayaquil mosaic façade

Close-up images reveal the fine detail of this colorful work:

Guayaquil mosaic façade

Guayaquil mosaic façade

Less than ten minutes later we arrived on foot at the Malecón Simón Bolívar and the rotunda commemorating the meeting between Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín at the Guayaquil Conference of 1822.

Simón Bolívar and San Martín

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D-Day — Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial


 

Map of the D-Day Normandy Invasion

The map depicted above overlooks Omaha Beach. Behind that map lies the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

a territorial concession granted by France to the United States, so this ground is fully administered and maintained by the U.S. government.

Some of the 1,557 names of unrecovered or missing U.S. servicemen from D-Day

There are 9,387 graves here, of which 307 contain the remains of unknown persons. All but one of those interred lost their lives during WWII. The exception is a grave from a lone casualty from WWI. Quentin Roosevelt, who was reinterred next to his brother Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

The memorial and reflection pond face east toward the closest point of the United States, between Lubec and Eastport in Maine.

The Memorial faces east toward the U.S.

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D-Day — Omaha


Omaha Beach

On D-Day, the 6th of June, 1944, Omaha Beach was bleak. U.S. V Corps under the direct command of Major General Leonard Gerow would sustain the most casualties by far of any of the five invasion beaches. Between 2,000 and 4,700 U.S. servicemen would lose their lives on the bloody sands of Omaha.

Omaha Beach

Had U.S. forces failed in taking Omaha, the entire invasion would have been a disaster as Utah would have been cut off from Sword, Juno, and Gold. Fortunately, after a long and brutal battle with Army forces caught between the shoreline and the bluffs overlooking the beach, elements of V Corps were able to break through stiff German resistance and rush inland.

Killing bluff overlooking Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach

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