Tag Archives: Walking

Walking the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco; A Photoessay

August 23, 2017 Lakshmi Leave a comment

She is an undisputed beauty, one that has been a constant presence in welcoming me with her outstretched arms from up in the air and down on land, during my many visits to San Francisco. So, it was just a matter of time before I showed my respect and gratitude by arriving at her doorstep.

With family ensconsed in the area and more frequent visits, it was time to propel this iconic visit to the top of my bucket list. So on a beautiful August morning, armed with just the right amount of Golden Gate Bridge tips, we ubered it over to the South End of the bridge.

She is a beauty up close for sure. Yes, all those jaw dropping pictures of her, omnipresent across social media are real! And she is indeed proof of being one of those perfect places where the marvels of engineering meet the gifts of nature.

The books and websites caution you to keep aside several hours to traverse her length and to turn back halfway if you don’t have enough time. My personal take? Please don’t turn around. Please take the time to walk the entire length of the Golden Gate bridge. As you can see from the pictures below, this is “THE” way in which you can marvel at the wonder and beauty created by the juxtaposition of one of the most beautiful man-made objects set against the jaw dropping beauty of the city of San Francisco. There are some beautiful pictures to capture here, but if you are not carrying a spare battery for your phone, you may want to space your picture-taking along the walk.

We took our time, pausing to admire the views, staring intently at the power of the cables holding the bridge and of course soaking in the conversations and energy from families, intense joggers and laid back bikers sharing our walk. It was a beautiful experience, almost surreal, and I hope I was able to transmit the feelings of contentment and gratitude to the icon who has been a constant on my visits to the area.

We’d love to hear about your most memorable bridge crossings on foot, bike and beyond!

TRAVEL

Climbing Skirrid Fawr in Abergavenny – A photo essay on the beauty that greets you

February 8, 2016 Lakshmi Leave a comment

By Lakshmi:

On my last birthday, I wanted to hike up the other mountain that we saw every time we walked about town in Abergavenny – Skirrid Fawr. According to legend, part of the mountain is said to have been broken off at the moment of the crucifixion of Jesus. So, early on my birthday, armed with a couple of water bottles, we parked our car at the bottom of the mountain and began our climb. There were just a handful of cars in the parking lot and throughout our hike, we just saw a few hikers ascending or descending the summit.

The hike is neither easy nor difficult. But there are definitely a lot of steep inclines and steps along the way. So, be prepared to take your time and rest up along the way if you need to. We simply followed the signs to the top. The information from National Trust on How to climb Skirrid Fawr provides a good how-to as well.

And here is a photo essay of our climb!

TRAVEL

Kicking Off A Summer Break In Pembroke, Wales – Enroute to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland

July 27, 2014 Lakshmi Leave a comment

By Lakshmi:

A few months back, my husband excitedly passed on a suggestion from a colleague – Why don’t you consider taking a ferry from Pembroke to Ireland? As we mentioned about a year ago, we fell in love with the Pembrokeshire coast. https://aglobalaffair.com/2013/07/29/the-ny-times-a-physician-and-christian-bale-all-point-to-pembrokeshire-wales/

An excuse to return and take a journey from there required no convincing. Soon, our plans were laid. It would entail

Driving from our home in Abergavenny to Pembroke
Visiting St. Davids Head and spending the night
Taking a Ferry from Pembroke to Ireland
Spending time in Dublin
Spending time in Belfast
Taking a ferry from Belfast to Scotland
Spending time in Edinburgh
Driving home to Abergavenny from Edinburgh

This time, we were excited to be able to spend a night in Pembrokeshire and picked “One of ten hotels with the world’s best views” – Warpool Court Hotel http://www.warpoolcourthotel.com/. This was one of those rare promises which was even better in person. As we approached the private driveway and walked across the on site restaurant, we were immediately met with the most beautifully landscaped gardens with a spectacular view of the sea. Our room located on the top floor faced the garden and had the charm of a beautiful bed and breakfast. With a car show in town, we spent time gazing lovingly at the many vintage cars that dotted the driveway.

We spent our day walking through town, pausing at many a small shop, eating a bite at local places and of course doing one of our absolute favorite walks on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path – from Whitesands Beach to St. David’s head.