After finishing off my first year of architecture school, I have begun my first adventure to the other side of the world...
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Wellington to London |
I sat next to a couple and their six month old baby on the plane from Wellington to Auckland, and they wished me luck on my 27 hour journey. I honestly had no idea what to expect. Once in Auckland, as I waited to board, I joined the few people who were stretching and walking - as if preparing for some athletic event. I think we should all have had matching tracksuits...
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The stars above Auckland |
Our plane roared into the night, and the clear stars engulfed us. Looking out my window they were all I could see, and it was easy to imagine my first step was into space.
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LAX |
12 hours later, the clouds dispersed to reveal the smog of Los Angeles, spread out like a computer chip.
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Mars |
But after a short stop, where the United States government took my fingerprints and photograph forever, and I took a copy of "USA Today," we flew east and north, across the Rocky Mountains, which could well have been the surface of Mars, and into my second sunset. A complete diurnal cycle flying west to east is only 15 hours, so even though my flight was a little over a day (or just under half if you adjust for time zone changes), it sometimes felt like two.
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Second sunset |
I tried to sleep but I was too uncomfortable. Opening the window over Canada, I peered out into the night, trying to see which stars I could see. And I for the first time in my life I saw Orion the same way the ancients who named it saw it... not in a plane 35,000 feet in the air travelling at 900km/h... but the right way up! (except for that time when I stood on my head)
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Orion |
(Although the 'pot' is now upside down). After taking a long exposure photograph, I noticed strange green light - which seemed to be glowing from the high clouds. But as I watched them, the clouds would change slowly, like a diluting fluid. This confirmed to me that this was the Aurora Borealis, my first Aurora.
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Second sunrise |
Finally, The sun rose for the second time over the Atlantic Ocean. Clouds covered most of Great Britain and Ireland, but London shone through on a beautiful Friday day.
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The river |
For a city twice the population of Los Angeles, London to my eyes was the more beautiful. I was able to pick out some of the famous sights that I had only ever read about or seen in images, or heard in media, like the Royal Albert Hall where I had listened to the 2011 BBC Proms concerts on Radio New Zealand Concert.
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Thames |
I was very glad to be met at the airport by Ed, who was able to put us on a train bound for Leamington Spa, to see my sister, and start the next part of our adventure.
beautiful pictures and i like a few of your sentences too. enjoy !
ReplyDeletegreat journal. look forward to reading more. hi to fran and jeremy
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful trip!
Tony