Queen Charlotte, again...

This lady, once again.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Welcome to Charlotte, North Carolina

This statue of Queen Charlotte is outside Charlotte airport. Not sure who she was, but was very impressed with the dynamic pose, and well, statue-esque nature of it. Also, my first taste of Carolina sunshine!

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Random Collections of People

I love how every journey we make, especially on public transport, will pretty much always be a completely unique assemblage of people. That group of people will never be together again. Reminds me to seize every moment. This was some of the unique collection of people on the flight from Philadelphia down to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Welcome to the USA

Many hours later, and my first view of the USA at a rainy Philadelphia airport. Cue Bruce Springsteen "Streets of Philadephia" in my mind. I remember being impressed by the posters of the movies filmed in the city, through one of the connecting areas in the huge airport. I think it could be the biggest airport I've ever been to.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Possibilities

I love departures boards at train stations and airports. So many possibilities. So many stories. So many reasons for travelling. I love pondering reasons why people are on their journies. Work. Holiday. Personal life. All significant for each and every traveller. My flight to Philadelphia was the 10:55 to Philadelphia.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Rebirth Passage, Departing England

Preparing to leave Manchester, England, there's this vast long connecting tunnel from the airport train station to one of the terminals. The piece you see here is just one small segment. The more I ponder on this, for me it was like some kind of rebirth passage to another world, another life. Sometimes simple actions we do are invested with far more significance and symbolism than we realise.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Happy Birthday, Alan Turing

Today would have been Alan Turing's 99th birthday. 10 years ago today, a statue was unveiled of him in Sackville Gardens in Manchester. Who, you may ask, was Alan Turing? He is described as 'Father of Computer Science, Mathematician, Logician, Wartime Codebreaker, Victim of Prejudice'.

An amazingly intelligent man, invaluable in breaking the Enigma Code, original and grounbreaking in his field - and prosecuted for his sexuality, leading to his suicide in 1954. Read lots more about him here on Wikipedia.

Today I went over to his statue in Sackville Gardens in Manchester, and wished him a happy birthday.

Cala St Vincenc Necropolis, Majorca

Our time at Cala St Vincenc was a time of happy surprises. We did not know entirely what to expect by ‘prehistoric caves’ by the road signs, so the sense of discovery was very acute.

Knowing that there was a talaiotic column just on entering the village, we approached the village carefully watching the signs and avoiding the huge groups of cyclists which render slow and attentive driving particularly necessary quite frequently on Mallorca.

The signs directed us to the right, and almost immediately we observed the megalith on the left hand corner of Carrer de Joaquim Sorolla and Carrer Dionis Bennassar. Pulling over on to the left side of the road, and crossing over, we found a very aged and weathered interpretation panel in Spanish, German and English. The text was worn and not entirely legible but the map was invaluable for working what was where.

Some 11 caves form the necropolis. Cave 1 was across the road by some distance and not accessible as far as we could work out. Cave 5 was immediately across and down from caves 6, 7 and 8. What remains of caves 2, 3, and 4 is not given.

Cave 5 is quite disappointing - its cross section revealed by standing on the bank across the road, as there is no roof, so it is an overgrown hole, essentially. For the rest of the caves a torch will be an enormous help.

Caves 6, 7, 8 form a cluster immediately next to each other and are quite delightful to explore. Number 6 is high enough to walk in to and recesses some distance, with a long thin rectangle cut into its centre.

Cave 7 is a squeeze to enter. Muddy hands, knees and shins will be gained! Two small rectangular apertures linked by a small passage give entry to a very long carved out chamber, with a long thin rectangle cut into the centre, and a circular pit about three feet deep at the furthest end. My sun hat fell into the pit, and I had to climb in to retrieve it. I didn’t particularly relish that, but it had to be done. There is a ledge on either side of the cave, and a smaller chamber on either side near the entrance, giving it something of a phallic plan layout. The ceilings were curved too - wondering if that’s related to the boat shaped graves on other built graves on the island?

Cave 8 would have had two apertures as cave 7, except the ceiling above the first aperture and linking passage has been removed. A small chamber midway along on the right and another long thin rectangular depression help define the interior.

The whole area in front of caves 6, 7 and 8 looks like it was once part of the complex, so the entrances to each may well have been longer and several feet more recessed than they are now.

Cave 9 is just a little further around on the left, an exposed passage like cave 8, a long thin rectangular inset, with four smaller chambers - one on the far left, one opposite the entrance at the far end, and two on the right hand side at the end furthest from the entrance.

Cave 10 is a more typical cave shape, a wide walk in entrance, and looked like it may have been used for habitation long after any use for burials.

Cave 11 is the furthest on the left from the megalithic monument, and is a smaller version of cave 10 - a walk entrance and not much (obvious) detail to look at.

Photos and content copyright Tim Prevett.