Shamrock Sugar Cookies

Since I've gotten increasingly into baking, and expanded the pool of mouths to feed, I've discovered I find it a lot of fun to make seasonal treats as various holidays roll around.  I have to admit that very often holidays creep up on me, and my best intentions of decorating or doing something special fall by the wayside, but I can always at least make a quick dessert. 

So, belated St. Patrick's Day wishes to all!  Inspired by this beautiful example from Cupcakes and Cashmere, I did make these on Saturday, St. Patrick's Day proper, which I felt was enough to ensure a lucky day.  :)  

Oman Part 3 - Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

I am happy to be back to blogging after entirely too long a break.  I have a lot of pictures to catch up on from various travels and events!

As I go through pictures and reflect on what I'm learning, I've also realized I let myself become much too reliant on my camera's automatic functions.  In some ways, I think it's a testament to the quality of my entry-level DSLR that even on fully automatic settings, it takes some very pretty pictures and lets the novice photographer focus on things like framing and composition before tackling manual adjustments to shutter speed, aperture, and the like.  At the same time, one of the reasons I invested in a DSLR in the first place was to learn more about and have more control over these exact qualities, so I'm determined to work more at understanding and making full use of the camera's manual capabilities.

This set of pictures highlights the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, which is the third largest mosque in the world, and truly impressive.  The powers-that-be clearly recognize the site's potential as a tourist attraction and have left it open to visitors most mornings until 11:00 am, as long as you are appropriately dressed -- long sleeves, pants or a long skirt, and head coverings for the ladies.

[A view in the gardens surrounding the mosque complex.]

[Outside the main mosque are a series of beautiful plazas, hallways, and ablution chambers, where worshippers can wash their feet.  These areas were filled with small, beautiful details, including these intricate wooden ceilings.]

[A hallway outside the main mosque.]

[Gleaming marble plaza as you approach one side of the mosque.]

[Deep sea blue colored stained glass windows decorate the side of the main mosque, and on a sunny cloudless day mimic the sky exactly.]

[An archway marking part of the main entrance, where visitors are asked to remove their shoes before walking inside.]

[The inside of the great dome, with a massive chandelier hanging inside.  I wish I could go back as a more skilled photographer and find a way to capture the scale here - it was incredible.]

[One small section of the mosque floor, which boasts the largest contiguous Persian rug in the world.]

The mosque, needless to say, was breathtaking.  I think I took nearly 100 photos there in all, just snapping away at every interesting corner.  In addition to the photos here of the mosque and grounds themselves, I also took quite a few photos of the beautiful tiles that line the hallways and plazas surrounding the main worship site.  I plan hope to find the time to frame a series of the tile photos, since they are such a fun memory of the trip.  If I ever get to that and can find enough interesting ones, I may do a separate post just of the tiles.  :)

Oman, Part 2

This set of photos is from the Muttrah Souk, one of if not the largest markets in Muscat.  One of the things I love about souks is the mingling of tourist storefronts with shops where locals actually purchase  staples, and Muttrah did not disappoint.  Most of these photos are of the tourist-oriented sections, since that is where it was most appropriate to request permission for and take photographs -- definitely a consideration in the Middle East -- but other portions of the souk included gorgeous alleyways filled with fabric, butchershops, barbershops, etc.

These are actually jambiyas, a type of sword typically found in Yemen, although the same shop also sold khanjars, the Omani version, which is similar except the curve of the blade is closer to a 90 degree angle, rather than curving back up.

Oman, Part 1

Earlier this month I took a very short trip to Muscat, the capital of Oman. Muscat is a beautiful city, tucked between a row of low-lying mountains and the Gulf of Oman at the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Oman has worked hard to develop industry and infrastructure since the current sultan came to power in 1970, and it shows. Muscat is very safe, sunny, and clean. It's also filled with luxury hotels, has many good restaurants, lots of shopping and creature comforts -- and the people seem genuinely happy. No mean feat.

Despite being there for less than a week, I managed to squeeze in several picture-taking opportunities. This set was taken at sunset along the beach just outside the Grand Hyatt, an opulent hotel near the diplomatic quarter.

Children playing soccer along the beach, with the corniche and main business districts in the distance.

Looking towards the soon-to-set sun.

You can almost feel the last rays of sun warming this gigantic rock offshore.

Children playing ball in the last light of day.

Ciao, Cinque Terre

By this time, anyone still reading is probably tired of posts with photos of Cinque Terre, but I just love some of these images from the last day and evening in Vernazza so much that I couldn't resist one last collection.

Striped pastel buildings on the main square in Vernazza.

Sunset as seen from Ristorante al Castello, perched above the harbor.

The town square just after nightfall.

Boats neatly docked in the harbor.

Cinque Terre by Water

After a rewarding but long day of hiking south from Vernazza to Riomaggiore, it was a beautiful feeling to step on the ferry and sense the cool breeze over the water.  Taking the ferry back to Vernazza just before sunset was a fantastic choice, not least because it gave us a chance to see four of the five towns from the water.

Riomaggiore from the water.

Manarola might be favorite from the sea ...

... even from this angle, Manarola shines.

Here you can see the rock slides that shut down the walking path between Corniglia and Manarola.

Corniglia, without a port, can only be seen from a distance.

Back in the harbor at Vernazza.

Via dell'Amore

I confess I've procrastinated a bit posting the last batches of Italy photos, in part I think subconsciously because I didn't have any further travel planned and was trying to stretch out the fun.  In the past week, though, I've made arrangements for two trips in February, so it's time to go through the rest of the Italy memories.

These pictures are of the Via dell'Amore, the easiest walk of the Cinque Terre, which stretches between Manarola and the southernmost town, Riomaggiore.  Via dell'Amore--roughly translated as "walk of love" is basically a flat, paved path between the towns.  In some sections, chain link fences along the side have been decorated with padlocks, ribbons, twist-ties, and even some unmentionables, all by couples wishing to leave a sign of their love.