¡Hola Valencia!

The schedule was tight. The rain posed a formidable challenge. Yet, thankfully, I got to explore bits and pieces of this eponymous capital of the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia. The cityscape of Valencia is a strikingly unique blend of the past, the present, and the future. The architecture ranges from Gothic splendor to flamboyant postmodernism interspersed densely with mundane arrays of lackluster modern midrise apartment buildings.  

New England Hues

We set out to explore Mount Cardigan Saturday morning - just in time to catch the flaming hues of the New Hampshire foliage this season. The wet, wooded trail was gorgeously colorful. The 360° view from the bare, treeless summit was breathtaking. As we squelched our way to the open summit, the gusty wind picked up speed till it felt strong enough to blow us away. An approaching shower of rain appeared to close in on us. We took shelter underneath the fire tower on the summit. Even as we stood there trying to keep our camera lenses dry and our fingers from freezing, we saw one end of a rainbow emerge. The colors emboldened, and, once the skies cleared, we could see the complete bow clearly for a few moments. To our utter surprise, in some more time, we saws hints of a second bow: a double rainbow! Of course photos can never do justice. But here are some imperfect glimpses of this perfectly wonderful adventure!