Sanuk Canadian

This post is part of a series regarding a Middle Eastern cruise in the U.A.E and Oman. Previous installments can be found HERE .  The lengthy title of this blog post explains it all -- I visited what TripAdvisor calls, the must see attraction in the Middle East -- the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Unofficially known as "The White Mosque" due to its gleaming white marble, this mosque has free entry to visitors from all over the world, regardless of one's religion. My friend and I picked up the self-guided audio tour headsets (also free -- just present some I.D) and followed the recording to see and hear all the highlights of this mosque. Photos along the tour's route are below. Please enjoy! Dome & details.     Far right: a lagoon reflects the many pillars at the white mosque. Left: Archway highlights a dome in the background.     Middle: a spire.           Far right: Dome with lotus flower inspired chand...

Summer is the time for festivals all across Japan; the most popular ones are the bon odori , or dance festivals. Festival attendees can either watch the dancers, or join in -- depending on the festival. In early August, I enjoyed one of the most popular dance festivals -- the Awa Odori -- a dance which originated in the Shikoku region of Japan. Fortunately for me, there was an Awa Odori being presented in Kanagawa. Hurray!! ^_^ Please enjoy the photos and videos below: A group of musicians waiting to move forward along the parade route:  Dancers strike a pose:  Below, is a video of a group of (mostly) male dancers showing their frenzied Awa Odori style:  The  Awa Odori  dance has 3 unique points: 1. Women wear kimono and a special "half-moon" shaped straw hat, called an  amigasa  (literally, "a rain umbrella") 2. Male dancers usually carry lanterns or fans while dancing. 3. Musicians follow the dancers and consist of...

Every June 21, in my small town, there is a special festival to celebrate the arrival of Equinox. Several hundred candles are lit to increase awareness of eco-friendly energy saving methods before the hot summer months arrive. I took lots of photos from this year's event; please enjoy! Children from schools in the area created these wonderful, handmade paper lanterns. Each boxed lantern contained a picture(s), with some kind of message or poem on it. Impressive artwork. Smaller children decorated recycled glass using permanent markers. As the sun set, several children lit candles inside each glass to create a tower of light.  Glass art -- great at home project!  A large park played host to this event. Visitors followed a walking path; each side of the walk was decorated with the paper lanterns. As I strolled in the cool summer air, I snapped photos of the lanterns which impressed me most.  Festival dancers, sunflowers and lobsters. Mascots are q...