Geography from the air

Geography is marvelous. The paper map demands much of our imaginations, and those who love maps excel at this, but from the air the imagination gets a major boost. Looking down we see a panorama of the most beautiful  colors and shapes. There are mountains, lakes, valleys, coastlines roads and tiny houses.  The view from above reveals a new and unexpected beauty. The map has come to life and we, the travelers move across it as if in a movie.  The drama began peeking through the clouds over Germany.  Then the Alps broke through in all their glory. Heading south we saw the ancient land of Greece with its azure waters.  The Mediterranean passed rapidly, and we reached the shore of Libya.  We flew for hours over the arid moonscape of the Sahara Desert.  Its immensity and emptiness dwarfed the huddled civilization of Europe.  The sun set before we reached Kenya so we missed the transition from sand to green. We landed in a gentle rain, once more earthbound and on our feet. 

The alps

Greece

Greece

The Mediterran

The coast of Libya

The Sahara

Moonrise over the Sahara