The Badlands

There is not much to say to a picture like this- the Badlands of Suth Dakota. Three weeks ago today my wife and I started a trip out to the Black Hills and you can't miss the Badlands on your way. [Starting later today at my regular blog I will be recounting the trip on a daily basis along with more picture links.]
Date: July 21, 2007

Torre del Oro- Seville

Sevilla is the heart of Andalucia. We had a wonderful trip there when our daughter was in school there. This is the Torre del Oro along the River. From Wikipedia:

The Torre del Oro (Spanish for "Gold Tower") is a military watchtower built in Seville, Spain during the Almohad dynasty in order to control access to the city via the Guadalquivir river. The tower may have received its name from the golden tiles which cover its dome and may have once adorned the rest of the tower.

Constructed in the first third of the 13th century, it has twelve sides, and from its base a chain would be stretched, underwater, across the river to another fort on the opposite shore, thereby preventing enemy ships from traveling upstream to the port of Seville.
Date: 4/2/2002