Weekend Update: Teensy Walt; Anaheim Photos; WDW News; 7th New Wonder of the World
Summertime seems to bring out the creativity in our Weekend Update crew. I have a bumper crop of fascinating photo features to share with you. I made some promises to you last week about what today's column would look like, but I just ran out of room this week. I hope you'll come back next week to see what I have stashed in the Weekend Update cupboard.
This week we're starting out with a new contributor with a very interesting county fair discovery. I always love visiting the arts and crafts display at our local county fair, but I have yet to see a Disney treasure like the one MiceChatter Wendygirl found at the Orange County Fair.
Speaking of treasures, sir clinksalot continues to share photos from his aunt and uncle's incredible journey. This week we visit one of the Seven New Wonders of the World, the archeological site of Petra. Absolutely amazing. We also have some great photos from Disneyland from CaptPhoebus and nbodyhome, plus nbodyhome also has some newsworthy photos from Walt Disney World.
By the way, TDLFAN wrote me from Tokyo this week. I have a sneaky suspicion that we might have some international Disney Park photos next week.
Orange County Fair
Costa Mesa, California
Quote:
I am passing beyond the magnification limits of even the most powerful microscopes. These are snowflakes — and yet they seem to grow larger and larger. Or can I be shrinking — shrinking beyond the smallness of a tiny snowflake crystal? Indeed, I am becoming smaller and smaller!
MiceChatter Wendygirl sent me these very intriguing photos and a fascinating narrative to accompany them.
This last week I was at the Orange County Fair and took some photos. This year's winning Best in Show in Arts and Crafts is a model of Walt Disney sitting at a desk looking over a "map" 0f Disneyland in 1955. The woman who made this is Brooke and she also made last years winning entry of Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. A talented gal. I've become acquainted with her at the Park and run into her at The All American Melodrama Theater in Long Beach. It just so happened she was at the Fair when I was there and we ran into each other. We looked at her entry together and she pointed out some things about it I would have never noticed.
Disneyland Resort
Anaheim, California
CaptPhoebus took these photos on a picture perfect day at Disneyland.
Taking advantage of a beautiful day, a visit to the park revealed some striking photos that would probably look good as postcard images. Do you agree with me?
This was designed to look a like a postcard, do you see it?
Walt Disney World
Orlando, Florida
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt (mousesteps.com) shares photos from both coasts this week.
The Contemporary Bay Lake Tower opened (or as I call it, the Bay Lake Fortress - with all the doors needing a key to get in):
A new directory on the 4th floor of the Contemporary near the walkway to the BLT:
The sign holds errors, including this one (it's not really full service until you add an extra l!)
The Polynesian Resort is rehabbing the roof of the Great Ceremonial House:
Starabilias at the Downtown Disney West Side is closed:
While Spoodles is closed to bring in a Cat Cora restaurant, the Big River Grille is also currently closed:
The Land Boat Ride? Closed! (until early November):
But the McDonalds near Animal Kingdom is nicely refurbished, with nice outdoor seating too:
The old Tomorrowland Skyway station is being demolished:
Now with more barriers until the demolishing is done. The bathrooms will still be standing:
And the Disney Electrical Parade from California, I have 120 photos on my site!
And part 1 of 3, Disney's Electrical Parade Video:
Looking for up-to-date reports from Disneyland
including photos, gossip, park schedules and more?
including photos, gossip, park schedules and more?
Visit these MiceChat columns each week:
Andy Castro's Dateline Disneyland
David DarkBeer Michael's In the Parks
Petra Archeological Site, Jordan
One of the New Seven Wonders of the World
More of this wonderful travelogue from sir clinksalot.
This week, we hop across the Atlantic Ocean and end up in Jordan, mainly the archaeological site of Petra.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wikipedia
Petra meaning cleft in the rock; is an archaeological site in the Arabah, Ma'an Governorate, Jordan, lying on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqab. It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. Petra is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The Nabateans constructed it as their capital city around 100 BCE.
The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced to the West by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate prize -winning sonnet by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage." In 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site.
The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced to the West by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate prize -winning sonnet by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage." In 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site.
Quote:
Petra is an ancient town site, now a World Heritage Site, with many buildings and tombs carved out of the beautiful multi-colored sandstone canyons. It was also a caravan stop until Roman times. It's quite stunning. We drove past Wadi Rum where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed and where some of the actual events of Lawrence's time in Arabia took place. The whole southern part of Jordan is very hot, dry desert, and in case you were wondering "There is no gold in Aqaba". We could see Eilat, Israel's Red Sea port next to Aqaba but didn't go into Israel.
And the site itself
I thought Petra was just what we saw in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but apparently there is much, much more.
Really looks like something out of the Ten Commandments or something
I wonder if the Grail Knight is in there somewhere.
The natural rock formations are almost as dazzling as the man-made ones.
Thus ends our time in Jordan. Next week we'll go into Egypt.
Did you enjoy today's update? If so, please be sure to share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Mixx, Etc. or just pick up the phone and tell them about all the cool stuff you've found on MiceChat!
And that brings us to the end of another week. Our photographers have just enough time to reload their cameras before we see you all again next weekend. Thank you to all of our wonderful readers, and as always, a huge thank you to our amazing team of global photographers, spies, and gossips:
TDLFAN
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt (mousesteps.com)
SummerInFl (wdwfanpics.com)
sir clinksalot
MickeyMaxx
CaptPhoebus
Ian Parkinson
BigPigletFan
Abominable Snowman
Fishbulb
PhotoMatt
Jack Hollywood 1939 Wixom
A very special thank you to to our wonderful guest photographer Wendygirl for sharing her vision with us.
Your Editor - Rixter
Where have YOU been recently? We invite you to share your photos of theme parks or any other destination that may be of interest to our readers. Please feel free to contact me via MiceChat Private Message (screen name Rixter)
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or send me an email: oceansiderick@gmail.com.
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Total Comments 16
Comments
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Nice pics form Jordan. Now I want to go there!Posted 08-08-2009 at 01:01 AM by The Forbidden Eye
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I too never realized there was more to Petra. That last building is even more interesting than the 'famous' one we always see. Thanks for sharing. And to think it's all carved in relief. wow.Posted 08-08-2009 at 07:02 AM by michael darling - If you're a big fan of David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia movie, at 2 hours drive from Petra you have the Wadi Rum desert where most of the most epic scenes were filmed. It's where Auda's camp (play by Anthony Quinn ) was filmed (see picture below).
Everything is there, nothing has changed, and the rock mountains are HUGE, unbelievable. If one day you go to Petra, watch again Lawrence of Arabia before you go and don't miss the Wadi Rum!
Posted 08-08-2009 at 07:41 AM by loaloa55 -
Thanks for the great shots, everyone! Petra looks amazing!Posted 08-08-2009 at 09:55 AM by Mac Daddy - cool pictures! Those are totally postcard worthy pictures!Posted 08-08-2009 at 10:39 AM by Monorailorange33
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WOW!!!
Petra is aboslutely GORGEOUS!
Wasn't there a scene filmed at that location in the second transformers?Posted 08-08-2009 at 12:00 PM by Abominable Snowman -
I was fortunate enough to take a trip to the Holy Lands back in the early 70's and was always sorry that Petra was not on our itinerary. Those photos are wonderful!!!Posted 08-08-2009 at 01:04 PM by Wendygirl -
Awesome pics from Petra. The temple that was in Indiana Jones is the most recognizable, but, wasn't this temple recently in Transformers 2?
Definitely a place I want to go to in the future. Friends of mine were there recently. A month ago I was at Arches National Park, which is featured at the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I was in the Cross of Coronado cave! It was awesome! (of course there really isn't a 'cave' there, only a depression that goes in about 6 feet). I'll be posting my pics soon from this trip.Posted 08-08-2009 at 04:15 PM by Barbossa -
"Petra" Great Pictures, I would love see that place in Jordan....
Also who came up with Walt Disney Disneyland at the Orange County Fair,lots of though went in on that,
who was the gal who did that? and she got 1st place that so cool!Posted 08-08-2009 at 08:13 PM by Eagleman -
What wonderful pictures of the Disneyland Resort! I can't wait to try out my new camera there next week and post my first TR in FOREVER (a month.. wimper wimper).
Posted 08-09-2009 at 12:10 AM by Goover -
You found the Valley of the Crescent Moon!Posted 08-09-2009 at 09:43 AM by Athlonacon - Magnificient photos of Petra. Thank you for sharing.Posted 08-09-2009 at 03:32 PM by vivian
- The miniatures of Walt Disney are incredible! Well Done!Posted 08-09-2009 at 03:34 PM by vivian
- I feel a bit ashamed to even think about this but the archeological site pics, I was imagining how a good coaster would fit in with the architecture. Am I nuts?Posted 08-09-2009 at 10:08 PM by bayouguy
- Great pics of Petra. I think they may have also filmed parts of the second Mortal Kombat movie there.Posted 08-10-2009 at 03:22 PM by AidensDaddy
- I remember without a doubt that part of another film was made at Petra, "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger", released in 1977. It featured the stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen. Enter his name at www.imdb.com and see how many other films featured his pre-cgi special effects.Posted 08-12-2009 at 05:43 PM by Not My Real Name
