Friday Photo: Stairway to Heaven
If you're hesitant to take the road less traveled, let this photo prove that an unbeaten path -- or, in this case, staircase -- can sometimes yield the greatest treasures. That, anyway, was the lesson I gleaned from the photo sent in by this week's Friday Photo winner, Laura Wainwright of Vienna, who writes:
My boyfriend and I studied abroad last semester, and one of the places we traveled to was the ancient Nabatean city of Petra, in Jordan. We had found a random, unmarked set of steps going up one of the cliffs, so we just decided to take them and see where they went. After a very long and steep ascent we found ourselves looking down to this incredible sight. This is the famous Treasury of Petra, a gigantic and intricate structure carved right out of the face of the rock. Not very many visitors to Petra ever get this incredible view of the Treasury, and we wouldn't have either, had we not decided to take a risk and go exploring up an unmarked set of steps.
Anyone inspired to take a hike? Or perhaps some photos?
Send them to us! Here are some guidelines:
1. Email ONE photo per week to us travel@washpost.com. Put "Friday Photo" in the subject field, and include your name, address and phone number.
2. Write a paragraph like the one above explaining what's going on in the picture, when you took it and why it's significant to you.
3. Photos should be from a recent trip, voyage, getaway . . whatever you want to call it. But try to keep it within the last month or two or three.
4. Winners will receive a Travel totebag; allow four to six weeks for delivery. Winning entries are subject to editing. Employees of The Post and their immediate families are not eligible. No purchase necessary.
By Christina Talcott |
December 5, 2008; 9:29 AM ET
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Friday Photos
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Tales from the Road
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Posted by: terayon606 | December 5, 2008 10:10 AM
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My boyfriend and I were touring Kiyomizodera temple in Kyoto, Japan. It was fascinating, but the throngs of kids on school field trips practicing their English with us got a bit tiring after a while. We spotted a little path tucked away between two buildings and went to see where it went, though we figured it was the path to a maintenance shed or something similarly mundane.
But it turned out to be a beautiful hike up a mountain! The forest was thick and lush, and we couldn't even hear the crowds at the temple after just a few minutes down the trail. Small footbridges crossed mountain streams, birds were calling and the hot sun was tempered by the shade of the trees.
It was so idyllic that my boyfriend chose that moment to propose!