Photo Of The Day: Street Art In Rome

by Melanie Renzulli on




Reserve your negative opinions about street art for a moment and consider this image of “Madonna and Child” spray-painted on the side of a who-knows-how-old building in Rome, Italy. Captured in the residential neighborhood of Trastevere by Flickr user AlexSven, the photo summarizes, at least for me, the living organism that is the Eternal City. The ancient and modern, the irreverent and the religious all co-exist in this magical city.

What’s more, the word “graffiti” is an Italian word meaning “illicit scribblings or drawings on the surface of a public place” and is a type of art and protest that has been in practice since the days of the Roman Empire. So this street artist (or vandal, depending on which side of the debate you are on) is continuing a tradition that has lasted thousands of years.

Share your best travel images with us by adding them to the Gadling Flickr photo pool for a future Photo of the Day.

Photo Of The Day: Tibetan Travelers

by Meg Nesterov on


One of the travel world’s more annoying debates is backpacker vs. rolling suitcase. Those with backpacks scoff at travelers wheeling suitcases along cobblestones, while the roll-aboard lovers might want to avoid the connotation that “backpacker” implies. Even backpackers are being criticized now for taking too much. In the end, it’s just a place for one’s stuff. We can all agree that seeing pilgrims walking for many miles with very little stuff at all is pretty impressive. Today’s Photo of the Day is from Tibet, where some pilgrims are returning from a trip. Flickr user abhishakey photographed the travelers coming from Lhasa, where thousands travel each year to visit the Jokhang Temple with little more than a prayer wheel.

Share your best travel images with us by adding them to the Flickr photo pool for a future Photo of the Day.

Photographers Launch Postcards Across America Project

by Meg Nesterov on

If you think postcards are a lost art, you may want to follow a photography project covering America this summer. Starting tomorrow, two Brooklyn-based photographers will set off on a three-month road trip across the country, sending original postcards with their photographs from each state. Going Nowhere was originally a project to visit all 48 lower states, sharing their experiences via photographs and hand-made postcards.

Funded through Kickstarter, backers could pledge as little as $2 to cover the cost of printing and postage (the trip itself will be paid for by the photographers themselves), but after reaching their original $7,500 funding goal, they decided to hit up Hawaii and Alaska too. Original backers will receive a postcard created, self-printed, and mailed from each state, and box sets of 10-50 postcards will be available after they finish the trip in September.

Follow the journey and photo updates, or buy a box set of the postcards on Going Nowhere.

20 Of The World’s Weirdest Beaches

by Jessica Festa on

Recently we told you about Expedia’s Flip Flop Report and let you know the lowdown on beach behavior from around the world. We learned that the average beach vacation lasts 7.7 days, Germans are the most likely to sunbathe nude and Indians think it’s important to find new locations for beach destinations.

So how about those travelers looking to enjoy the beach in a truly unique beach destination? While you’ve probably seen pristine white beaches with azure waters and picture-perfect surroundings, what about a beach made of glass? Or the world’s largest indoor beach? How about a beach littered with mysterious indigenous rock carvings? These are just a few of the many unusual beaches you’ll find in the gallery below.

[image via Ekem]

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Hiking, Drugs And Inca History In Cajas National Park, Ecuador

by Jessica Festa on

Cajas National Park outside of Cuenca, Ecuador, is an idyllic and peaceful park with five ecosystems, over 150 bird species and many exceptional features. For example, Cajas has one of the highest densities of lakes in the world, and is also home to the Quinoa Forest, the world’s highest woodland at 13,124 feet. This area is also full of legends and myths from Inca times. Likewise, the park is a perfect example of an ice age park, as the area was created by glaciers. Cajas National Park is such a unique natural place, it is currently a candidate to be named a World Heritage Natural Site by UNESCO.

During a tour with Gray Line Ecuador, I got the chance to explore the park’s primary cloud forest, the lowest elevation area of the park at 10,171 feet and the Quinoa Forest. I also got to learn about Andean medicine and drugs, trace Inca history and take in great views of jagged mountains and crystal lakes.

For a better idea of the experience, check out the gallery below.

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