Hi FMELovers!

I could not grab any FME pet for this trip (which I regret!), but let me share some pics from the “Camino de Santiago”.

What’s this Santiago about?

The Camino de Santiago, also known as the Way of St. James, is a network of ancient pilgrimage routes, here are some of this particular check-points, to not get lost:

that lead to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Pilgrims from all over the world walk these routes for spiritual, cultural, or recreational reasons (my case). The most popular route is the Camino Francés, which starts in France, ending in Spain and covers approximately 800 kilometers .

Pic from 1 stop of the stages, views from the hostel:

Along the way, pilgrims experience beautiful landscapes, historic towns, and a sense of community with fellow travelers.

I don’t want to forget about this precious document you need to keep along the stages:

Awarded to those who complete the Camino de Santiago. This document is filled with stamps for each stage you pass in.

Summing up, a great and pleasant (sometimes heavy and exhausting) walk through hundreds of kilometers filled with pure nature:

Then, also continued a few kilometers … ~89km more with my trip to Finisterre! 

also known as Fisterra, is a significant location for many pilgrims who walk the Camino de Santiago. Historically, it was considered the “end of the world” (from the Latin Finis Terrae).

Let me share here some “Relive” tracks that I did while doing each stage:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wn0Ak6jKYq-QpP9GeUXXGxJUtdHaexPX/view?usp=sharing

I hope you enjoyed, and I really suggest to try it once in your life!

Juanma

We dash moved to a new house this year (2024) summer, so could not go on a vacation.
But that does not stop me from sharing my favorite and memorable past trips within India especially with Mr. FME Lizard!

Padmanabhapuram Palace (2007)
The first entry is from my 2007 trip to Padmanabhapuram Palace, located in the southern part of India, constructed around 1601 CE. The Padmanabhapuram Palace consists of several structures: The clock tower in the palace complex has a 300-year-old clock, which still keeps time. A secret passage, now blocked, through which the king, his immediate family members, and their entourage could escape to another palace, located several kilometers away in the event of any emergency. The palace has an ornamental bedstead made of 64 types of herbal and medicinal woods, and was a gift from the Dutch merchants to the king.

Most of the rooms here and in other parts of the palace complex have built-in recesses in walls for storing weapons like swords and daggers. The second floor houses the King's resting and study rooms.

The palace layout:

  
In this snap you will find me with a FME Desktop 2007 DVD in-front of the palace. You will also notice the clock tower in the back drop.

FME World Tour 2017

The second entry is from 2017, arriving for the FME World Tour event we conducted at Bengaluru in India. The snap is that of Mr. FME Lizard with the FME Coin (from FME World Tour 2016) at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL) seated on my luggage!

Mr. FME Lizard with the FME Coin (from FME World Tour 2016) at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL) seated on my luggage!​​​​​

A nail biting photo finish article on FME World Tour 2017 India event in our FME Community forum:

This one is from the Chennai International Airport post the FME World Tour 2017 event back home. Mr. FME Lizard posing with the FME Coin ( from FME World Tour 2016) in front of a divine cosmic dancer statue at the airport.

Kotagiri (2018)
The third entry is from 2018. I had been for a vacation before the FME World Tour 2018, India event to a hill station in South India situated at an elevation of 1,950 m (6,400 ft). Here are some snaps of Mr. FME Lizard watching the dusky sky in Kotagiri on 14 April 2018.

Mr. FME Lizard perched on wall watching the sunrise over the tea plantations of Kotagiri on 15 April 2018 at 06:25 AM Indian Standard Time

 
Another snap of Mr. FME Lizard perched on wall watching the tea plantations of Kotagiri on 15 April 2018 at 06:35 AM Indian Standard Time

FME World Tour 2018 Victory
The fourth entry is also from 2018. This is from Chennai International Airport, back home after the FME World Tour 2018 event concluded in New Delhi India on 02nd May, 2018. Mr. FME Lizard is celebrating his FME World Tour success seated on an intricately carved wooden lion (Hoysala Lion). You can also see Mr. FME Lizard seated on the FME World Tour 2018 solar airplane giveaway.

Mysore Palace (2019)

The fifth and the last entry is from Mysore in 2019, where I had been for a vacation. This snap is in front of the famous Mysore Palace completed in 1912, which is the royal residence of the descendants of the Wadiyar dynasty and the seat of the Kingdom of Mysore. The Palace is illuminated with 97000 electric bulbs as part of a light show for the visitors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_Palace
https://mysorepalace.karnataka.gov.in/
Another attraction is the Golden Throne made of fig wood covered with panels of thick gold sheets weighing 80 Kgs (176 lbs). The throne is assembled and set for display to public by the royal family once in a year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Throne_(Mysore)

Mr. FME Lizard watching the 112 years old Mysore Palace in awe!

Hope that was interesting to everyone!

Happy FME:-)

SRG

Traffic was really baaaad last week
 

Have just finished spending a week at my Cousins farm helping with mustering and shearing

 

I just got back from the UK - flew into Montreal yesterday - and have a few photos I’d like to share.

A foggy mid-Atlantic day on the QM2:

A short walk on the South-West coastal path, in Dorset:

A visit to Newcastle and the Tyne Bridge.

Cheering on Nottingham Forest (sadly, to a defeat on penalties):

Browsing the map room of the Royal Geographical Society in London:

 Watching - and meeting - my favourite musicians, Ian McNabb and Chris Layhe of the Icicle Works:

Ye olde city of Chester:

A nice day on a canal boat: