08 April 2008

Bird's eye view

Aerial view of sea ice off LabradorI've never quite grown out of the childish joy I get from seeing the earth from an aeroplane. It's particularly enjoyable if you recognise the places you fly over, of course, but this view of the sea ice off the coast of Labrador and Newfoundland really took my breath away on Sunday.

Aerial view of farmland surrounded by forest, north of OttawaFlying towards Heathrow last week was great too, as it was clear over the western half of the UK and there were great views of southern Ireland, south Wales and the M4 corridor. The contrast between the UK and Canada from the air is quite striking. The UK has small patches of wilderness surrounded by carefully tended fields, while in Canada it is the other way about. It probably is hard to see, but this photo is of a patch of farmland, north of Ottawa, surrounded by more rugged countryside.

When I was a teenager there was a poster on the wall of my English classroom for a production of As You Like It, which depicted a partially-forested hillside. Eventually I realised that the hillside was in the form of a naked woman (and I could never see it as just a hillside again). England from the air reminded me of that poster - a land that has been extensively trimmed and manicured and is essentially feminine in nature. Canada is more untamed and masculine. Perhaps I should have got more sleep on the plane...

2 comments:

Sue Swift said...

Wow - they let you take photos. About 18 months ago I flew to Marocco. Both there and back it was crystal clear, with stupendous views of the mediterranean coast on the way, and of the north African desert on the way back. So I tried to take photos. And got my knucles severely rapped by the stewardess. Security reasons. Oh well ...

Amanda said...

Nancy - thanks for the welcome. Yes, we're in Ontario - and absolutely loving it here!

Sue - how mean! In this age of Google Earth it seems a bit strange to stop people taking photos on planes. Sounds like you just got a grumpy stewardess that day.