NatGeo & Places of Amazing Beauty, well beyond what you could imagine: Hebrides
Ok, it would probably be time to actually write about something technical -- like, say, ultra-modern Polymorphic Type Handling system thatJackson 1.5 will have ("Lexus of Java Data Binders!") -- but after cranking out three-digit number of entries last year (at least 50% of them technical), I will cut me some slack here. Still, without typing some prose I am worried that my fingers might evolve away, so let's consider something beyond realm of technical stuff.
As usual my inspiration comes from a high-quality affordable US magazine called National Geographic. That's hardly news. But after reading about all these exotic remote locations like Madagascar, or that magical forest/mountain area in China of which name now escapes me, I was somewhat surprised to find that Hebrides (that set of islands on one side of Scotland) not only produces heavenly malt whiskies, but also sports sceneries more celestial than Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. And it's not just that I am getting old: beauty may lie in eye of beholder, but there are certain things that are beautiful regardless of their age (or observer's age). Some landscapes of nature are like that, with or without curvature.
So if you get a chance, have a look at article "Edge of the World", and especially the slide show of photos that accompany it. And picture yourself in one of settings, perhaps sipping a warm glass of Talisker or Laphroaig (latter when visiting, say, Fingal's Cave; former at around those abandoned stone buildings at Hirta, St. Kilda?).
If it wasn't for the fact that kids would probably bore to death in 10 minutes flat, I would be ready to migrate to Hebrides. At least until getting there, and sun sets down & wind sets in and all those little practical details. But in my imagination I am already packing!
