Lights at Dundarave Village
In my attempt to give Minime a more experiential, and less materialistic Christmas season, we did a lot of day/night trips around Vancouver's Lower Mainland to take in the sights and festivities of the holiday season.
In addition to hiding a small flotilla of elves every morning, this also meant a lot of online research to find the events and it meant hoards of trip planning. But it was well worth it. I was one busy mama and am now just getting around to posting about our adventures here.
So welcome to Christmas in January. It is good enough for the Eastern Orthodox folks, it should certainly be okay for us Hivelanders.
You are looking at the shots from our night time trip out to Dundarave Beach in West Vancouver. The residents set up a charming exhibit of decorated trees. I am bit of a use it until it can't be used anymore girl. I have an Iphone 7 if you can believe it. Generally that means my night time photo leaves a lot lacking. There is only so much an editing program can do with limited lights and flares. That said, I am relatively happy with how these came out ... arty. The flares gave some of the shots a sense of movement and the sky and water were mystic. For a more realistic and clear of the event, I added a vid from online.
My photos really are not doing the event justice. Fortunately,the trees are still there for a few more days if any British Columbian locals or visitors. haven't had a chance to visit. Dundarave Village itself is worth a trip out. Lots of quaint shopping. I recommend getting there late afternoon and enjoying the shops before walking down to the beach, a five minute walk at most, and checking out the trees and skyline at dusk. There is also a very well-maintained sea wall to stroll along. Yep. You will definitely wish you lived there. We are however experiencing some soggy weather at them moment; so dress for it and bring some warm libations.
The Fall of the Roman Empire
We finished off our look at this Khan Academy video on the Fall of the Roman Empire. Much of this was review for us but a valuable one I think. I can't help see similarities between the demise of the Western Roman Empire and a certain imperialist force today. Hopefully we have learned out lessons and won't soon be under the heavy thumb of invading Barbarians.
From our studies ...
Theodosius, at the turn of the 5th century (current era), would make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. In roughly one century, the Roman Empire had gone from crucifying and sacrificing Christians in the gladiatorial arena, to adopting Christianity as the dominant faith ... and then persecuting the followers of pre-existing belief systems, now called paganism. Theodosius would also be the last emperor to rule over all of the Roman Empire.
As we move into the 5th century, the capital of the western empire is resettled north, from Rome to Ravenna, with the belief that Ravenna would be easier to defend from the Gauls and the Goths. Ravenna was surrounded by marsh.
The German ruler, General Odacer, ended the western Roman Empire in 476CE, when he deposed the emperor in Ravenna. He is said to have become the first Barbarian king of Italy. Italy would then break up into smaller kingdoms/city states, ruled by Germanic kings.
If we look at the reasons for the fall of the Western Roman Empire, certainly the dividing of the Empire in two, separating the West from the more prosperous East, weakened the West and made it more difficult to meet the costs of imperialism. They separation also broke down trade routes, and a divided empire didn't always support the other in war. The West was more vulnerable to the Goths and the Vandals, more vulnerable to pressure from the Huns.
The Roman Empire had also reached its limits on expansion and the influx of plundered gold, slaves, and resources that came with imperial expansion. Its economy stagnated and shrunk. The military action of the Huns had also caused the mass migration of Germanic peoples into the Empire and the Roman legions, weakening Roman identity and patriotism. People were less loyal to Empire.
Christianity, with its emphasis on pacifism and monotheism, weakened legions, loyalty to emperor, who was no longer seen as a god, and the ability for the Empire to incorporate the faiths of conquered lands.
Corruption from a powerful elite certainly also contributed. The empire needed gold; the elites supplied it but always at a price.
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During the holidays all such things are beautifully decorated and the whole city and its buildings look more beautiful and during the holidays people get a chance to meet each other together. There is also an opportunity to enjoy.
I don’t think today’s empire can last as long as Roman Empire did.
The pictures look rad! If there not doing it justice it must of been amazing!
Cheers friend!
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You must be killin' it out here!
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Cheers, Gene:)
These are really stunning and amazing pictures
There is something about night pictures. It is always beautiful to behold and admire
The shots are fantastic
One thing I love about Christmas is the lights we see almost everywhere
I love it!
#hive #posh
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