Ten Day Travel Photo Challenge – the locations revealed

Thank you to everyone who took the time to look through my ten photos and post their guesses! We had quite a few correct answers, some that were pretty close, and two photos that stumped everyone. Below I’ll reveal each location and provide just a small bit of background information about each photo, as well as the links to my individual posts about each location for those interested in learning more.

Photo #1: Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
Pat and I spent a few days in Costa Rica back in 2018, primarily to attend a wedding but we also squeezed in a few touristy things, including a one-day guided excursion to one of the country’s five active volcanoes. For anyone interested in reading more about our trip, you can find my posts here.

Photo #2: Bow Lake, Banff National Park, Canada
I figured this one would be a little trickier. But it’s one of those places that, if you’ve seen it, you’ll likely recognize it right away thanks to the distinctive mountains, the giant glacier, and the bright turquoise water. And in fact a handful of my Canadian readers correctly identified this one and a couple other people accurately pinpointed it to Banff National Park. I absolutely love the Canadian Rockies, and of the hundreds of photos I’ve taken there this one is my favorite!

Photo #3: Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada
Yep, another Canada photo. I’ve only been to four countries so I had to include some duplicates. This one proved a little trickier (the lush green hills rising out of the deep blue water doesn’t exactly scream Canada), but we did have one correct guess! While the Rockies will always be my favorite part of Canada (I’ll take mountains over the ocean any day), Nova Scotia was full of surprises and a place I ended up loving far more than I anticipated.

Photo #4: Catedral de Comayagua, Comayagua, Honduras
Built from 1634 to 1715 AD and also known as the Immaculate Conception Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción), this is one of the oldest cathedrals in Central America. It’s also home to the oldest clock in the Americas (built in the 1100s), visible in the tower below and also from inside, where you can see its complex inner workings. This is actually Pat’s photo, taken during his 2017 dental school mission trip to Honduras. A handful of you pegged this as being in a Central or South American country, but this one ultimately stumped everyone.

Photo #5: Daibutsu (The Great Buddha) at Kōtoku-in, Kamakura, Japan
Kamakura is located about an hour south of Tokyo, a city of narrow brick walkways and a former de facto capitol of Japan. A few people correctly identified this one. I snagged this photo from Pat as well, as I’ve never been to Japan. But his brother lived there for a year when Pat was a teenager and he had the chance to visit. Ever since, he’s been fascinated with Japanese culture… and also not-so-secretly wishes he’d been born into the order of succession so he could be a Japanese emperor.

Photo #6: Mannheim, Germany
My one and only trip to Europe was three years ago when I tagged along with Pat’s family to visit his brother in Germany (the same brother who used to live in Japan). We spent part of the first day wandering around Mannheim. I wish I could share more about the city… but quite honestly, I was so jet-lagged that I don’t remember much of anything and probably wouldn’t have been able to identify this photo of the city center if someone else had posted it. No one else recognized it either.

Photo #7: New York City
I had a feeling this would be one of the easier photos to guess, and I was right. The One World Trade Center building is pretty recognizable. I made a couple day trips to New York when I lived on the east coast, mostly just to do the usual touristy stuff. While I’d never want to live there, the fast-paced energy of Manhattan is contagious and I can certainly see the draw for people who thrive in big city environments. I’m just not one of those people.

Photo #8: Red Mountain Pass, Million Dollar Highway, Colorado
Of course I had to include a photo from Colorado, and while no one identified the exact location, a few people correctly guessed the state. Driving the Million Dollar Highway is definitely a bucket list item in this state. Between the colorful mountains and the remains of the Idarado Mine, this is a fairly recognizable view from this highly scenic – albeit somewhat frightening – route.

Photo #9: Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Canada
The Rideau Canal – correctly identified by a few of my Canadian readers – is a 125 mile (200 km) long waterway that connects Ottawa to Kingston. It’s the oldest continuously operating canal in North America; it was built in 1832 and is still in use today. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And while researching to write this blurb, I learned that in the off-season it becomes the world’s largest ice skating rink… so now I just might have return to Ottawa in the winter!

Photo #10: Black Pool, West Thumb Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park
I had a feeling many of you would narrow this one down to the correct national park, and you did! Although West Thumb isn’t the most famous or largest geyser basin, it’s probably my favorite. I love the contrast of the hot springs right on the shore of the enormous (and very cold) Yellowstone Lake. And then Mr. Elk decided to photo bomb, which actually ended up turning this into one of my very favorite Yellowstone photos.

How did you do? Which photo is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!