A show that’s hard to beat: the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower 
© Meredith Mullins

Virtual Journeys:  Seeing . . . and Being Seen

Have you been waiting for the hourly light show at the Eiffel Tower?
Are you ready for a stopover in Sydney?
Do you want to see if the sun is sparkling over Niagara Falls?
Can you make time for a peek at the vivid autumn colors of New England?
Are you up for a climb to Machu Picchu?
Do you crave the energy of Times Square in New York?

All it takes is a click on a webcam link, and you are there.

A virtual journey to Niagara Falls via webcam.
Courtesy of Earthcam.

In the wonderful world of webcam wanderlust, you can visit places around the world whenever you want, without leaving your computer chair. There are webcams everywhere.

Real Places, Real Time, Real People

You can see the Northern Lights flash, watch pandas mate, hear the wind in the mist of thundering falls, check out gondola traffic on a Venice canal, or assess surf conditions at a Mexican beach.

Feel as if you’re floating on the Grand Canal in Venice via webcam.
Courtesy of Skyline Webcams.

Of course, a virtual journey lacks the vibrancy of being there, where all your senses come alive. And webcam resolution is not the best. You are sometimes looking through raindrops, suffering from shaky camerawork as winds rock the camera, or peering through the graininess of night.

But, at least, you can see, in real time, what’s happening in the world (even if you have to wade through a few ads to get there).

The energy of Times Square via webcam.
Courtesy of Earthcam.

What makes the webcam scenes especially interesting are the humans who enter the stage (often quite unknowingly). I wanted to be one of these webcam stars.

Star Power

Perhaps it was all those childhood hours practicing musical numbers in the living room after my parents went to bed. Perhaps it was the fact that I had little history of being on camera—there were no home movies in my family. Perhaps it was just an obsession with fame.

My “Oh, I see” moment was clear. I wanted to appear on webcams—as many as I could find. I wanted not only to see, but to be seen.

Turning the Webcam Tide

My first audition was in St Malo, France, during one of the “high tides of the century.” One webcam there faces the sea. You can watch the tides race in, faster than a galloping horse (well, a strolling horse). And you can appear on the boardwalk, with the ebbing and flowing tide as background.

Watching the St Malo tide roll in via webcam.
Courtesy of the city of St Malo.

I alerted a friend 6,000 miles away (nine hours difference in time) that I would make my debut on webcam at a certain time. Shortly before the appointed time, the wind was howling and the waves were crashing over the boardwalk. I sent a “postponement” text and opted for the warmth and safety of my hotel room.

My friend didn’t get my text message right away and watched the fuzzy webcam image vigilantly, thinking every bundled up figure might be me. When he found out my webcam premier appearance had been postponed, he created his own imaginative reality.

Creating a webcam reality
© DMT

Messing Around in Metz

I vowed to keep my next webcam appointment no matter what the challenges. The Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) in Metz, France, provided the perfect opportunity. The webcam pointed at a large statue in the Place d’Armes. It would not be hard to position myself to be seen, and it would be easy for my viewer to see me.

The Place d’Armes in Metz, a perfect place for a webcam debut
Courtesy of the city of Metz.

At the appointed time, I lifted my arms toward the camera. The visiting school group around me quickly backed away (as in “Step away from the madwomen.”). I held my pose and waited to be sure I was recorded.

Although I was just a fuzzy black speck on the webcam image, my moment had arrived. I was a part of webcam history. A successful (potentially award-winning?) premier.

My webcam debut. I’m the black speck with arms raised.
Courtesy of the city of Metz and DMT.

In Pursuit of a Dream

I will continue my quest to appear on the webcams of the world. Wanderlust of the best kind.

Will I see the Big 5 on safari in Africa?

The cast of characters at the Tembe Elephant Park in southern Africa (via webcam)
Courtesy of Earthcam.

Should I toast my Irish heritage at a Dublin bar?

Dublin in the rain via webcam.
Courtesy of Earthcam.

Will I vacation near an azure sea on the beach at St Bart’s?

A dream vacation via webcam, with white sand and turquoise sea
Courtesy of Earthcam.

I hope so. But, in the meantime, I can make a virtual visit any time.

And I will caution those who may be unwitting characters in a webcam drama. Be aware. A webcam may be focused on you anywhere, anytime. The whole world could be watching.

Thank you to Earthcam, Skyline Webcams, and Africam, as well as the cities of St Malo and Metz.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.