Hi Carol,

you wrote: (bold and underlined are mine)

Quote

I'd just like to point out an error in that sentence, Vanya. When looking out to see from a beach, the horizon is not curved, it's perfectly level. That's because each of us is standing in the centre of our own 360 circle, looking out at a horizon that's equidistant in all directions./b]

Thanks for your precisation but I have to say that I did not precise other particulars which after your puntualization
are obbligatorily due, in order to better understand and of course to not allow other erroneus interpretation......

The locality of the beach I refer, is located just before the 3 Greek Kalkidiki penisulas and it is 70 km far from Thessaloníki.

The beach has a little commercial port on its left, from where beach started, and after the port you can see
, alwais at your left, the wide bay which at its end is visible the west cosat of Cassandra penisula till its extreme promontory which is situated at about the half lenght of the penisula.

In fromt of the beach and very far away, is the East-South coast of Greece which, if there are not mist, you
can see it, along with the important shape of Mont Olympus.

On the right side (west - North-west)the beach stretches for about 8 kilometer and after that start some
creeks which ended on another promontory distant about 30 km.

So that the sea in bright days without mist, gave a vision of 180 degrees and it seems that the sea line
on your left "curved" just after the end of such wide bay, giving the same impression od "cuving" just after
the Promontory of Cassandra.

On your right you have the same impression that the sea "curved" after the Promontory I said.

This impression is given by the shape of the in front coast of Greece influenced by the shape of Mount Olimpus
and other Hills and Mountain, and the sea looks like "bend down" between the Cassandra promontory and
the Greek coast which is a bit more advanced respect that of Cassandra.

In short word it seems that sea horizont line "bend" both on the left and on the right of the observer.

That's why my daughter asked the question of curvature..... and of course I could not explain to her, due
to her age (9 year old), a complicate explanation which I pointed out above.
It was just a good occasion to draw her attention to the fact that the Earth is a sphere.

Such kind of "visual phenomenon" can be also sese in some part of Liguria's coasts in Italy and as I experienced
also in Tenerife (one of the Canary Island) in the locality called "Los Goigantes".

I can go ahead with other part of the world I have visited but I think that is enough to understand.

About being in the middle of a huge sea or ocean:
Only if you are aboard of a Big ship (Cruise or Commercial one, does not matter) you can clearly see the
curvature of the horizzont.
And I have also experienced it.

More... many years ago I crossed few times, by car, the desert route which link Amman to Baghdad.
I stopped few times just to not seat long hours driving (when the road is straight and without curves)
it is very Dangerous if you do not stop at least evry two hours).
Well then, looking to the horizont, believe me or not, I saw the horizont curvature....

So the phenomenon of perspectives play a huge role in each person strictly depending from the
characteristics of the landscape.

That's why "Flate Earth's believers" are based only by the vision of their eyes, like it was for "common
people" millennia ago.

So talking about what eyes can see, the visional perspectives, along paradolia, are a common phoenomenon
which affect all human beings.

I hope to have clarified the question.

NBD

Ivano