I love the sunny, calm Autumn days that we can get. The crisp air and the blue sky really awaken the senses and make a walk in the park quite wonderful.
Perfect Autumn day
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Category Archives: Landscape
Fiery colours
I love the changing shades of autumn, the reds, oranges and yellows, the colours of fire but without the heat. The ArcelorMittal Orbit in the bright sunlight fits right in with it red exterior.
Best of 2024
We’ve come to the end of 2024. It has been an eventful year for me personally and on the world stage. I was lucky enough to travel to lots of different countries as well as spend time with family and friends and doing my part in calling for peace and justice in the world.
Wars also still continue, in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and other parts of the world. They have taken a toll on me and many others and I pray that an end to these come swiftly and permanently.
Here are some of my best and favourite photos of this year, as I prepare for the next. Happy New Year to everyone and may it be one that is calmer, more peaceful and positive one for us all, with plenty of adventure.
Athens, Greece
I’ve read about some of the ancient civilizations in books and stories since my childhood, but hadn’t had the chance to visit the remains of places, until now when I was lucky enough to visit Athens the heart of Ancient Greece.
I visited the Acropolis, an ancient citadel where there are ruins of temples, the most famous being the Parthenon, built in ancient Greece for the goddess Athena in 438 BC. Another temple I saw was the Temple of Nike. On the way up was the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a stone Roman theatre structure, and also the Theatre of Dionysus, the world’s first theater and the birthplace of Greek drama.
The view from the top of the Acropolis was pretty amazing, even with the grey and looming clouds, that then dropped it’s load and drenched everyone!
On the second day we decided to take a ferry to the nearby island of Aegina. Being off season, lots of the shops were closed but we were still able to look around and explore. We found a pretty umbrella street and then visited the archaeological site of Palaiochora of Aegina with a temple and then the Holy Monastery of the Holy Trinity. We bought some souvenirs, pistachio being grown and harvested on the island as a must buy, before heading back to Athens.
On the final day we visited the Acropolis museum, and then looked around the Plaka neighbourhood which had some pretty lanes and houses. We then visited the Roman Agora and Hadrian’s Library, both architechural ruins. We then ended up in Monastiraki square and found a great rooftop view with the Acropolis in the background.
I had a great time in Athens and the nearby islands, there was so much to learn and see. Amazing to think that these structures were built centuries ago and that we can still see some of them intact and still looking grand.
Algarve, Portugal
I had the opportunity to go to the south of Portugal recently. We went to the Albufeira area of Algarve for a few days. While the Algarve is known for it’s sandy beaches there is also an Islamic heritage, with the names of places beginning with ‘al’ once being Arab. Albufiera in Arabic means ‘castle on the sea’.
We did a jeep tour, visiting a farm and and small villages. It was great to see how homes had been created in the slopes of the hills and I loved seeing all the creative artistic touches that were dotted about everywhere. We stopped in a cafe to enjoy Portugal’s signature dessert pastel de nata which was sweet and quite delicious.
The tour guide also pointed out the famous piri piri chillis that was fun to see. At the top of one hill was a swing to take in the rural landscape which was great. We also passed many orchards of oranges but also saw lots of pomegranate, olive and cork trees which I was delighted to see.
On another day we went on a boat ride to look for dolphins but sadly they didn’t appear. We did move on to look at the Benagil caves though which were quite beautiful.
I enjoyed my trip to Albufeira, learning about it’s history and seeing what delights it held. It’s a scenic rural and beachy area and a great place to unwind and experience something new.
Trip to Europe part 5: Homebound
On our last day in Europe we got up, packed and loaded the car. Then we spent the morning in Brussels city centre. We looked around some more shops, picked up a few last souvenirs, had lunch and then headed towards Calais to catch the ferry.
It was dusk as we headed across the English Channel and home bound. The sunset from the viewpoint on the ferry was beautiful and the water crashed again the sides creating artistic foamy waves. The great White Cliffs of Dover were a welcome sight. I really enjoyed my trip to the various countries in Europe, saw and experienced lots, but there’s nothing quite like home is there.
Trip to Europe part 4: Amsterdam
On our last full day of our Europe trip we decided to visit Amsterdam. It’s about 2 and a half hours from Brussels, so again not too far to drive which was great.
We first went to the area where the museums were, we sadly missed out on getting tickets to the Van Gogh museum, so we went in to the Stedelijk museum instead, which turned out to be a poor substitute. We then went to get some lunch and after turned towards the famous canals.
We visited Anne Frank’s house which is now a museum, We didn’t go inside but just paused to reflect. We then walked around the main streets, passing shops and restaurants. After stopping for ice cream we decided the best way to see the canals was via a boat ride. Out guide pointed out one resident and his pet egret on a canal boat who never flew away.
We passed the well known Seven Bridges canal passing under all of them.
We then headed out towards the IJ waterway, known for being Amsterdam’s waterfront, where the Nemo Science and the National Maritime museums were located. I thought the Replica of the Dutch East Indiaman ship Amsterdam docked nearby was pretty cool. The guide said it had been used in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. There were also swimming areas here which was very busy on what was a very hot day.
After our canal ride we visited some shops to get some souvenirs and then headed home. On the way back we spotted a few windmills which I loved seeing. I managed to get a slightly closer look at this one. A nice way to end our trip, I thought.
Trip to Europe part 3: Bruges
On our third day we wanted to explore more of Belgium so we decided to spend the day in Bruges. It’s only an hour and half from Brussels so we got there in good time.
We went to Markt square where there are museums and a cathedral. You can also get rides on horse drawn carriages. The buildings were gothic looking and dramatic but quite beautiful I thought.
We decided to go on a canal boat ride after looking around. It was nice to hear some history of the town and feel the breeze and relax. I heard about Bruges from the film In Bruges that came out a few years ago. The brown wooden front building is featured in the film, which was cool to see. The Belfry of Bruges with it’s tall viewing tower is not too far either.
After our boat ride we looked around some shops on the main street before heading home. I really enjoyed our day trip, there were lots of shops, beautiful buildings and it looked well kept. Would certainly recommend a visit.
Trip to Europe part 2: Luxemburg City
It’s really great how you can drive to from one country to another in a few hours in Europe. On our second day of our Europe trip we drove to Luxemburg City (only 2.5 hours from Brussels) and had a look around.
One of the first things we spotted was the Adolphe bridge surrounded by greenery. I thought the gardens nearby was also pretty. Close to the garden was a gilded statue on a towering obelisk called the Golden Lady.
There were lots of viewpoints around the city to look out from, the district aptly named ‘High City’.
The best viewpoint that I liked was from the Sky lift. The end of the walkway has a glass panel around so you can get a panoramic view. There’s a lift that takes you down to the ground too where there is a play area and some fun statues.
Later on we looked around the city square shops and had lunch and then went to the funfair that the city holds every summer. Transport is free so you can take the tram to the location. We had a ride on the huge Ferris wheel and brought some tasty snacks. I really liked the grand looking buildings which seemed to shine in the sun.
I enjoyed my day trip to Luxemburg, not really having any expectations. It was an affluent city and well looked after and it felt safe which is always good too.
Trip to Europe part 1: Brussels
I don’t get to travel abroad very much and haven’t for most of my life, but I recently joined a trip with my sister and her family to Europe. I say ‘Europe’ as we decided to visit different countries. We drove to Dover and took the ferry to Calais before making our way to the Belgium capital Brussels where we were staying.
We looked around Brussels and the typical tourist locations such as manneken pis and Grand Place but we also managed to find some quirky activities like a flea market that had everything from African style masks to jewellery and paintings.
One of the activities I really enjoyed was the Comic strip trail, where there are scenes in comic book style dotted around the city for you to find. There was also lots of other street art and murals that decorated the city that I enjoyed. And there was also, of course, lots of waffle and chocolate shops that we went into to try some samples.
In the evening we visited the Atomium, we didn’t go inside but the structure itself was quite surreal (centrepiece of the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair).
We also looked around some shops, and got some souvenirs. There was also museums in the city but we didn’t go into any.
everyphototunity 