One canal, two days.

The photo on the right is April 2010 and on the left is January 2012. Same canal, slightly different spot.

It would be an interesting life on one of those boats. They are lived in and on both days there were signs of life - the smell of a wood burning fire, muffled arguments as we walked past.

Slowly sailing the canals, stopping when and where you pleased. Except in winter when the canals can freeze over.

I'm not sure it's a lifestyle for me though.

Some Time

It's been some time since I posted. The end of 2011 got swallowed up in term 4 stuff and then the start of 2012 was a secret trip to Manchester. I will try to be more vigilant with my postings.

The above image is Hollingworth Lake which is near Oldham. I remember going there when I was little. It was a big day out, a long way to travel. We didn't know then just how far we would travel...

White Coppice

White Coppice is a small village near my cousin's place in Lancashire. It was a beautiful Spring day and in the video, you can hear the babbling brook and chirping birds. And not much else.
The drive had been harrowing - narrow laneways and roads but it was peaceful and quite lovely when we finally found it.

St Paul de Vence

We had been travelling for a month. We boarded the ship on the wettest, coldest, windiest day of the journey. We went to sleep...and woke up in paradise. The sun was shining, breakfast was a buffet, there was a bus waiting for us to take us somewhere. And that somewhere was St Paul de Vence, a medieval hill top town just out of Cannes.

The sun was shining as we walked along the cobbles, through the narrow streets, up and down stone stairways, past quaint houses and quirky shops. Views of valleys, vineyards, hills and the snow capped French Alps in the distance.

This is where you end up when you take a risk. Our original tour choice had been taken off the list and we had to find an alternative. What a choice!

Notre Dame

I loved Notre Dame. It was the first, big, inspiring church of the trip and it was very beautiful. I think it helped that the sun was shining and it was Paris. But the inside of Notre Dame was cool and peacefull and you could feel the thousand years of history surrounding you.

Barwon Heads...

13th Beach Resort at Barwon Heads. July 26th 2011. Pentax DSi.

Just lucky really.

Auckland - Sky Tower

They are a little bit "out there" in New Zealand. They invented crazy things like bungy jumping and Zorb. In Auckland, you can leap off Sky Tower. A 200m drop.
The first part of the fall is about 20 metres and the wire pulls you up in front of the coffee shop. They take a photo from above and then off you plummet again.
Of course none of this comes from first hand experience. ARE YOU NUTS???? It comes from watching people do the jump - first while having a coffee and a breakfast muffin (which is when I took this shot) and later with a glass of wine and a snack. Far more civilised than being on the other side of the glass I think.

Salzburg

My brother is an exceptional human being. He suffered through the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg for me. He patiently took loads of photos of me and there are a couple of really good photos of him looking pained and troubled but I would be killed dead if I included them here. This is me at the Pegasus Fountain in the Mirabell Gardens. The Do-Re-Mi steps are in the background. A highlight.

Pompeii

The mountain in the background is Vesuvius. Before it exploded it was double the size it is today.

Imagine going about your every day life when half of that volcano blasted away. The 20 000 people of Pompeii stood no chance.

Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia. Sometimes you hear about something for your whole life and when you get there it is a disappointment. But not here. It was awesome in every sense of the word. There will never be enough words to describe it, or maybe just one word says it all. Gaudi. 

How to spend 5 hours wandering around with your jaw dropped the whole time? Visit La Sagrada Familia. 

Venice

Loved Venice. This is my favourite photo because it captures Venice perfectly. Water. Gondolas. Time. 

Rome - The Colosseum

It didn't matter that the sky was turning grey. Or that fine, misty rain was beginning. This was the moment I had waited for.

Santorini

If I close my eyes I can feel the warmth of the sun on my face. I can hear the chink of cutlery on plates and of glasses being raised and drunk from. In my mind I can hear the songs that were on my iPod on that day.

And I can't believe I could take photos that look like postcards.

Florence

I have nearly finished the DVD for Florence which means I'm about halfway through them. Have to hurry, the memory is fading and I have found myself looking at some of the photos of Florence thinking "where was that". Or maybe that was just Florence. 

The music has focussed around Michelangelo and the fact that he was the golden boy. And also the Medici who really did rule that part of the world for a while.