Wednesday, 10 July 2013

Iceland...June 23-30


Pure, gentle, stark, rugged, honest, embracing, true, remarkable, stunning, unique are all apt words one could use to describe Iceland. A mere 2 hours flight from London and a 1 hour time difference lands you in a world that you wouldn't believe could exist. Whether it be the guy pulling gas at the local petrol station or the lady serving coffee at a highway shop or the waitress in a top end restaurant you get the feeling that everyone is delighted to have you visit. It's a delight that feels warm and genuine and leaves a permanent smile on your face.  There are a mere 300,000 people living on the island and 200,00 of them live in one 'city'. Venture out to any part of Iceland and you will be stunned by its vastness and the feeling of emptiness you encounter. A simply stunning country in every way shape and form and without a doubt one of the top 5 places I have visited in the world. 

After all any country in which Icelandic for bye-bye is ''bless-bless'' gets my vote.



One word- Go





Rekjavik's main Church and tallest building








Cosmopolitan downtown Reykjavik







Time piece in main church











Local resident... Old man and The Sea springs to mind






Simple pleasures in admiring stunning views for free. Reykjavik harbour









Park your boat anywhere. Downtown Reykjavik














Downtown Reykjavik at sunset. 12.15 am. Yes, sunset at 12.15 am. Sunrise ? 1.30 am








Sculpture and Sermons - Reykjavik






Geothermal power doing its work








Selfloss Church and river







Making hay in Iceland 






South Coast scenery - Vik







Needles of Vik




Nestled in the bosom of nature - Vik Church







Volcanic beach - South Coast





One of over 3,000 waterfalls on the island





Icelandic approach to insulation. Effective too!



Religious reflections





Troll Houses




Geothermal swimming pool - Blue Lagoon - Kevlavik




Farmers shed - Flkjaujkla



Gulfoss waterfalls




Gulfoss




Big Sky - Gulfoss






Arctic ponies






Stong - Water so clear and pure you can taste it by simply looking at it.






Religion on a point





Strokkur Geysir





The original Geysir of all Geysirs..now dormant...






Any country with traffic lights like this gets my vote





The road to heaven?











Sunday, 2 June 2013

Italy at its best


If you are going to eat n only one restaurant in Tuscany make sure its the 
''Chiavi D'oro" (Golden Keys) in Arezzo. Italian cuisine and hospitality at its very best.




Siena Square - Tuscany






























Typical Tuscan view

The dream....




The towers of San Gimignano



A Tuscan Village of some note










http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gimignano

Santuario di Oropa - Northern Italy


If you ever find yourself in North West Italy and stuck for something to do you could do worse than visit this place. High in the hills where some monk decided to run away to a couple of hundred years ago is the most fascinating self contained religious estate.












http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santuario_di_Oropa&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsantuario%2Bdi%2Boropa%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den





Iconic Italy