An open doorway………..
A quiet Sardinian street……..
Escaping across the lake……
Travel
A pool with a view
This was the view from our holiday house in Majorca. It was breathtaking, the blue of the pool stretching out towards the blue of the bay below.
The weather was gorgeous, such a lovely change from what we had left behind at home and we all looked forward to enjoying both the pool and the sunshine for the next seven days of our family holiday.
Unfortunately, my baby granddaughter was taken ill with a virus on the first day we were there. The local doctor was marvellous, but it wasn’t until three worrying days later that she started to eat and drink again properly. When she was on the mend, I started to feel ill and although I didn’t need the attention of the doctor, I did feel sorry for myself and longed for my own bed. There’s nothing like your own bed when you feel under the weather is there?
We did manage to visit a few places towards the end of our stay. We drove to Port Soller and caught the little train from there to Soller. It was a lovely experience travelling through orange groves behind the houses on the sides of the tracks.
In Soller, we stopped to have lunch and enjoyed this wonderful view of the church.
We also went to Palma, where we all marvelled again at the wonderful cathedral standing guard over the entrance to the city and towering over the ships in the port.
The evenings were lovely and much cooler, ideal for a walk down to the bay. We found a nice little place where we could sit and have a drink and watch the sunset.
We are home and all feeling much better. The baby had a sore throat for a few days and I had a few days in bed shaking and shivering, but recovering, thanks to the antibiotics prescribed by my doctor for my swollen throat. We all loved Majorca and the area around Camp de Mar it is so peaceful and unspoilt – I hope it stays that way. In the words of someone famous “We will be back”…………..
Paths leading here and there
I love beaches. I love winding pathways that could lead to the start of an adventure or a leisurely walk, you’re never quite sure just what you’ll find at the end. This one led onto South Beach in Miami, one lovely sunny day in early March.
Another March day, this time on Ile de Re and a path that led eventually to a little harbour and a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. Delicious!!
Finally, this one is closer to home, wild flowers from a path behind my sister’s house. Aren’t they just stunning?
Hope you enjoy my photographs too
Weekly Photo Challenge – ‘Entrance’
This is from our visit to Egypt, the photograph shows the entrance to the Valley of the Kings. We had left the air-conditioned mini-bus and walked with our guide the remaining few hundred yards towards the entrance to the tombs. The temperature was 46C and there was precious little shade.
We stayed at The Mena House hotel for the first two nights of our holiday and this is the entrance to the main hotel from the garden wing where our room was. We arrived late at night and I asked our guide how far away we were from the pyramids, he told me “Wait until morning!” And this is the view we had on opening the curtains, not one, but two pyramids! A sight that will stay with me for ever.
This photograph shows all that remains of the entrance to Wycoller Hall. The Hall was formely the home of the Cunliffe family, several generations of the family have lived there. Wycoller Hall is very famous locally; it is said to be haunted by the ghost of a horseman and it was thought to have been the inspiration for Ferndean Manor in Charlotte Bronte’s novel “Jane Eyre.” The Bronte family lived quite nearby in the village of Haworth and it is quite probable that Charlotte and Emily visited during their walks. The Hall was used to illustrate the cover of the 1898 edition of Jane Eyre.
Stunning Portofino
A walk in Stanley Park
A busy weekend in Spain
We spent a lovely weekend in Estepona, an unusual choice perhaps,but we were looking for somewhere a bit different and off the tourist radar. The hotel Kempinski backs onto the beach and was a lovey place to stay. After a day out and about, it was great to come back to a relaxing spa treatment before leaving later in search of some local food.
The local people were very friendly and welcoming, the food in the local restaurants was amazing. We had seafood platters ladened down with everything you could wish for, fresh bread and olives, delicious tapas dishes and some very drinkable local wine.
On Saturday we had decided to visit Gibraltar and whether you agree or disagree with its’ownership, it is well worth a visit. We joined the long queue of traffic snaking out of Spain waiting to cross into Great Britain (weird) and once we found a car park we set off to epxlore.
The main shopping street was crowded, bustling with people looking for duty free bargains and there were loads to choose from, Cameras, wine, spirits, makeup, tobacco, electrical goods, practically everything you could think of.
We decided to leave the crowds and head off up the rock. Before we had gone too far, we found the Barbary Apes, or rather they found us! Stealing crisps and chocolate and running off with their prizes was quite good fun it seemed. The views from the rock were stunning and well worth the climb. If you don’t feel up to the long walk, you can take the cable car to the summit.
On Sunday, we were up early to go up to Ronda. It is short drive north of Marbella and we were last there about 15 years ago. I am glad to say that it was still as beautiful as I remembered it. The drive up to Ronda and view looking back down into the gorge, is incredibly hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t been there.
Ronda was one of the last Moorish cities to fall during the re-conquest of Spain by the Catholic Monarchs. In 1485, the Crusaders took one look up the cliffs and decided it would be impossible to attack, so they cut off the water supply instead. Once the garrison guarding the water was taken, the city fell in 7 days. The town is now a must on the tourist trail, but it is so worth the effort to go there. A truly wonderful place.
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