BLOGTROTTER 2

A VISIT TO KOSOVO

2012-02-03T00:40:00.001Z

PRISHTINA, KOSOVO - OCTOBER 2010

"HOTEL PRISHTINA - SOMETIMES SMALLER IS BETTER..."

"BUT NOT NECESSARILY BEAUTIFUL..."

"A ROOM WITH A VIEW"

"COUNCIL OF MINISTERS BUILDING"

"STREETS OF PRISHTINA - With Cristiano Ronaldo at the grocery shop..."

"PRISHTINA - STREETS, MONUMENTS AND THEATRE"

"YOUTH PALACE - OLD DAYS"

"CENTRAL BANK, UNIVERSITY, LIBRARY & AMERICAN SCHOOL"

"MOSQUES AND CHURCH"

"MODERN BUILDING"

"MUSEUM"

"MARKET"

"ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL"

"MOTHER THERESA"

"RESTAURANTS & PARKS"

AJACCIO AND AWAY

2012-01-02T13:01:00.001Z

CORSICA - SEPTEMBER 2010

"ROOM WITH A VIEW AT THE SOFITEL PORTICCIO"

"PORTICCIO & AJACCIO AIRPORT"

"NAPOLEON - He was born in Ajaccio to parents of noble Genoese ancestry on August 15, 1769"

"FAMILY HOUSE - The Bonaparte family home was a large four-storey building, now a museum. All brothers, but Joseph, were born on the first floor of the house"

"THE IMPERIAL CHAPEL - The construction of the Chapel was the result of the last wishes of Cardinal Fesch (Napoleon's uncle): «On the sale of my Great Gallery of paintings, my heirs should take the sum of two hundred thousand francs for the construction of a church in Ajaccio in which should be built my tomb, that of my sister Letizia and that of any of the members of the Bonaparte family who wish to be buried there». In 1857, Napoleon III had the chapel built by Paccard, the official architect of the Imperial regime"

"AJACCIO - Downtown and beach"

"AJACCIO - CATHEDRAL"

"DE GAULLE, FOCH & FESCH..."

"FESCH MUSEUM - The father of Fesch, a Swiss officer, married the mother of Laetitia Bonaparte, after the death of her first husband and thus Fesch fulfilled the role of an uncle to the young Bonapartes. He was one of the most famous art collectors of his period and his collection included almost 16,000 paintings (not all at the same time), the core being Italian works from the Renaissance to the 18th century"

"SOFITEL THALASSA HOTEL PORTICCIO - Facing Ajaccio Bay and the Sanguinaires Islands, with unrestricted views of sky, sea and rocks, the hotel has a small private beach and a large outdoor pool"

"CHAMPAGNE SUNSET"

"GRAN FINALE"

"GOODBYE CORSICA 2010"

PIANA'S CALANQUES & SEA COLOURS

2011-12-16T23:00:00.001Z

CORSICA - SEPTEMBER 2010

"PIANA - One of the most beautiful sites of Corsica, listed under the UNESCO World Heritage List, the village overlooks the Gulf of Porto and faces the peninsulas of Senino and Scandola"

"PIANA'S CALANQUES"

"FABULOUS"

"THE ORGAN"

"CONTRAST"

"CALANQUES - SEA SIDE"

"COLOUR FESTIVAL"

"SPEECHLESS"

"BLUES"

"WHAT IS THIS?"

"NUANCES"

"TRANSPARENT"

"COLOURED SEA"

"HURRAH"

SCANDOLA NATURAL RESERVE

2011-12-07T09:42:00.001Z

CORSICA - SEPTEMBER 2010

"ENTERING THE RESERVE - The 19.19 square km Reserve (9.19 land; 10 marine) is a Natural World Heritage Site, and was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1983"

"INCREDIBLE"

"MAGNIFICENT"

"ROCKS AND NESTS"

"ONLY FOR SMALL BOATS..."

"EAGLE'S NEST"

"COLOURS"

"DER KUSS (AFTER KLIMT...)"

"COLOURFUL ROCKS"

"GOAT"

"CORSICA & SARDINIA - Holes in the rocks..."

"IMAGINE..."

A DAY AT SEA AND DINNER IN AJACCIO

2011-11-14T22:14:00.004Z

CORSICA - SEPTEMBER 2010 [edited]

"DEPARTING PORTICCIO"

"LEAVING AJACCIO BAY - Parata Point, the Sanguinaires Isles and a Genoese Tower..."

"CLUB MED CARGÈSE"

"WHALE SHOW"

"CORSICAN COAST AND GENOESE TOWERS"

"CAPE ROSSO PASSAGE"

"BAY OF PORTO"

"GIROLATA - Lovely spot better accessed by sea...""

"GIROLATA BAY"

"LUNCH AT LE BON ESPOIR, GIROLATA - With a fabulous view"

"CORSICAN COAST"

"SALING AGAINST THE SUN..."

"RETURNING TO AJACCIO - SUNSET OVER THE SANGUINAIRES"

"AJACCIO - DINER AT NAPOLEON"

PREHISTORIC CORSICA

2011-10-31T12:15:00.001Z

FROM PORTO VECCHIO TO PORTICCIO - CORSICA - SEPTEMBER 2010

"ELEPHANT, TURTLE & LION..."

"STANTARI - The most famous of the statue-menhirs alignement, probably tinted with red ochre"

"ALIGMENTES OF STANTARI AND RINAGHJU AND THE DOLMEN OF FUNTANACCIA"

"SARTENE"

"SARTENE - Views and Museum"

"PROPRIANO"

"FILITOSA - The megalithic site was occupied from the end of the Neolithic era and the beginning of the Bronze Age, until around the Roman times in Corsica. Here we see the central area"

"FILITOSA"

"FILITOSA - DINOSAUR"

"FILITOSA IN THE GREEN"

"FILITOSA V - The most famous"

"ON THE WAY TO PORTICCIO"

"SUNSET IN PORTICCIO"

PORTO VECCHIO & BEACHES

2011-09-05T10:11:00.001+01:00

CORSICA - SEPTEMBER 2010

"HOTEL LE GOELAND - Room 15 has a view..."

"PORTO VECCHIO - THE GENOESE GATE - Porto Vecchio is the third town in Corsica"

"OLD PORTO VECCHIO"

"CHURCHES OF PORTO VECCHIO"

"MARINA OF PORTO VECCHIO, a.k.a. the St. Tropez of Corsica"

"PALOMBAGGIA - Said to be the most famous beach in Corsica, it has been voted one of the Top 10 best beaches in Europe"

"PALOMBAGGIA - North side on the left, south side on the right..."

"PALOMBAGGIA - Bathers, Salesman and afternoon wind"

"SANTA GIULIA - A large lagoon-type beach with turquoise water and white soft sands"

"SANTA GIULIA - An exceptionally shallow and calm sea, with small areas of reef"

"RONDINARA - Flanked by pines in a protected nature reserve, with a calm, shallow and gently sloping sea..."

"RONDINARA - A beautiful horseshoe bay"

"CALA ROSSA - It gets its name from the reddish colour of the sand and surrounding rocks"

"CALA ROSSA - Not much space left due to the luxurious villas with gardens running right up to the beach and the Grand Hotel Cala Rossa with its own private secluded cove..."

BONIFACIO

2011-08-17T11:11:00.001+01:00

BONIFACIO, CORSICA - SEPTEMBER 2010

"SUNRISE, HOTEL LE GOELAND - Wake up in room 15 with this view..."

"HOTEL LE GOELAND - The Cala Rossa Hotel was fully booked, but the choice of «Le Goeland» proved to be a great decision"

"BONIFACIO - Named in 828 after Boniface II of Tuscany, who fought the Moors, Bonifacio is located directly on the Mediterranean Sea, on the best harbour of the southern coast of Corsica, separated from Sardinia by the Strait of Bonifacio"

"COASTLINE TOUR - Leaving the yacht port, passing the commercial port and the Madonetta lighthouse to get into the open Mediterranean Sea"

"FAZZIO ISLE TO BOCCHE DI BONIFACIO - And the differences between the limestone and granite rocks of the coast"

"SDRAGONATO CAVE (LITTLE DRAGON CAVE)"

"BONIFACIO - The old town (the Upper city) is located on the promontory overlooking the Mediterranean Sea at about 70m high and was built in the 9th century. The cliffs have been undercut by the ocean so that the buildings of a white city gleaming in the sun appear to overhang the precipice"

"BONIFACIO FROM SEA - With the staircase «Escalier du Roi d'Aragon"

"BACK TO THE PORT"

"THE GRAIN DE SABLE (Grain of Sand) - This huge rock that fell from the cliff symbolizes what seems to be the inescapable destiny that nature reserves to Bonifacio, in the very long term: be buried under the waves. In fact, the mouths of Bonifacio are among the coasts the most exposed to the elements of the Mediterranean Sea"

"VIEWS FROM THE TOP - With the Grain of Sand"

"CHURCHES AND MONUMENTS"

"LA DAME DE BONIFACIO - This reproduction, which can be seen in Bonifacio's Memorial of the Past Museum, refers to the remains of a young woman, carbon dated to 6570 BC. Her skeleton was found in an ancient cave near the village of Capello, north of Bonifacio, proving that the area was inhabited in prehistoric times"

"STREETS OF BONIFACIO"

THE HEART OF CORSICA

2011-08-10T23:39:00.001+01:00

ST. FLORENT TO PORTO VECCHIO, CORSICA - AUGUST 2010

"OLETTA - By the morning sun"

"HILLS AND VILLAGES"

"SAN MICHELE DE MURATO"

"SAN MICHELE DE MURATO"

"CORTE - Museum and Avenue Paoli"

"CORTE - Old Town"

"CORTE - Eagle's Nest"

"EAGLE'S NEST - And its surroundings"

"EAGLE'S NEST"

"BAVELLA PICS"

"BAVELLA PICS - And the impressive cloud"

"MORE BAVELLA PICS"

"FROM ZONZA TO PORTO VECCHIO"

"HOTEL LE GOELAND - Sunset-Sunrise"

SAINT FLORENT

2011-07-26T22:59:00.002+01:00

CORSICA - AUGUST 2010

"SAINT FLORENT - Created by the Genoese, it became a fishing port, before turning into a holiday resort..."

"ROUGH SEA - That Sunday, the Mediterranean was agitated, preventing people from sailing to the beautiful beaches of Loto and Saleccia..."

"SAINT FLORENT - OLD TOWN"

"THE GENOESE CITADEL"

"VIEWS FROM THE CITADEL"

"PAINTINGS AT THE CITADEL - John O'Keefe, Anne-Marie Rocca Serra and others"

"SANTA MARIA ASSUNTA - Formerly the Cathedral of Saint Florent or Nebbio Cathedral"

"INSIDE THE CATHEDRAL"

"I CAMPAGNOLI - Corsican polyphony"

"I CAMPAGNOLI at YouTube"

"SAINT FLORENT - FROM LA ROJA BEACH"

"LA ROJA BEACH"

"HOTEL LA FLORENTINE & SUNSET"

ERBALUNGA AND BASTIA

2011-07-07T23:50:00.001+01:00

CORSICA - AUGUST 2010

"ERBALUNGA - FRAMED"

"ERBALUNGA - 10km north of Bastia, on a rocky promontory, lays Erbalunga, a port since the time of the Phoenicians, which is most famous for its Good Friday procession"

"ERBALUNGA - IN TOWN"

"BASTIA - ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST - Bastia is the second largest city in Corsica and the capital of the Haute Corse Department"

"CHURCHES OF BASTIA"

"BASTIA PORT - Tourism"

"BASTIA PORTS - Tourism and commercial"

"BASTIA - St. Nicolas Square and the commercial port"

"BASTIA - ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST - Back"

"BASTIA CITADEL - Louis XVI Gate"

"BASTIA CITADEL"

"OLETTA"

AROUND CAP CORSE

2011-06-22T10:04:00.001+01:00

CORSICA - AUGUST 2010

"HOTEL LA FLORENTINE - St. Florent Bay"

"MEDITERRANEAN SEA"

"NONZA"

"NONZA - From the beach to the tower"

"NONZA - View from the Tower"

"ON THE WAY TO CENTURY-PORT"

"ARRIVING AT CENTURY-PORT"

"CENTURY-PORT"

"CENTURY-PORT - Lobster at «Le Vieux Moulin»"

"FROM CENTURY TO MACINAGGIO - Through Rogliano"

"TOWER BY THE BEACH"

"EAST COAST"

FROM CALVI TO SAINT FLORENT

2011-06-13T23:09:00.001+01:00

CORSICA - AUGUST 2010

"CIVITAS CALVI SEMPER FIDELIS - The town was always faithful to the Republic of Genoa, thus the motto"

"CALVI - THE CITADEL - The Second Foreign Parachute Regiment of the French Foreign Legion is based on the Sampiero Corso Barracks in the Citadel"

"CALVI - THE CITADEL - St. John Baptist and the Oratorio of St. Anthony"

"CALVI - MARINA"

"CALVI - SEA SHOW"

"CALVI - From the Citadel"

"CALVI - By the port, with mountains..."

"CALVI - With Columbus (they say he was born there), La Renomée (Monument to the soldiers dead in WWI) and the Salt Tower"

"ESPLANADE"

"LA BALAGNE"

"FROM CALVI TO SAINT FLORENT - Through the Desert of the Agriates"

"SUNSET AND DINNER - In Saint Florent, Restaurant La Rascasse..."

VILLAGES OF LA BALAGNE

2011-06-06T07:56:00.001+01:00

CORSICA - AUGUST 2010

"CORBARA MONASTERY - Built in 1430 and formerly a Franciscan monastery, the Saint Dominic Monastery is located 300 m above the sea level between Corbara and Pigna"

"CHURCH OF PIGNA"

"CHURCHES OF LA BALAGNE"

"PIGNA"

"PIGNA"

"VIEWS FROM PIGNA -Towards Calvi and towards Corbara"

"SANT'ANTONINO - An ancient circular village on the northern coast of Corsica, perched on a rocky hilltop that overlooks the ocean and the Balagne region"

"SANT'ANTONINO - Built in the ninth century, this village is one of the most beautiful in France. It offers superb views to the surrounding mountains..."

"SANT'ANTONINO - ... and also superb views towards Calvi and the Mediterranean Sea!"

"A TERRACE WITH A VIEW"

"STROLLING SANT'ANTONINO"

"LUMIO"

WELCOME TO CORSICA

2011-05-22T22:15:00.002+01:00

FROM LA CANONICA TO THE SEA - AUGUST 2010

After Sardinia, it would make sense to visit Corsica. The island is the most mountainous in the Mediterranean Sea, but it is probably more famous for being the place where Napoleon Bonaparte was born than for its enchanting mountains!!
Having been occupied since the Mesolithic era, it received Carthaginians, Greeks, Etruscans, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Saracens and Lombards, before being given by Pepin the Short, king of the Franks and Charlemagne's father, to pope Stephen II.
Governed by the Genoese from 1347 until 1729 (with a short interruption by the Franco-Ottoman alliance in 1553 - Sampiero Corso), it was independent under the leadership of Pasquale Paoli from 1755 through 1769! And then it became French...

"LA CANONICA - The closest monument to the Bastia-Poretta's airport is this church, which was consecrated in 1119, though it seems to have been built much earlier... Nearby, the archaeological digs of the Roman city of Mariana may be visited"

"LA CANONICA - Built in Romanesque style, it shows a curious bestiary over the portal. Inside, a small statue of Saint Devota (patron Saint of Corsica and Monaco, who was born in Mariana) may be seen. It was given by Prince Rainier III of Monaco on June 9, 2003, on the seventeenth centenary of the martyrdom of the Saint. The wooden polychromatic statue is of Santa Maria Assunta"

"FROM LA CANONICA TO THE SEA - Through roads N193 and N1197 and Ponte Leccia"

"SEA SHOW"

"SEA COLOURS - From Ostriconi Beach to Ile Rousse"

"ANSE PERAIOLE"

"LOZARI BEACH"

"ILE ROUSSE - Isula Rossa in Corsican owes its name to the ochre colour of a rocky islet that served as a natural harbour. Founded in 1758 by Pasquale Paoli, it is, together with Saint-Florent, the only two communes in Corsica to have a French name"

"ILE ROUSSE BEACH"

"ALGAJOLA - ST. AMBROGGIO"

"NORTHWEST COAST WITH TRAIN - The little train between Ile Rousse and Calvi is a must for the beach visitors... But according to a rider, it's a «rickety old train (...), noisy as hell, sweltering hot in the summer but the views are stunning..."

"BEACH"

GOODBYE HOLLAND 2010

2011-05-08T11:32:00.001+01:00

AMSTERDAM, THE HAGUE - JUNE 2010

"8:30 A.M. - GOING TO WORK..."

"ALBERT CUYP MARKET - All kinds of steak..."

"NOORDERKERK - NORTHERN CHURCH. Built between 1620 and 1623, it served the growing population of the Jordaan neighbourhood, which already had the Westerkerk. According to Wikipedia, the Noorderkerk became the church for the common people, while the Westerkerk was used mainly by the middle and upper classes"

"OTHER CHURCHES - Including Moses and Aaron and the Westerkerk"

"CHURCH TOWERS"

"ART ON THE ROAD"

"ANNE FRANK HOUSE - The house was built by Dirk van Delft in 1635, but the canal-side façade dates from 1739. In 1999, after a renovation, Queen Beatrix reopened the museum, which now incorporated the entire building. Over one million people visits the museum every year"

"MAYOR'S HOUSE"

"PARKS - Vondel and Sarphati"

"VONDELPARK"

"RIJSTTAFEL AND AFTER"

"THE HAGUE & SCHEVENINGEN"

STROLLING IN AMSTERDAM

2011-04-28T00:01:00.003+01:00

AMSTERDAM - JUNE 2010

"CARRÉ - THE ROYAL THEATRE..."

"OPERA, THEATRE, CENTRAL BANK, HEINEKEN..."

"HOTELS - American, Okura, Amstel and Windham"

"THE HERMITAGE AMSTERDAM has an agreement with the Russian government to produce exhibitions together with the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg"

"MATISSE - MALEVICH - The Dutch Building Award 2011 was given to the architect of the Hermitage, Hans van Heeswijk"

"METRO - Not an easy task to build a metro in such a city... The construction of the North/South Line was started in 2002 to be finished in 2012; it's now scheduled to 2017..."

"JORDAAN"

"DUTCH FLATBRICK"

"LEIDSEPLEIN"

"PLEINEN - Rembrantplein, Muntplein, Königsplein..."

"ROKIN"

"BARS AND RESTAURANTS"

AMSTERDAM'S CANALS

2011-04-18T21:00:00.005+01:00

AMSTERDAM - JUNE 2010

"HOUSEBOAT - PRINSENGRACHT"

"HOUSEBOATS - Including the Houseboat Museum (top left)"

"HOUSEBOATS"

"HOUSEBOATS IN THE SUN"

"HOUSEBOATS IN JORDAAN"

"BOATS & BIKES"

"MAGERE BRUG"

"AMSTEL"

"FIVE CANALS - OUD SUID"

"JORDAAN"

"LEIDSE TO BLOEMGRACHT"

"BLOEMGRACHT"

"GREEN BLOEMGRACHT"

"PRINSENGRACHT"

"CANALS AT SUNSET"

AMSTERDAM NOORD & NEMO

2011-03-31T09:05:00.002+01:00

AMSTERDAM - JUNE 2010

I must confess that I'm an Amsterdam fan; anyway...

"NEW OFFICES - By the IJ, the body of water that separates Amsterdam from Amsterdam-Noord"

"THE IJ FACTOR and the restaurant at the ferry pier..."

"CONTAINER HOUSES"

"AMSTERDAM PORT"

Probably one of the first songs I knew by heart in French language was «Amsterdam» by Jacques Brel, just before knowing almost all other of his great hits. It remained one of the most impressive memories and every time I get to Amsterdam it comes back to mind...

"PASSENGER'S TERMINAL & MÖVENPICK HOTEL"

"TERMINAL & MUSIK GEBOUW"

"LIBRARY"

"NEMO - The largest science centre in the Netherlands, in a building by Renzo Piano"

"NEMO"

"NEMO & ARCAM"

"ARCAM - The Amsterdam Centre for Architecture. Located in a very futuristic-looking building on the IJ waterfront, it promotes contemporary Dutch architectural design"

"WORKS - Everything seems to be under construction or renovation: The Central Station, the buildings by the IJ, the Maritime Museum, the Concertgebouw, the Stedelijk Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the Dam Square and the Royal Palace..."

EZE - CÔTE D'AZUR

2011-03-26T09:46:00.003Z

EZE - JUNE 2010

«Isis Moriendo Renascor» (In death I am Reborn) is the motto of Èze, a tourist site in the French Riviera, with fabulous views of the Mediterranean Sea. Its emblem is a Phoenix perched on a bone...

"EZE FROM THE GRANDE CORNICHE"

"THE EZE PASS - And other views from the Grande Corniche..."

"EZE - As seen from the parking""

"WEDDING"

"EZE - Its shops, art galleries, hotels and restaurants attract a lot of tourists and thus Èze has become some kind of a «museum village», with very few permanent residents... Going to the Castle and seeing the oldest building in the village: the Chapel of the Holy Cross, dating from 1306. Members of the order of the White Penitents, assisting plague victims, would hold their meetings there"

"VIEWS FROM THE VILLAGE - Including the Friedrich Nietzsche Walk to the beach..."

"CHATEAU D'EZA HOTEL (a member of the Relais & Chateaux chain)"

"THE BOTANICAL GARDEN of Èze is known for its collection of cactus, as well as for its panoramic views"

"VIEWS FROM THE CASTLE"

"EZE BEACH"

"CHATEAU D'EZA HOTEL - Terrace and Bar... Èze is famous for its beauty and charm, with gorgeous views of the Mediterranean Sea"

"UNNAMED"

MAMAC - NICE

2011-03-18T22:01:00.002Z

NICE - JUNE 2010

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMAC) in Nice, France, opened in 1990, is an important museum showing the Contemporary Art from 1950 till today... The New Realists, the Nice School, L'Arte Povera and the American Minimalism are all represented there!

"MAMAC - MUSÉE D'ART MODERNE ET D'ART CONTEMPORAIN"

"ESPLANADE YVES KLEIN - Loch Ness Monster (Niki Saint Phalle) and Mobile"

"TERRACE"

"CEILING ON THE FLOOR"

"DAVID TREMLETT"

"POP, NEW REALISTS AND HYPERREALISM... ;)"

"JEAN TINGUELY"

"JEAN TINGUELY - NIKI SAINT PHALLE"

"NIKI SAINT PHALLE"

"YVES KLEIN"

"KLEIN'S BLUE"

"CAI GUO QIANG - Travels in the Mediterranean and Reflection..."

"TROTTER - SUNSETS... ;)"

MATISSE AND CHAGALL

2011-03-12T09:45:00.000Z

NICE, FRANCE - JUNE 2010

"CHAGALL & MATISSE MUSEUMS"

"MATISSE WORKS - And Matisse by Andre Derain..."

"MATISSE - Woman Reading at a Yellow Table"

"MATISSE - Works"

"MATISSE - L'Odalisque au Coffret Rouge"

"CHAGALL - Creation of Man, Paradise and Expulsion..."

"CHAGALL - Abraham and the Three Angels"

"CHAGALL - Abraham, Moses and Jacob"

"CHGALL - Noah and the Rainbow"

"CHAGALL - Song of Songs"

"CHAGALL - Diptych"

"CHAGALL - Auditorium stained glass"

"CHAGALL - Piano"

NICE

2011-03-05T20:48:00.001Z

NICE - JUNE 2010

"SACHA SOSNO'S VENUS - Alexandre Joseph Sosnowsky, known as Sacha Sosno, was born in Marseille of an Estonian father and a mother from Nice. The Venus at the Elysée Palace Hotel in Nice is made of bronze and granite and is 26m high"

"VIEWS FROM THE ELYSÉE PALACE HOTEL - Mediterranean sea: from rough to calm... and the Villa Furtado Heine"

"CIMIEZ PARK - With Satchmo"

"CASTLE OF NICE - Framed"

"FRANCISCAN MONASTERY"

"GARIBALDI SQUARE"

"SACHA SOSNO - SQUARE HEAD"

"NEAR GARIBALDI SQUARE"

"RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL"

"FROM THE QUAI DES ÉTATS UNIS..."

"... TO THE PROMENADE DES ANGLAIS"

"HOTEL NEGRESCO"

"PEBBLE BEACH"

"SEA WATCHING"

FROM GRASSE TO CANNES

2011-02-24T07:40:00.008Z

CÔTE D'AZUR - JUNE 2010

"GRASSE - The world's capital of perfume and the Cathedral, dedicated to Notre Dame du Puy and founded in the 11th century..."

"GRASSE"

"GRASSE - The Fragonard factory and the Old Town"

"INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF PERFUME - According to Wikipedia, «twenty-seven tonnes of jasmine are now harvested in Grasse every year»"

"GRASSE CATHEDRAL"

"SAINT RAPHAEL - In 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte and his forces arrived by ship from Egypt, and landed at the fishing village of Saint-Raphaël. Connections..."

"PORT OF POUSSAI - GOLDEN ISLAND"

"COASTAL ROAD"

"ESTEREL MASSIF"

"ESTEREL BY THE SEA"

"LA NAPOULE - MONET STYLE..."

"CANNES"

THE MAEGHT FOUNDATION

2011-02-16T00:10:00.002Z

SAINT PAUL DE VENCE - JUNE 2010

The Aimé and Marguerite Maeght Foundation was founded in the 1950s by the Cannes art dealer Aimé Maeght. Friend of André Malraux and of many painters, he commissioned the Spanish architect Josep-Lluis Sert to design a building that would complement the natural setting, "installing a museum inside Nature." On the foothills of the Alps, across the road from Saint Paul (de Vence), the Maeght Foundation combines natural scenic beauty with the fantastic art of Miró, Giacometti, and many others.

"MIRÓ - THE PITCHFORK"

"THE MAEGHT FOUNDATION - Building and Gardens"

"MIRÓ - PERSONNAGE"

"MIRÓ - LABYRINTH"

"MIRÓ - Sculptures and Stained Glass"

"MIRÓ"

"CALDER - MOBILE"

"CALDER"

"LEGER"

"LEGER, DUBUFFET, ERRÓ"

"COLLAGE WITH CHAGALL"

"CHAGALL"

ART AROUND THE CORNER

2011-02-05T23:42:00.001Z

SAINT PAUL DE VENCE - JUNE 2010

The official name is Saint-Paul, but as there are several in the neighbourhood, Vence (a nearby village) is usually added to the name. The old medieval village, created in the ninth century, is well known for its museums and art galleries of modern and contemporary art! Many artists and writers, including the painters Matisse, Renoir, Modigliani, Chagall and Dufy, the writers Jean Giono, André Gide, Jean Cocteau, Jacques Prévert, James Baldwin and Eduardo Lourenço, the actors Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Romy Schneider, Roger Moore and Tony Curtis and, more recently, Théodore Tobiasse and Giuliano Mancini... lived or at least stayed there for a while, namely at the hotel "Le Robinson" (today known as the "Colombe d'Or").

"SAINT PAUL - View as we approach the village"

"VIEWS -Towards and from Saint-Paul"

"RUE GRANDE - Main Street"

CHURCH AND CEMETERY - Where Chagall is buried"

"ART AROUND THE CORNER"

"VENUS - By Theodore Tobiasse. Born in Jaffa in 1927 of Lithuanian parents, his family settled in Paris in 1931. They lived hidden during the Nazi occupation and after the war Tobiasse worked as a very successful advertising artist, first in Paris and then in Nice. He now divides his time between Saint Paul and New York"

"STREET SCULPTURES"

"SHOPS AND GALLERIES"

"FOUNTAIN"

"STREETS AND WALLS"

"MAILBOX - Perrier Bellut..."

CÔTE D'AZUR

2011-01-28T22:12:00.001Z

FROM NICE TO MENTON - JUNE 2010

"RAGING MED - Sometimes the Mediterranean Sea is a bit rough; that is what happened the day we arrived..."

"SAINT JEAN CAP FERRAT"

"CAP FERRAT FROM THE MOYENNE CORNICHE"

"CAP FERRAT FROM THE GRANDE CORNICHE"

"CAP NICE"

"VILLEFRANCHE SUR MER"

"MONTE CARLO"

"CASINO"

"MORE OF THE CASINO - And the rest..."

"MONACO - ROCK"

"MENTON - DOWNTOWN"

"MENTON - OLD TOWN"

"MENTON"

"BATH FORBIDDEN - TEMPORARILY..."

ABU SIMBEL AND AWAY

2011-01-18T08:33:00.001Z

ABU SIMBEL, EGYPT - FEBRUARY 2010

"LAKE NASSER - 550km long and 35km across at its widest point, the lake was the result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile between 1958 and 1970. The Sudanese small part of the Lake is named Lake Nubia"

"RAMSES II - Abu Simbel in its splendour"

"RAMSES II wearing the double crown of Lower and Upper Egypt"

"MORE RAMSES II - According to Wikipedia, «The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to commemorate his alleged victory at the Battle of Kadesh, and to intimidate his Nubian neighbours. However, the complex was relocated in its entirety in the 1960s, on an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir»"

"GENERAL VIEW"

"INTERIORS - According to Wikipedia, «it is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 21 and February 21 (61 days before and 61 days after the Winter Solstice), the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of Ptah, the god connected with the Underworld, who always remained in the dark.» This picture was taken on February 22nd, and Ptah on the left is in the shade..."

"NEFERTARI - The Great Royal Wife of Ramses II"

"NEFERTARI - Not to be confused with Nefertiti, the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaton"

"FROM ABU SIMBEL TO ASWAN"

"CAIRO AT NIGHT"

"CAIRO - ALEXANDRIA"

"MALTA, SICILY, TUNISIA AND BALEARIC ISLANDS"

PHILAE - TEMPLE OF ISIS

2011-01-11T12:02:00.001Z

ASWAN, EGYPT - FEBRUARY 2010

"AGILIKA ISLAND - The complex of the Temple of Isis was dismantled and relocated from the Philae Island (one of the burying-places of Osiris, and thus held in high reverence both by Egyptians and Nubians) to the nearby (500m) Agilika Island in the 1960s, when the waters of the Nile partly flooded the site almost permanently"

"TEMPLE OF ISIS - First pylons with Isis"

"FAÇADE"

"COLUMNS & CAPITALS"

"ISIS, HORUS AND A PTOLOMAIC PHARAOH"

"DAMAGE - It seems that during the late Roman Empire, after the introduction of Christianity, there was an attempt to erase all the ancient «pagan idols»; the result was that most of the figures on the walls of the temple were scratched and broken..."

"RELIEFS - OFFERINGS"

"TEMPLE OF HATHOR"

"KIOSK OF TRAJAN - And the Sound and Light Theatre"

"SOUND AND LIGHT - The S&L at Philae is probably the best show of the temples near the Nile River..."

"SOUND AND LIGHT - Façade"

SOUND AND LIGHT - Inside and the damaged images"

"LIGHTS"

"GENERAL VIEW"

"THE MYTH OF OSIRIS and the end of the show"

ASWAN - UPPER EGYPT

2011-01-05T23:03:00.003Z

ASWAN, EGYPT - FEBRUARY 2010

"FELUCCA - Early morning vision of the Nile"

"FELUCCAS - All day, sometimes without wind..."

"ASWAN FROM THE NILE - Including the "Old Cataract Hotel" (top left), where Agatha Christie wrote «Death on the Nile», and where Tsar Nicolas II, Winston Churchill, Egypt's King Farouk, Lady Diana and Princess Caroline of Monaco spent some time. Closed for restoration, it will reopen as Sofitel Legend in September 2011"

"ARCHANGEL MICHAEL'S COPTIC ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL - Consecrated in 2006, it is the Cathedral of the Egyptian Christians in Aswan"

"ASWAN VIEWS - Desert, Nile, Unfinished Obelisk, Aswan Dam, Mövenpick Hotel and USSR-style monument..."

"HENRY MOORE BY THE NILE"

"EGYPTIAN LA DIGUE"

"THE DESERT IS SO CLOSE"

"THE AGA KHAN MAUSOLEUM - The pink granite structure was built for Mohammed Shah Aga Khan, who was educated in Europe and succeeded his father to become the 48th imam. He was succeeded by his grandson, Karim AGa Khan upon his death in 1957. The Mausoleum is close to Aga Khan's white villa below, and is near the Monastery of St. Simeon on the west bank"

"PRIVATE ISLANDS"

"NUBIAN VILLAGE - In the Elephantine Island. The visit may be something between peculiar and a tourist trap..."

"HOTEL ISIS - Reflection"

KOM OMBO'S TEMPLE - HORUS & SOBEK

2010-12-31T09:29:00.001Z

KOM OMBO, EGYPT - FEBRUARY 2010

"OASIS"

"CRUISING THE NILE"

"ARRIVING TO KOM OMBO, fifty kilometres north of Aswan"

"KOM OMBO - Located on the east bank of the Nile, the Temple was dedicated to two gods: Horus, the falcon god, and Sobek, the crocodile god. Being of Greco-Roman structure, it dates back to the year 119 BC, when Ptolemy VI, who started the construction, built it out of limestone"

"THE TEMPLE - The left side of the Temple was dedicated to Horus the elder, god of victory, and the right side to Sobek, the crocodile god. The Temple, however, became famous for its healing power, becoming a major pilgrimage site"

"THE HYPOSTYLE HALL"

HORUS & SOBEK"

"LOW RELIEFS & SUNKEN RELIEFS"

"HATHOR, SOBEK & HORUS - And the birth in the middle..."

"KOM OMBO BY SUNSET"

"SUNSET"

"NIGHT ARRIVAL TO ASWAN"

EDFU'S TEMPLE OF HORUS

2010-12-25T12:30:00.003Z

EDFU, EGYPT - FEBRUARY 2010

"APOLLONOPOLIS MAGNA - Edfu, located sixty kilometres north of Aswan, was known as Apollonopolis Magna during the Greek times, as Greeks identified Horus with Apollo. Here, at 7:30 a.m. in modern Edfu, we may see tourists on their way to the temple"

"HORUS TEMPLE - The second largest temple in Egypt after Karnak, and the best preserved. The construction began during the reign of Ptolemy III (August 23, 237 BC), was finished during the reign of Ptolemy IV, but had several additions till 57 BC under Ptolemy XII"

"FAÇADE - The first Pylon of the Temple - 37m high - is considered the highest amongst the surviving Temples in Egypt. It is decorated with battle scenes, representing King Ptolemy VIII destroying his enemies before the God Horus"

"THE PHAROAH AND HORUS"

"COURT OF OFFERINGS - This open courtyard, containing columns with floral capitals, was open to the public, being the place where people could make their offering to the statue of the God"

"HORUS, PYLON AND COLUMNS"

"THE HYPOSTYLE HALL AND HORUS OF BEHDET - The Hall has twelve columns to support its roof. On the side of its entrance stands a statue of Horus of Behdet, in the shape of a falcon"

"HORUS & HORUS"

"HALL OF OFFERINGS - The walls are decorated with low reliefs representing Horus and other deities as well as offering scenes of the different Ptolemaic Kings"

"MOHAMED ALI"

"SANCTUARY - Located at the end of the Temple, the sanctuary, surrounded by twelve rooms, has a niche of grey granite to place the statue of the God. In front of the dais is a pedestal for the divine boat"

"COLOURS AND VANDALISM - As elsewhere, many of the temple's reliefs were razed after Theodosius I's edict banning non-Christian worship within the Roman Empire in 391"

"DEPARTING EDFU"

CRUISING THE NILE

2010-12-18T01:23:00.004Z

EGYPT - FEBRUARY 2010

"DEAPARTING LUXOR/THEBES - The ships start moving one after the other and the view of the Luxor Temple accompanies us for a while"

"LEFT BANK, RIGHT BANK, FELUCCA, SHIP & BRIDGE..."

"CONTRASTS - Resort sold in UK, suburbs of Luxor, factory and village"

"PALM TREES"

"GREEN NILE"

"THE DESERT IS SO CLOSE"

"MINARET"

"SHIPS & SHIPS - Overpassing while in the pool..."

"THE BEST - My choice of the best pictures on this section of the cruise"

"À L'ABORDAGE"

"ESNA LOCK SYSTEM"

"BRIDGE LIGHTS"

GOODBYE LUXOR

2010-12-10T07:54:00.001Z

EGYPT - FEBRUARY 2010

"AMARCO II - The ship that we used to cruise the Nile River, from Luxor to Aswan, has definitely an identity problem: it's known as Amarco II, Antares or the Nile Express... But it was a nice choice!"

"FELUCCAS - The traditional wooden sailing boat with its rig consisting of one or two lateen sails, are usually able to board around ten passengers and are still in active use as a means of transport in cities like Luxor or Aswan"

"THE WINTER PALACE HOTEL - Located south of the Luxor Temple, the five star hotel was built in 1886 on the Nile banks"

"THE WINTER PALACE HOTEL GARDENS - In 1996, the Pavilion, a 4-star annex, was built in the rear of the tropical gardens of the Winter, close to the swimming pool.

"FRONT TERRACE - View towards the Nile River"

"PREPARING FOR SUNSET"

"THE SUN IS SETTING"

"SUNSET WITH PALM TREES & FELUCCAS"

"TWILIGHT"

"LIGHTED FAÇADE"

"WINTER PALACE BY NIGHT - The Palace has 5 restaurants, but only two in the main building: the 1886 (French) and la Corniche Restaurant (international)"

THE VALLEY OF KINGS

2010-12-04T14:15:00.001Z

LUXOR, EGYPT - FEBRUARY 2010

Visitors are not allowed to carry cameras to the Tombs' site. So, there is limited coverage of that part of the trip on the Valley of the Kings... We could think that the reason was that they would like to sell their own pictures and make some money out of that, which, of course, would be fair enough... No, there were no decent books of pictures to buy!! So, you keep the visual memories until your German friend (Alzheimer) attacks...

"MORNING BALLONS and the house of Howard Carter, the English archaeologist, noted as as the primary discoverer of the tomb of Tutankhamen"

"LAND OF THE DEATH - Tombs of Noblemen"

"HATSHEPSUT - Meaning «Foremost of Noble Ladies», was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt and lived from 1508 B.C. through 1458 B.C. The Temple of Hatshepsut, located beneath the cliffs at Deir el Bahari on the west bank of the Nile near the Valley of the Kings, was designed by the architect Senemut and is dedicated to the sun god Amon-Ra"

"HATSHEPSUT - This was also the site of the Luxor Massacre that took place on 17 November 1997. Around 8:45 a.m., six assailants, armed with automatic firearms and knives, and disguised as members of the security forces massacred 62 people. With the tourists trapped inside the Temple, the killing went on for 45 minutes"

"PHARAOH"

"HAWK, HATHOR & THE SACRED COW"

"HEAD OF PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT - The Double Crown (North and South Egypt) and the traditional false beard have been stripped from the sculpture. It seems that many images portraying Hatshepsut were destroyed or vandalized after her death, allegedly «by Amenhotep II at the end of the reign of Thutmose III, while he was his co-regent, in order to assure his own rise to pharaoh and then, to claim many of her accomplishments as his» (Wikipedia)"

"HIGH RELIEF"

"PAINTINGS"

"HATSHEPSUT"

"HATSHEPSUT IN OSIRIAN POSES"

FACADE"

"THE COLOSSI OF MEMNON are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Here we may see the left one as the one on the right was covered for restoration work"

"BACK TO LUXOR"

LUXOR

2010-11-27T16:50:00.001Z

LUXOR TEMPLE - FEBRUARY 2010

"FROM KARNAK TO LUXOR - The Avenue of the Sphinxes, or Sacred Way, once connected the two miles from Karnak to Luxor Temple"

"FAÇADE - The temple, located on the east bank of the River Nile, was founded in 1400 B.C. Known as "the southern sanctuary", the temple was dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut. The missing obelisk on the right hand side of the entrance can now be seen at Place de La Concorde, Paris"

"ENTRANCE COLONADE - With the giant statues of Ramesses II"

"THE FIRST PATIO - Ramesses II, Ramesses II and some few others... The Pharaoh wears the double crown of High and Low Egypt"

"HYPOSTYLE ROOM AND COLONNADE"

"AMENHOTEP III COURT"

"TEMPLE, CHAPEL, MOSQUE"

"RELIEFS - Including the ithyphallic Amun"

"FIRST PYLON AND OBELISK as seen from the ship"

"VIEWS OVER THE TEMPLE"

"TEMPLE AT NIGHT"

"AT NIGHT, FROM THE RIVER SIDE"

KARNAK

2010-11-21T22:22:00.001Z

EGYPT - FEBRUARY 2010

BACK TO THE OLD SANDS

"FIRST PYLON OF KARNAK - After an early morning flight from Cairo, we arrived to the Karnak Temple Complex before 8:00 a.m., sunrise time... However, some Japanese tourists were already there; no wonder, with the time difference they were seven hours later... ;) The first pylon started to be built in the fourth century BC, but was never finished"

"ENTERING - Located near Luxor, about 500km south of Cairo, Karnak is the largest ancient religious site in the world. Before entering the site, a large scale model depicts the place as it has probably been and a corridor of ram-headed sphinxes directs the visitor to the first pylon entrance... The figure of Pinedjem I, the High Priest of Amun at Thebes in Ancient Egypt from 1070 BC to 1032 BC (seen at the bottom left), is 10.5 metres tall"

"AVENUE OF SPHINXES"

"TAHARQA COLUMN - Taharqa was a Nubian pharaoh of Egypt of the Twenty-fifth dynasty, reigning from 690 BC to 664 BC"

"TEMPLES - The site consists of four main parts (Precinct of Amun-Re, Precinct of Mut, Precinct of Montu, and the dismantled Temple of Amenhotep IV), of which only the largest, the Precinct of Amun-Re, is currently open to the public. Here we may see some of the smaller temples inside the Precinct of Amun-Re"

"GREAT HYPOSTYLE HALL - The roof, now fallen, was supported by 134 columns in 16 rows; the 2 middle rows are higher than the others (10m in circumference and 24m high)"

"GREAT HYPOSTYLE HALL - The decoration in raised relief and was mainly made during Seti I's reign; the sunken relief decoration of the southern side of the hall was completed by Ramesses II"

"COLUMNS"

PAINTINGS AND INSCRIPTIONS"

"OBELISKS - Of Thutmose I (21.2 m high and nearly 150 tons) and of Hatshepsut (29m high and 328 tons). Later kings, namely Thutmose III and his son Amenhotep II, made an attempt to remove Hatshepsut from certain historical records and blocked out the view of her obelisk, constructing walls around it"

"OBELISKS - Thutmose I and Hatshepsut. The attempt to eliminate Hatshepsut from records was carried out in the most literal way possible: her cartouches and images were chiselled off some stone walls, leaving very obvious Hatshepsut-shaped gaps in the artwork. Furthermore, Amenhotep II is suspected to having usurped many of Hatshepsut's accomplishments during his own reign"

"SCARAB AND SACRED LAKE - Three turns counter clockwise (CCW) and a wish... unless one is «not superstitious, because it brings bad luck...» ;)"

"TEMPLE OF RAMESSES II"

"GODS, PHARAOHS & OTHERS..."

40 CENTURIES LOOK DOWN UPON YOU

2010-11-14T22:44:00.001Z

EGYPT - FEBRUARY 2010

"WAKING UP EARLY - The Fairmont is a nice hotel, but the views, even at seven a.m., are always covered by a mix of fog and pollution... And, suddenly, just across the road, there are the Pyramids"

"THE PYRAMID OF KHUFU, a.k.a. THE PYRAMID OF CHEOPS - It's the oldest (concluded around 2560 BC) and largest of the pyramids in Giza and the only remaining of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. At 146.5 metres, the Pyramid of Cheops (Greek name) was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years"

"FRAMED"

"THE GREAT PYRAMID AND MUSEUM - The Museum was specially built in 1982 to show the Khufu ship"

"THE KHUFU (CHEOPS) SHIP - The ship, 43.6 m long and 5.9 m wide, was built for Khufu and sealed into a pit at the foot of the Great Pyramid around 2,500 BC. Rediscovered in 1954, the «solar barge», a ritual vessel to carry the resurrected king with the sun god Ra across the heavens, is one of the oldest, largest, and best-preserved vessels from antiquity"

"THE PYRAMID OF KHAFRE a.k.a. THE PYRAMID OF CHEPHREN - The pyramid, sitting on bedrock 10 m higher than Khufu’s, which makes it appear to be taller, is 148.5 m high and is the second-largest of the Giza Pyramids"

"THE PYRAMID OF KHAFRE - The slope rises at an 53° 10' angle, steeper than the Pyramid of Khufu which has an angle of 51°50'40"

"THE PYRAMID OF KHAFRE - Built in horizontal courses, the stones at the bottom are very large, but as the pyramid rises, the stones become smaller"

"TOURISTS IN THE DESERT"

"THE PYRAMIDS OF KHUFU (CHEOPS), KHAFRE (CHEPHREN) AND MENKAURE (MIKERINOS) - It looks like you are in the desert, but the road and the houses of the city are just around the corner..."

"THE SPHINX - The Sphinx, a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head, is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing 73.5 metres long, 6 metres wide, and 20.22 m high. Built in the reign of the pharaoh Khafre, it's the oldest known monumental sculpture"

"THE SPHINX - The Khafre Pyramid and the houses around the corner..."

STROLLING IN CAIRO

2010-11-07T08:12:00.005Z

CAIRO - FEBRUARY 2010

"NILE, GARDENS & RESTAURANTS"

"ROAD TRAFFIC"

"STREETS OF CAIRO"

"EGYPTIAN MUSEUM - A fabulous museum inaugurated in 1902 and with 120,000 items in its collection, including twenty seven royal mummies and the Treasure of Tutankhamon..."

"PAPYRUS"

"CITADEL AND NORTHERN CEMETERY - The Northern Cemetery, a.k.a. the City of the Dead, is a true curiosity. Though it is a cemetery, many living people reside there... It must be related to the idea Egyptians had, dating back to early pharaonic times, that graves are rather places where life begins..."

"AL RIFAI MOSQUE - The Royal Mosque was constructed in two phases over the period between 1869 and 1912, when it was finally completed"

"ISLAMIC CAIRO"

"AL-HUSSEIN MOSQUE"

"KHAN EL KHALILI - The market was built in 1382 by the Emir Djaharks el-Khalili"

FRONT DE MER AND NOTRE DAME

2010-11-01T23:23:00.001Z

ALGIERS- OCTOBER 2009

"GRAND POSTE - The Great Post Office building, with its neo-Moorish façade, was inaugurated in 1913"

"GARE D'ALGER - The Railway Station"

"PORT - The harbour of Algiers has a development and modernization plan spreading until 2015"

"FRONT DE MER - WATERFRONT"

"ESPLANADE"

"CHAMBER OF COMMERCE"

"FISHING DOCKS"

"NOTRE DAME DES AFRIQUES - The basilica of Algiers, located on the north side of Algiers, on a 124m cliff overlooking the Bay, was inaugurated in 1872, after fourteen years of construction. Built in a Neo-Byzantine style, it can be considered to be a counter piece to the church of Notre-Dame de la Garde on the other side of the Mediterranean, in Marseille"

"FOOTBALL"

"PANORAMA"

VIEWS, PALACES & GARDENS

2010-10-26T23:19:00.002+01:00

ALGIERS - OCTOBER 2009

"MODERN ARGEL"

"PALACE OF THE RAÏS - BASTION 23 - The Palace is one of the most important historic monuments of Algiers and is a witness of the connection of the Casbah with the sea in the Ottoman era. The complex includes three palaces and six houses""

"FROM WITHIN TO OUTSIDE"

"CEILINGS, ARCHES & TILES"

"PATIO"

"VIEWS FROM THE TERRACE"

"HOTEL EL AURASSI - In the far distance..."

"VIEWS FROM THE EL AURASSI"

"SALE"

"JARDIN D'ESSAI - BOTANICAL GARDEN - Created in 1832, it was renewed from 2001 through 2009"

"GARDEN VIEWS - Including the National Museum of Fine Arts"

"MUSEUM - VIEWS - And Algiers by night..."

CASBAH, INTERIORS AND MECHOUI...

2010-10-17T19:25:00.001+01:00

ALGIERS - OCTOBER 2009

***

CASBAH

"CASBAH - The Casbah (meaning citadel) is, according to Wikipedia, «specifically the citadel of Algiers in Algeria and the traditional quarter clustered around it». Built on a hill over the ruins of old Icosium, the Casbah is a small city divided in two: the High city and the Low city"

"VIEWS OF THE CASBAH"

"VIEWS FROM THE CASBAH"

"SHOP"

"STREETS OF ALGIERS"

***

INTERIORS

"ETNOGRAPHY - A traditional Algerian home may be visited to see how life was in the old times"

"DECORATION"

"PATIO"

"PAINTINGS AND MUSIC"

"CROWN"

"ANTIQUES' MUSEUM"

"OFFICE BUILDING"

***

DINNER

"RESIDENCE"

"MECHOUI - With music..."

ALGIERS - HOTEL AND MORE...

2010-10-09T23:49:00.004+01:00

ALGIERS - OCTOBER 2009

Located on the west side of a bay of the Mediterranean Sea, Algiers is the capital and largest city of Algeria and the Maghreb. It is known as Algiers the white, due to its white buildings rising up from the sea.

"HOTEL - A great deal of time is spent in hotels..."

"SUNRISE - For once..."

"PERFECT!"

"MORNING, AFTERNOON, EVENING..."

"UNDER THE MOON"

"GETTING OUT"

"REVOLUTION DAY - On November 1st, it celebrates the beginning of the fight for independence from France in 1954. Flags are everywhere"

"ALGIERS - Old and new..."

"PARABOLIC ANTENNAS"

"WHITE ALGIERS"

"THE MARTYRS MEMORIAL - Opened in 1982, on the 20th anniversary of Algeria's independence, it commemorates the Algerian war for its independence"

PORTO CERVO

2010-10-03T09:33:00.002+01:00

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

"PORTO CERVO is probably the most famous resort in Sardinia and it is the main centre of the Costa Smeralda"

"THE PIAZZETTA is the heart of the village and the location of Hotel Cervo. If you think that the mansions are fabulous, just wait to see the yachts..."

“HOTEL CERVO one of the Starwood Stars in the area..."

"SHOPPING - Just the best... What colour do you prefer for your moccasins?"

"YACHTS - The difficulty of choice..."

"EL GAMA - the smaller one is registered in Madeira..."

"IL GRILL - Dining al fresco and enjoying Piazza del Principe (Aga Khan)"

"HOTEL CERVO at night"

"YACHTS - Lighted..."

"NARA, ONA & DILBAR - NARA: 61m long, crafted in 1979, is able to accommodate a total of 26 people on board, including 17 crew members. Flagged in Bermuda, the official registry port is Hamilton and her home port is Viareggio, Italy. The owner is from the Middle East...
ONA: Built in the Netherlands and launched in 2005. With an overall length of 66.01 metres, ONA can accommodate 14 passengers and 22 crew members. Flagged in the Cayman Islands, the official registry port is George Town and her home port is Piraeus, Greece...
DILBAR: The 110m long yacht was built in 2008. She is owned by Alisher Usmanov and is currently number 18 in the list of the largest yachts in the world. Dilbar includes one helipad and can accommodate 20 passengers and 47 crew members. Flagged in the Cayman Islands, the official registry port is George Town. Dilbar is the first yacht in the world with particle filters on the main engine exhausts...
Now, which one do you care for? ;)"

"SMERALDA FROM SKY"

"FLYSAILING CAPO CACCIA - Goodbye Sardinia 2009"

COSTA SMERALDA - II

2010-09-25T23:31:00.003+01:00

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

"NEAR CAPO TESTA"

"COSTA SMERALDA - Different views"

"SANTA TERESA DI GALLURA - Church. Santa Teresa, a town on the northern tip of Sardinia, on the Strait of Bonifacio, was founded on August 12th 1808, by king Vittorio Emanuele I, and at the beginning was populated by smugglers, Corsican political exiles and some local families. The construction of the church started in 1835"

"SANTA TERESA - Way to the beach... The urban plan of the town was designed by king Vittorio Emanuele I in 1807 and with it is unique in Sardinia, with its straight streets, parallel and intersecting at right angles"

"SANTA TERESA - Pedestrian zone. At the end of the 19th century the town was discovered as a tourist resort. And you may see the ad on «Seadas Fresche» - a thin film of egg pasta, a soft cheese filling and a coating of melted honey, which, perhaps more than any other represents the Sardinian tradition. The origins of this cake are in the area of Orgosolo/Oliena. The name derives from the word «seu», meaning, in Sardinian dialect, the brilliance of the pancakes after they were covered in honey. The Seadas were prepared by women to celebrate the return of men from transhumance, and in principle were not regarded as a sweet, but as actual dishes. Today they are served as dessert"

"SANTA TERESA - Port and ferry to Corsica. According to the official site, «The coast on which Santa Teresa stands was the scene of the fights between the regular troops and the exponents of the ideals defended by the French Revolution, like the revolt of June 1802, caused by the priest Sanna – Corda and the notary Cilocco on the Spanish Tower of Longosardo»"

"RENA BIANCA BEACH - No comments..."

"BEACHES ON THE COAST - Including the fabulous Rena Bianca..."

"VIGNOLA MARE - A typical village on the gulf of Vignola, 16 km from Santa Teresa di Gallura, whose main feature is its beautiful sand beach"

"VIGNOLA MARE - Blues"

"ROCKS"

"SANTA REPARATA - Located only 3 km far from Santa Teresa di Gallura, furthest point in the north-eastern Sardinia, its bay is surrounded by stunning sea cliffs and the colour of its bottom goes from the blue to the green"

COSTA SMERALDA - I

2010-09-16T21:47:00.001+01:00

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

The development of the Emerald Coast - 55 km long with lovely beaches and villages built according to an extremely detailed urban plan, started in 1961, when the Prince Karim Aga Khan created a consortium of companies to introduce luxury in the area. The result is an amazing collection of luxury resorts and fabulous villas around the main towns and villages of Arzachena, Porto Cervo, Liscia di Vacca, Olbia and Romazzino. The «Arcipelago di La Maddalena National Park», a geo-marine national park, is also in the area.

"YACHT BY THE BEACH - Fabulous yachts, secluded beaches and a fantastic turquoise sea may be found around Costa Smeralda"

"HOTEL ROMAZZINO and neighbourhood"

"BAJA SARDINIA - Famous tourist village located west of Porto Cervo, Baja has a large bay perfect for swimming"

"GULF OF ARZACHENA - With 88km of coast, it includes the true heart of the Costa Smeralda and the Capo d'Orso..."

"PALAU - Not the Republic in the Pacific Ocean, just the village in Sardinia..."

"CABRERA & ST. STEFANO ISLANDS - Two of the largest islands of the Maddalena Archipelago National Park"

"CROSSING - From Palau to La Maddalena, the main town of the Archipelago, in the island with the same name; the largest one also..."

"LA MADDALENA - Marina"

"LA MADDALENA -Strolling around..."

"OLD BUILDINGS WITH BALCONIES"

"RESTAURANT WITH A VIEW"

"MOONLIGHT"

CALA DI VOLPE

2010-09-07T11:04:00.001+01:00

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

The north-eastern Sardinian coastline known as the Costa Smeralda, or «The Emerald Coast», was largely undiscovered until the early 1960s when the Aga Kahn, looking to escape the crowds of the Côte d’Azur, bought some twenty square kilometres (five thousand acres) of white sand beaches and coves. Sensitive to the granite coastline and to the eucalyptus, juniper, and myrtle that surrounded the area, the Aga Kahn chose the French architect Jacques Couelle (1902-1996) to develop a resort offering the most luxurious accommodations and amenities conceivable.

Couëlle, a self-taught architect, nicknamed «the architect of billionaires» and a friend of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, built some exceptional homes and the Hotel Cala di Volpe. His design of the «home-landscape» Hotel, completed in 1963, stands as a masterpiece that irrevocably shaped the coastline. The renovations of the Hotel in 2001 and 2008 were overseen by Jacques Couelle’s son Savin.

"ROOM WITH A VIEW - Another one..."

"ROOM SERVICE"

"VIEWS FROM THE BALCONY"

"INSIDE - Each of the one hundred and twenty four rooms and suites celebrates Sardinia's natural beauty and artistry. White washed walls are decorated with trompe l'oeil paintings, unique to each room. Handcrafted furniture is painted to match each room's singular theme, complemented further by ceramic tile work. Curved walls lead down angled passageways and up winding staircases"

"IN THE MORNING - The hotel’s exterior was conceived to look like an ancient Mediterranean fishing village, with interconnecting terracotta rooftops, turrets, porticoes, and terraces..."

"PRIVATE BEACH with a view to the fleet of real yachts floating in the emerald sea. Wonder what the fake Vuitton is doing there... :-)"

"SWIMMING POOL - Huge..."

"PASTEL PATCHWORK"

"SUNSET COLOURS"

"EVENING"

FROM OROSEI TO COSTA SMERALDA

2010-08-26T16:14:00.003+01:00

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

"GULF OF OROSEI - Clouds for our departure..."

"OROSEI TO PORTO SAN PAOLO"

"LA CALETTA"

"CAPE COMINO"

"POSADA"

"PORTO SAN PAOLO - Restaurant Il Portolano: lobster spaghetti and ravioli al nero di sepia..."

"TAVOLARA ISLAND - Just across from Porto San Paolo, the limestone massif is five kilometres long, one kilometre wide and 565 metres above sea level at its highest point"

"TAVOLARA - There was a Kingdom of Tavolara in the 19th and 20th centuries, one of the smallest in the world. Ruled by the Bertoleoni family, it became de facto part of Italy in 1962 when a NATO base was established, although it was never formally annexed"

"GULFS - Olbia and Aranci, with the village of Nodu Pianu"

"PORTO ROTONDO - No sign of Villa Certosa..."

"PORTO ROTONDO"

"CALA DI VOLPE - Arrival at the hotel: strawberries and prosecco..."

NEPTUNE'S CAVE

2010-08-16T12:55:00.000+01:00

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

Neptune's Cave (Grotta di Nettuno in Italian) gets its name from the Roman god of the sea, Neptune, and is a stalactite cave at the bottom of Cape Caccia in Sardinia. Discovered by local fishermen in the 18th century, it has since developed into a very popular tourist attraction"

"ENTRANCE - The entrance lying only one meter above sea level, the cave can only be visited when the waters are calm..."

"FIRST IMPRESSIONS..."

"PHALLIC STALAGMITE"

COLUMNS"

"STALACTITES AND STALAGMITES"

"THE ORGAN"

"MORE TITES & MITES"

"MIRROR ROOM - The Cave has a 120-metre-long saltwater lake, which is at sea level"

LAND FROM SEA - CAPE CACCIA

2010-08-06T17:21:00.000+01:00

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

"ALGHERO FROM SEA"

"ON THE WAY TO CAPE CACCIA"

"CAPE CACCIA - Cape Caccia is a limestone promontory, overlooking the bay of Alghero. Cape Caccia owes its name to the pigeon shoots that the notables of the nineteenth century use to make there..."

"FACING IT - There is a meteorological station in Capo Caccia, and a lighthouse, which thanks to its position - 186 meters above sea level - is one of the most visible from a distance, about 34 miles"

"THE EARTH ENDS..."

"ON THE OTHER SIDE"

"CAPE & CAVE - The Cape is also known for its many sea caves at the bottom of the hill that was once frequented by many families of monk seals, now completely disappeared after the hunt by fishermen"

"ISOLA FORADADA"

"HUMAN FIGURE" - In stone..."

"NEPTUNE CAVE - The most famous cave, named after the god of the seas, is that of Neptune"

"CLOSE TO THE ENTRANCE..."

ALGHERO, CATALONIA IN ITALY...

2010-08-02T22:33:00.002+01:00

ALGHERO, SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

Alghero is a town with less than fifty thousand inhabitants in the west coast of Sardinia. After it was captured by the Aragonese in 1353, Alghero started an economically development period with the arrival of Catalan colonists. In 1720 Alghero and Sardinia were handed over to the House of Savoy. Anyhow, there is still a persistent Catalan influence in Alghero, including a native language, which is a Catalan dialect: the Algherese Catalan!

"OLD TOWN - By the port..."

"OLD TOWN - Pebbled streets..."

"CITY HALL"

"TOWERS - Del Portal and Sant Maria"

"LAMPS & ARCADES"

"SANT MIQUEL - The patron saint of the city is celebrated on September 28th with fireworks and a «Festa»..."

"CHURCHES - St. Miquel and St. Francesc"

"ARCADES - St. Francesc"

"OLD TOWN - Piazza Civica, Court and Piazza Sulis"

"TOWER DE L'ESPERÓ REIAL"

"PORT"

"BEACH"

THE MURALS OF ORGOSOLO

2010-07-26T08:01:00.001+01:00

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

In June 1969, at Pratobello, the population of Orgosolo opposed the Italian Army, which had occupied an area of the municipality, until then freely used for cattle farming, with the intention of creating a new military training camp. The army withdrew, but some anarchists from Milan created a mural signed Dioniso. It was the first in Orgosolo. In 1975, Francesco del Casino and some of his students started to paint murals throughout Orgosolo. Nowadays, there are circa one hundred fifty murals, most of them with a political background, which make the village famous...

"CIAO - WELCOME"

"YOU ARE HERE"

"THE VILLAGE"

"GARIBALDI"

"SARDINIAN CLAIMS - Including «Terra ai Contadini», the «Fight of Pratobello», «Il Capitalismo soffoca» and Emilio Lussu, head of the Sardinian Action Party..."

"SARDINIAN PEOPLE - Picture of a «bandito», after Lombroso..."

"TIENANMEN"

"PEOPLE - Including Gramsci, Neruda, Rosa Luxembourg, Charlot..."

"INTERNATIONALISM - Desmond Tutu, Ghandi, Larzac Fight and Salvador Allende"

"PICASSO"

"PAINTERS & PAINTINGS - Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Picasso, «Nullitá della Guerra», 9-11, Saddam..."

"HAPPY THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T NEED HEROES"

DEEP IN SARDINIA

2010-07-17T22:51:00.001+01:00

FROM COAST TO COAST - SEPTEMBER 2009

"GOAT - On the road from Cala Gonone to Cala Cortoe"

"CALA CORTOE - It used to be much emptier than it is nowadays, but still a nice alternative to the other beaches, south of Cala Gonone; the advantage is the arrival by land..."

"WHO'S SLEEPING THERE?"

"GENNARGENTU - A large massif in central Sardinia, it includes the highest peaks in the island, such as Punta La Marmora at 1,834 m"

"ISPINIGOLI CAVE - Famous for its spectacular stalagmites, including a magnificent 38m high column, the second largest in Europe. No pictures allowed..."

"OLIENA - A nice little town by the Gennargentu massif, it's also the birthplace of former Chelsea FC soccer player Gianfranco Zola. Who knew that? Only Wiki, and Zola himself... ;)"

"ROADS IN SARDINIA"

"WEST COAST"

"BOSA CASTLE - About 3 kilometers inland on the north bank of the Temo River, the beach in Bosa was voted the best in Italy in 2006. Next time..."

CALA LUNA & OTHER BEACHES

2010-07-11T08:43:00.003+01:00

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

The beaches on the East Coast of Sardinia in the Gulf of Orosei, near Cala Gonone, are, fortunately, still a somehow hidden gem...

"CALA SISINE - The white, sandy beach divides the turquoise sea from the green of the Mediterranean maquis which covers the hills"

"CALA FUILI & CALA SISINE - Fuili (first row pictures) has white limestone, covered by scented Mediterranean plants, endless white sand and a gorgeous sea. Sisine, we already know..."

"BIRIOLA - SORGENTE - PISCINE DI VENERE - Biriola (first row) is characterized by a little stone arch over the sea, the white, limestone sand, marble-rocks, junipers and the maquis on the rocks. Sorgente is bottom left and the other three are from the Piscine di Venere"

CALA MARIOLU - A stunning pebbled beach overhung by a chalky hillside covered by Mediterranean vegetation. You get sun in the morning and shade the rest of the day"

"CALA MARIOLU - From Sea..."

"CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER"

"ENJOYING"

"CALA GALORITZÉ - The sun was hiding itself..."

"CALA GOLORITZÉ - In 1995 it was elected «Italian National Monument» and it is the most photographed beach in the area, probably due to the menhirs/obelisks... The white pebbled beach is unique and its waters are colder than the other beaches in the area"

"CALA LUNA - The most visited of the beaches in the Gulf of Orosei, south of Cala Gonone"

"CALA LUNA - Busy in a Sunday afternoon, early September..."

"CALA LUNA ROCKS"

GULF OF OROSEI'S COAST

2010-07-04T00:25:00.001+01:00

SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

The coast rocks of the Gulf of Orosei are stunning. But you'll see with your own eyes!!

"CALA LUNA - The calcareous rock seems to suddenly appear out of nowhere..."

"ROCK SHOW"

"HIDDING CAVES..."

"WHO'S THIS GUY?"

"ONLY BY BOAT... AND NOT FOR ALL..."

"DON'T BE SWALLOWED..."

"THE SHOW CONTINUES..."

"BLUES"

"TILL CAPO DI MONTE SANTU"

"GOBBIANI BEACH, WITH BOAT"

"CAPO DI MONTE SANTU - End of the Gulf of Orosei"

BUE MARINO & OTHER CAVES

2010-06-27T00:56:00.001+01:00

GULF OF OROSEI, SARDINIA - SEPTEMBER 2009

"CALA GONONE - A few years ago it was only a small suburb of fishermen near Dorgali"

"CAVES - The Bue Marino isn't the only cave in the Gulf of Orosei..."

"BUE MARINO CAVES - Among the best known in Sardinia, the caves owe their name to the Sardinian denomination of the monk seal, a mammal that has almost disappeared from the zone"

"LOTS OF DONTS - Including taking pictures... The 5 km long cave is visited for around 900m. The visit shows the southern branch, rich in stalactites and stalagmites and with a saltwater lake. It also shows a dozen of dancing figures engraved on its walls, graffiti from the Neolithic period. From the «Blond room», we get to the «Candelabra's room» and to the «Cake's room», until we reach the small beach where seals gave birth"

"FISHES IN THE BLUE"

"IT'S BLUE OUTSIDE"

"INCREDIBLE INSIDE"

"TURQUOISE GREEN"

"TURQUOISE BLUE"

"MORE CAVES AND BEACHES"

"DEL FICO CAVE - The 1,800 metres Cave of the Fig is considered one of the most beautiful and important caves in Sardinia"

"CAVES & CAVES..."

DESTINATION SARDINIA

2010-06-14T00:14:00.002+01:00

CALA GONONE - SEPTEMBER 2009

"DESTINATION SARDINIA - With an area of 23,821 square km, Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily. It is situated between 38° 51' and 41° 15' latitude north, which means that the southern part of the island is just north of Lisbon (38º 44')"

"CALA GONONE - The main seaside town in the municipality of Dorgali, Province of Nuoro, Gulf of Orosei in Sardinia, had 1,279 inhabitants in 2007"

"GULF OF OROSEI - The Gulf is a stunning place. If you believe in publicity, just read this: «Are there uncontaminated beaches in the Mediterranean Sea? Are there dream places even far from Caribbean? Of course! You can find them in Sardinia! The Gulf of Orosei is probably the most fascinating area of the Island and it is ready to offer you all its splendour and all the colours, scents and sensations that only few beaches in the world can boast». Enough? ;)"

"HOTEL WITH A VIEW - The Villa Gustui Maris has some terrific views towards the Gulf"

"ROOM 306 - View towards the Gulf"

"CALA GONONE - Hotels and houses"

"FIRST BEACH - There are three beaches in town. The first is just in front of Cala Gonone, its sandy shore is made up of white sand and pebbles and it is surrounded by vegetation that always shelters it"

"LUNGOMARE - A bit rocky..."

"TOURIST PORT"

"FROM SEA"

"CLOSER - In the afternoon..."

"SUNSET & MOONLIGHT - With tiramisu..."