ED What am I doing here ? Destinations

The most amazing beach in Europe

2022-08-28T13:32:00.004-07:00

There are many beautiful beaches all over the world, we all agree on that but there is no other beach as beautiful as this one. Quiet, huge, desert, silent, clean, romantic, sunny, beautiful blonde sand, inspiring. Have a look at this photos first, does the beach not look like the paradise on earth? Is it not your next must visit destination? Having a picnic here? Or maybe sleeping under the stars.... what is more romantic and adventurous than this?

This is Cofete beach at the South corner of Fuerteventura. Fuertevenura is one of the most famous of the Canary islands famous for its sunny weather and its strong winds, perfect for surfing and the outdoors.

So why Cofete beach is so heavenly quiet and empty.

The answer is in another question: how to get to Cofete beach ?

Because this us the issue. There is no major road to Cofete and at the time I visited it was just an unpaved road for which you need a small jeep.

It takes about 2 hours to drive there and you are better to ensure to cost and come back as there is no artificial light and it is easy to lose the track in the dark.

The surprises are not finished.

Villa Winter the only construction in the area offers an additional reason to visit Cofete. The villa was built in secret during the Franchist dictatorship in Spain. Stories are various (and you can easily Google to find a variety of stories) but the most accredited version is that the villa was to be used as a submarine basis by the Germans during World War II. It has been said that the villa was also used to hide Nazi officials escaping from Germany after surrender but it is unclear how much accurarevare these reconstructions.

Walking along the Cinque Terre Path from Rio Maggiore to Monterosso in Italy

2020-12-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

The wonderful sight of Vernazza approaching from the path.

After having published the post: CINQUE TERRE - LOOKING FOR SOME AMAZING TREKKING IN ITALY? CINQUE TERRE IS YOUR PLACE! about this wonderful walk in the North region of Liguria in Italy, I received a lot of queries about the walk. What is the best path in Cinque Terre? Is the Via dell'Amore safe enough? How long takes from Vernazza to Monterosso?

I decided to write for you a detailed description of the walk divided through the five villages of Cinque Terre divided in 5 (Cinque in Italian) sections.

Ideally you should do a section per day, although as you can read below some sections are easier and shorter than others.

Attention: do not underestimate the walks, some parts are exposed and dangerous. Also remember that sun can set very quickly and it is absolutely dangerous to walk along the cliffs after dark. Finally remember that also the five Cinqueterre villages have train stations and frequent connections to other villages. Do read the post on general information on Cinqueterre before to plan your visit.

1. FROM RIOMAGGIORE TO MANAROLA, WALKING ALONG THE VIA DELL'AMORE

Via dell'Amore means Path of Love. This is the easiest segment of the walk, the shortest, the flattest and probably the one more famous of the Cinque terre walks. Different from all the other sections of the Cinque Terre Way, the Via dell'Amore path is wide and paved and it is extremely spectacular. It is also (partly) illuminated at night and you will enjoy at its best at sunset ...or sunrise.

It is little more than a stroll and people of all ages can easily enjoy the walk.

Via dell'Amore runs from Rio Maggiore to Manarola. Rio Maggiore is the Eastern of the five villages. Rio Maggiore and Manarola are two of the most amazing villages of Cinque Terre and they are definetly worth a visit. If you have only one day to spend in Cinque Terre this is definitely your walk.

Via dell'Amore can probably take just half an hour to walk for a trained walker, but given the beauty of the panoramas along the cliffs and the romanticism of the walk, I should hope that your walk will take much longer.

Take also time to enjoy the visit at Rio Maggiore and Manarola, both offer good accommodation, restaurants and bars.

Corniglia, holding on the side of the cliffs is the only one without direct access to the sea directly from the village

2. FROM MANAROLA TO CORNIGLIA

If Manarola is probably the most amazing village of the Cinque Terre for the unique way the houses are literally holding on the side of a rock, Corniglia is probably the village that it is sometime overlooked by tourist. The reason is probably that Corniglia, although stands above the sea, doesn't have direct access to the water and this make the fishermen village less attractive.
I think instead Corniglia is the most picturesque, less tourist and more "real" village, so please take time to walk to Corniglia.

The path it is certainly more challenging than the Via dell'Amore and certain parts of the walk require to be careful. The walk can be done in 1,5 hours, but I think on an average three hours is more realistic, and four if you include a pause halfway to rest and enjoy the landscape.

3. CORNIGLIA TO VERNAZZA

Vernazza is absolutely a must. Probably the town tat will remain more in your mind because of its sheltered harbour and the view you can enjoy from the path coming towards Vernazza. It is extremely touristy and can be quite expensive, if possible avoid to get accommodation there, unless you enjoy to stay in the heart of Cinque Terre.

A fit walker can probably walk the section from Corniglia to Vernazza in 1,5 hours but again 3 hours is more reasonable time to enjoy the views. Also consider that this section is more challenging and in some parts more exposed with a number of stairs.

The beautiful Ligurian Sea along the Cinqueterre path

4. VERNAZZA to MONTEROSSO

This is the last section of the Cinque Terre walk and in a way Monterosso waits at the end for some deserved rest. Monterosso, differently from the other Cinque Terre villages, is spread along a reasonably wide beach, with umbrella, bigger and more fashionable hotels, restaurants and more shops. definitely the place to stay if you want to spend sometime at the sea or you want to make some shopping.

This section is the most difficult, longer and tiring of the whole lot. Although a reasonably fitted walker can certainly make it, you would need to be careful, particularly if walking with children, as some parts are very exposed and there is very little protection. also consider that depending on the season the sun can go away quite quickly and walking with little light is extremely dangerous!!

Consider 3 hours at least to walk from Vernazza to Monterosso

Rio Maggiore at night, a wonderful place to rest after a day walking.

5. MONTEROSSO TO LEVANTO

Is the path finishing in Monterosso?
Absolutely not, although the Cinque Terre finish at Monterosso the path continues all the way to Levanto. This part of the walk is extremely spectacular going around The Punta del Mesco, but the section is tiring and difficult, at least 4 to 5 hours should be considered.
Remember also that this section is not so popular and touristy and not many people walk there.
It would be better if you walk in small groups rather than alone.

Levanto is rather a sea town than a village. Like the Cinque Terre has a train station so that you can catch a train and go back to Cinque Terre easily. Also Levanto has a beautiful promenade and plenty shops making a perfect destination in the Cinque Terre area.

Consider at least 5 hours.

6. EVERYWHERE ELSE I SHOULD SEE IN THE AREA?

Do not miss Porto Venere. An absolutely must loved by Byron and other poets, Porto Venere is absolutely stunning: read a dedicated post to Porto Venere.

Also remember you are one hour away from Pisa and around two and a half from Florence (read the dedicated posts)

Also read more on Cinqueterre here.

The Theatre of Silence in Lajatico - Andrea Bocelli's home masterpiece.

2017-05-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

If you are visiting Volterra or Pisa, in the heart of Tuscany, you are around 30 minutes away from the birthplace of Andrea Bocelli, the famous Italian Opera singer that took the place of Luciano Pavarotti in the heart of many.

The fact is that Lajatico is not just the place where Andrea Bocelli is born, it is a wonderful medieval Tuscan village wonderfully kept and sadly often overlooked because tourists are attracted to Volterra or San Gimignano and they don't have time to visit Lajatico.

Il Teatro del Silenzio - Andrea Bocelli's Theater and Art Masterpiece in Lajatico, Tuscany. Sculptures have been selected to be exhibited on a platform in the centre of the lake. In 2008, Mario Ceroli's "Il Cavallo di Bronzo", a bronze horse was displayed with past sculptures including Arnaldo Pomodoro's "Il Grande Sole", and works by Igor Mitoraj and Kurt Laurenz Metzler.

Lajatico is also famous because of the Teatro del Silenzio, the Theater of Silence. The Teatro del Silenzio is a creation of Andrea Bocelli, a wonderful outdoor theater at the heart of the best of Tuscany's landscape. During the summer months you may have the chance to see Bocelli himself performing in the wonderful theater, but even if you happen to visit Lajatico in winter, the theater cannot be missed.

The wonderful Tuscan landscape of Lajatico with the Theater of Silence on the background.
Il Teatro del Silenzio is a wonderful destination.

Theater of Silence is a magnificent and inspiring name for a magnificent and inspiring place, even if you visit in the winter and no concert is scheduled at that time, it is still worth visiting the Teatro del Silenzio. As the name says, where there is none there the Silence is on stage, surrounded by the magnificent Tuscan countryside, it is absolutely inspiring!

You can just seat in the natural hemicycle there and enjoy the panorama and the silence surrounding the deserted stage. You can then have a stroll in the beautiful medieval town of Lajatico, an unspoiled Tuscan village, with its medieval tower, the main square where you can frequently see Bocelli joining the local in the village discussions. I have seen in him on his horse, in front of the village church, in a Sunday morning, just after the mass was finished, talking with his friends and the priest. Tuscany is amazing because it is so natural, unspoiled, traditional, but also so unexpected. Who would have thought that Andrea Bocelli was just there, talking with is friends, no bodyguards, no police, just as a common Tuscan countryman?

Lajatico map - The Theatre of Silence (Teatro del Silenzio) - Andrea Bocelli's home is just an hour away from Florence and Lucca and around 40 minutes from Pisa and San Gimignano only twenty minutes from Volterra. In blue I have also marked a wonderful tour that you can do by car or by bike touching Florence, but also other fantastic Tuscany towns.

Lajatico and the Theater of Silence are an absolutely must for lovers of Italians most picturesque towns, but also for lovers of Andrea Bocelli and why not? for lovers of trekking.

From the theater a wonderful path leads you all the way towards Volterra, you can walk or cycle as the way is long about 22 kms, but it is an absolutely must. If you are visiting Pisa, Volterra, Florence or Cinque Terre plan a day trip to Lajatico and the Theater of Silence, in the town where Andrea Bocelli lives.

We hope you enjoyed our post and our photos.

Read more about Italy posts, destinations and useful info to plan you visit on our page Visit Italy.
If visiting Pisa, plan also to visit Florence, Cinque Terre and Porto Venere all two hours away from Pisa!

What to see in the Isola d'Elba? Walking along the costal path

2017-05-01T04:51:00.000-07:00

Rio Marina on the Isola d'Elba, this will be one of the best sights of Isola d'Elba.

What to see in Isola d'Elba?

Isle of Elba is famous mainly because Napoleon lived there. Every book of history says that in the Isola d'Elba Napoleon was deported in exile, before he managed to escape and lose his most important battle against the British Army at Waterloo.

It is still possible to visit today the Villa where Napoleon lived in the Isola d'Elba, but I don't think this is the main attraction of the Isola d'Elba, below in the section "What to do in the Isola d'Elba", I listed my top ten of what to visit in Isola d'Elba.

Where is Isola d'Elba?

Isola d'Elba is in Italy, 20 km away from the coast of Tuscany. it has a coastline of circa 150 km and it is a great destination for sunbathing, coastal walks and mountain trekking as well.

How to get to Isola d'Elba?

The cheapest way is to take a ferry from Piombino, the ferry takes around an hour and a half. You can transport your car on the ferry (advised if you re visiting in winter / spring, but not advised if you are visiting in summer). Piombino is connect by train from Pisa Airport, Florence and Rome (although not directly). Alternatively you can take the daily plane from Pisa Aiport direct to Isola d'Elba. Quite expensive, but very comfortable.

Walking in Isola d'Elba is absolutely recommended, great scenic path run along the coast and on the mountains ridges.

Beautiful and quiet beaches at Isola d'Elba, with great fish restaurants.

What to see in Isola d'Elba?

If you just want to sunbath and enjoy the blue sea, do some snorkelling and enjoy good restaurants. The area around Capoliveri is probably the best for you, although Porto Ferraio and Rio Marina offer good alternatives. If you are just staying there a week consider renting a moped / scooter as during the summer traffic and parking are a daily nightmare.

If you love walking / trekking there are beautiful walks along the coast and inland. Remember Isola d'Elba has mountains of relevant altitude for an island, reaching the 1000 meters, so do not underestimate the challenges.

The most amazing track is certainly the one startng at Rio dell'Elba and running along the top of Monte Castello and Mount Volterraio. The path is long around 12 kms and enjoys wonderful views over the sea and on the magnificient castle of the Volterraio Mountain, at the top of the mountain. To find your path start at Rio dell'Elba walking towards the back of the vllage and then towards Localita le Panche an area with picnic table from whare you easily find directions towards the Castle of il Volterraio. Tha path is quite long and not particularly easily, consider also that you are ascending for around 600 meters and there is little shelter from the sun along the mountain ridge. At Monte Castello you can also enjoy a visit to the old Sanctuary before to return at Le Panche and then back at Rio dell'Elba after a 12kms loop.

If you love history the Napoleon Villa is certainly the place for you. Five kilomters from Porto Ferraio, the Villa is amazing particularly for its decoration, designed by Napoleon and remembering his war campaigns, as you will notice especially the successful Egyptian campaign.

Villa San Martino was Napoleon's private residence in the island, Villa dei Mulini was instead use fo public occasions by Napoleon. Particularly interesting are in my opinion the private theatre he ordered to be built and his bedroom with the famous golden bed. If you love history this is certainly an extraordinary stop in your "what to see in Tuscany" list.

Finally if you like to just relax and admire beautiful villages along the cost do not miss Marciana Marina and Marina di Campo. They are lovely small towns, particularly out of season, where they are quiet and relaxing and the beaches are practically empty. it is an absolutely amazing experience.

If you love the sea you can also book a kayak trip with one of the many associations on the island. It is not recommended to kayak yourself along the cliffs unless you are familiar with the area, as currents are quite strong and you may have difficulties in controlling the kayak.

Take also time to visit Rio Marina, many boats are departing from Rio. It is extremely picturesque. It is famous for its fort and it offers beautiful walks along the coast.

When is the best time to visit Isola d'Elba?

Depending what you are looking for you can visit Isola d'Elba the all year. In summer Isola d'Elba is extremely lively, discos are opened and so are bars and restaurants, the downside is the fact that everything gets booked u very quickly, traffic is heavy and prices nearly extortionate.
On the good side you will have plenty do to and it will be sunny but not too hot.
Advice for Isola d'Elba in summer: don't bring a car, rent a scooter and book everything and advance including the ferry from Piombino as this is easily fully booked.

Avoid the winter as it can get gold, dull and sometimes ferries are cancelled for the bad weather. Consider instead autumn and spring but remember some hotels and restaurants will be closed. bring your own car or rent one. if you love peace, quiet and great walks along the beaches this is the right time for you to visit Isola d'Elba.

Are you planning a travel to Isola d'Elba?
Visit also: Cinqueterre, Pisa and Visit Italy.

What is to see in Washington DC? American Art in Washington - Washington DC Art Galleries

2015-06-02T05:26:00.000-07:00

"The Chief's Canoe" by Belmore Browne at The Smithsonian American Art Museum

What is to see in Washington DC?

Away from the mall and the busy museums of Washington DC there is a little pearl that is worth a visit if you are in Washington DC.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a fantastic free museum in Washington DC that definitely deserves a visit.

What to see at The Smithsonian American Art Museum?

Next to the National Portrait Gallery, The Smithsonian American Art Museum offers a rich collection of American Art. Visiting the Museum is also a way to travel through the history of the United States of America. The collection is extremely interesting because provide you with the opportunity to see some masterpieces of American artists, but also to enjoy paintings that represent famous events in the history of the United States.

The highlight of the museum is a very interesting collection of paintings representing scenes of the time of the first arrival of the European colons in to the Far West and in the North.

The paintings represent majestically how the first contacts with the American Indians would have looked in the eyes of the colons.

The painting (above) "The Chief's Canoe" by Belmore Browne is a fantastic representation of an era long gone: the huge glacier and the beautifully painted Indian canoe are a fantastic sight.

You can almost feel you are there on the banks of the lake seeing the canoe slowly approaching and these wonderful people with their colorful dresses staring at you with suspect and curiosity.

The iconic Edward Hopper's "Cape Cod Morning" is also exhibited at The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC

Paintings of a more recent era of the American History are also exhibited at The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC.

The iconic Edward Hopper's "Cape Cod Morning" is also exhibited at The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC. Such a simple subject for a painting that is able to really represent the American culture in only six colors.

What is the most amazing painting at the Smithsonian American Art Museum?

I think the painting below certainly deserves a mention. Do you now the name of the painter? (leave it in the comments box below).

Lady in White by Thomas Dewing is certainly one of the most famous painting of the collection at The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC and probably one of the most difficult to photograph. It is absolutely amazing and it ios so difficult to be appreciated just in a phtograph.

Lady in White by Thomas Dewing

The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC is not just paintings, but also beautiful design. Admire below the wonderful chair made with buffalo horns, it is absolutely amazing!

Also the design of the building is stunning, take the time to visit The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC and also the National Portrait Gallery next to it (read my dedicated post).

Go back to the USA Menu for more posts.

Walks in Portugal - Madeira: land of wine, cliffs, sun and... walks!

2015-05-10T03:47:00.000-07:00

Small beach in Funchal, Madeira, just next to the Castle

Landing in Madeira is an experience in itself.

The plane seems to crash in the sea, when, at the last moment, turns in the direction of Madeira and land on the airport runaway that has been built on the cliffs, like a large balcony on the sea.

Cabo Girao, one of the most spectacular cliffs in Madeira

Because of the strong winds from the Ocean, these are the standards procedures to land on Madeira, the Portuguese island a thousand kilometres away from Portugal and Europe.

Madeira is a volcanic island a thousand kilometres away from Portugal and Europe. It is covered by thick sub tropical vegetation.

Madeira in Portuguese means appropriately “wood”, because of the large quantity and variety of trees on the island.

The island is not just a holiday sea resort; it is a wonderful and relatively undiscovered place for exhilarating mountain trekking and viewpoints.

Here some great ideas for your holidays in Madeira!

The best walk starts at Ribeiro Frio just above Funchal, the main city on the island, also called “Little Lisbon” because of the elegance and the grandeur of its buildings and its steep cobbled streets.

Ribero Frio is half way to the Pico das Torres, the volcanic mountain 1851 m high.

It is just a pretty village on the side of the mountain, named after the cold stream passing near the few houses and restaurants.

A fantastic path signposted to Portela starts from Ribeiro Frio with breathtaking views and steep drops. The walk follows one of the many unique Madeira’s features: the llevadas.

Walking in Madeira, along the circular path along the volcanos ridges.

Llevadas are a complex net of canals running along the side of the mountains and the old craters of the now inactive volcanoes of Madeira. The canals were built by the first settlers on the island as an ingenious irrigation system to carry the water to the vineyards and the bananas plantations in the valleys below and they are now become panoramic paths.

Walking along the llevadas is like walking along a very narrow balcony suspended at the side of the mountain.

Below the llevadas the old volcanic craters open up with steep drops.

The views are breathtaking.

This 12 km walk signposted to Portela is in my opinion the best of the many llevadas walks on the island.

The walk offers fantastic views on the balcoes, the terraced hillsides near to the many little villages of the island where the grape is cultivated.

A village in particular is set in a wonderfully beautiful spot, surrounded by the jagged mountains and a chestnut wood.

The village is Curral das Freiras, literally translated “The Nuns’ Refuge”, because here the nuns of Santa Clara took refuge when pirates attacked Funchal. The nuns have left but it remains a pretty village of less than 3000 souls, with a little church and the graveyard overlooking the large volcanic crater below.

Market in Funchal

A panoramic point named Eira do Serrado, perched 800 meters above Curral das Freiras, offers the best views.

But walking along the llevadas is not easy.

The canals are not always well kept and sometimes you have to walk in the water where the side of the canal has crumbled.

The llevadas pass also through long dark tunnels where, even with a good torch, it is not so easy to walk at times.

It is a very adventurous trek.

Because the soil is always wet it can be sleepy and, because the volcanic craters are quite bare, there are not trees and you are always exposed to the sun.

If you are brave enough and you cope with highs, you will certainly be rewarded. You will have a completely different feeling of the island after having seen it from so high.

The llevadas are not the only wonderful feature of Madeira. Go up to the cliffs above the pretty fishermen village of Camara de Lobos to experience the thrill of the, so locally advertised, second highest sea cliff in Europe.

In true Cabo Girao is the fifth highest cliff in Europe, but for a difference of only few meters with the other four. Looking down from Cabo Girao is an hair raising experience! There is a wonderful view half a kilometre below you! Yes, the vertical cliffs are running down for 580 m (1,900 ft) to hit perpendicularly the flat terraced fields below. It is a terrific view point!

Famous houses of Santana - Madeira

If you then go back to Funchal and you want to relax for a while, you can discover another unexpected feature of Madeira. The wonderful Mercado do Lavradores. I have never seen in my life a market so rich of exotic flowers, fruits and fishes. It is a carnival of colours! Inside the covered market, fruit sellers will offer you tropical fruits from the island and from South America. Because of Madeira’s strategic position halfway between Europe and the Americas the island is in fact an important centre for the international fruit’s import/export. This is the reason why sellers will offer you to taste for free slices of mangos, passion fruits, bananas, cupacus, papayas, soursups, guavas and custard fruits.

But the stalls I love best are the ones of the fishmongers in the basement. The variety of fishes is amazing. One in particularly you should see: the preta nera, a particular type of scabbard fish. Black, long with a hundred of sharp teeth and huge eyes, sometimes you can still see it alive at the market, it is a wonderful fish. Taste it in one of the many little restaurants in Funchal’s old quarter. The traditional recipe is Preita nera with banana. It is a wonderful bitter-sweet dish, mostly served as a snack at lunchtime.

I can’t avoid mentioning the Madeira’s typical triangular houses of Santana to finish the visit. If you go to the village of Santana you can see the little wood houses with thatched roofs, shaped like a capital A. They are pretty, with their bright colours and the nice gardens around, but they become too touristy to be appreciated.

Fisherman Village in Madeira

In my opinion if you have time left you should instead take the ferry from Funchal harbour and visit Porto Santo. Porto Santo is a flat island for the moment unspoiled, apart for few hotels. It is locally advertised as the island visited by Christopher Columbus, but it should be advertised because the island possess something that Madeira lacks: a marvellous sandy beach running uncontaminated for more than six miles. The sand is of a wonderful golden colour and the blue of the sea is amazing.

You can get to Porto Santo in an hour and a half. The boat trip will allow enjoying great views of Madeira and of Funchal. Seen from a distance you will be able to better appreciate the island’s
mountains literally emerging from the ocean.

Back in Funchal a taste of the famous Madeira Wine is something that can’t be missed. But remember: don’t stop at the first glass and try all the four types of Madeira. The Sercial and the Verdelho can be drunk as an aperitif. The Bual and the Malmsey are best served with dessert or as an after dinner digestive. This will be a fantastic way to end an adventurous day at the llevadas!

TRAVELLING TO PIENZA AND MONTEPULCIANO - Where is the Real Tuscan Landscape?

2015-05-02T03:22:00.000-07:00

The typical Tuscan landscape around Siena

TV, Cinema, Magazines, Books always identify Tuscany with soft blonde hills, cypresses at the horizon and isolated houses and villages dotting the fields.

These landscapes are quintessentially Tuscan, but not in every part of Tuscany you will be able to see these landscapes.

Tuscany is a big region extending from the sea on the West to the Apennines in the East.

So if you want to see the most iconic landscapes in Tuscany you need to know where to go!

This is what this post is about, answering the question: Where is the real Tuscan landscape?

Some tips for you to discover the "Real Tuscan Landscape":

Fly to Pisa or Florence where the two main airports in Tuscany are situated.

Although Pisa and Florence areas are also very beautiful the landscape you see in the photos in this post doesn't belong to those areas.

My advise, if you have time, is to allow some time to visit Pisa (read here about Pisa) and Florence (read here about Florence) and then move to the Real Tuscan Landscape.

From Pisa or Florence travel to Siena, both towns are well connected by bus or train.

Siena is certainly worth a visit and it is a perfect base and a wonderful city to discover (read here more about Siena).

Siena is the starting point of the "Real Tuscan Landscape".

After having visited Siena move South towards Montalcino driving or walking or cycling along the Via Cassia.

The Via Cassia is an old Roman road and now a fast road towards the South and eventually Rome.

This section of the Cassia is not too busy (for the Italian standard) and connects many little and picturesque villages along its way and the famous historic towns I listed below.

As an alternative to driving, having much more time at your disposal, the Via Cassia is a good road to walk and cycle, being enough villages to stop along the way for rest and food and certainly lot to see.

Along the way it is certainly worth to stop and visit Montalcino famous for its red wine production and for a beautiful Medioeval town.

A beautiful medieval town with lots of small cobbled streets that will certainly make a very good base for your explorations in the area. Nice restaurants and a lot of small bars will offer you the best attractions in the evening.

Montepulciano

From Montalcino keep going towards Pienza, an absolute masterpiece of Renaissance architecture with an amazing history to tell.

Pienza is a unique place to visit (and it is probably worth a post in itself). What makes Pienza special is that this Renaissance towns hasn't been built through the time but it represents the realization of the project of just one mind who planned the whole town under the Reinassance canons. It is perfect: it is the masterpiece of Renaissance City Planning.

From Wikipedia: "Pienza was rebuilt from a village called Corsignano, which was the birthplace (1405) of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini (Italian: Enea Silvio Piccolomini), a Renaissance humanist born into an exiled Sienese family, who later became Pope Pius II. Once he became Pope, Piccolomini had the entire village rebuilt as an ideal Renaissance town. Intended as a retreat from Rome, it represents the first application of humanist urban planning concepts, creating an impetus for planning that was adopted in other Italian towns and cities and eventually spread to other European centers.

The rebuilding was done by Florentine architect Bernardo Gambarelli (known as Bernardo Rossellino) who may have worked with the humanist and architect Leon Battista Alberti, though there are no documents to prove it for sure. Alberti was in the employ of the Papal Curia at the time and served as an advisor to Pius. Construction started about 1459. Pope Pius II consecrated the Duomo on August 29, 1462, during his long summer visit. He included a detailed description of the structures in his Commentaries, written during the last two years of his life".

Pienza - arriving cycling along the Cassia Way

From Pienza you are not too further away to Montepulciano, another Tuscan town famous for its red wine and for its history that certainly deserve a stop and a visit.

You can drive this section of the Via Cassia in one day, if you just want to admire these wonderful panoramas without stopping in any of the town mentioned.

...finally the main square of Montepulciano enjoying a glass of local red wine.

more of Montepulciano square

If you are going to drive along the Via Cassia and stop to visit the towns as suggested consider at least a week including the visit to Siena.

If you are cycling or walking, it is much more difficult to estimate how much time as you need as it depends a lot for your grade of fitness, but I will suggest at least 15 days for the full tour cycling and three weeks trekking.

Piazza del Campo - Siena

Read our post about Siena to read useful info about how to get to Siena.

Read our page Visit Italy for more info and posts about Italy.

From Milbrook to St Martin by Looe and Looe along the Cornish Coast

2014-12-27T10:22:00.003-08:00

Wonderful Looe, one of the most beatiful jewels of Cornwall, in England along the Cornish Way

The path from Milbrook to St Martin by Looe runs mostly along the coast from Milbrook to St Martin by Looe and although it is certainly not the most famous section of the Cornish Path, I think it is worth the effort.

What I like of this section is the fact that although it is quite long (around 12 miles), it is reasonably easy, flat and most important the landscape is very varied. Some more famous sections of the Cornish Way are more scenic, but they are also more tiring and less varied.

Milbrook is a very pretty village, just few miles away from Plymouth, in Cornwall, South West of England.

Here the walk from Milbrook to St Martin by Looe:

After walking through the village of Milbrook (here how to get to Milbrook) take the road to the left from the center of town (Radford Lane) and keep walking along the fields, turn left on Donkey Lane and you will finally reach the sea, appearing on the West side of the Rame Peninisula.

The Rame Peninsula is a not very popular and busy part of the Cornish Way, but I believe it is also one of the less spoiled areas by the touristic invasion and the frenetic invasion of walkers and trekkers along the English Coast.

From the end of Donkey Lane walk following the road along the sea (Military Road) keeping the sea at your left. Keep following the road until you will see a wonderful golden sandy beach on your left: this is Tintagel Beach. Here a military area with restrict access spoils totally your walk and forces you to a long diversion along the tarmac and busy road: you would hope that some illuminated mind would think to reduce the extension of the military area and allow the tourists to enjoy this section of the Cornish Coast!

Where the military area finishes, the golf club starts but thankfully here the path crosses the green and makes actually this part of the walk more enjoyable.The path leads to Whitsand Bay, a small village that makes a wonderful spot for your lunch. Just few quite cottages, benches and a wonderful blue sea.

From Whitsand Beach to Downderry the walk is quite enjoyable. Downderry doesn't have much to offer but from here starts probably the best part to the walk. First you will get to Seaton, with a beautiful and quiet beach and a nice bar to sit in the sun for a while.From Seaton is quite a climb all the way to the Monkey Sanctuary.

The shade of blue at Looe beach is simly amazing and the bench at the top of the harbour entering at Looe makes a great stop along the Cornish Way

The Monkey Sanctuary deserves a visit and a special mention in my blog. It is not a zoo or a safari park, at the opposite The Monkey Sanctuary in St Martin by Looe is a wonderful enviromental project that goes well further just protecting monkeys but it represent a fantastic mission in enviromental research and protection. It is absolutely worth a visit and even just reading The Monkey Sanctuary's website you will have an understanding of their wonderful work (to The Monkey Sanctuary: please know that I will delighted to further write on your projects!)

And near the Monkey Sanctuary along the path a beautiful Celtic labyrinth is waiting the walker along its way. It is part of a private estate I had the pleasure to visit thanks to the hospitality of Caroline Petherick. Caroline is one of the most interesting and cultured person I ever met in my travels and she has created a wonderful place along the Cornish Coast! I loved to visit her Labyrinth at sunset and most of all I was impressed for the Old Coach House she built. It is a fantatsic day to spend a week, it is not just eco-living, it is a unique feature of architrecture and design and in front of a unique and fantatstic view: what an amazing place!

The Labyrinth along the Cornish Way at St Martin by Looe

From the Monkey Sanctuary and the Celtic Layrinth the walk continues for another 4 miles toward Looe.

Looe is a picturesque Cornish village. It has a beautiful estuary at the mouth of the river Looe. Looe has also a train station (just walk along the river and you will easily find it) and could be a nice starting point to walk the Cornish way if you want to skip the first section Plymouth - Milbrook - Looe.

Spend at least half a day in Looe. Apart a beautiful beach and a nice walk along the river, Looe offers a beautiful and old town center with narrow lanes populated in these days by many (probably too many) touristic shops.

The best way would be to arrive in Looe in the evening at the end of your walk from Milbrook, this will give you sufficient time to rest and enjoy the picturesque town. In the morning you can walk to Polperro for the next section of the Cornish Way.

This post has been made possible thanks to the generous hospitality and friendship of Caroline Petherick of St Martin by Looe, thank you very much Caroline.

Estancia Cristina - A wonderful day trip in Patagonia - Viedma and Uppsala Glaciers

2014-09-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

The Estancia Cristina surrounded by the lonely peaks of Patagonia (a day trip from El Calafate)

From my travel diary:

The Estancia Cristina is located in a secluded corner of the Parque National de Los Glacieres in Patagonia Argentina. The Estancia (meaning "farm", "estate") is a large estate totally isolated from the main roads and towns. It is a day trip from El Calafate and it represents in my opinion one of the best places to enjoy the beauty and the wilderness of Patagonia without too many hassle and difficulties. People in this day travel to the Estancia as the easier access to enjoy the beauty of two of the most famous glaciers in Patagonia: the Viedma Glacier and the Uppsala Glacier.

Despite the fact that I am against every kind of organized tour in principle, as I believe that organized tours kill the spirit of travel and adventure, I didn't have much choice but to enroll from this well organized tour from El Calafate to see the Viedma Glacier and the Uppsala Glacier.

The organized tour starts early in the morning from El Calafate. After two hours travelling by bus along the light blue water of the Lake Argentino you get to Punta Bandera. From there via a wonderful boat trip through fantastic icebergs (what a great experience is this!) and a short ride on 4x4 you will get to the Estancia Cristina.

I read about Estancia Cristina before to travel there and I was very impressed by its history. I was charmed by the loneliness of the place. I was envious of the courage of a British man, Joseph Percival Master who came here to settle his business in 1914, importing Shetland sheep and trading wool back to the Old Continent, fighting against odds, loneliness and the wild nature. Joseph Percival Master built the Estancia Cristina practically in the middle of nowhere buying cheaply a huge estate wild, isolated and apparently without much potentiality. He turned it in a business in few year.

He couldn't have done all this by himself and - as they say - next to a great man is always a great woman (sometimes the other way round may be also true!). Percival's wife was a Scottish woman, so I find quite natural for her to have the skills to run so well the house and the estate, but still I was impressed by her character as well.

To live in this corner of Patagonia you need to be resourceful and you need to keep yourself busy and interested in the rainy and cold days, when the icy winter wind blows. These people were able to do so. Jessie, in particular, doing the housework and painting and writing.

Jessie came to the Estancia Cristina to work as Percival's servant but soon the two fell in love for one another. They realized the urgent need to make their minds busy and not just their bodies. Talking by radio to people around the world was maybe the best way to make that possible. They lived their lives fully in the Estancia and they were never defeated by the loneliness of the place, always in contact by people from all over the world via radio waves, you can easily imagine how comforting this should have been for the brave couple in the long and cold winter.

Despite the fact that the Estate is now just one more touristy business and you don't see any more sheep grazing in the vast land surrounding the farm (you still see the horses inside a large white fence at least), there is something yet unspoiled. It is maybe the little chapel, beautiful but modern, the only bit out of touch".

What is great about visiting the Estancia Cristina is the fact that you can enjoy breathtaking views over two of the most amazing Glaciers in Patagonia: the Viedma Glacier and the Uppsala Glacier.

If the Perito Moreno Glacier is the most famous glacier in Patagonia, the Viedma Glacier and the Uppsala Glacier are the two more amazing. They are amazing not just for their size but also for the unspoil panorama and the loneliness surrounding this two giants of ice. You get to see them on a 4x4 trip from the Estancia and although it may sound totally an adventurous it is the only way to get there unless you have weeks to spend, money to organize a trip and a lot of experience in this kind of thing.

The views are so rewarding that I made a video of the Estancia and
the Viedma Glacier and the Uppsala Glacier, words would have not been enough to explain this beauty. Hope you enjoy!

Read more posts about Patagonia and Argentina: click here

The Black Prince Festival in Millbrook - How to get rid of the winter

2014-08-19T14:43:00.004-07:00

The Black Prince's Boat along the street of Cawsand

How to get rid of the winter?

There are hundreds of ways to get rid of winter. Few miles from Plymouth there is a very interesting way and a very interesting area that makes a perfect destination for a way away from Plymouth or for part your long walk along the Cornish Way...And if you visit the first week of May you will see a great popular festival to celebrate the end of the winter! (see below).

In Millbrook the found a way to get rid of the winter!

Millbrook is a very small village situated in front of Plymouth along the mouth of the river Tamar.

If you are coming from Plymouth, the nicest way is to take a five minutes and super cheap ferry ride from Plymouth to Cremyll (If you want to read more about Plymouth, read my post on Plymouth).

Practically at the harbour at Cremyll is a magnificent palace that welcomes you on this side of the river Tamar: Mount Edgecumbe. Few miles from Edgecumbe the little village of Millbrook is a place to visit.

Start your visit at Mount Edgecumbe.

The name of this palace is Mount Edgcumbe. Mount Edgcumbe is an 18th century manor with a wonderful garden and it is a fantastic place for a walk away from the noise and the traffic of Plymouth.

Mount Edgcumbe has wonderful gardens. Seating on one of the many benches infront of the old manor you will enjoy great views along the mouth of the river Tamar. You can walk in the quiet lanes, visit the manor or just enjoy a walk around it.

Mount Edgecumbe

The Black Prince Festival in Millbrook, sending away the winter on a floral boat!

Around four miles from Cremyll and Mount Edgecumbe is the little village of Millbrock. The day of May bankholiday, usually the first Monday in May, starts here a procession that will give you the chance to get to know the most interesting traditions of the area.

Followed by a large group of Morris Garden, the Boat of the Black Prince is paraded around the street of Millbrook.

The Morris Dancers are probably the most interesting piece of folklore of the area.

It is an old English tradition, particularly of the South. Dressed with colourful clothes and armed by sticks and handkerchiefs they dance in group in a traditional and very coreographic dance.

It is said that the tradition of the Morris Dancers was imported from Spain by British soldiers who witnessed the dangerous and quick dances with long sabres of the Moorish soldiers (from them the name "Morris") and they replicated a more safe version with wooden sticks when they came back home.

The Morris Men and the Criers keep the public entertained and they lead the procession of a black wooden boat adorned by flowers from Millbrook to the sea: the Black Prince Flowers Boat.

The Morris Dancers at Cawsand

Cawsand, where the Black Prince boat takes the sea and a nice destination for a day at the sea.

The most scenic part of this special day is certainly when the procession reaches the beautiful beach at Cawsand.

Cawsand is a very picturesque fishermen village that is certainly worth a visit at all times of the year.

Cawsand, overlooked by its fortress, is probably the prettiest village of the Rame Pensinsula.

With its narrow lanes running along the beach, Cawsand conserves the feeling of an old village, where now beautiful pubs and restaurants make a special place for a day along the Cornish coast.

It is a nice walk from Millbrook to Cawsand and the best is approching the village from the top of the hill along the road that run down to the sea and to the beach.

The beach at Cawsand

At the end of the procession, the boat reaches finally the beautiful bay of Cawsand in front of the old harbour.

The criers sing the launching song and the Black Prince's Boat is finally launched in to the sea (and collected few meters after, behind the rock, to be preserved so that the same ritual could be performed the following year).

People exhausted after a day of dances and music cheer at the boat floating on the waves of the English Channel.

So, in the end, what you can visit in Millbrook and why should you visit?

1. Millbrook and Cremyll are two beautiful villages in the Rame peninsula, the first Peninsula you are going to walk along its coast if you are walking the Cornish Way all the way from Plymouth to Landsend in the region of Cornwall, South - West of England.

2. If you are visit for Spring Day (May Day) you will have the chance to assist to the amazing procession of the Black Prince Floreal Boat in Milbrook.

3. Milbrook and Cawsand make for a wonderful base for visiting Plymouth and the River Tamar Mouth. Read my post about Plymouth

4. Cawsand is a very nice place for a Sunday at the beach near nice pubs, restaurants and in a picturesque fishermen village.

This post has being made thanks for the help and support of Jo Tatam of Millbrook! Many thanks for you hospitality and your kindness Jo!

Plymouth is a city to visit.

2014-06-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

The wonderful panorama along the gulf of Plymouth, at the border between Cornwall and Devon.

When you are planning your next travel and you are looking to the map of a country you are always obliged to make choices:
which places I should visit and which I should skip?

If you are planning to visit Devon or Cornwall the name of Plymouth will most certainly catch your eyes, written in big capital letters exactly at the border within the two English regions, and you will certainly ask yourself: is Plymouth worth a visit?

My opinion is yes: Plymouth is a city to visit if you are travelling in the South of England and United Kingdom.

Why Plymouth is a city to visit?

Plymouth's atmosphere makes first of all Plymouth a city to visit.
It is a young city with a young population and many University stundents, the faculty of Art seems to be the most popular here.

Although partly modern, having being heavily damaged by the war, Plymouth is still have some very interesting parts to visit and it has an important role in history.

Plymouth's history makes Plymouth a city to visit.

The United States of America are born in Plymouth.

If you walk along the Barbican in Plymouth you will immediately notice a Stars and Stripes flag next to the water and some steps, do you know why there is a U.S.A. flag there?

Those steps are named the Mayflower Steps.
From the Mayflower steps the Pilgrim Fathers are believed to have left England aboard the Mayflower, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to settle in North America on 6 September 1620. Those were the pilgrims that, after a miserable passage in the high waters of the Ocean founded the first settlements that would become a day part of the United States of America.

What is to see in Plymouth?

The best way to visit Plymouth if you are going to visit Plymouth in one day is to always walk along the sea coast and you will manage to see the most interesting parts of the city.

Start your walk at the Old Harbour called the Barbican. This old harbour is famous because from here the vessel Mayflower started his long journey to the U.S.A., it is one of the oldest areas of the city.

Plymouth was heavily bombed during the Second World War and many beautiful buildings were destroyed, but the Barbican is one of the best preserved areas.

Apart for the National Marine Museum the Barbican in Plymouth offers a wonderful series of bars, pubs and fish and ship and makes for a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the sun and the breeze air.

The entrance of the Royal Citadel in Plymouth.

If you keep the sea at your left and you start walking along the coast you will walk along the walls of an old fortress this is the Royal Citadel. The Royal Citadel in Plymouth was built in the late 1660s to protect Plymouth's harbour.

The Royal Citadel was the most important English defence for over 100 years and it is still be used as barracks today by the 29 Commando Regiment of the Royal Artillery. It is possible to visit part of it and it is worth walking around its wall to see the entrance gate with the impressive monument to the English Commandos in front of the entrance.

The Hoe is certainly the most famous sight in Plymouth.

With his red and white lighthouse and with is beautiful views over the large bay the Hoe is unmissable, particularly at sunset and you will have the chance to see huge civil and military boats coming and going along the large harbour.

This is all there is to see in Plymouth?
Absolutely not!

Keep walking along the sea (sea at your left) pass some modern bits of the town and finally head to the Royal William Yard Harbour.

Definitely of the best kept secrets in Plymouth!

What an amazing place is the Royal William Yard Harbour in Plymouth and what a wonderful example of intelligent refurbishment of a disused area!

This one time military area is now one of the best places to go for a wonderful dinner al fresco, a drink in front of the sea and in the first Sunday of the Month for a wonderful Farmer Market of local products and particularly of local and traditional food (from the local honey wines to the Sicilian Cannoli!).

The Royal William Yard Harbour was the major victualing depot of the Royal Navy in United Kingdom.

The Yard was closed in 1992 and fall in ruin for years behind a house for squatters and homeless people.

In 2006 The Royal William Yard Harbour became the object of a wonderful conservation and restoration work carried out by Gilmore Hankey Kirke Architects.

Today you are still able to enjoy your visit to this huge military complex in front of the sea, admire its Georgian architecture, enjoy the sea breeze and have a wonderful time particularly at weekends.

Is this all?

No again! this is only the beginning.

When you are in Plymouth you can also:

- take a very cheap 5 minute ride by boat and cross to beautiful Cremyll
- keep walking along the coastal path and start one of the most amazing coastal paths of the world all the way to Cornwall and Land's End and beautiful St Ives
- take a boat to France and visit Brest the city that is the exact copy of Plymouth in French style (no wonder the two cities are twinned!): click here to read about Brest.

THE SCOTTISH CINQUE TERRE - FIVE LANDS OR FIFE LANDS?

2014-05-17T06:08:00.000-07:00

Fife is one of the most beautiful areas in East Scotland along the sea and it is little more than an hour driving from Edinburgh. It is a perfect destination for a weekend or for a longer break.

The five lands of Scotland expect the traveler linked one to another one by paths and cliffs. The air is cold, but when finally the sun is shining and the sky is clear the colours in Fife are inspiring.

Have you ever visited the Italian Cinque Terre?

I think the similarities between the five villages of Fife and Cinque Terre in Italy are enormous (read the dedicated post about The Cinque Terre):

In Scotland and Italy you have five wonderful fishermen villages.
One connected to the other by a beautiful coastal path, offering breathtaking views along the way and surrounded by wonderful landscapes.

Both Fife and Cinque Terre offer inspiration to artists and travellers from centuries: certainly two places to visit before to die.

Your best place to make base to visit Fife will be Crail, with its houses that run downhill to the squared breakwater at the bottom of this picturesque fishermen's village.

The heart of Crail is certainly its harbour, but Crail hides also a beautiful main street, tree lined and quiet, along which to walk.

And if you walk up to the top of the village you will enjoy a fantastic panorama, above the red roofs of Crail you can enjoy the sun rising behind the little Isle of May in front of Crail's Harbour.

If you love birdwatching or you just have time for a extra trip, the Isle of May, today a bird sanctuary, makes for a wonderful day trip.

The area of Fife where these beautiful Scottish five villages are located is called East Neuk.

Neuk is the Scots word for nook or corner, and the East Neuk is generally accepted to comprise the fishing villages of the most northerly part of the Firth of Forth: Crail, Anstruther (and Cellardyke), Pittenweem, St Monans, Elie.

Theoretically you can walk all the way from Crail to Elie, the two furthest villages in one day, but if you don't want to walk so much here is the best part of the walk I absolutely recommend you doing.

Start your walk from the old harbor of Cellardyke, beaten by a timid sun, the village is to the immediate east of Anstruther (the two effectively being conjoined).

Cellardyke is just a line of old and beautiful cottages surrounded by a large harbour once busy with fishermen boats.

Following the main street lined by cottages you arrive to Anstruther in less then fifteen minutes.

Here there is a beautiful beach to enjoy, surrounded by stone cottages and overlooked by the bell tower of the church.

At Anstruther the trail continues along the beach and then on the hills overlooking the sea towards Pittenweem.

Before to get to the old mill and then the wide bay just outside Pittenweem, near the fish market, walk on the breakwater and enjoy the view of the most beautiful and ancient cottages.

Pittenweem is the home of many skilled artists. Small houses have been turned into beautiful and small art galleries with lot of character.

Many artists meet in Pittenweem in the summer for a great art festival, and when the festival ends many leave, but a few remain here for the following years and for the rest of their lives.

If you continue walking along the coastal path towards the ancient fishermen's village of St Monans, you will notice more houses turned in small art galleries.

After the rocky beach, it is the old mill, well preserved, almost intact , reminiscent of bygone days. In front stands a long row of white fishermen cottages and this is St. Monans.

Here the path opens into the harbor's horseshoe. The cottages are small and colorful, on narrow lanes battered by the strong wind.

Then just outside the village, along the sea, there is St Monans' church, alone in a large green in front of the sea.

St moinans Church is surrounded by a bed of men and women who rest forever listening to the sound of the waves. The church inside is bare, but a nice cup of hot coffee after Sunday mass warms the heart more than many frescoes. And along with the cup so many smiles , so many words , so much interest for the traveler who has left his country to visit the church of St Monans and this seems incredible to many.

Shortly after St Monans' Church are the ruins of an ancient castle overlooking the sea. TIf you are sufficiently tired of you walk you can return to Pittenweem among the many art galleries.

In Pittenweem the art galleries are homes, in some cases, livingrooms, kitchens , bedrooms and even toilets. Here the artist presents his art at his home. And this art is sincere, done with the heart. Not everything is for sale , because from some creations the artist can no longer separate , they are now his daughters.

If you have another beautiful sunny day to spend in Fife, .this time you should start your walk from Pittenweem.

The path to St Monans is so beautiful and scenic that you would not mind doing it again but today you can keep going and set off to Elie.

Back in front of the church and then to the ruins of the castle yesterday , along with the dark and the rain, you will keep going along the coast and cross a long sandy beach, but then the Lady 's Tower in the distance marks that Elie is near.

Elie is amazing if you're lucky enough to see it at low tide . The beach under the sun in the winter assumes a beautiful amber color and the light is reflected on the stone wall that prevents the sea to reach the beautiful white cottages .

Elie in reality is made of two villages: Elie and Earlsferry.

Earlsferry, the older of the two villages, was first settled in time immemorial. It is said that MacDuff, the Earl of Fife, crossed the Forth here in 1054 while fleeing from King Macbeth.

Today Elie is a very charming village with beautiful cottages and a wonderful beach. At low tide in a sunny day the panorama is absolutely fantastic (see the photo at the top of this post).

The sand has a special red colour and the beautiful white cottages all around make a wonderful contrast.

...and if you still have energies, finish your walk at Elie lighthouse, more great views to enjoy on the way.

The last day in the land of Fife is dedicated to St. Andrews but this is another post...

Want to read more about the Scottish Isles?
Click here to read more about Scotland and the Scottish Isles.

Want to read about the Italian Cinqueterre after having discovered the Scottish ones?
Click here to read about Cinque Terre - The five most inspiring fishermen villages in Italy.

SKYE - PROBABLY THE MOST SCENIC OF THE SCOTTISH ISLES

2014-05-06T00:51:00.000-07:00

The entrance to the beautiful Armadale Castle in the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

In the morning, the Island of Skye in Scotland is covered with clouds. And from the sky two mounds of smoke merge with the clouds.

Like old friends, the chimneys of the Talisker distillery smoke their pipes in Portnalong.

You should get tour accommodation in this small village on the West coast of the Island of Skye, overlooking Loch Harport, I stayed in a caravan cold and run down but I didn't have reason to complain too much about it.

If you get a rainy day and the rain continues to come down and the visibility is extremely low you can only do so much in Skye.

You can at least reach the top of a hill around Portnalong and from there you can enjoy beautiful views of the coast. The wind would almost push you down from the cliffs and therefore you may have to sit on the lawn of heather to avoid falling and admire the sea during a storm .

Then, already soaked with rain, you would probably descend from the cliffs and move near the beach to brave a little walk along the sea, hoping that the sky would become clear for a while.

The sea calm and the boats would color the beach that stretches up to an isolated cottage at the end.

All this, my dears, is Scotland at its best!

At Mallaig you can clearly see the other side of the channel.
Caledonian Mark Brayne connects quickly by ferry the Isle of Skye from Armadale to Mallaig.

In the small Village of Caroy, not far from Portnalong, the whiskey shop makes the morning more cheerful. The whiskey warms the body ...better than the sun of Scotland, you might think.

Then if the sun comes out really from the grey clouds, the brown turns into bright yellow and the white lighthouse at Caroy shines on the islands on the horizon.

You should walk along the coast, facing the sea that turns pink, and you can enjoy the breeze which finally moves the clouds away.

At Mallaig you can clearly see the other side of the channel. Caledonian Mark Brayne connects quickly by ferry Armadale to Mallaig.

Entering the garden of the castle of Armadale is experiencing the joy of discovery , like finding a little treasure.

An ancient Viking boat is hidden under the trees
at Armadale Castle, as if it was stranded there.

There are no ticket and there are no doors , only a small gate to find yourself in a park of old trees. Trees trunks that four people would barely be able to embrace. The gate and its strange tower are dyed red at sunset.

In the evening, the best time to visit Armadale park, there would be probably no one in the park. You can climbs the tower and enjoy the view from up there.

In the large garden, the grass is perfectly cut. Only squirrels though are around.
The castle seems empty, but it is not. Someone still lives in this old manor house.

An ancient Viking boat is hidden under the trees, as if it was stranded there.A bed of leaves apparently is the sea.

When I visited I jumped on the boat and lied down on the bottom, closed my eyes and thanked heaven for a sunset so beautiful over Armadale's Bay in the Island of Skye.

Portree is a pretty town in the Isle of Skye. But those who live there do not seem to think so apparently.
The traveler knows that sometimes the appearance of a place is deceiving.

Portree, however, makes a good impression. When you will finally snap your fish & chips at the harbor, Portree will enter in your heart.

You will enjoy to sit there on the bay to see the fishing boats sway on the waves. Portree, according to some means the King's Port, it is definitely the Queen of Skye.

Four large cottages in pastel colors give grace to the beautiful bay.

You will see the white , pink and blue of the cottages facades mirrored in the water.

From Portree you should absolutely rent a car and drive along a panormaic road to visit the Old Man of Storr nearby.

From there you can have great views all over the island. You can see those great views leaving and arriving in the island of Skye .

The beautiful typical landscape of Scotland in the Isle of Skye.

The Old Man of Storr saw Prince Charlie escape over the Sound of Ramsay, it saw hunger , misery and despair. But it also saw beautiful thousand sunsets , rain and rainbows .

The trail up to the Old Man of Storr is usually muddy , but the closer and closer you get to the great man of stone and the more you will want to resist the strong winds.

From Loch Leathan the trail plunges into a dense forest of conifers that does not seem to have end. Then finally the trees thin out and the view opens up, looking barren almost like the moon. Among the large stone pinnacles the silhouetted profile of the Old Man of Storr stands up.

The largest natural menhir stone will leave you breathless. The clouds rise and the panorama opens up on the big Sound of Raasay and the neighboring islands.

When you will finally sit at the feet of the Old Man of Storr in the Isle of Skye you will enjoy a unique panorama overlooking the Sound of Raasay.

Here how to visit the Old Man of Storr (from Wikipedia.com):
"A well constructed path, used by many sightseers, leaves the A855 just north of Loch Leathan. It heads up through an area of forestry, with glimpses of the scenery beyond. After about 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) the walker emerges from the trees, into a spectacular, almost lunar, landscape.

Most day-trippers are content simply to wander around the Sanctuary, admiring the pinnacles and gazing up at The Storr's eastern cliffs. Walkers can easily ascend to the summit, however, by skirting below the cliffs whilst heading north from the north end of the Sanctuary".

Stories of men and women who were able to live happily in the simplicity of this island are well known. Men and women who have lost everything but their honor and their faith. Men and women that poverty and deprivation have made the most noble and brave. Men and women who are survivors motivated only by the beauty of the landscapes and the smell of the sea.

You will feel that you now reached the edge of the Great North , the next move will take you over the choppy sea in the Hebrides . Solitary islands and wild are the Hebrides. Islands that still remain ancient and glorious. But this is another post...

The white lighthouse at Caroy shines on the islands on the horizon.

Want to read more about the Scottish Isles?
Click here to read more about Scotland and the Scottish Isles.

THE AMAZING MOUNTAINS OF THE CAIRNGORMS: THE BEST OF SCOTLAND

2014-04-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Cairngorms are presented as cold and inhospitable as they were at the time of Queen Victoria.

If you are visiting the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland you are a traveler who reached one of the biggest goals of his life.

If you wished to meet the great North at its best you should be very satisfied now!

Probably not even a whole year could be enough to visit these enchanted lands.

The Cairngorms will fascinate you immediately. A cold and wild land apparently, but incredibly beautiful and inspiring .

Even Queen Victoria was impressed by the Cairngorms Mountains : " They have a sublime and solemn effect , so wild and lonely , there was no one else besides our little party ... I drank a bit ' of water with whiskey why people affirmed that the pure water was too cold . "

The Cairngorms are presented as cold and inhospitable as they were at the time of Queen Victoria. It often rains incessantly and the traveler finds difficult to explore the dark and narrow paths of the Cairngorms National Park .

You are advised to stay in Newtonmore during your visit to the Cairngorms National Park. Quieter and quieter than neighboring Aviemore, now overrun by tourists all over the year.

Newtonmore still retains an old style village with its stone cottages surrounded by the forest.
A beautiful village at the feet of the mountains in the valley of the River Spey .

From Newtonmore you will enjoy great views over the snow-capped mountains that surround the village and a sense of profound stillness . Find accommodation in a comfortable hostel, cosy and warm up and you will enjoy the best of the Cairngorms National Park.

Visit Loch Eirin and its castle and you will se the Cairngorms National Park at its best.

The best time to walk in the Cairngorms National Park is probably the autumn.

The avid traveler observes every detail, every branch, every ray of the moon, because he knows to be in front of a unique spectacle that is unlikely to recur. He knows he is unlikely to see again the Nature speak with such force .

Visit Loch Eirin and its castle and you will see the Cairngorms National Park at its best.

In a small clearing of the Scottish forest is indeed an enchanted lake that surrounds an ancient castle now inaccessible . The water is still, placid , but the castle seems inhabited by fairies .

You would not hear any noise around the lake and Eirin Castle, not even that of your feet hitting the ground soaked by rain . When there is no wind , the branches of the trees are still.

You can sit on a branch and look to the castle in the middle of the lake . When I visited the Cairngorms National Park I remember sitting there for over an hour to watch the castle and the reflections of the moon. I had my hands red for the cold, but it felt I lived in that castle for centuries.

The scenic area of Rothermurcius it is another lovely place you should absolutely visit.

Rothermurcius is at the feet of the Cairngorms, where it is worth walking even when the temperature is close to zero.

Get lost among the paths that cut through the woods to reach Loch Morlich with its sandy shores.

Admire the calm lake and the reflection of the great mountain and you would immediately want to reach the Cairngorm. By car climbing the steep and winding road up to the large parking is an enjoyable experience. From the car parking, take the cable car up to the top. It is amazing!

By car climbing the steep and winding road up to the large parking is an enjoyable experience.

When there is no wind , the branches of the trees are still.

The scenic area of Rothermurcius it is another lovely place you should absolutely visit.

Everything is covered with white snow in winter, white solitude and purity.

Queen Victoria made her way walking up in the freezing cold and the snow to get up there.

It was worth it and it is worth it today . From the top of the Cairngorm the eye goes away on the lakes between the mountains of the same color of the sky. A throne for every king .

The tartan carpet , the flames of the fireplace, violin music , a single malt whiskey and a good plate of venison. They are the best refreshment after a day of cold. This is your home up here in the mountains . Your home is in Aviemore at the Cairngorm Hotel. They know how to treat a traveler there.

When late at night, after having enjoyed a well earned venison dish and a glass of local whisky, you will leave the Cairngorm Hotel look to the moon just above the big mountain. The snow up there shines like pure gold.

Want to read more about Scotland?
Click here to read more about Scotland and the Scottish Isles.

ISLE OF ISLAY #2 - THE ISLAND OF THE WHISKY AND OF THE MOST FAMOUS DISTILLERIES OF THE WORLD

2014-04-20T00:24:00.001-07:00

There is a lighthouse at Portnahaven in the Scottish Island of Islay .

In the morning you may wake up and it's raining again in the Isle of Islay.

Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides".

Today, Islay has over 3,000 inhabitants and the main commercial activities are agriculture, malt whisky distillation and tourism.

Islay is an unmissable place to visit if you are travelling in Scotland.

There is a lighthouse at Portnahaven and you can continue our tour around this beautiful Scottish Isle from here (click here to read the first part of your tour).

The war memorial here is simple, only a cross, but it is worth a visit.

A little farther on, near Port Charlotte, another distillery (after Bowmore - read previous post about Islay), this time is Bruichladdich with its huge copper ampules .

Bruichladdich distillery produces mainly single malt Scotch whisky, but it has also to offer artisanal gin. It is owned by Rémy Cointreau (the company producing the famous French Cognac) and it is one of the eight working distilleries currently working on the island of Islay.

Bruichladdich distillery produces mainly single malt Scotch whisky in the Scottish Island of Islay.

In 2001 the Bruichladdich distillery was dismantled and reassembled, with the original Victorian equipment retained.

Having escaped modernisation, most of the original Harvey machinery is still in use today. No computers are used in production with all processes controlled by a pool of skilled artisans who pass on information orally and largely measure progress using dipsticks and simple flotation devices.

After having visited Bruichladdich distillery you should move to Bridge End.

In Bridge End you can discover a small fortress hidden among the vegetation . An old stone tower , ancient cannon barrels abandoned between the branches.

Ancient cannon barrels abandoned between the branches.

These ancient cannon barrels should be collected and taken to a museum.

Maybe not: in a museum these ancient cannon barrels would receive only a distracted look, here in the leaves they must remain as part of this beautiful island .

The tide has retreated on the beach in front of Bridge End.

If you are visiting when the tide is out you should sit down and wait until you see the moon .

It is an unforgettable experience!

In the morning, go back to Port Ellen and from there walk up to Ardberg . You will enjoy magnificent views of the cliffs and the sea. Then dozens of islets will appear on the horizon as the boats in the harbour surrounded by the fog will slowly appear just in front of the Ardberg distillery, also with its large ampule of course.

The Ardbeg distillery has been producing whisky since 1798.

Ardbeg whisky is considered one of the peatiest in the world, using malt with a phenol content of 55ppm. Absolutely taste it!

The tide goes out and you can reach those strips of rocks that look like whales in front of Ardberg.

The Ardbeg distillery has been producing whisky since 1798 in the Isle of Islay, Western Hebrides, Scotland.

When the fog disappear from in front of the cliffs, from the sea may appear a dog's head, in reality a small seal.
It will probably stare at you and then quietly dive under the water .

The beach at Ardberg is a mirror to the pink of the sky in the morning, the birds arrive in groups to find out what the tide has left today for them.

Hundreds, thousands of birds come to celebrate the end of the rain. Then the curtain may fall and it may start to rain again. But you will be grateful to the sky if you have managed to see Islay under the rays of the sun.

If you want to read more about Islay read also Isle of Islay - Where the Devil has nowhere to hide.

Want to read more about the Scottish Isles?
Click here to read more about Scotland and the Scottish Isles.

ISLE OF ISLAY - THE ISLAND WHERE THE DEVIL HAS NOWHERE TO HIDE

2014-04-05T11:05:00.001-07:00

The round church of Bowmore where the devil has nowhere to hide.

Travelling by ferry from Mainland Scotland the Island of Islay is fast approached.

Whitewashed cottages illuminate the landscape, grey of the mist and rain. Then the orange Coast Guard boat and the dock.

Three rams with long and curled horns will probably observe you dragging your luggage up to your B & B.

After getting rid of your burden, you should walk along the beautiful beach near Bridge End and walk along the road until you reach a church in which the devil just can not hide. You will be in Bowmore.

Arriving at Islay by ferry.

The Harbour at Ardberg

Why the Devil cannot hide in Bowmore Church?

Very simple: because there is nowhere to hide!

At the village of Bowmore on the Iland of Islay the church is round and someone has thought of this trick of building a round church so to deprive the devil of every corner or crevice for refuge.

At Bowmore on the Isle of Islay, however, perhaps a round church was not needed, the devil, if really had to get here, definitely would go to hole himself up at the famous Bowmore Whisky Distillery.

The Bowmore Distillery was established in 1779 by a local merchant, John P. Simpson, before passing into the ownership of the Mutter family, a family of German descent.

Today there are twenty Japanese hidden in the famous Bowmore Distillery.

The distillery is owned by Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd, a holding company owned by Japanese drinks company Suntory. Morrison Bowmore also own the Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch distilleries and produce the McClelland's Single Malt range of bottlings.

Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides".

Today, Islay has over 3,000 inhabitants and the main commercial activities are agriculture, malt whisky distillation and tourism.

Islay has eight Malt Whisky Distilleries, most of them located close to Islay's seashore, and they produce some of the finest Malt Whiskies in the world.
If you leave the church on the hill overlooking the main street of Bowmore that descends to the sea and walk for a while you can reach Port Ellen and it's worth it.

Port Ellen on the Island of Islay

The large Bay at port Ellen

The beautiful coast of Islay

Of course with a little 'bit of sunshine all would look even better, but those colored cottages of the little village of Port Ellen on the Island of Islay have their own charm and the White Hart Hotel looks like a nice place to rest for the visitors of this hidden corner of the world.

The bay narrows along an imaginary horseshoe.

On top of the bay a man of stone, with the Scottish kilt and bonnet, bows his head on his rifle and remember those young men who have left the island and in the battlefields of France and have reached prematurely the immense glory of God.

It is the monument dedicated to the young men of the island who fought and died during I World War.

It stands in front of the open sea.

No more tears to cry, thirty years later, when even the children of those men have left and have not returned fighting the II World War.

Port Ellen could not build another stone man. So someone added another list of names at his feet and asked the sea to bring to the dead soldiers a little 'flavor of the Islay whiskeys, which may cancel the war and alleviate his pain!

...click here to continue reading about the Isle of Islay.

Want to read more about the Scottish Isles?
Click here to read more about Scotland and the Scottish Isles.

ST CROSS - A HIDDEN JEWEL NEAR WINCHESTER

2014-04-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty in Winchester, most amazingly still working today with the exact of organization and in the same way than centuries ago.

There is one last place that you should not miss if you are visiting Winchester (read the other two posts about the main attractions of Winchester: Visiting Winchester #1 - Visiting Winchester #2).

St Cross, or using its full name The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty in Winchester.

St Cross is for me one of the most inspiring in Winchester.

It obviously depends a lot for what you are looking for in Winchester.

Winchester is a beautiful town in the South of England, an hour South of London and , although sometimes forgot, the town of Winchester is so important in the history of England to rightly deserve to be the town of King Arthur's Round Table.

Winchester was also for a short time the capital of England, during the black death in London.

If you are looking for the great monuments your first place to would be Winchester Cathedral and after King Arthur's Round Table.


	The Almshouse is a charitable housing provided to elderly and poor people.

If instead you are looking for a less famous corner of Winchester, but extremely inspiring and charming the right place is St Cross.

The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty is a medieval almshouse founded between 1133 and 1136. It is the oldest charitable institution in the United Kingdom.

The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty in Winchester is the oldest and largest almshouse in England and certainly one of the best preserved.

The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty in Winchester, most amazingly still working today with the exact of organization and in the same way than centuries ago.

The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty in Winchester provides today accommodation for a total of 25 elderly men, called "The Brothers", under the care of "The Master".

St Cross is just outside Winchester Old Town. One time it could have been easily said it was outside Winchester in the countryside.


	The Almshouse is a charitable housing provided to elderly and poor people.

Practically today The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty is little more than two miles from Winchester city center, walking South.

The best you can do if you are visiting Winchester in South of England is to finish your two days tour at The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty

If after you have visited the Cathedral you walk at the back of this wonderful church passing near Dean Garnier Gardens you will easily find college street.-

Walk along College Street and if you have time visit Winchester College and have a look of what is left of Winchester Castle.

After you have seen the few remaining ruins of the castle take College Walk, keep coming straight in front of you an in twenty minutes you will be at St Cross.

The building is constructed of stone and surrounds two quadrangles. The smaller Outer Quadrangle to the north consists of: the outer gate (16th century); brew house (14th century).

The 12th- and 13th-century church in the south-east corner is more like a miniature cathedral than a typical almshouse chapel. The building is stone-vaulted throughout, with transepts and a central tower.

St Cross, or using its full name The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty in Winchester.

What is an almshouse?

An Almshouse is a typical British institution, at least originally.

The Almshouse is a charitable housing provided to elderly and poor people.

Alms are, in the Christian tradition, money or services donated to support the poor and indigent. Almshouses were established from the 10th century in Britain, to provide a place of residence for poor, old and distressed people.

If you are so lucky yo be able to visit The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty in Winchester in a spring sunny day you could enjoy all the quiet of the large courtyard.

The gardens of the Hospital of St Cross when in bloom are a magnificent sight and you would feel back in time in the quiet of these gardens.

Do you want to read more about Winchester?

Read The hero of Winchester Cathedral and King Arthur Round Table in Winchester.

Do you want to read more about England?

Browse on my page Visit England for many more destinations

If you are visiting Winchester please leave a comment below about your visit or some suggestions you would like to make for other visitors.

Winchester: The Man who saved a Cathedral with a diving suit

2014-03-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

William Walker was a professional diver and he worked for months six hours a day,
in complete darkness and in the water to save Winchester Cathedral.

Is Winchester an unusual town?

Well, it is certainly not so common for a town to host King Arthur's Round Table (click here to read our last week post about King Arthur's Round Table), but Winchester is not just King Arthur's Round Table and it is not unusual just for this reason.

Probably you have heard about Winchester Cathedral.

Winchester Cathedral is such an imposing building that you should certainly not miss to visit if you are visiting the South of England or you are looking for a short trip from London.

Winchester Cathedral is surrounded by a wonderful green and wonderful naves with high columns and impressive ceilings will leave you breathless for their beauty.

The high columns and impressive ceilings are reminiscent of the ones of Exeter Cathedral (click here to compare), but Winchester Cathedras has one feature that is certainly unique.

Most of the people would guess that I am talking about the tomb of Jane Austen, the famous writer of Jane Eyre and Northanger Abbey, but actually not (sorry Jane. I am going to write about you in another post).

What I am talking about is just a common man who act with his heart and his soul, without thinking too much at the great task he was undertaking, and became a national hero.

His name is William Walker and he saved Winchester Cathedral from certain destruction.

Probably the high columns and impressive ceilings are not too different from the ones of Exeter Cathedral.

The fact is that Winchester Cathedral at the end of the Nineteen Century was nearly collapsing under the ground because of the subsidence.

Winchester lies in a valley of the River Itchen, and the Cathedral sits on peaty soil with a high underlying water table and Winchester Cathedral was soon going to collapse.

If you walk at the back of Winchester Cathedral you can still see today the walls of the Cathedral leaning slight on one side sank on the soft ground as an effect of the subsidence.

William Walker was a professional diver. He worked for months six hours a day, in complete darkness and in the water, because the sediment suspended in the water was impenetrable to light, to reinforce with concrete the basement of Winchester Cathedral and save it from collapsing.

So today when you enter into the Cathedral you should first thing walk at the end of the building where the absides is at the back of the amazingly decorated altar.

One more picture of Winchester Cathedral.

At the end of Winchester Cathedral, William Walker the saviour of Winchester Cathedral is there represented in a tiny bronze statue, nearly invisible to the public.

You are going to notice the little statue of William Walker the saviour of Winchester Cathedral only if you already know his story and you are looking for this statue.

I think William Walker the saviour of Winchester Cathedral would love to know that is represented inside the religious building in such a simple and unfussy way.

But after you have thanked William Walker the saviour of Winchester Cathedral for his incredible act of heroism you should take time to visit the rest of Winchester Cathedral.

Winchester Cathedral has been built in different stages and in different times so that what you can see today is a mix of styles and ages.

Winchester Cathedral was founded in 642. It became part of a monastic settlement in 971.

In 1079, Bishop Walkelin began work on a completely new cathedral. The building was consecrated in 1093.

Following the accession of Godfrey de Lucy in 1189 a retrochoir was added in the Early English style.

Jane Austen Tombstone.

The Norman choir screen, having fallen into a state of decay, was replaced in 1637–40 by a
new one, designed by Inigo Jones.

Mainly the Cathedral as we are able to see today is a mix of styles stretching along more than six hundreds years, Something absolutely incredible!

What amazes me more is the ceiling of Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.

Winchester Cathedral ceiling is beautiful and so reminiscent of the ceiling of Exeter Cathedral i just visited few weeks ago read about Exeter Cathedral - post 1 and Exeter Cathedral - post 2.

The other thing that remained in my mind visiting Winchester Cathedral is Jane Austen's tomb.

The famous English writer is buried here in Winchester Cathedral.

I notice Jane Austen's tombstone in the pavement of Winchester Cathedral (left nave) when I was literally with my feet on her mortal remains.

As you can see in the phone Jane Austen tombstone is such a simple, common, anonymous tombstone that it is extremely easy to miss it.

The house of Jane Austen in Winchester Cathedral

I read Jane Austen's house in Winchester survived and I set off to see it.

It should be certainly take in account that when Jane Austen lived in this house in Winchester she was already ill and bear the end of her life, but still it is just a common house. Only a little plaque near the door to remember the famous English writer.

After having visited Bath I can confirm my first impression: it is definitely Bath the city of Jane Austen.

As I wrote (click here to read the full post about Jane Austen in Bath) Bath is not just a thermal town, despite the fact that it is famous for its spa.

It is not only the city of Jane Austen, the worldwide
famous novelist of Pride and Prejudice and Northanger
Abbey.

Winchester Cathedral as seen from the beautiful hill surrounding the English town.

There is much more to say about Bath.

Bath is such a wonderful town to visit in England.

Nourished by natural hot springs, Bath is a

romantic destination popular with the

fashionable society since the eighteen

century(...click here to continue).

Do you want to visit another majestic Cathedral in England?

Read about Salisbury Cathedral: The Cathedral of light

Do you want to read more about England?

Browse on my page Visit England for many more destinations

Do you like this blog?

Follow us:

- LIKE OUR PAGE ON FACEBOOK so that you can read our posts when we will update this page

- FOLLOW US ON TWITTER so that we can tweet you updates

- BECOME OUR FRIEND ON GOOGLE+1, clicking on the G+1 button on the right column of this page

- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER: insert your email on the box on the right column on this page, so that you wil recieve the updates by email (note that when you subscribe you will recieve an email from "feedburner email subscription" asking you to confirm your subscription. Remember to confirm it and be aware that most of the time your email's filters will consider the confirmation email spam and so to find it and reply to it you have to look on your spam folder as well).

Does King Arthur's Round Table exists? Where is it?

2014-03-21T15:05:00.001-07:00

King Arthur's Round Table exists and you can visit it!

It is amazing in two ways.

First it is amazing for how it looks.

It is a masterpiece of carpentry. It is wonderfully built in wood and wonderfully decorated in black, white and green, the names of the Knight of the Round Table inscribed all around.

Second and most important King Arthur's Round Table is amazing because doesn't date back to King Arthur times, but still it is 800 years old and it is extremely impressive.

Why someone could have possibly wanted to make a huge Round Table in the 1300? And why to make it so beautiful to be certainly magical and (say the true) would you be able to imagine a round table more real than this one in the photo?

This is what King Alfred (also known with the name of King Alfred The Great) would have probably thought.

Yes I said King Alfred, not King Arthur.

The thing is on King Arthur's Round Table the king depicted is not King Arthur!

Despite the name written below the picture the King depicted is most certainly King Alfred.

But what am I talking about and who is King Alfred? And most important where is King Arthur's Round Table?

Have you ever heard the name Winchester?

The Winchester I am talking about doesn't have much to do with the famous rifle.

The Winchester I am talking about is a beautiful town in the South of England, an hour South of London and , although sometimes forgot, the town of Winchester is so important in the history of England to rightly deserve to be the town of King Arthur's Round Table.

Winchester was also for a short time the capital of England, during the black death in London.

Would be not this enough to make of Winchester a wonderful place to visit in South of England?

But let's go back to our point: why someone had painted King Alfred The Great on King Arthur's Round Table in Winchester?

Well, it is quite simple: King Alfred was the king and the only King of Winchester and it was the local hero!

King Alfred ruled Wessex from 871 until his death in 899 and he saved his country!

At the time of his enthronement the Viking had taken control of half of England and were threatening Wessex, the region of Winchester.

King Alfred army won the battle of Edington and saved the country.

Probably you have heard about Winchester Cathedral...

Not only this! But King Arthur, it is said, managed also to convert the Vikings to Christianity!

What more a king could have done in the eyes of the man (anonymous) who built King Arthur's Round Table in Winchester?

Would you believe, the Wintonians (so they are called the citizens of Winchester) are so proud of their king even today that to celebrate the anniversary of his organized a reenactment of the burial procession and, instead to make another Round Table, they just opened a Facebook page, so know King Alf 8as they call King Alfred in 21st Century style) is on facebook.com like Madonna and Michael Jackson. (you don't believe me? Go and look at

KingAlfWinchester Page).

It is a bit unusual Winchester isn't it?

Well it is even more. Probably you have heard about Winchester Cathedral... but this is another story... Click here to read more about Winchester.

Do you want to travel in England?

Visit our page Visit England for more great destinations.

What to see in Exeter in one day? An itinerary ready for you

2014-03-15T15:57:00.002-07:00

Exeter Cathedral is one of the most beautiful Cathedral in the world and its beauty
is evident in many different aspects. - read our dedicated post

"Exeter is a wonderful town and not just because of its beautiful Cathedral".

Exeter is wonderful because is not just beautiful and interesting but extremely relaxing.

Exeter offers sunshine and mild weather, thanks to its position in the South of England, Devon few miles away from the English Channel.

So after having visited the Cathedral and the old town of Exeter you can relax along the banks of the Exe River or just head to the nearby seaside town of Topsham.

One day is probably enough to see the best of Exeter, although two days are recommended.

Here an Itinerary ready for you for visiting the best of the beautiful town of Exeter in Devon, England:

1. Start from the Cathedral. Exeter Cathedral is one of the most beautiful Cathedrals in Europe.

Exeter Cathedral is one of the most beautiful Cathedral in the world and its beauty is evident in many different aspects.

The wonderful architecture perfectly expresses the best of the Norman English style.

It is amazing because it is extremely rare to be able to visit a church that had only marginal changes during the centuries and it still express today the Norman English Style of the XIII Century.

But one aspect is particularly amazing: thousands of faces are looking to you from the ceiling and from the vaults, in the chapels and from arches; everywhere faces are looking at you.

Enter in Exeter Cathedral and turn your eyes towards to the ceilings.... Hundreds of faces will look at you!

In Exeter Cathedral you can also admire the longest continuous medieval vaults of the world and certainly the most amazing, particularly if you visit the church in a sunny day when the sunlight would exalt even more the beauty of this ceiling.

Click here to read our post about Exeter Cathedral and read also our post about the thousand faces in the Cathedral, one of the most amazing feature of the cathedral.

2. See the narrowest street of the world.

OK it can be silly to just look to a street that have nothing to be remembered apart the fact that is so narrow, but I think is interesting in a way... it make you think of how all is relative, how everything can acquire interest and importance if well sold...

Can you guess how the narrowest street of the world is called?

If you can't guess the name of the narrowest street of the world... I tell you: the narrowest street of the world and certainly of Exeter is Parliament Street... is it not interesting that the most irrelevant and narrow street of the town, and maybe of England (if not of the world) is "dedicated" to the Parliament?

Judging from the smell, locals don't seem to have lot of respect for Parliament Street!

Nothing happen in the narrowest street of the world road, apart apparently being a popular convenient but unconventional toilet at night... and they call it Parliament Street?

Exeter is wonderful because is not just beautiful and interesting but extremely relaxing.

Beautiful architecture in Exeter,

One day is probably enough to see the best of Exeter, although two days are recommended.

3. Visit the Royal Albert Museum of Exeter.

The Royal Albert Museum of Exeter in town is particularly celebrated.

It is a good collection of art, science and history.

I don't think is so impressive as the leaflets of the tourism office describe it, but it is free, it is central and has a very nice cafe where you can eat decent food at decent price in Exeter.

It is perfect for a rainy day or if you want to give your children a bit of distraction.

4. The High Street

If you like shopping the High Street is your place. But not mine as it is just a huge modern shopping mall, built on the ruins of the beautiful palaces bombed during the Second World War.

Walking from the old town to Exeter Quay is like to enter in a different town.

5. Exeter Quay

Walk down towards the river Exe. Apart for discovering the origin of the name Exeter you will love to discover Exeter Quay.

Exeter Quay is beautifully preserved and you can enjoy to visit the little individual shops or just seat under the roof of the old boat station and take a beer at the local pub (the local Jail beer is absolutely recommended if you like ales).

Walking from the old town to Exeter Quay is like to enter in a different town.

Here the atmosphere is much more relax and the Quay enjoy light and sunshine and a very good vibe.

One time this Quay represented probably the main gate to enter Exeter.

Through the canals Exeter is connects to the sea and one time much more boats were coming and going every day from here.

From www.wikipedia.com:

The Exeter Canal was completed in about 1566, making it one of the oldest artificial waterways in Britain.

It was cut to bypass weirs that had been built across the River Exe to prevent trade in the city and to force boats to unload at Topsham from where the Earls of Devon were able to exact large tolls to transport goods to Exeter. Originally 3 feet deep and 16 feet wide (0.9 m by 5 m), it ran 1.75 miles (2.82 km) from just below the Countess Weir to the centre of Exeter.

It was later extended to Topsham, deepened and widened, and was successful until the middle of the 19th century since when its use gradually declined – the last commercial use was in 1972. However it is now widely used for leisure purposes, and the city basin is being included as part of a £24 million redevelopment scheme.

The Exeter Canal was completed in about 1566, making it one of the oldest artificial waterways in Britain.

6. Walk along the Quay, the river Exe and the canals.

There are plenty walks starting from the Quay.

It is one of the best features of Exeter: how quickly you can escape the town and immediately feel in the countryside.

Three different walk and cycle path run South towards the mouth of the Exe river and the sea.

Country pubs offer good food and al fresco dining.

Beautiful lanscape is waiting you along the road but if you have enough time you should take your time and cycle and walk at leisure from Exeter along the canals (you would probably need a second day in the area to do all this).

7. Visit the pretty town of Topsham.

View of Topsham

Topsham is known as the port of Exeter. Personally I believe Topsham is a bit overrated in the many leaflet of Exeter Tourism Office that make of Topsham an unmissable destination.

Still Topsham is quite pretty with its little harbour and some old shops along the main road... nice for an afternoon... but the day should be a sunny one!

Topsham is just a little village of around five thousands souls but in a sunny day the population doubles with visitors and tourists.

If you will visit Topsham you will probably ask yourself. what are these strange houses so different from the architectural style of nearby Exeter?

These houses that look a bit strange in the surroundings are built in Dutch style.

Why? In Topsham dating from the time when Topsham was an important cotton port, Dutch merchant lived in these small village in such a strategic position in England.

Many of Topsham's houses are built using Dutch bricks, which were brought over as ballast from Holland – to where the wool and cotton from South-West England had been exported.

Do you want to know more about Exeter Cathedral?

Read our post dedicated at The famous bosses of Exeter Cathedral.

Do you want to travel in England?

Visit our page Visit England for more great destinations.

Do you want to discover the best in Cathedrals in Britain?

READ also about The Cathedral of Light - Salisbury Cathedral

The Cathedral of Exeter - Why the Cathedral of Exeter is so famous?

2014-03-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

Why the Cathedral of Exeter is so famous?

The answer is astonishingly simple: because is amazingly beautiful and unique.

Here a list of things you have absolutely not to miss if you are visiting the Cathedral of Exeter in Devon, England.

1. Start from the green of the church. Do you see the beautiful flowers and the green grass surrounding the church where you probably sat?

Thousand and thousands of bones were buried there, so many that the ground raised so much that wasn't possible to access the cathedral from the main door.

2. Admire the beautiful statues decorating the facade and the strong towers at the side.

The towers represent the oldest part of the Cathedral.

3. Enter in the Cathedral and lift your head and remain breathless in front of the beautiful geometry of the vaults.

In Exeter Cathedral you can admire the longest continuous medieval vaults of the world and certainly the most amazing, particularly if you visit the church in a sunny day when the sunlight would exalt even more the beauty of this ceiling.

4. Look for the thousand faces hidden everywhere in the church and watching at you from every corner.

We dedicated a post to these faces: read the dedicated post to know more.

5. Keep your head up and admire the minstrels singing.

This is a great masterpiece. The music of the organ is conducted through the air pipes to the minstrels wooden piece at the left side of the nave.

Do you want to know more about Exeter Cathedral?

Read our post dedicated at The famous bosses of Exeter Cathedral.

Do you want to travel in England?

Visit our page Visit England for more great destinations.

Do you want to discover the best in Cathedrals in Britain?

READ also about The Cathedral of Light - Salisbury Cathedral

The Temple of Heaven in Beijing - Where the walls whisper...

2014-03-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is one of the best kept monuments in the city and
it is certainly the most inspiring.

"If the idea was to express the sublime the Temple of Heaven in Beijing can be rightly said to be the gateway to heaven, reaching high to the sky as nothing else seems to be able to do it so softly in Beijing".

You should absolutely keep for your last day in the Chinese Capital a visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is one of the best kept monuments in the city and it is certainly the most inspiring.

Locals are still playing cards and other cardboard games under the long terraced garden surrounding The Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

Wonderful centenary cypresses ornate the gardens around The Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

The colours, the style and the architecture of The Temple of Heaven
in Beijing
immediately remind you of the other monuments of the
Chinese Empire area in the city.

The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is where the Chinese Emperor went to pray, be inspired and make the ritual sacrifices.

Certainly, when you visit The Temple of Heaven in Beijing, it is immediately evident the strong connection between this religious building and the impressive building of the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, the other two most important relics of the Chinese Empire in Beijing.

The colours, the style and the architecture of The Temple of Heaven in Beijing immediately remind you of the other monuments of the Chinese Empire area in the city.

Even the now faded red on the walls of The Temple of Heaven in Beijing are of the exact same shade of the red of the walls of the Imperial Palace.

the temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor.

The famous echo wall of The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is sadly out of service (so says -litterally - the sign on the wall) .

Chinese authorities are maybe right in preserving the wall of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing that already shows the scars left by the arrive of the daily hordes of tourist from all over the world.

The Connection with the Summer Palace
in Bejing is immeditaely evident, click here to
read more about the Summer Palace.

Still the echo wall is a great attraction in The Temple of Heaven in Beijing that unfortunately you wouldn't be able to experience

If two people stand at the east and west extremes of the circular "Echo Wall "and speak softly, the sound will be propelled around to the person on the opposite side. This is the reason why the Echo Wall is also known with the name of "Whispering Wall".

The explanation of this wall is not easy to give. it is supposed that it is the shape and the material used for the construction to make this rare effect possible.

If you are so lucky to be able to try the effect of this unique feature of The Temple of Heaven in Beijing you will be amazed.

More amazed you will be if you think that the temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor.

So left without the chance to experience this magical feature of The Temple of Heaven in Beijing I can only concentrate my attention on the holy mound of the temple.

Again something magic seems to be in store.

The heaven is round and it is surrounded by squared walls in the representation given by The Temple of Heaven in Beijing. the squared walls are the metaphoric symbol of the Earth, represented in the Chinese symbolism as a square in contrast with the perfection of the round shape of the heaven.

The famous echo wall of The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is s
adly out of service (so says -litterally - the sign on the wall) .

The stone pavement covering the round mound of The Temple of Heaven in Beijing is a fantastic feature of geometry: nine identical stones surround the circular center of the temple.

More larger circles are around, the second ring of 18, the third of 27 and forth until you get to the last one made of 81 stones (9 multiplied 9).

The good omen of the number nine is highly celebrated for the benefit of the emperor and the empire.

Finally is the temple itself to visit: the gem of The Temple of Heaven in Beijing complex.

Tall, imposing, majestic, The Temple of Heaven in Beijing in its cobalt blue roof and its red walls, surrounded by strong walls and a beautiful port, their design is again reminiscent of the forbidden city.

If the idea was to express the sublime the Temple of Heaven in Beijing can be rightly said to be the gateway to heaven, reaching high to the sky as nothing else seems to be able to do it so softly in Beijing.

---

If you like Imperial China, here some posts you will probably enjoy reading:

The Summer Palace represents a great example of Chinese classical architecture, heavily influenced by the architecture of the now destroyed Nanjing Palace of the Emperor... Read more

The Imperial Ming Tombs are maybe the most amazing feature of Nanjing. They are called also Ming Xiaolin and it is with this name that they are signalled in the few road signs in English. The Imperial avenues leave you amazed as you really feel you are entering in the burial place of some imaginary emperors of the world.... Read more

The Palace, popularly known as the Forbidden City is certainly the most wonderful building in Beijing. The dark pink walls, the orange pagoda roofs , the emerald green decorations and the white stone sculptures are a wonderful mix producing an effect of majesty I have never experienced visiting any other royal or imperial palace around the world... Read more

Are you planning to travel to China?

Read my page My China Project where you can find the list of all of my posts and the destinations covered in this blog in China.

Read also the page Visit China and the page What to know before to travel to China.

Do you like this blog?

Follow us:

- LIKE OUR PAGE ON FACEBOOK so that you can read our posts when we will update this page

- FOLLOW US ON TWITTER so that we can tweet you updates

- BECOME OUR FRIEND ON GOOGLE+1, clicking on the G+1 button on the right column of this page

Masterpieces of Chinese Art - Visiting the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing.

2014-03-08T09:02:00.001-08:00

The collection of The Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing is truly amazing

The Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing, also known as The China Museum in Beijing is a wonderful collection of the "official" Chinese Art through history.

Situated in the famous Tien An Men square and recently refurbished, the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing offers a good collection of old and contemporary art.

We selected some masterpieces to publish in this post.

The Christian God, Buddha, Confucius and the symbols of
other religions are gathered in the foyer of The China
Museum in Beijing around the big statue of Karl Marx

Some of the masterpieces of The Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing are published here for their beauty, some others because we thought are somehow
explicative of China today, the "official" way of thinking and Mao propaganda.

Once a plain squared Leninist style building, The China Museum in Beijing was recently enlarged and modernized at the beginning of this new millennium as the result of an international design competition.

A huge red star from the Russian-style facade of The China Museum in Beijing overlooks Tienanmen Square from the East side of the Square.

A huge open courtyard with large square pillars exalts the vertical lines of the building.

Inside the collection of The Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing is truly amazing, although everything is exhibited in the classical cold, academic style and with few captions in English.

At the entrance of The Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing a huge statue seems to celebrate the great celestial powers of the Earth: The Christian God, Buddha, Confucius and the symbols of other religions are gathered in the foyer of The China Museum in Beijing around the big statue of Karl Marx, human surrounded by divinities or more likely in the vision of the artist, Karl Marx, God of the Gods himself.

The painting collection

Chairman Mao's acts are celebrated in the paintings as the most inspired and maybe divine on Earth.

The painting collection of the The China Museum in Beijing is all contained in just one room with red walls. Some paintings are positioned too high on the wall to be properly admired by the visitors.

The paintings have only one subject: Chairman Mao, he and the only one.

Chairman Mao's acts are celebrated in the paintings as the most inspired and maybe divine on Earth.

In the epic pictures of the Chinese Museum of National History
in Beijing Chairman Mao harangues the Chinese people in Tianamen Square.

As a modern Jesus Chairman Mao is represented talking patiently to the peasants and
leading them to battle by land and by sea.

Chairman Mao is represented marching on the snow capped mountains, leading his Revolutionary army or just freeing innocents in chains: in one word: bringing justice and freedom on Earth. Or so he seems doing according with the artist.

In the epic pictures of the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing Chairman Mao harangues the Chinese people in Tianamen Square.
The colours and the lines in this pictures of Chairman Mao immediately remind of some honiric Renaissance scenes.

Chairman Mao seems in every painting to be busy to save his Chinese people from perdition.

Not a single caption in English is present in this room. This make me feel entitle to say that is not without a reason that the only painting representing Chairman Mao talking amiably with Mr Stalin is relegated at the end of the gallery, pinned so high that it will be easy to miss the painting than to actually notice it.

Chairman Mao seems in every painting to be busy to save his Chinese people from perdition.

The Collections of the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing.

The classical collections of every good Chinese museum are present here at The China Museum in Beijing.

Calligraphy, jade crafts, wonderful fans are proudly exhibited in The China Museum in Beijing.

Below we focus our attention on two large collections of the China Museum: The hand fans collections and the worldwide famous china pottery.

We hope you enjoy our selection.

The china pottery collection.

From Wikipedia.com:

Chinese ceramic ware shows a continuous development since the pre-dynastic periods, and is one of the most significant forms of Chinese art. China is richly endowed with the raw materials needed for making ceramics. The first types of ceramics were made during the Palaeolithic era. Chinese Ceramics range from construction materials such as bricks and tiles, to hand-built pottery vessels fired in bonfires or kilns, to the sophisticated Chinese porcelain wares made for the imperial court. Porcelain is so identified with China that it is still called "china" in everyday English usage.
Most later Chinese ceramics, even of the finest quality, were made on an industrial scale, thus few names of individual potters were recorded. Many of the most renowned workshops were owned by or reserved for the Emperor, and large quantities of ceramics were exported as diplomatic gifts or for trade from an early date.

Porcelain is "a collective term comprising all ceramic ware that is white and translucent, no matter what ingredients are used to make it or to what use it is put."[1] The Chinese tradition recognizes two primary categories of ceramics, high-fired [cí 瓷] and low-fired [táo 陶].[2] The oldest Chinese dictionaries define porcelain [cí 瓷] as "fine, compact pottery" [táo 陶].[3] Chinese ceramic wares can also classified as being either northern or southern. Present-day China comprises two separate and geologically different land masses, brought together by the action of continental drift and forming a junction that lies between the Yellow river and the Yangtze river. The contrasting geology of the north and south led to differences in the raw materials available for making ceramics.
The name "china" came from the transliteration of Changnan, which was the old name for the porcelain town of today's Jingdezhen (Jingde Town).

Here a photographic collection of the Ceramics collection at the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing.

Many of the most renowned workshops were owned by or reserved for the Emperor, and large quantities of ceramics were exported as diplomatic gifts or for trade from an early date.

The large collection of hand fans.

The large collection of hand fans is another wonderful collection of the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing.

The first Chinese fans can be dated to over 3,000 years ago, around the Shang Dynasty.

The first type of fan, known as Shanhan, was tied to a horse-drawn carriage to protect the travellers drom the rays of the sun or the rain falling, acting similarly to an umbrella.

The folding fan is said to be introduced to China from Japan during the late Song Dynasty.

The most interesting folding fans were made of xuan paper or silk and beautifully painted by the local great artists of the time, the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing hosts a large collection of wonderful masterpieces.

As you can see in the photos the subjects painted on the hand fans exhibited at the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing are quite different, but I think the one of the typical, fairy I can probably say, Chinese landscapes are certainly the most impressive ones.

The first type of fan, known as Shanhan, was tied to a horse-drawn carriage to protect the travellers drom the rays of the sun or the rain falling, acting similarly to an umbrella.

The basement floor of the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing.

Finally I believe, as many others, that the best section is the diachronic exhibition of ancient China in the basement floor of the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing.

the miniature terracotta army, an exquisite part of the burial the emperor.

Typical Chinese food containers in bronze are exhibited in the basement floor of the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing.

Ming style ceramics in blue and white colours will leave you breathless.

Most interesting of all in the basement floor of the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing is probably the collection of Qing Dinasty burials.

The Jade Burial Suit

A wonderfully made jade coffin is probably the most amazing piece of the collection. It is decorated by dozens of perfectly polished jade blocks. It is unique.

A jade burial suit is a ceremonial suit made of pieces of jade in which royal members in Han Dynasty China were buried.

From Wikipedia.com: "Of the jade suits that have been found, the pieces of jade are mostly square or rectangular in shape, though triangular, trapezoid and rhomboid plaques have also been found. Plaques are often joined by means of wire, threaded through small holes drilled near the corners of each piece.

The composition of the wire varies, and several suits have been found joined with either gold or silver. Other suits, such as that of King Zhao Mo, were joined using silk thread, or silk ribbon that overlapped the edges of the plaques. In some instances, additional pieces of jade have been found beneath the head covering, including shaped plaques to cover the eyes, and plugs to fit the ears and nose.

According to the Book of Later Han, the type of wire used was dependent on the station of the person buried. The jade burial suits of emperors used gold thread; princes, princesses, dukes, and marquises, silver thread; sons or daughters of those given silver thread, copper thread; and lesser aristocrats, silk thread, with all others being forbidden to be buried in jade burial suits.

Examination of the known suits, such as the two found in Mancheng, has revealed that these rules were not always followed. Considering the vast size of the country, and the relatively slow means of disseminating information, it is not surprising that the materials and techniques used in a jade burial suit occasionally differed from the official guidelines.

A jade burial suit was extremely expensive to create, and only wealthy aristocrats could afford to be buried in them. Additionally, the process of manufacturing a suit was labor intensive and is estimated to have required several years to complete a single suit".

Not less unique than the Jade Burial Suit is the miniature terracotta army, an exquisite part of the burial the emperor.

Altogether the feeling you get visiting the Chinese Museum of National History in Beijing is of the uniqueness that China has to offer, a country where art reached the highest levels of beauty, following the pattern of tradition so attentively that even contemporary art today, twenty and more centuries after is so deeply based in the traditional Chinese culture.

A wonderfully made jade coffin is probably the most amazing piece of the collection. It is decorated by dozens of perfectly polished jade blocks. It is unique.

The wonderful fang of an elephant pictured below and wonderfully carved in the ivory / at Suzhou Museum *click here to read more

If you are interested in Chinese Art read also our posts about Suzhou Museum and Xian Museum to see some amazing pieces of art in China.

Are you planning to travel to China?

Read my page My China Project where you can find the list of all of my posts and the destinations covered in this blog in China.

Read also the page Visit China and the page What to know before to travel to China.

Do you like this blog?

Follow us:

- LIKE OUR PAGE ON FACEBOOK so that you can read our posts when we will update this page

- FOLLOW US ON TWITTER so that we can tweet you updates

- BECOME OUR FRIEND ON GOOGLE+1, clicking on the G+1 button on the right column of this page

The Great Wall: Few tips that it would be certainly important to know before to plan your trip - the China Project #2

2014-03-06T02:56:00.000-08:00

I haven't visited the most secluded, quiet, inspirational section of the biggest and longest wall in the world, but still I was able to feel all wilderness and the imposing architecture of this militar marvel.

After having visited the wonderful Forbidden City in Beijing is time to visit one of the most iconic places in china: the Great Wall.

The most famous sections are easy to be visited in a day trip from Beijing,

There are hundreds of things that can be said and maybe should be said about the Great Wall.

The main facts are that is long 8.850 Km and that it has been built between the 3rd and the 8th Century BC to protect the borders of the Chinese Empire from the Barbarians coming from the North (Although the famous Mongolian leader Genghis Khan passed the Great Wall no problem just bribing the guards at the gate! :-)).

The great wall I saw is a very unusual one.

I haven't visited the most secluded, quiet, inspirational section of the biggest and longest wall in the world, but still I was able to feel all wilderness and the imposing architecture of this militar marvel.

I took a bus to Badaling maybe the most touristy section of the entire walls.

But I did so in a day of torrential rain.

Not much of the famous Badaling Disneyland style stalls was luckily left after the torrential deluge.

Only the sad brown bears looking terribly restless were waiting me in Badaling.

What make the wall so special, other that its lenght, is the way the walls are perched on the mountain ridge.

The walls look as if they are in a precarious equilibrium from an indefinite time, fighting against the wind and the rain not to fall in the abyss just in front.

Today the main fact is that the most popular sections of the Great Wall are overcrowded and visiting the Great Wall of China is a challenge for the tourist who want to avoide scams and to be ripped off, this is why below in this post we published some useful tips for visiting the Great Wall of China.

Although not legal many tourists pass the night on the Great Wall.

Not all the Great Wall is possible to walk on, as huge part of the Wall is in ruin and it has crumbled making the passage impossible.

OK, now some info to visit the Great Wall of China.

At the end of the post you will find more interesting facts about the Great Wall.

But let's start from some useful tips to plan your visit to the Great Wall:

Where to visit the Great Wall?

I. Not all the Great Wall is open to the public.

II. Not all the Great Wall is possible to walk on, as huge part of the Wall is in ruin and it has crumbled making the passage impossible.

III. Some sections of the Great Wall are particularly steep and they become particularly slippery when wet.

IV. Because not all the Great Wall is open to the public, the sections open are usually amazingly crowded, so much that sometimes is difficult to walk.

What make the wall so special, other that its lenght, is the way the walls are perched on the mountain ridge.

V. The most popular sections of the Great Wall are near Beijing. These sections are the easiest to get to, but also the most touristy and busy.

How to get to see the Great Wall avoiding scams?

VI. Organized day trips from Beijing are most of the time are a scam. You pay a cheap ticket for a bus trip to the Walls, but most of the time you will be obliged to spend a lot of the day (and a lot of your money) in cheap souvenir places and just maybe an hour or two to the Walls. If you really want an organized trip ask your hostel / hotel for a reliable tour company (some of them are), but also consider visiting with public transport (read below).

VII. The most popular and most touristy section of the Wall is in Badaling. It is the easiest place to reach and it is also the most crowded. The photos you see in this post are taken in Badaling and as you can see it is quiet and nearly deserted. Which leads to advise number VIII...

VIII. Visit Badaling in a misty / rainy day. It is particularly scenic to see the Great Wall appearing and disappearing to the clouds and most of the Chinese would not visit in a rainy day, so it will be as a quiet and enjoyable as you see in the photos!

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China

Can I sleep on the Great Wall?

IX. Although not legal many tourists pass the night on the Great Wall.

It is certainly a great experience but you would need to ask locally which areas are left open at night and not patrolled as fines can be high if police decide to enforce them (some local "tour companies" also organize this kind of trip, but you do the trip at your own risk knowing is not legal to camp on the walls or enter the area open to tourists).

Alternatively you can sleep in a B&B near the Wall, wake up early and visit the Walls before the horde of tourists arrives as the Great Wall open usually at sunrise. Be aware that B&B /hostels prices near the Wall are extortionate and cleanness is a faded memory there.

What's the best way to visit the Great Wall in China?

X. (That's my humble opinion:) The Great Wall is a wonderful and unmissable part of China, but if you are based in Beijing don't allow more than one day and a reasonable budget to the Wall and spend your time and money to explore the hidden treasures of the Chinese Capital instead!

Read more about posts about China to plan your travel.

Although not legal many tourists pass the night on the Great Wall.

Some history of the Chinese Great Wall from Wikipedia:

"The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China in part to protect the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups or military incursions by various warlike peoples or forces. Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC.

Especially famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains. Since then, the Great Wall has on and off been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced; the majority of the existing wall was reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty.

Other purposes of the Great Wall have included border controls, allowing the imposition of duties on goods transported along the Silk Road.

The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. A comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that the Ming walls measure 8,850 km (5,500 mi).This is made up of 6,259 km (3,889 mi) sections of actual wall, 359 km (223 mi) of trenches and 2,232 km (1,387 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers. Another archaeological survey found that the entire wall with all of its branches measure out to be 21,196 km (13,171 mi)"

Are you planning to travel to China?

Read my page My China Project where you can find the list of all of my posts and the destinations covered in this blog in China.

Read also the page Visit China and the page What to know before to travel to China.

Do you like this blog?

Follow us:

- LIKE OUR PAGE ON FACEBOOK so that you can read our posts when we will update this page

- FOLLOW US ON TWITTER so that we can tweet you updates

- BECOME OUR FRIEND ON GOOGLE+1, clicking on the G+1 button on the right column of this page

Is Shanghai a romantic city? An itinerary already made to visit Shanghai in China

2014-03-03T05:49:00.001-08:00

Nothing is more iconic and more symbolic than the tall Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai.

Some cities in the world are huge, famous but soulless.

Shanghai has this bad name too, but I believe the second City in China doesn't deserve this adjective.

At the opposite I think Shanghai is an extremely charming and romantic city.

Start your walk from The Bund, without any doubt the most famous area of Shanghai.

The Bund.

Walk along the Bund at night and you may agree with me that Shanghai is a very romantic city.

The Bund in Shanghai is the long avenue running along the river Huangpu, where now an elegant and long pedestrianized promenade has been built making the walk extremely enjoyable at night.

On one side of the River Hangpu in Shanghai are the modern skyscrapers shining with thousands of lights and adds, but on the other side are the beautiful 20th century buildings in Western Style of the Bund.

Although Shanghai is very hot an humid, the banks of the river Hangpu seem to be one of the few places blessed by a fresh breeze in the city, if not in all the region.

The Bund in Shanghai offers a wonderful mix of various architectural styles, generally Eclecticism, but also Romanesque Revival, Gothic Revival, Renaissance Revival, Baroque Revival, Neo-Classical or Beaux-Arts styles, and a number in Art Deco style.

The Customs House, with its neoclassical design and the huge clock, stands proud and immortal along The Bund facing the futuristic skyscrapers on the other side of the river Hangpu where the area of New Pudong recently developed.

Although Shanghai is very hot an humid, the banks of the river Hangpu seem to be one of the few places blessed by a fresh breeze in the city, if not in all the region.

It easy to fall back with the mind in the past and imagine how the life of the Westerners was before World War II in Shanghai.

Shanghai from the middle of the Nineteen Century till nearly the end of the Second World War was divided in Concessions.

The Concessions in Shanghai are a result of the Opium War that the Chinese lost in the middle of the Nineteen Century.

Chinese concessions were made in favour of European and American desires for visitation and trade on Chinese soil. Britain, France, and the United States all carved out concessions outside the walled city of Shanghai, which was still ruled by the Chinese.

The Concessions make of Shanghai a wonderful and multinational city with a great and unique cosmopolitan outlook that it is still possible to feel today.

When you are visiting the Bund in Shanghai or the French Concession area you feel back in the Twenty Century Britain or France (see below about the French Concession). It is an incredible and unique feeling.

The best building of Shanghai is for me The Oriental Pearl Tower

Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower

The best building of Shanghai is for me The Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower is with The Bund the symbol of the most futuristic city in China.

The huge Tower with its unique design, shaped like a rocket read to be launched, is probably too big and too heavy to match the skyline of Shanghai, but it also incredibly daring.

Nothing is more iconic and more symbolic than the tall Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai.

You can probably say Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower looks a bit tacky, but in a way The Oriental Pearl Tower represents so well modern China that fully deserve to take the stage along the river Hangpu in Shanghai, in front of the Bund.

When the sun sets The Oriental Pearl Tower is wonderful to be admired.

Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower is a futuristic building and futuristic is certainly the approach China is giving to its own development.

The huge spheres of the Tower are like planets in the universe, one connected to the others.

When the sun sets The Oriental Pearl Tower is wonderful to be admired.

First Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower reflects the last rays of the sun shining like gold than, when the sky is finally dark, the two huge spheres colour of pink and then in emerald green when at the other side of the river in the Bund the relatively old neo classical and art deco buildings are illuminated from the bottom to the top in Batman's Gotham City style.

Along the river, between Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower on one side and the old elegant buildings of the Bund, the lights along the pedestrianized promenade along the river make for a wonderful atmosphere just in front of the Art Deco Peace Hotel, one of the most romantic and exclusive hotels in Shanghai and in the whole China.

At every hour the old bell rings again beating an immortal and endless time all along the magic Bund.

This traditional Chinese buildings, partly recently rebuilt or heavily refurbished in the original style are elegant and full of life at any time of the day.

Shanghai Old Town

Shanghai Old Town is in complete contrast with the Bund.

If the Bund represents the Westernized side of the town, the Old Town of Shanghai is a symbol of what Shanghai was before the European and American powers took over in the city.

Shanghai Old Town is a large maze of narrow lanes, with beautiful red wooden balconies overlooking the streets from white washed facades of traditional Chinese Nineteen Century buildings. The Old Town of Shanghai is extremely interesting because it offers a great insight of how the large metropolis was in the Nineteen Century.


	Shanghai Old Town is in complete contrast with the Bund.

This traditional Chinese buildings, partly recently rebuilt or heavily refurbished in the original style are elegant and full of life at any time of the day.

Tea houses, restaurants and huge bazaar have colonized the ground floor of most of The Old Town of Shanghai.

Most of the shops are especially made for tourists. Nothing of particular interest is sold here, just cheap souvenirs to make lighter the pockets of Westerns tourists.

Still the buildings are beautiful to see and although heavily restored and modernized they offer a good idea (may be a bit cartoon-style) of how The Old Town of Shanghai should have looked more than a Century ago.

A visit to Shanghai Old Town will not be completed without visiting the famous Yunnan Gardens.


	The Yunnan Gardens in The Old Town of Shanghai were built to offer a quiet corner in the bustling city to rest and meditate.

The Yunnan Gardens

The Yunnan Gardens in The Old Town of Shanghai are a fantastic gem that, overlooked by the Western guides and highly celebrated by the locals, you should absolutely make sure not to miss.

The Yunnan Gardens in The Old Town of Shanghai were built to offer a quiet corner in the bustling city to rest and meditate.

The Yunnan Gardens in The Old Town of Shanghai are a magic place that will make you feel miles away from the traffic and the noise of the city.

Today The Yunnan Gardens in The Old Town of Shanghai are unfortunately constantly invaded and savaged by hordes of tourists in groups filling every single square meter available of the small pagoda and the surrounding gardens.

The Yunnan Gardens in The Old Town of Shanghai are a masterpiece of Feng Shui art and design.

If you have visited the House and the gardens of the Master of the Nets in Suzhou (click here to read the post about The House and the Gardens of the Master of the Nets in Suzhou) you will immediately notice an affinity between this two great masterpieces of Feng Shui.

The Yunnan Gardens in The Old Town of Shanghai are the product of 18 years of work of a Shanghai rich man, looking to make a monument with the highest spirit of beauty, harmony and proportion.

Although heavily damaged during the worse events of the city history, The Yunnan Gardens in The Old Town of Shanghai are beautifully kept today and it seems that the restoration here had been taken with much more care than in Shanghai Old Town.

If only for a moment you can imagine yourself alone, wondering in The Yunnan Gardens in The Old Town of Shanghai, walking through the many little bridges and looking at the ponds literally bursting of golden fishes (even the fishes are bursting so much they look overfed) you can immediately feel all the calm and the inspiration the gardens can offer.

Bonsai trees and Typical Chinese Carsick stones (known as Lake Stones) shade and decorate the garden and the beautiful pagodas offer shelter from the sun or from the rain, while old jade shops offer distraction and beauty.

The Yunnan Gardens in The Old Town of Shanghai are a magic place that will make you feel miles away from the traffic and the noise of the city.

The area of New Pudong in Shanghai

Usually visitors of Shanghai observe in amazement the skyscrapers and the Oriental Pearl Tower on the bank of the Hangpu River.

The best views of this wonderful giants of glass and cement can be enjoyed from the other side of Hangpu river along the art deco Bund.

You probably don't think is worth to cross the river and walk at the feet of this giants.

You think on the other side of the river, like in other great cities of the world, there would be not much more than eight lanes roads and small pavements to walk around anonymous street where the sun hardly can be perceived sheltered by the huge mass of the skyscrapers all around.

You are wrong, cross the river and absolutely don't miss the chance to visit New Pudong area in Shanghai.

The area of New Pudong in Shanghai is the name of the area where Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower and the other modern skyscrapers are situated.

The area of New Pudong in Shanghai is the non plus ultra of modernity.

Where only thirty years ago it was just large marshland facing the rich and elegant Bund, today the most amazing and expensive buildings of Shanghai are standing.

One time in The area of New Pudong in Shanghai where only some huts built by the poor people living on this side of the city and living of what the Hangpu River could offer.

cross the river and absolutely don't miss the chance to visit New Pudong area in Shanghai.

The area of New Pudong in Shanghai is where the poor and the emigrated lived longing for a future of prosperity like the one they can see on the other side of the Hangpu River along the Bund, like a dream they would probably never be able to make true.

Today in The area of New Pudong in Shanghai the skyscrapers are facing one another in a never ending competition of beauty and magnificence.

It is like if the skyscrapers can almost know already than eventually all of them will loose their competition (even Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower), because a new investor will come with new money and new architects to built a new marvel that will shade all the other in The area of New Pudong in Shanghai.

The area of New Pudong in Shanghai is the non plus ultra of modernity.

If you want to leave a futuristic experience go the Circular pass built in front of the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower.

From there, at the heart of The area of New Pudong in Shanghai, you will have a wonderful and privileged viewpoint to enjoy the skyscrapers all around.

The World Financial Center with its unique "handle" and the martian "Oriental Pearl Tower" are the most amazing buildings in The area of New Pudong in Shanghai, but the green elegant Gardens of Lujiazuj Park are certainly worth your time.

The Gardens of Lujiazuj Park in The area of New Pudong in Shanghai are a beautiful green oasis in a jungle of cement, with the two beautiful statues of Angels just in front of the Jimao Tower.

The huge glass windows of the skyscraper make a wonderful mirroring game.

Walking around The Gardens of Lujiazuj Park in The area of New Pudong in Shanghai with an attentive eye you will enjoy thousand of different prospectives, reflections and lights and then walk back to the Circular Pass built in front of Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower and wait the sunset, it will be a wonderful experience, less usual but certainly not less fascinating than watching the sunset from the other side of the river, along the Bund, where thousands of tourists will gather at night.

The best are maybe the old bridges reflecting in the water and surrounded by the always present willow trees.

The Trendy Quarter of Qibao in Shanghai

The area of Qibao in Shanghai is supposed to be an old canal quarter dating back to the Ming Dynasty.

Truly The area of Qibao in Shanghai is not much more than few old whitewashed houses with wood roofs and little shops transformed in a brick-a-brack bazaar.

The best are maybe the old bridges reflecting in the water and surrounded by the always present willow trees.

The rest are modern houses, expensive, with huge swimming pools in the courtyards, brand new stylish homes just waiting to be sold.

The area of Qibao is away from the centre of the town, around 20 minutes by tube from the centre of Shanghai.

I think despite what I wrote above, Qibao should be visited if you are in Shanghai for at least three reasons.

The expensive buildings of The area of Qibao in Shanghai are somehow mocking the buildings of the Ming Dynasty: wonderful houses, only with much more cement and an incredible profusion of automatic stairs in supermarket style and (would you believe) made just to move from ground level to the first and last level of these two stories buildings!

I think despite what I wrote above, Qibao should be visited if you are in Shanghai for at least three reasons.

First, although it has been heavily refurbished and without much attention to preserve the original beauty of the place, The area of Qibao in Shanghai still show you how this quarter was designed in Ming Dynasty, which in itself a very interesting thing.

On a more light note, The area of Qibao in Shanghai is a nice place to walk around if you are looking for a more modern and vibrant area (a kind of Notting Hill in Chinese style) and with its excesses will probably help you to understand what the rich Chinese are looking for as their new style of life (I would say a kind of Las Vegas villas watching back to the highest moments of Chinese history).

The third reason is that is important in every city of the world you are going to visit to find a place where you can feel relaxed and comfortable, I think The area of Qibao in Shanghai could have this special characteristic: you can feel immediately comfortable, you can enjoy the local movida, people walking along the canals, chatting or listening music or just enjoying their time off.

If you visit The area of Qibao in Shanghai in the evening when the sun sets, you can enjoy the vibe and what more important I think you can eat in the best little and inexpensive restaurants in the city.

Along the canals of The area of Qibao in Shanghai many little restaurants, with just few tables, steam shrimp dumpling in the traditional bamboo baskets, many locals make the relative short journey with the tube to spend the evening here.

Qibao is known for its speciality in cuisine: the hong shao rou ("Red Braised Pork"), a wonderful dish using a combination of ginger, garlic, aromatic spices, chili peppers, sugar, light and dark soy and sometimes rice wine.


	Shanghai Museum in People Square is probably the one that you should visit if you have an interest in China and in Chinese culture.

Shanghai Museum

What are the best Museums in Shanghai?

Shanghai offers a big choice of museums.

In perfect Chinese style, Chinese cities are usually extremely rich in museums, some times this is not even a great thing as some of the museums doesn't have much to exhibit, but still museums in China are a huge population and Shanghai is not exception to the rule.

Shanghai Museum in People Square is certainly the most famous museum in Shanghai.

Shanghai Museum in People Square is probably the one that you should visit if you have an interest in China and in Chinese culture.

Shanghai Museum in People Square is a kind of comprehensive museum exhibiting about the most famous and amazing sides of Chinese culture.

Shanghai Museum in People Square has a wonderful collection of Chinese porcelain (here you may discover why we Westerns use the name china bones, for porcelain in these days).

Shanghai Museum in People Square has also an interesting galley of Chinese coins and currencies (another highlight of Chinese history) and an interesting section of painting and calligraphy.

But if what you want to see is the soul of Shanghai it is not much point to spend much time at Shanghai Museum in People Square.

Head instead for the most amazing giant of Shanghai, the famous Oriental Pearl Tower in New Pudong and visit Shanghai History Museum.

Shanghai History Museum

You can probably object that the Shanghai History Museum hosted in The Oriental Pearl Tower in New Pudong is a Disneyland-style museum having not relics to exhibit, but just plastic reconstructions of the life in Shanghai trough the different centuries of the life of the city.

You are probably right, but when I visited the Shanghai History Museum hosted in The Oriental Pearl Tower in New Pudong I felt that at least this exhibition gave me a good grasp of the history of Shanghai. And the history of Shanghai, you will see yourself when you will visit the Shanghai History Museum hosted in The Oriental Pearl Tower in New Pudong, is extremely fascinating.

The British influence on the development of Shanghai is the most evident sign of the influence of the Western countries in China.

British and Western countries are seen in the Shanghai History Museum as exploiters of China and Chinese labour force, but the biggest accusation from the Chinese prospective is the way the Western countries invading Shanghai corrupted the traditional Chinese customs.

Drinking and gambling are seen in the reconstruction offered by the Shanghai History Museum hosted in The Oriental Pearl Tower in New Pudong as the two epidemic ills brought by the Westerners.

The historic reconstruction offered by Shanghai History Museum hosted in The Oriental Pearl Tower in New Pudong certainly helps to explain why the actual People's Square in Shanghai is built when one time was the racecourse built bu the British.

The destruction of the racecourse built by the British and the construction of a square on its ruin built for the use and the enjoyment of the Chinese is seen as a sign of liberation and freedom from then British tyranny and a way to mark the return of Shanghai under Chinese control.

Still, in the first half of the Twenty Century Shanghai developed as a unique international community where the Chinese culture and the traditions mixed with the ones of the Western Countries forming a mosaic that no where else ever was created.

Shanghai through the eyes of The Shanghai History Museum hosted in The Oriental Pearl Tower in New Pudong looks like an adventurous and vibrant city where the new and the unexpected was a constant presence in the daily life of the city.

"Welcome in the French Concession!"

The French Concession in Shanghai

Inevitably, visiting the Shanghai History Museum hosted in The Oriental Pearl Tower in New Pudong make you immediately feel to visit the French Concession (one of the best preserved Foreign Concessions in Shanghai)

A Concession was an area assigned on a Western foreign power at the end of the Opium War in the middle of the Nineteen Century.

If the English Concession is concentrated in the area along the Bund, the French Quarter is in the old town and it is literally a corner of Paris in China.

Not only the buildings, but also the bars and the restaurants are reminiscent of Paris. Although the French character is sometimes over emphasised and results a bit tacky, the French Concession is fascinating.

Take time to walk around the French Concession. Walk through the leafy streets, as you will probably immediately notice, this is the only area of Shanghai where beautiful trees are shading the streets.

The atmosphere in the French Concession is much more relaxed
than in any other area of Shanghai. Here some of the streets are pedestrianised offering a rare area where to walk in peace and relatively away from the traffic.

A Concession was an area assigned on a Western foreign power at t
he end of the Opium War in the middle of the Nineteen Century.

The French Concession is also the area where the most expensive shops in town are concentrated: Dior, Cartier, Bulgari, Channel and many other great names are situated here in Shanghai and the boutiques are if possible even more rich and opulent that the ones of the most famous European Capitals.

If you have time you should absolutely dine in the French Concession if you are looking for a romantic night.

If instead you are all for discos Shanghai is definitely your town.

Going to some of the many discos in Shanghai is like to enter in underground world, that although formally legal feels some how clandestine and forbidden.

Young Chinese all speaking perfectly English and dressed exactly like their brothers and sisters in London or New York smoke and drink practically non stop till they fall on the dance floor.

The discos are, with some exception, just bare and large rooms with not much style but rich in beers and spirits from the West: if you are looking for a pint of Guinness or a glass of Jack Daniels you are in the right place.

Apart for this bonanza of Western labels, what really amazed me is the monstrous effort those young Chinese are making to live in Western Style. It is like if these young Chinese are playing their role in a movie and they are so friendly and happy to meet Westerns that you will immediately feel welcomed by them.

Tianzifang or Tian Zi Fang is an arts and crafts enclave that has developed from a renovated residential area in the French Concession area of Shanghai

Tianzifang in Taikang Road

If you are visiting Shanghai don't miss for anything on Earth or Sky the chance to experience the vibe of a Disco in Shanghai!

If there is another area not to miss, apart for the more traditional tourist sights, is certainly

Tianzifang or Tian Zi Fang is an arts and crafts enclave that has developed from a renovated residential area in the French Concession area of Shanghai

Tianzifang is also named Taikang Road, from the name of the road.

In Tianzifang you will find a wonderful mix of small craft stores, coffee shops, trendy art studios, mainly the best of new fashion and design in Shanghai and if there is a particular studio that I would absolutely recommend this is Ren Weiyin Gallery in Taikang Road

Ren Weiyin Gallery is an impressionist painter and a cobbler, but more than everything he is a hero and example of endurance, faith and belief in himself.

Ren Weiyin Gallery in Taikang Road

Finally a little gem in the heart of Shanghai: Ren Weiyin Gallery in Taikang Road in the trendy area of the French Concession in Shanghai.

Ren Weiyin Gallery is an impressionist painter and a cobbler, but more than everything he is a hero and example of endurance, faith and belief in himself.

In 1961 Ren Weiyin is arrested and moved to a labour camp from where he managed to escape after nine months.

He was then allowed to return to Shanghai but he was forbidden to paint instead forced to sustain his family repairing shoes for 17 years.

At the beginning I sat on the shop sadly, but gradually I felt repairing shoes wasn't such a despicable job.

Shoes have been the foundation upon which men and women stood.

after a while I thought about Dr Manette of Dicken's "A tale of Two Cities", who had repaired shoes for ten years.

In those days I was often denounced in public, so that someone remembered to beat me up.

Apart for his story, is for his paintings that Ren Weiyin Gallery in Taikang Road in the trendy area of the French Concession in Shanghai.

The old courtyards of Shanghai and the people in the street
are extremely well painted and realistic in Ren Weiyin art.

Ren Weiyin is melancholic. Most of his paintings are made hidden behind a curtain or a window: they are clandestine paintings, made at risk to be deported again.

The subject of Ren Weiyin's paintings are always limited to a view from a window, never big wild landscapes, always courtyards, streets and squares of his beloved Shanghai.

His subject are simple picture of daily life but what Ren Weiyin's paintings so special is the constant research and desire of freedom that you can almost feel admiring Ren Weiyin's in his Gallery in Taikang road.

I love the fact that the through his intellect and his undestroyable love of life, Ren Weiyin manage to resist the pressure and never gave up.

Ren Weiyin resisted everything in the name of art and of freedom and finally today he got the deserved recognition.

Absolutely take time to visit Ren Weiyin Gallery in Taikang Road in the trendy area of the French Concession in Shanghai. It is free and you will enjoy a wonderful and romantic view of Shanghai and of China on a whole.

Are you planning to travel to China?

Read my page My China Project where you can find the list of all of my posts and the destinations covered in this blog in China.

Read also the page Visit China and the page What to know before to travel to China.

Do you like this blog?

Follow us:

- LIKE OUR PAGE ON FACEBOOK so that you can read our posts when we will update this page

- FOLLOW US ON TWITTER so that we can tweet you updates

- BECOME OUR FRIEND ON GOOGLE+1, clicking on the G+1 button on the right column of this page