Interesting Places and Scenic Enchantment
The wonderful splendour of Ham House in Richmond lit by candles. The National Trust re-created the 17th-century Christmas atmosphere with candles and natural greenery filling the house over the festive season. Some stills from the video. Filmed 30 November 2019 with a DJI Osmo Pocket camera. See my camera equipment list at Equipment List.
Our walk starts on the promenade outside the Cypria Bay Hotel and finishes outside the Alexander The Great Hotel in Paphos, Cyprus. Hotels we pass on the way: Cypria Maris, Ledra Beach, Athena Beach, Athena Royal Beach, Louis Imperial Beach, Olympic Lagoon Paphos, Amphora and Amavi. Some stills from the video. Filmed October 2019 with … Read more
Our walk starts near the Rousse State Opera House. We stroll along the tree–lined avenue Sveta Troitza to the Monument of Liberty and surrounding gardens. We pass the drama theatre ‘Sava Ognyanov’ and pause to admire the fountains near the Sweet Centrum. Then we return along the avenue Sveta Troitza. Rousse is sometimes written ‘Ruse’ … Read more
A group of monolithic churches, chapels and monasteries are hewn out of solid rock, located near the village of Ivanovo, 20 km south of Rousse, inside Rusenski Lom Nature Park. The caves in the region were inhabited by monks from the 1220s to the 17th century, where they hewed cells, churches and chapels out of … Read more
Cruise along a particularly scenic stretch of the river, as the Danube passes through the southern stretches of the dramatic Carpathian mountains and the foothills of the Balkans to the ‘Iron Gates’, a gorge formed by sheer cliffs. The passage was infamous in ancient times as the water level was much lower, making navigation treacherous. … Read more
We visited the museum at Sremski Karlovci as part of a guided tour of Novi Sad. The Museum of Beekeeping is dedicated to Professor Jovan Živanović (1841-1916), who is considered the Father of modern Serbian beekeeping. He also established the family tradition of making the finest wines in Sremski Karlovci, which were sometimes served to … Read more
The Church of Saint Sava is a Serbian Orthodox church located on the Vračar plateau in Belgrade, Serbia. It is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings and ranks among the largest church buildings in the world. Some stills from the video. Filmed June 2019 with a DJI Osmo Pocket camera. See my camera … Read more
MS Amadeus Royal is seen here on the River Danube. Our tour takes us through the Panorama lounge and bar. It is breakfast time in the Panorama Restaurant on the Mozart Deck. Then up to the Sun Deck with its deck chairs and a giant chessboard. The ship was built in 2005 and is 361 … Read more
Perhaps the most beautiful and magical of all of the great 18th-century landscape gardens. It is a living work of art with views that are like landscape painting brought to life. Stourhead is in the care of the National Trust. Some stills from the video. Filmed July 2019 with a DJI Osmo Pocket camera. See … Read more
Our boat travells through Europe’s second-largest delta through a series of channels and lakes that cannot be reached by larger boats. We were lucky to be the lead boat in a flotilla of ten boats, giving us an excellent view of the delta channels. This UNESCO Biosphere Reserve has a wild landscape and diversity of … Read more
The majestic floodlit buildings of Budapest are seen from a river cruise ship on the Danube. This was the first night on our “Contrasts of the Danube” river cruise going from Budapest in Hungary, to the Danube Delta. We pass the Parliament Building, the Chain Bridge, the Erzsebet (Elizabeth) Bridge and the Gresham Palace and … Read more
The horses and Magyar cowboys perform at a show on a ranch near Kalocsa, Hungary. In spite of the rain and a muddy arena, they performed with enthusiasm. The highlight of the performance was a rider with a team of eight horses. He stood upright on the back two horses and guided the horses with … Read more
A bronze sculpture by Ioan Bolborea in front of the National Theater of Bucharest, Romania. It was created in honor of Romania’s favorite playwright, Ion Luca Caragiale. It was unveiled in December 2010. The tableau comprises of twelve figures on a railway carriage base plus a couple of figures floating above. Filmed June 2019 with … Read more
We stroll around Exeter’s historic quayside. Along the quay is an eclectic mix of cafes, restaurants, pubs, and bars where you can enjoy good food, people watch and soak up the lovely atmosphere. An unusual hand-powered ferry takes foot passengers across the river. Near the ferry is a blacksmith shop selling garden ornaments made on … Read more
A dramatic castle overlooking the Teign Gorge, Dartmoor. A conservation project to make it watertight was nearing its end at the time of our visit. It is in the care of the National Trust. It was the first 20th-century property to be adopted by the National Trust. There are some beautiful, well laid out gardens … Read more