Travel
Market day in Forcalquier in the square in front of the Concathédrale Notre Dame du Bourguet de Forcalquier in Provence; the trees revealing the solid 12th century architecture, so different to the graceful arcitecture of cathedrals from the north of France of the same period. It's easy to imagine the cathdral doubling as a fortress.
Zootermeer is a new town constructed on top of an old farming village between Den Haag, Gouda, Leiden and Rotterdam in The Netherlands. It’s almost the definitive South Holland suburbia, typical in that much of the land on which the estates have been built is 5m or more below the level of the North Sea. This situation is maintained by continuously pumping water up to the canals and dykes. The rectilinear style of late twentieth century urban architecture predominates in various configurations; circular features are extremely rare and just placing another square element at 45 degrees to the grid appears rebel!
The “Pearl of the Alps”, the lac d’Annecy, was as pretty as ever this weekend. People promenading on the green grass of Le Pâquier in the autumn sunshine. Swans scavenging happily around the Pont des Amours (“Lovers’ Bridge”). Most of the pleasure boats moored near the Château d’Annecy. But also quiet places to get away from the crowds and to enjoy the views of the big granite Alps in the distance.
West Penwith: Porth Nanven & Botallack mine ruins
A trip to almost the extreme west-most point of England. Porth Nanven and Cot Valley just south of Cape Cornwall, are famous to ornithologists for rare birds, to geologists for an exposure of a series of rock layers chronicling the periglacial eras which overlay the granite, also egg-shaped boulders which were shaped by the action of the sea when water levels were much higher. And Porth Nanven beach is famous to landscape photographers for long exposure images of The Brisons, a granite outcrop a few hundred metres offshore.
Falmouth, the deep water harbour in Cornwall that’s as famous for its seafood as its naval military history, now seems interesting on a number of levels. The naval dockyards are still operating and there’s now also a flourishing merchant marine and leisure port. The deep water port, reputedly the third deepest in the world, means that cruise ships visit Falmouth. There's a famous picture of the Cunard liner QE2 moored in Falmouth Bay. The mild climate (almost frost-free) allows semi-tropical gardens and attracts a strong alternative and a serious arts communities as well as the folk enjoying their retirement. The independent coffee shop and bar scene offers many possibilities. And a fine selection of beaches with water warmed by the Gulf Stream, currently 15.1ºC sea temperature at the beach, not that I tested that myself!
