Postcards from the World: My Favourite Travel Photos

Brace yourself! Tonight is a bumper photo post and as always, it comes with a bit of a story. Very often when I go on a trip, I’ll save one of my photos and add it to my photo folder at work. My PC at work is set up to rotate a selection of photos as my screen saver and it is always a matter of some pride when a colleague will say that they love the photos on my screen saver and I can reply that they are all mine. Of course, they always express surprise that I have any creativity whatsoever because accountants aren’t exactly known for being arty!

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to share these photos with you and so it was pretty fortuitous when I received notice of this month’s travel link up: your favourite travel photo(s).

And so here you go… all fifteen photos that are absolutely my favourite travel photos. I’ve left links all over the post if you’d like to visit the original posts on the blog.

Turkey – The Celsus Library at Ephesus

Turkey was the first place I visited when I began this blog in 2008 and this photo was taken of the celsus library at Ephesus.

Italy - Alone in Riomaggiore

I’d wanted to visit Italy since I was 20 and finally got to visit last year – twice! This photo was taken in Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre.

London – Chinese New Year

This was my favourite of the photos I took during this year’s Chinese New Year celebrations in London.

Italy - Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan

The ceiling of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. This is where you can visit the Last Supper.

Serbia – The Name of Mary Church, Novi Sad

Given my love of Serbia, it should be no surprise that I would feature a photo from there. This was taken during my most recent visit to Novi Sad.

Italy – Duomo di Milano

The good news is that next week I’m finally taking you inside the Duomo in Milan. It is as opulent inside as it is on the outside. I loved this photo because of the inclusion of both the lion statue and the Duomo.

Bosnia – Jablanica

I’d heard about the beautiful turquoise lakes and rivers in Bosnia but nothing quite prepares you for a sight like this. I’m sure I’ve said this before but I would move to this country in a heartbeat. I think I left my heart somewhere here on the road between Mostar and Sarajevo.

Italy - Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan

People often say that they don’t like Milan but I don’t really understand that. I really enjoyed my time there and spent many long afternoons simply walking around or drinking coffee in sidewalk cafes. This was taken in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II which is one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen.

London – The Eye

I can confirm that you can never take too many photos of the London Eye. It is simply not possible. This photo was part of a post I wrote about London at dusk.

Italy – Gondolas in Venice

Somehow I’ve always liked this photo of the gondolas in Venice. I like the composition and the contrast of the blue material in the gondolas against the blue sky. I still have so much to tell you about Italy!

France – The Abbey of Mont St Michel

Taken during our most recent visit to Mont St Michel in France. I just loved the detail here of the old Gothic abbey and the blue sky.

Bosnia – Stari Most, Mostar

The most beautiful bridge in the world. This photo was taken from Koski Mehmet Pasha Mosque where they promise you the best views of the bridge in all of Mostar. The view from our hotel Villa Anri was pretty special too.

Italy - Museo D'arte Antica, Milan

I love this photo because it was hard to decide which was more impressive in the Museo D'arte Antica in Milan – the exhibits or the frescoes.

London – St Paul’s Cathedral

I love this photo simply because it was taken on the first day of spring this year. London is beautiful when the sun shines!

Bosnia – Stari Most at Dusk

And finally, my favourite photo of all time. I took this on my first night in Bosnia on the eve of my 40th birthday. There was nowhere else on earth I wanted to be more than there in Mostar. I’ve printed two enlargements of this photo – one is hanging in our bedroom and the other is in my brother’s lounge.

Do you have a favourite travel photo? Feel welcome to link to it in the comments below!

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Climbing to the Top of Mont St Michel, Normandy

As we caught our first glimpse of Mont St Michel, I recall being quite awestruck. It was certainly impressive as it rose into the sky just off the coast of Normandy but I remember questioning whether we would be able to reach the abbey at the very crest of the mount. Indeed, we opted to catch the bus transfer to the island rather than walk from the parking area so that we could conserve our energy for the climb ahead.

I don’t quite know what I expected from Mont St Michel. I thought it would be less accessible than it turned out to be and I knew that it would be very touristy but I certainly didn’t expect to love it as much as I did.

The walk to the city and island of Mont St Michel was pleasant enough but it certainly wasn’t pretty. That will soon change because a multi-million Euro project is nearing completion in which the ecosystem of the surrounding salt marshes will be restored and a single road bridge will connect the island to mainland Normandy. At the moment, the island isn’t truly an island and the road to the island seems to be embedded into the marshland.

Once we arrived at the island, we walked through a series of gates and arches until we emerged into what looked to me liked a French medieval market scene within the island fortifications. Given my love of castles and the medieval period, it is safe to say that I was immediately smitten and I might have taken one or two photos of the narrow walkways between the stone and wood frames buildings.

I won’t mislead you, Mont St Michel is indeed a very popular destination and there were many tourists, travellers and visitors jostling to navigate the tiny little passages. There are many shops selling trinkets and souvenirs along the way and many of the restaurants serve a similar fare of fluffy omelettes, crêpes and galettes (a regional savoury pancake). But like with many popular destinations, Mont St Michel is popular for a reason and I was quite fascinated by the gothic abbey, medieval buildings and marshland regeneration project.

We stopped for lunch in a crêperie located just off the main thoroughfare. We sat in the sun but soon learned that bright sunshine does little to remove the chill of a mid-April day in France. I ate a galettes avec jambon et fromage (cheese and ham savoury pancake) and I had a sweet Grand Marnier crêpe for dessert. I was most disappointed that they did not light my pancake up in the way that Grand Marnier pancakes are usually served but I suspect the wind and bright sunshine would have somewhat lessened that effect anyway.

After lunch, we continued our walk to the Mont St Michel Abbey at the top of the island. As we emerged from the main shopping and commercial area, the path became quite beautiful. There was a lot of greenery and fantastic views of the surrounding salt marshes can be seen over the island’s fortifications.

Soon we came to some very steep steps and we began our ascent to the very top of the abbey. As I mentioned, the entire climb from sea level to the top was easier than I thought. We did meet a lady at the top who was walking with the help of crutches, having left her walker near the base of the abbey. She had made it that far but did express concern about climbing too many more stairs within the abbey.

Finally we reached the entrance to the abbey. If I love castles or fortifications and the medieval period, it is safe to say that I adore gothic architecture. I was quite entranced by the spires, turrets and arches of the abbey and was quite thrilled that I could just make out the golden statue of St Michael atop the tallest spire.

We decided to take a tour of the abbey and sat for a while on the roof outside the classic facade of the abbey which was built following a fire in 1776. In the photo below, you can see how the classic styled facade contrasts with the gothic architecture of the rest of the abbey.

The tour was very rewarding but certainly warrants an entire post. Instead I will leave you with a view of the salt marsh surrounding the island of Mont St Michel with the island of Tombelaine in the distance. Mont St Michel was once called Mont Tombe and Tombelaine might either mean ‘little mount’ or the tomb of St Helene.

Mont St Michel was certainly one of my most surprising destinations. I think that Novi Sad in Serbia might have been my most surprising destination of all but I’ve written a lot about being surprised by Serbia and I’m heading back there soon.

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