Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto

Also known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion – for obvious reasons.  The present pavilion is a modern one, dating from the 1950s, after the previous structure was burned down by a crazed monk.  However, there has been a temple on the site since the 14th century AD.

The gardens of Nijo Castle, Kyoto

Japanese gardens are rightfully famous and imitated around the world.

Cordillera Negra, Peru

The Black Range, so named as it usually escapes the snow that falls on the higher ranges.  But beautiful in its own way. Central Peru.

High-altitude camping, Peru

Altitude sickness.  Biting winds. At least the views were nice.

Ollantaytambo, Peru

The Inca settlement of Ollantaymbo was a focal point of Inca resistance during the Spanish conquest of Peru. The adjacent town of the same name is one of the most intact Inca towns still in existence, with houses, streets and drainage systems almost entirely unchanged from the time of the Incas, some five hundred years… [Read more…]

Pan-American Highway, Peru

Part of the 30,000-mile highway that links the mainland nations of the Americas.  The coastal section in central Peru passes through some spectacular scenery.

Desert landscapes of Peru

Macchu Picchu in life and in art

Paris skyline

Looking southwest across Paris towards the Eiffel Tower from the dome of the Basilica du Sacré-Cœur.  Paris, France.

Mont Saint-Michel, France

Off the coast of Normandy in northern France.  Surrounded by some of the fastest tides in Europe, the thousand year old abbey and fortified island is famous for holding out against the English during the Hundred Years’War.

Snippets of Provence

The Pont du Gard, ancient Roman aqueduct: The picturesque village of Gordes: Oppède Le Vieux: The imposing Palais des Papes in Avignon:

Piccadilly, London

Another typically cold winter day on Piccadilly, London.

Monasteries of Meteora, Greece

Built between five hundred to a thousand years ago, the monks and hermits of the Greek Orthodox Church sought ever more remote and difficult-to-reach places from where to pray and contemplate. Hence their position amongst these spectacular sandstone rock formations in central Greece. Nowadays a sealed road links all the monasteries and they are as… [Read more…]

Istanbul skyline

The view southwest across the Golden Horn, towards the magnificent Suleymaniye Mosque.

La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

The view from one of the towering spires of Antoni Gaudi’s unfinished masterwork, La Sagrada Familia Basilica.