From place to place ...: 2009

November 14, 2009

Oh, Portugal :)

This august we've been fortunate enough to be able to go to Portugal for our summer vacation. It's such a wonderful country!

We spent 3 days in Albufeira, enjoying the beach and exploring the southern coast, with its exotic landscape, then drove up the coast to the Setubal (& Lisbon) region for 3 more days, before returning to Algarve to spend our last day of the trip in Faro, an old harbor town (where the airport is located).

Cabo de Sao Vicente

nearby Lagos

Albufeira is the typical beach resort; sunny, spread out and crammed at the same time, and noisy with tourists from all corners of Europe.
With some really nice views at sunset, too.

Lagos

We also visited the fortress and old town of Silves, the beautiful coastal views of Lagos - with the amazing Ponta de Piedade, as well as the breath taking views of the Sagres fortress.

Silves' fortress

Ponta de Piedade

nearby Sagres

Also, driving north on the coast, along side one of Portugal's National Parks, proved to be an unforgettable experience, especially due to the landscape.

in the National Park on the south-west coast

in the National Park on the south-west coast

On the way to our wonderful hotel nearby Lisbon (actually an old hacienda remodeled as a hotel), in a small and idyllic village called 'Vila Fresca de Azeitao', we stopped to take in the views of Sines from the walls of its beautiful fortress.

Vila Fresca de Azeitao

Sines' fortress

view from Sines' fortress

Sines

The days we spent in Lisbon and around were filled with more trips and visits than the ones in the south, as the region has much more to offer.

Lisbon itself seemed like a huge boiling pot, where a very colorful stew was being prepared... it's a noisy maze of buildings and streets ... old and new, roamed by millions of vehicles in a continuous rush to get somewhere.

It has so much to offer to its visitors, so many views, castles, churches, museums, parks, boulevards, shops etc ... everything, but time.
And the views from the bridge that connects the capital with it's southern outskirts are simply breath taking at sunset.

The Hieronymites Monastery, Belem, Lisbon

the Tower of Belem

The Old Cathedral of Lisbon (Se)

Lisbon's fortress

As for other attractions, we got a chance to visit a wonderful stone house village called Obidos. It's a very special place and a must see for anyone visiting Portugal.

Obidos

Obidos

a cafe in Silves

cathedral in Silves

Silves street

My few regrets from this trip were that we didn't manage to visit Sintra and the Porto region; for now, I've made a mental note for next time we're going there :) .

October 08, 2009

Once upon a time in Hunedoara ...

Hunedoara is a town in Romania that hosts one of the most impressive castles in the country: ¨Castelul Huniazilor¨/ or ¨Corvins' Castle¨.
I've visited this place twice already; the second time in March, to show my husband around.

The town itself is not that impressive with the outskirts looking like a balkan style 'village/ town outskirts hybrid' and the industrial areas around the town not helping too much, but the castle itself is a surprisingly beautiful sight. One that seems able to magically transport itself from a crisp 16th century to the quite different reality this area is living today.

But this is about the castle; let's not digress...
Due to the fact that access to castle is achieved through a labyrinth of streets that cut through the center of the town, one doesn't get a clear view of the grounds and the building itself until literally getting through its gates.

And what a view it is! It looks surreal (think 'Lord of the Rings')...
This castle has quite a rich and blended history of growth, family struggles, violence, fires, renovations; however, it has managed to wonderfully carry its scars to the present day, continuously surprising its visitors.

More details about the castle can be found here and some photos are below.

October 07, 2009

Swedish summer

It's quite nice in Stockholm, in the summer; the temperature rarely goes above 30 degrees Celsius and the wind is mild. It almost makes up for the cold and dark winters.
I always tend to get surprised when the temperatures start to drop, at the beginning of September.
These shots are all I have left now from the summer that seems to have vanished without a notice...

Finland, yet again

Even though I hadn't found it very exciting the last time around, here I was again on a ferry heading to Helsinki, at the end of August.
My parents were visiting and we thought that the trip would be some good fun.
We weren't wrong...

The city does have another aura in the summer; we enjoyed strolling the long boulevards and the beautiful parks, as well as visiting and taking pictures in the historic neighborhood close to the harbor (with the busy and colorful market by the sea).

But, most of all, we enjoyed revisiting Suomenlinna; the place is even more beautiful in the summer.
See for yourself below:

June 02, 2009

Stockholm's Archipelago (Roslagen)

I have been meaning to publish this since February, but only managed now ...

A particular chilly February morning we decided to kick the Saturday habit of sleeping late and went out for a day trip.
We started the day by driving to Stavsnäs in order to get on the ferry that goes to Sandhamn; a place we had not been to, but had read about recently on a website.
Later, we headed to Lidingö to photograph the sunset. (I am in love with Swedish sunsets.)

I pasted some pictures below to let the nuances of this trip speak for themselves.