The Smirkonian Sightseer

Atrani

Atrani
Sunday 21st October to Wednesday 24th October, 2018

Our final stop is the small village of Atrani on the Amalfi Coast. Not the best weather here however we did explore the towns of Amalfi and the hillside village of Ravello. 

Atrani

Atrani

Atrani

Amalfi

Amalfi

Amalfi

Amalfi - On the bus to Ravello

On the Bus to Ravello

Amalfi Coast view of Minori and Majori from Ravello. 

Villa Cimbrone - Ravello

Villa Cimbrone - Ravello

Villa Cimbrone - Ravello

Villa Cimbrone - Ravello

Villa Cimbrone - Ravello

Villa Cimbrone - Ravello

Infinity Terrace, Villa Cimbrone - Ravello

View from Infinity Terrace, Villa Cimbrone - Ravello

Infinity Terrace, Villa Cimbrone - Ravello

Villa Cimbrone - Ravello

Walking back to Atrani - lots of steps

Sorrento

Sorrento
Thursday 18th October to Saturday 20th October, 2018

Today would be our last morning on Koningsdam. We disembarked in Civitaveccia and would send the day travelling to Sorrento. Michael, Arbay, Tony and myself boarded a train to Rome where we’d say goodbye to Arbai who had to return early to work back in Taipei. Our train to Naples was delayed then cancelled so we had to transfer to another train.From Naples we caught the Cirmumvesuviana that would take us around the Bay of Naples to Sorrento. We’d spend three nights here in an AirBnB.

Sorrento is known for it’s lemon groves and just about every store sells Limoncello. Highlights here were a day trip to Pompeii and a sightseeing bus tour around the Sorrentine Peninsula and over the Lattari Mountains. 

Rome Termini: Fast train to Naples

 

Livorno

Livorno, Italy
Wednesday 17th October, 2018

This is last port of call on our 20 day cruise. The purpose of Koningsdam stopping in Livorno were for passengers wishing to take day trips to either Florence or Pisa. We hadn’t taken any of the cruise line offered shore excursions. Travelling on a limited budget we always did our own shore explorations and today would be no exception. If I was scoring points on all the ports of this cruise, this one would score the lowest.

Although there were brochures for a Hop On city bus tour, today it didn’t seem to be operating so we didnt get to see the best of what Livorno had to offer. We did have a nice lunch in a cafe though. Back on the ship, I had an enjoyable afternoon watching the tugs and other vessels passing by in the harbour.

Marseille

Marseille, France
Monday 15th October 2018

After a rough night at sea, Koningsdam berth edin the port of Marseille around 8am. The day is overcast so the opportunity for spectacular photos is rather slim. The photos here tested my Lightroom processing skills! It’s a 1 kilometre walk to the shuttle bus that takes us around the back of the port area and dropped off closer to central Marseille. It starts to rain as we wonder the main marina, so we find a cafe to shelter and have breakfast and coffee. The rain eased so we made the decision to head back to the shuttle drop off point going via the old town. 

Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain
Sunday 14th October 2018
A day at sea before arriving in Barcelona. We caught the Hop On Hop Off Bus tour through Sants - Montjuïc area and downtown Barcelona. No visit here is complete withoput seeing La Sagrada Familia.

Cadiz

Cadiz, Spain
Friday 12th October 2018

We spent around three hours ashore exploring mainly the coastal walkway of Paseo Santa Barbara. Some lovely gardens here. The old town with its narrow streets and striking plazas.

 

Ceuta

Ceuta, Spanish Morroco
Thursday 11th October, 2018

Koningsdam arrived at Ceuta around 1pm. This would be our first time setting foot on the African continent, if only for a short time. We went ashore for a quick look around the town. The beautiful city walls and navigable moats were very impressive as to the more modern architecture like the House of the Dragons.

Cartagena

Cartagena, Spain
Wednesday, 10 October 2018

Koningsdam arrived in the port of Cartagena around 9am. I’d never heard it it so I was pleasantly surprised by how clean and tidy the town was. Located in the south-east region of Spain, it has a naval base and several unique ruins including an impressive Roman theatre.

 

 

 

At Sea (again)

Onboard Koningsdam
Tuesday, 9 October 2018

Cruisy day at sea. Enjoyed a free lunch courtesy of HAL as we traversed to Mediterranean Sea from Italy to Spain. Late in the day we witnessed a storm as we passed Mallorca.

When in Rome

Roma, Italy
Monday 8th October 2018

Koningsdam arrived back in the cruise port of Civitavecchia. We caught a train into Rome for the day. This was our second time visiting Rome. Last here in May 2000. It was good to see some of those famous sights again.

Victor Emmanuel II National Monument

Trajan's Column

Not sure where we are. A surprise find on our way to Trevi Fountain.

Trevi Fountain, were ALL the tourism hang out!

Click!

Spanish Steps

Piazza del Popolo. One of my favourite places in Rome. 

The Vatican

Naples

Naples, Italy
Sunday October 7 2018

A day in Naples.

 

Basilica Reale Pontificia San Francesco da Paola - Piazza del Plebiscito.

Galleria Umberto I - a beautiful atrium in Naples.

 

The port of Naples with views of Mt Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples.

 

Koningsdam departs Naples just after sunset.

Leaving Naples, seagulls follow Koningsdam out to sea.

At Sea

A Day at Sea
Saturday 6th October 2018

Our second day at sea as Koningsdam leaves the Greek Islands passes back through the Strait of Messina for Naples in Italy. Storm clouds cleared to reveal a beautiful evening.

 

Santorini

Thira (Santorini), Greece
Friday 5th October 2018

Koningsdam arrived at Santorini and used shore based tenders to ferry passengers ashore. We decided to walk up the donkey track, avoiding the donkeys on the way. Breaking out in a sea of sweat we reached the top at Fira and quickly looked for somewhere to sit down and have a refreshment.

We decided to catch the bus to the village of Oia. Tony and I had stayed here back in 2007 and wanted to see the area again. So did thousands of others it seemed. Oia was very crowded but it copes with the tourist trade extremely well.

 

 

Athens hot spot

Athens, Greece
Thursday, 4 October 2018

Koningsdam docked in Piraeus. We boarded the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus that would take us to the Acropolis. Huge crowds, long queues and high temperature - actually it was a reported 25 degrees but felt a lot hotter! As we’d been here before we took a few photos from the adjacent  “slippery rock” then made our way down into Plaka for lunch.

Afterward we continued the hop on - hop off bus tour around Athens. Hot, noisey, traffic jams etc. Took forever just to cruise a few city blocks. Got off at the Olympic stadium as we’d had enough of the traffic and walked back to the Acropolis bus exchange for the ride back to Pireaus.

Koningsdam berthed at Piraeus .

 

Aboard the hop-on-hop-off Piraeus line tansfer bus, from the port to the Acropolis interchange. You can then take the Athens line for a tour of the city.

 

It's a short walk from the Acropolis down to Plaka.

 

The Plaka markets.

 

Our lunch spot in Plaka.

 

The Presidential Guard (Evzones) outside the Parliament building.

 

Is this the seat of power?

A short day in Katakolon

Katakolon, Greece
Wednesday 3rd October 2018

Next port of call was Katakolon. While some of the passengers enjoyed a day trip to the Ancient Olympia site, we decided to stay and have a look around the port and its many souvenir shops.

Corfu

Kerkira (Corfu), Greece
Tuesday 2nd October 2018

Tendered ashore, Corfu town was only a short walk away. On my wish list for this cruise, was to visit the plaques for Gerald and Lawrence Durrell. I’d read some of their books and seen the tele-movie My Family and Other Animals as well as the recent tv series.

From Boschetto Durrell Park we looked over the old fortress that’s separated by a moat. and them wandered the alleyways of Corfu and had some old favourites for lunch, moussaka with a Mythos beer. Then it was a brisk walk back to the ship tender as an afternoon rain shower came down.

Boschetto Durrell Park

Gerald Durrell plaque. There's a similar plaque for Lawrence nearby.

A moat separates the fortress from Corfu town.

The Old Fortress

Corfu town

Lunch

Koningsdam sailed out of Corfu at sunset. Next stop Athens.

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, Croatia
Sunday 30th September 2018

Our first port of call on our three week tour of the Mediterranean is Dubrovnik.

Koningsdam arrives in the port of Dubrovnik. 

 

Dubrovnik old town.

Walking the city walls.

Walking through the old town looking for lunch!

 

One of the entrances to Dubrovnik old town.

 

A cable take us to Mount Srd for a spectacular view of Dubrovnik.

Civitavecchia

Civitavecchia, Italy
Thursday 27th &Friday 28th September 2018

The Italian cruise port of Civitavecchia is built on history and our departure point for three week cruise around the Mediterranean.

Fort Michelangelo

 

Fort Michelangelo

 

Porta Livorno is a very prestigious architectonical work by will of Pope Clemens XIII to connect Civitavecchia with its port.

 

Vanvitelli Fountain, a feature built into Civitavecchia’s defensive wall.

 

I have a fascination with tug boats.

 

MS Koningsdam, home for the next three weeks.

 

Kiningsdam departs Civitavecchia at sunset for Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Genoa

Genoa, Italy
Wednesday 26th September 2018

Although we could have travelled from Nice to Civitavecchia in one day, we decided to split the journey up with an overnight stop in Genoa.

 

A day trip to Cannes

Cannes, France 
Sunday 23rd September 2018

During our week in Nice we did a day trip to Cannes. Popularly know for its fannual film festival, the most interesting part of Cannes is the older Le Suque area.

Cannes

 

Musee de la Castre

 

Musee de la Castre

 

Le Suque

 

Le Suque

 

Pina Colada

A week in Nice

We spent a week based in Nice, France. Our intention was to go to a variety of nearby towns along the Cote d’Azur. I don’t know whether it was jet-lag or what, but we only managed to visit Cannes. Here’s a selection of photos from that week….

Relaxing stroll through Castle Hill.

A refreshing artificial waterfall on a warm evening.

 

Beautiful toy cars for sale in the market.

It's selfie central at the sun sets over Nice.

The beach front along the Promenade des Anglais.

Meet the invisible man.

Dusk settles over Nice.

 

The alleyways of the old town. 

Love these little back alleys in the old town.

Travelling to Europe

During September and October 2018, Tony and I travel around the Mediterranean with our friends Michael and Abei. Over the next few weeks I’ll upload a few photos and some details about where we were.

Let’s start with the journey getting there.

LST>MEL>DXB>NCE

From Launceston, Tony and I travelled to Melbourne for the international flight to Dubai and then on to Nice. The last sector into Nice was interesting as there were about 100 people or less on the A380 flight. We saw more crew than passengers.

It’s time to go.

 

Qantas Dash-8 Launceston to Melbourne.

 

Flying over Melbourne

 

Arriving in Dubai at 5.15am. It’s 33 degrees.

 

Empty plane to Nice.

 

Flying over the Black Sea, Northern Turkey.

 

 

Next up… We spend a week exploring Nice, France.

Europe Tour coming soon

During September and October 2018 Tony and I travel around the Mediterranean with our friends Michael and Abei. Im still processing a million photos but I plan to have some of them posted soon. Stay tuned!

Oh dear...

I really look forward to voting in Greeka’s annual photo contest. Such creative photography in a land I like to visit occasionally. This year it seems I’m ineligible to vote. A rule change means I have to upload and be part of the party. Oh well, maybe next year.

Great Western Tiers

Panorama view of the Great Western Tiers near Mole Creek, Tasmania.

Viewed from Engadine, a quiet rural property with a cosy B&B and spectacular views. Located above Mole Creek in the Mersey Hill area.

The panorama features the Great Western Tiers, the mountain range seen in the distance, with snow falling on some peaks.

iPhone sweep-pano with a small amount of Lightroom processing.

East Coast Tasmania

In late August Tony and I visited Tasmania’s stunning east coast.

The feature of this road trip was Freycinet National Park.

The view of Freycinet National Park from Apslawn.

 

On the walking track down to Wineglass Bay, Freycinet National Park.

 

A walking party on Wineglass Bay, 

 

Hazards Lagoon, Freycinet National Park

 

Entering Hazards Beach, Freycinet National Park

 

On Hazards Beach, Freycinet National Park

 

Sunset on The Hazards, a feature of Freycinet National Park in Tasmania.

 

Boardwalk at Cape Tourville, Tasmania.

 

West Coast Tasmania

Around late July, Tony and I visited Tasmania’s rugged west coast.

An overnight stay in Strahan and a wonderful ride on the West Coast Wilderness Railway following the King River.

Lake Rosebery from Mackintosh Bridge, Murchinson Highway, Tasmania

 

Clearing rain shower at sunrise. Strahan Harbour on Tasmania's West Coast.

 

Capturing the early light spilling on tranquil Strahan Harbour.

 

What remains of the old Regatta Point wharf at Strahan

 

Train tracks at Lower Landing station. West Coast Wilderness Railway, Tasmania

 

Rainforest walk at Dubbil Barril. West Coast Wilderness Railway, Tasmania

 

King River viewed from Dubbil Barril Station. West Coast Wilderness Railway, Tasmania

 

 

Greek Light

He is not of course the first visitor to be electrified by Greek light, to be intoxicated

by the white dancing candescence of the sun on a sea with blue sky pouring into it.

- Lawrence Durrell, The Greek Islands (1978)

~~~~~~~

It’s one of my favourite quotes. I’ve been to the Greek Islands a few times and read many books in my philhellenic research.  

This week the first episode of The Durrell’s premieres on Australian TV. The series follows younger brother Gerald Durrell’s account of his time growing up on the island of Corfu, as outlined in the tele-movie My Family & Other Animals.

Surfers Paradise holiday

A few weeks back Tony and I stay with our good mate Michael in his Gold Coast apartment. Six days of winter sun. Here are a some photos...

 Sky point Tower viewing deck

Dusk view of the beach taken from Michael’s balcony.

Pine Lake

Pine Lake - Central Plateau Conservation Area, Tasmania

Pine Lake is easily accessible via a 400m boardwalk, located on the Highland Lakes Road (A5) about 33km south of Deloraine.

The Pine Lake walk offers a rare opportunity to get close to one of Tasmania’s rarest trees without having to go on an extended bushwalk. The pencil pine is an ancient species that evolved before flowering plants and only found in the Tasmanian highlands.

Many of the Tasmanian conifers are unique to Tasmania. The pencil pine (Athrotaxis cupressoides), is generally restricted to sub-alpine areas above 800m. Like its relative, the King Billy pine, it can reach ages greater than 1200 years. Pencil pines are often seen around the shores of highland lakes and tarns, creating the unique ambience of these beautiful areas of Tasmania.

The Central Plateau of Tasmania is the largest area of high ground in Tasmania. It is bound to the north east by the Great Western Tiers, a large number of hydro electric schemes emanating from rivers that flow to the south - and to the west by Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.

Art Shack

Last week I joined a few other new volunteers from the Tamar Visitor Centre on a famil tour of accomodations in the lower West Tamar region. We also had time for a quick visit to the Tamar Valley Art Shack at Clarence Point to view the gallery and studio of Dan Villiers.

Tassie Specialist

Good news everyone! I’m now a certified Tassie Specialist!

The last three months have been a tough mix of emotions. My father passed away two days after my 55th birthday back in August. At the same time I initiated a new direction for myself by volunteering in Tasmania’s exciting tourism industry.

I'm volunteering my time as an Information Officer at the Great Western Tiers Visitor Centre in Deloraine and at the Tamar Visitor Centre in Exeter.

A few weeks ago I completed an online training course through Tourism Tasmania.

 

Judging time again

This morning I received the much anticipated email from Greeka for members to judge 100 images submitted to the annual photo competition.

I love doing this each year. Here are my top 20 picks for the 2014 contest.

West Tamar Photo Shoot

Last week we had some beautiful, still winter days here in Tasmania. I took the opportunity to take some photos around my favourite scenic drive along the western banks of the Tamar River.

These are just a few of the images taken. View more on my Flickr or 500px pages.

 

The Shambles

With the Tour de France starting in Yorkshire tomorrow, I thought I’d dig out this photo of the York Shambles I took in 2010.

Samaria Gorge

Seven years ago this week I experienced one of the most exhilarating walks of my life, trekking through Samaria Gorge in Greece. From the White Mountains, it's a 16km trek that descends 1250m to the Libyan Sea on the southern coast of Crete.

Not only a national park but also a World Biosphere Reserve, the beauty of this gorge is its ever changing scenery, evident in the image sets I've recently reprocessed.

The most famous part of the gorge is the stretch known as the Gates where the sides of the gorge close in to a width of only four metres and soar to a height of 300 metres. Samaria Gorge is a refuge for the rare kri-kri (Cretan goat) as well as many species of flowers, birds and some amazing geology.

136 images now on Flickr
https://t.co/FQdriqP2Qu

An afternoon photo drive through Flowery Gully

Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost 

Over the new year period I spent a few days at my brothers house in Beauty Point. Although the views there are outstanding and the atmosphere very relaxing, I started to get restless. Having all my camera gear handy I decided to go for a drive through Flowery Gully. Having driven past the turn off for decades, I have always wondered where the road leads to. 

In recent years Flowery Gully became known as the home of Tasmania cycling royalty - it’s where Matt Goss and brothers Wes & Bernie Sulzberger hail from. So I was intrigued to know what this special place looked like. 

I drove along the Flowery Gully Road, seeing fields of freshly cut hay, grazing cows, growing crops and lovely rolling hills with scattered light from passing clouds. I went as far as Winkleigh and turned back, stopping every few hundred metres to snap a series of photos.

The image below would be one of my favourites from the afternoons shoot. You can see more on my Flickr Photostream

Picking a winner

A few weeks back I posted my top twenty picks for Greeka.com’s annual photo competition where members can vote from the top 100 entries picked my Greeka staff.

The results are in and here are the top twenty most popular pictures based on votes received from Greeka members.

From the winners list, there are 7 photos that I chose (highlighted below). It’s fun to know just how good a photographic eye I have when it comes to judging. 

For a closer look, view the Greeka winners page 

Tasmania's West Coast Wilderness Railway

Colours of Greece

Each year, as a member of Greeka, I get invited to vote in the Greeka photo contest.

It’s a real thrill to be a photographic judge. My father has been a judge for a local camera club for over 60 years, so its great I’m given an opportunity to do something similar.

So, from a final selection of 100, I’m free to choose my favourite 20. This year the selection was of a very high standard and most of the entries were outstanding, both in composition and colour. Ultimately, the winner out of all the members 20 choices, has to represent Greece and it’s wonderful attractions.

Here are the top 20 photos I’ve chosen. It will be interesting to see what other members have voted for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apologies for the thumb-nail pictures being rather small.

Vancouver Panorama

I've been watching episodes of the tv series Continuum and enjoy identifying some of the filming locations around Vancouver. Here's one I spotted the other day - it's at Vanier Park looking across False Creek to Vancouver's West End and Stanley Park.. 

Photo taken on my trip to Canada May 2012. Click on the photo and see the large version on my Flickr Photostream.

Below: screen grab from www.showcase.ca

Day out at Georgetown and Low Head

Tamar River at Gorgetown, Tasmania

 

Tamar River at Georgetown, Tasmania

 

Remains of boat wreckage at Low Head Pilot Station, Tasmania

Panorama taken at Low Head Pilot Station, Tasmania.

 

Panorama of Tamar River at Low Head, Tasmania

 

Low Head Lighthouse, Tasmania

New Smirkonian Flipboard Magazine

I've started creating my own personal Flipboard magazine "Smirkonian". It's similar in a way to the old Tweetsheet posts I published on this blog last year. Primarily the Flipboard mag is a collection of articles, rss posts and tweets that I've read and had an interest in.

It requires the Flipboard app for iOS or Android. Download the app and search for Smirkonian.

Available on the App Store

Android app on Google Play

Mt Wellington Cable Car

I've just completed an on-line survey for the Mount Wellington Cable Car proposal in Hobart, Tasmania.

While my political persuasion says I should oppose the development, I'm very much in favour of it.

So many times I've been to the summit of Mt Wellington, spent a short amount of time admiring the view then returning to Hobart. There's nothing to do up there but admire the view.

Last year I visited Vancouver in Canada and one of the most popular attractions there is Grouse Mountain, right on the city's doorstep. Cable car access to Grouse Mountain takes about 8 minutes, and once on the mountain there's a choice of activities to choose from, with winter and summer schedules.

Hobart and Tasmania in general, would benefit greatly from a development similar to that at Grouse Mountain.

Natural attractions have a limited appeal. Man-made attractions are proving more popular to the modern tourist.

You can participate in the Mt Wellington Cable Car & Visitor Centre survey here.

Emerald Lake panorama

Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park, Canada

Nikon D5000
Calico panorama (3 image stitch)
Lightroom 4 with 32bit HDR plugin

Sydney in Tilt-Shift

Toy Boats - A Sydney Tilt-shift Time-lapse from Nathan Kaso on Vimeo.

Stanley Park Documentary in need of finance

Today I made a small contribution to beautiful documentary about Stanley Park. I had the opportunity to visit this amazingly scenic park in May this year and walked the surrounding seawall.

Stanley Park: An Urban Wilderness is a full length documentary telling the remarkable story of Vancouver's iconic park.

As of this posting they had only raise $235 of their $100,000 target with 42 days to go. I'm surprised the local Vacouverites haven't shown much support for a film about their deeply loved 404.9 hectare park in the heart of the city.

Film-makers Adrian Green and Grant Finlayson started the project last year and need finance to finish the documentary off. Please visit their website Beautiful Earth for more information about the film, or drop by the campaign page to make a contribution.

Take a moment to view the work they've completed so far...

Stanley Park: An Urban Wilderness Teaser Trailer from Beautiful Earth Films on Vimeo.

Finding a bit of Tassie... Overseas

Back in May & June this year I traveled to British Columbia, Canada. A feature of this trip was a day cruise on the Inside Passage aboard BC Ferries Northern Expedition from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. There are snow capped mountains, waterfalls, whales and other wildlife, all stunning vistas to keep a photographer happily occupied for hours along this sheltered waterway. I'm currently reviewing several hundred video clips shot on my little Nikon AW100 and also capturing a few still frames of scenes I'd missed taking with my DLSR.

On a few occasions while travelling, I come across items that are made in my home state of Tasmania. Below is a video frame capture taken on the cruise and shows a liferaft capsule made by Liferaft Systems Australia who operate out of Derwent Park in Hobart, Tasmania.

I only discovered this today. How did i miss it?

Art Of Motion 2012

Stayed up to watch the world's best Parkour athletes compete at Art Of Motion in Santorini, Greece.

 

This is Ryan Doyle (UK) performing. Ryan was knocked out in the final round, coming 8th.

For a full event replay, follow the link in the tweet below...

Μείνετε συντονισμένοι - για event clips & φωτό!redbull.gr/artofmotion #RedBull #ArtofMotion

— Red Bull Greece (@redbullGRE) September 29, 2012

Vancouver centric film

Back around May this year I spent a few weeks in Vancouver to explore the pleasures the city has to offer. Vancouver is renown for its film and television industry, just check out the listing on IMDB. Here's a trailer for an small independent file, Do Something With Your Life. In it you'll see a few of the iconic landmarks of the city.

From Vancouver Is Awesome:

Directed by Darren Borrowman… the unofficial working title for the film was actually “Vancouver Is Awesome”! They made the film for about $15,000 over the course of the last 3 years and while I don’t imagine that independent filmmaking is an easy road to travel down producer Bob Woolsey told me that “At the end of the day our greatest asset was the city itself. No matter where you point the camera you’ve got a beautiful shot and no matter who you talk to they know someone who is involved in film in someway and they’re always willing to lend a hand.”

SYNOPSIS:

Mike Browne is in the middle of a quarter life crisis when Lindsay (the girlfriend that never was from high school) and Kara (the exciting new girl he falls in love with) both (re)appear in his life. Mike must navigate his feelings for both women while also trying to figure out who he is and what he wants out of life.

His best friend is an amateur wrestling manager, his brother just got in to university but doesn’t want to go and his dad smokes more pot than he does. With no one to look to for guidance, Mike is left haphazardly wandering from one problem to the next with a feeling that life is passing him by.