Yes, I agree - Wales is good, too!
Printable View
Looks fab!
3000 miles. Gulp!
Great pics from that phone.
Cheers, guys:thumbsup:
When in Barga, we always enjoy visiting the medieval walled city of Lucca, which is only 30km away, and just lovely... The main 'porta', leading into the city:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/U5017I.jpg
Some of the wall:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/lCKRKv.jpg
One of the main squares, where a market was being held that day:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/UFs99b.jpg
Around the rest of Lucca, including some churches:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/JrdzGA.jpg
Lovely quaint old cobbled streets:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/VlSYqr.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/edwjjD.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/FeVjkt.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/jAwWVT.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/KwkB5S.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/kCloh0.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/TBijVc.jpg
And our visit to Pisa:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/pLVQSn.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/p8YpcM.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/S36YQt.jpg
We climbed right to the top of the tower, to get the best view:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/bf3MOj.jpg
Over the city:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/X66S5w.jpg
Inside one of the churches, and along the streets of the old town (down the back streets, away from all the tourist attractions):
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/ORKMNN.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/UJrjw9.jpg
An amazing Gelateria we stopped at to cool down and get some respite from the heat:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/3DnGwt.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/kCImiH.jpg
The famous Keith Haring mural:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/tDhCYB.jpg
And over the river Arno...
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/Sf7BfA.jpg
It was 43C that day!!:eek:
More pics later - mainly of France:cool:
Marco.
Wow! What beautiful places to spend time. It seems like there would be something to see wherever you looked.
Almost as nice as Wales :)
Magical pics from a magical place [emoji4]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Cheers, guys. It's certainly nice to have it as part of my heritage... When I go there, especially to Barga, there's always a sense of 'coming home':)
Lovely old medieval bridge (called 'Devil's Bridge') not far from where we were staying:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/BGgX74.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/iRjyhN.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/UtRefj.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/PhZsWb.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/BqeZXS.jpg
You can just about see the Brabster below (at the front to the right of that silver car):
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/OjlmH5.jpg
How onto France....
Nice little restaurant we had lunch at, in the Champagne region, en-route to Calais (amazing homemade charcuterie):
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/4iyh3y.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/2xYFpb.jpg
View from our table:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/9kMFbK.jpg
Those are the types of roads I love driving on... Long, winding, and best of all EMPTY [unlike those in most of the UK]!:)
The next 12 pictures were taken with a digital camera, not Del's smartphone, so the definition isn't as good..... Some superb Jambon Fumé I enjoyed at our first stop in France, en-route to Italy, which was among the best I've eaten:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/maZuAg.jpg
Look how nicely the butter was presented:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/ZEh8Wr.jpg
Their display of wines:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/NdjP1d.jpg
Our first overnight stop in France, at the remote, picturesque and historical village of Marville (difficult to photograph, due to the strong morning sun):
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/K0ivKQ.jpg
Brabster parked outside, still looking reasonably clean(!!)....
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/COq6Zl.jpg
Some pics of the village itself:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/4Bn8LJ.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/5KMEtG.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/XI5fQV.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/bilG3d.jpg
Couple of traditional French bars in remote villages, where we enjoyed breakfast:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/sOjvIh.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/SO1Ku3.jpg
And another little auberge we stayed at, en-route to Italy:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/ISJsHP.jpg
One of the nicest places we visited in France, Bourg St Maurice, in the Savoie/Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/5f2Lho.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/jlAXqI.jpg
Dad enjoying some of the local produce (shared with me) at one of the town's family-run restaurants:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/lRA5dN.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/uVfk3j.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/Bjl5Eg.jpg
A hotel in the Burgundy region of France where we enjoyed one of our best meals:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/Sf9n5j.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/nNxLmZ.jpg
Check out those bad-boy langoustines I had (with a homemade mustard and herb mayonnaise)!:)
Some duck l'orange and a bottle of the local Burgundy wine, both of which were superb:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/RbjjTm.png
Dad enjoying some Escargots, followed by lamb with white wine/garlic and Dauphinoise potatoes:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/McZVnp.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...922/yMvT1t.jpg
Impressive church in Calais, where we had mass on Sunday morning, before catching the ferry over to Dover:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/Sfk2Gj.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/3BFf0s.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/Apo0US.jpg https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/SRLCwI.jpg
Check out the spectacular organ:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...921/SRLCwI.jpg
I've never heard anything like it - the sound (rich, deep and dynamically MASSIVE) was hugely impressive, as were the acoustics of the church!:eek:
A late evening stroll around Calais beach, in the Blériot-Plage (Sangatte) area, less than 5 mins drive from the car ferry port:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/VJjXbU.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...923/B787Jl.jpg
Who'd have thought that Calais could almost look sexy?:D
Last, and coming up next, some impressive caves in Tuscany and the Ardèche!:cool:
Marco.
Great pics Marco, thanks for taking the time to share them.
Did a little travelling round France in the early noughties with my previous partner who had friends in St Heand (near St Etienne). We visited Puy de Dome, Chatelguyon, Montrond-les-Bains amongst many other places.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...02d4a69071.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...369f71b01b.jpg
Cheers, Roy. That looks lovely. We've also been around that area.
One part of France we're desperate to see, and have never visited, is western France, especially the Bordeaux region, simply because we're always en-route to Italy, and so on the wrong side!
I've seen pictures of that area, and it looks beautiful, and in the rural areas also particularly unspoiled, plus some of our favourite wine comes from Bordeaux. Therefore we definitely plan to do a driving holiday there in future, and bring back plenty of claret from some of the vineyards!:cool:
Marco.
Once again some great photos Marco, would love to do that type of holiday through Europe but the wife insists that most holidays include at least 10 days on a sun lounger somewhere hot.