At The Marina

This picture works for me in lots of ways. I love boats, I love water, I love reflections and this shot has all three. It also takes me back to the early morning when I got up to watch the sunrise over Thunder Bay. 

It was so peaceful and after a good while taking pictures I sat quietly and enjoyed the early morning sun. I also discovered the municipal wifi and I was able to take advantage of that and the time difference to phone home which helped to make a special moment even more special.

Warning Sign

When I wrote the title for todays post I thought of the song by Talking Heads (or the excellent cover version by Local Natives). I wasn't thinking about that when I actually took the picture though.

This shot was taken down by the sailing club at Thunder Bay marina looking out into Lake Superior with the grain silos/elevators in the background. I had spotted an otter swimming just beyond these rocks and had walked around for a closer look. The otter had gone but I thought the view was great.

Lighting Up Parry Sound

This is a real lighthouse, and although it is quite small the perspective in this picture makes it look much smaller than it really is. It is situated at the marina in Parry Sound in the Georgian Bay area of Lake Huron. On the long drive from Toronto this was a good place to stop and take a break.

As well as the lighthouse there was the huge railway viaduct, boats in the harbour and float planes tied to the jetties, o plenty to see. Unfortunately the visit was cut short because of a sudden sharp rain shower so lunch turned into a picnic in the car before setting off again on the long trip along the Trans Canada Highway.

Cloudy Cumbrian Skies

Here we are again, on the edge of the Cumbrian Fells near Millom. Today's pictures focus on the cloudy skies (perhaps a common feature in this part of the country) but over the next few days you will see that the clouds gave way to a beautiful sunny clear evening.

The first picture shows the view from the campsite as I was pitching up around about 4pm. It looked a bit ominous but fortunately it did not develop into anything.

The campsite was along a narrow lane referred to on my Sat Nav as "the alley" but known locally as "the frying pan".  The story behind the name is that about 100 years ago a man staying in a guest house on the lane had stayed out late at a local pub.  He returned very late in a drunken state and then slept late in the morning.  The landlady having had a disturbed night refused to serve the man breakfast and as a consequence he killed her.  He was hanged for his crime in Carlisle.

The second picture was of clouds forming over Ulverston, they were quite dramatic, and I like the way the big Cumulus cloud rose up through the other layers of cloud.

Picture three is looking inland across the marina with a glimpse of the old harbour wall. The original harbour wall collapsed sometime around 1900.  This a result of the old mine workings under the sea bed having caved in.  The current marina was formed in 1905 when the "new" sea wall was built.

The final picture today is more about the shadows cast on the mountainside by the clouds and the glimpse of light breaking through. 

Marina

Today's pictures are from Barcelona where we stopped for 3 nights on our trip around Europe. I had said that I was a little disappointed with the city but as I have looked through the photos I took I think I made a misjudgement. 

On the first evening we went and sat by the marina for some time in the sun and watching people walking along the promenade. There were some fantastic yachts in the harbour but I was especially taken with the reflections of the masts in the rippling water.  I am really happy with the pictures above and I hope you like them too.

The final picture was taken from a jetty looking back towards what I think was the old olympic village, as the sun was setting it gave a lovely warm glow to the buildings and the mountains on the horizon. It was nice to join the other people enjoying such a beautiful end to the day.

Coast and City

After Monaco we moved on to Juan les Pins and today's pictures show a few of the boats at the marina and then some views of Grasse a small town to the north which is famous for perfume.

The narrow streets in the old town are characteristic of towns in Provence which appear to cling to the hillsides. It was fun exploring these back streets and getting a sense of the old town, especially given how great the weather was.

Enjoy these pictures and come back for more road trip pictures over the next few days...