Panorama – STUDIA PHOTOS

Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy Part I

We hired a car from Florence for a drive to Bologna and what a trip. Magnificent.

Italian Countryside Panorama, Tuscany, Italy

Country Villas, Via Bolognese, Querceto, Tuscany, Italy

Castello di Villanova, Via Nazionale, Barberino di Mugello, Tuscany, Italy

Rural Ruins, Via Nazionale, Cafaggiolo, Tuscany, Italy

Misty Panorama, Via Nazionale, Cafaggiolo, Tuscany, Italy

“Warning”, Via Nazionale, Cafaggiolo, Tuscany, Italy

Panoramas, Futa Pass, Via Traversa Futa, Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, Tuscany, Italy

Ristorante Passo della Futa dal 1890, Futa Pass, Via Traversa Futa, Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, Tuscany, Italy

Panorama, Via Pietramala, Pietramala, Tuscany, Italy

Waterfall, Via Idice, Monterenzio, Tuscany, Italy

Building Ruin, Via Idice, Monterenzio, Tuscany, Italy

Hotel San Donato (Palazzo Malvasia), Piazzetta Achille Ardigò, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

[Our place of residence in Bologna]

The hotel is in an old but fully renovated Italian Palazzo – Palazzo Malvasia which dates to the 13th century.

The Two Towers, Via San Vitale, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

There are two towers and are commonly referred to as “Two Towers”. They date to the 13th century and are located at the intersection of the roads that lead to the five gates of the old ring wall (mura dei torresotti). It was located at the site of the early medieval Gate to the Via Emilia, the Porta Ravennate, now remembered by the name of the adjacent Piazza di Porta Ravegnana. The taller tower is called the Asinelli while the smaller but more leaning tower is called the Garisenda.

Church & Clock Tower, Via San Vitale, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Galleria del Leone, Piazza della Mercanzia, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Palazzo della Mercanzia, Piazza della Mercanzia, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Ferro da Facciata, Via Castiglione, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

A ferro (plural ferri) or ferro da facciata is an item of functional wrought-iron work on the façade of an Italian building. Ferri are a common feature of Medieval and Renaissance architecture in Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria. They are of three main types: ferri da cavallo have a ring for tethering horses, and are set at about 1.5 metres from the ground; holders for standards and torches are placed higher on the façade and on the corners of the building; arpioni have a cup-shaped hook or hooks to support cloth for shade or to be dried, and are set near balconies.

In Florence, ferri da cavallo and arpioni were often made to resemble the head of a lion, the symbolic marzocco of the Republic of Florence. Later, cats, dragons, horses and fantastic animals were also represented.

[See a collection of the wonderful features here]

Iron Bracket, Via Castiglione, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

View this on Google Street View!

Stairway Passage, Palazzo Pepoli Vecchio, Via Castiglione, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Vintage Street Lamp, Piazza del Francia, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

[See this place on Google Street View]

Stone Carved, Piazza del Francia, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Via de Pepoli, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Iceland 2019 Part X

We finished our visit to the glacial lagoons and on our last day in Iceland we began with a drive to the Thingvellir National Park, site of the original Icelandic Parliament and also where there is a meeting of the earth’s tectonic plates.

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(14 images stitched – Each image is 30,000 x 3,000 pixels – infrared filter applied in 2nd image)

View full size images – Colour – Infrared

Glacial Lagoon, Jökulsárlón, Austurland, Iceland

Breiðamerkursandur, Jökulsárlón, Austurland, Iceland

(Glacial outwash plain – ice floes and icebergs from the nearby glacier can drift through a channel and into the ocean)

Mountain View from Breiðamerkursandur, Jökulsárlón, Austurland, Iceland

Monument aux Morts, Sudurlandsvegur, Kögunarhóll, Iceland

Erected in 2006 The crosses represent the 52 individuals who have lost their lives on the road between Reykjavík and Selfoss since 1972.

(Geothermal activity can be seen in the background)

Panorama, Sudurlandsvegur, Kögunarhóll, Iceland

Snow Capped, Þingvallavegur, Mosfellsbær, Iceland

Misty Panorama, Þingvallavegur, Mosfellsbær, Iceland

Snow Capped behind Thingvellir Tourist Information Centre, Þingvallavegur, Thingvellir, Iceland

Misty Panorama, Thingvellir Tourist Information Centre, Þingvallavegur, Thingvellir, Iceland

Sunrise, Thingvellir Tourist Information Centre, Þingvallavegur, Thingvellir, Iceland

Sunrise, Þingvallavatn, Thingvellir, Iceland

Thingvalla Church & Prime Minister’s Summer Residence, Thingvallir, Selfoss, Iceland

Site of the Icelandic Parliament, Thingvellir National Park, Thingvellir, Selfoss, Iceland

“Þingvellir” means assembly fields and in the year 930 AD, Iceland’s historic democratic parliament – one of the first in the world – was founded here. It was the site of the annual parliament of Iceland from 930AD to 1798AD, when the parliament moved indoors to the Althing in Reykjavik. Most Icelandic people regard Þingvellir as a sacred place, a place of great beauty and an incredible stepping stone in their history. It is also the site of the declaration of Iceland’s peaceful conversion to Christianity in around the year 1000 AD by the great Law Speaker, Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði Þorkelsson,. A unique compromise was arrived at which made Christianity the official religion of Iceland.

The geological feature behind is the meeting of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Tectonic Geological Feature, Thingvellir National Park, Thingvellir, Selfoss, Iceland

Þingvallavatn , Thingvellir National Park, Thingvellir, Selfoss, Iceland

Snowcaps, Thingvellir National Park, Thingvellir, Selfoss, Iceland

Reflections, Þingvallavatn, Thingvellir,Selfoss, Iceland

Iceland 2019 Part VII

Continuing the drive along the coastal road eastward toward the town of Vik and beyond.

Dyrhólaey Lighthouse, Dyrhólaey, Vik, Iceland

Ocean View, Dyrhólaey, Vik, Iceland

Rock Bridge, Dyrhólaey, Vik, Iceland

Panorama, Vík í Mýrdal, Vik, Iceland

Vík í Mýrdal Church, Sunnubraut, Vík í Mýrdal, Vik, Iceland

Hillsides, Sunnubraut, Vík í Mýrdal, Vik, Iceland

Glacier, Þjóðvegur, Vík í Mýrdal, Vik, Suðurland, Iceland

Road Ahead, Þjóðvegur, Vík í Mýrdal, Vik, Suðurland, Iceland

Cloud Shrouded Mountains, Þjóðvegur, Laufskálavarða, Iceland

Road Bridge, Skaftártunguvegur, Katla Geopark, Suðurland, Iceland

Geirlandsvegur, Skaftárhreppur, Iceland

Rock Formation, Geirland, Kirkjubæjarklaustri, Iceland

“Church Floor”, Geirland, Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland

“Church Floor” is a natural pavement of basalt. These are basalt columns in the earth, but only the tops can be seen, and as the name suggests, they have the appearance of a paved church floor. This lava formation has similar origins to the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland.

Snowcaps, Geirland, Kirkjubæjarklaustri, Iceland

Rocky Peak, Þjóðvegur, Hörgsland, Iceland

Small Waterfall, Þjóðvegur, Hörgsland, Iceland

Abandoned Hut, Þjóðvegur, Hörgsland, Iceland

Rocky Range, Þjóðvegur, Hörgsland, Iceland

Frozen Waterfalls, Þjóðvegur, Hörgsland, Iceland

Escarpment, Foss á Síðu, Þjóðvegur, Iceland

Triptychs

I decided to try my hand at something different….. this is the result!

Fimiston Open Pit, Fimiston, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia

The pit is oblong in plan view and is approximately 3.5 kilometres long, 1.5 kilometres wide and over 600 metres deep. Until 2016 it was Australia’s largest open cut gold mine now surpassed by Newmont’s Boddington gold mine also in Western Australia.

“The Swilkie”, Pentland Firth, Orkney Islands, Scotland UK

‘The Swilkie’ is the most dangerous whirlpool in the Pentland Firth. It is occasioned by the meeting of four or five contrary tides. According to Icelandic legend, the Swilkie is the place where the salt which maintains the saltiness of the oceans is ground in a giant quern, stolen from King Frodi by a sea-king named Mysing. When Mysing’s longship sank off Stroma under the weight of it, he still continued to grind away with it 15 fathoms down and to this day the sea can still be heard roaring through it.

‘The Swilkie” is off the northern coast of the Island of Stroma.

Bungee Jumper, Korintos Isthmus Bridge, Corinth Canal, Loutraki, Greece

Submersible Bridge (Isthmia Bridge), Corinth Canal, Isthmus of Corinth, Greece

The bridge at the Isthmia end of the canal submerges into the water to allow ships to enter or leave the canal.

Imerovigli, Santorini, Greece

The unit we stayed in for a few days is in the foreground – the first half-wall in the top right square.

Stadium, Ithoni, Ancient Messene, Greece

View Across Messian Gulf, Koroni, Greece

This is the view from the house where we stayed.

Panorama, Via del Voltone, San Marino, San Marino

Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich Peninsula, Greenwich, London, England UK

Iceland 2019 Part I

After a week or more in London, we are now spending 8 days in Iceland. This is a place of outstanding beauty and scenery everywhere you look.

View Across Hvalfjörður Fjord, Highway Ring Road, Vesturland, Hvalfjarðarsveit, Iceland

Entrance to Hvalfjörður Tunnel (South), Highway Ring Road, Saurbaer, Mosfellsbæ, Iceland

This is a road tunnel under the Hvalfjörður fjord in Iceland and a part of Route 1. It is 5,770 metres long and reaches a depth of 165 metres below sea level. Opened on 11 July 1998, it shortens the distance from Reykjavík to the western and northern parts of the island by 45 kilometers. Passing the fjord now takes 7 minutes instead of about an hour.

Hafnarfjall Mountain, Highway Ring Road, Borgannes, Iceland

View to Borgarbyggð Across Borgarfjörður Fjord, Highway Ring Road, Borgarnes, Iceland

The Hire Car, Highway Ring Road, Borgarnes, Iceland

Panorama Across Borgarfjörður, Borgarnes, Iceland

Hraunsnef Country Hotel, Highway Ring Road, Reykholt, Iceland

River, Reykholt, Iceland

Snow Caps, Highway Ring Road, Northwestern Region, Iceland

Icelandic Ponies, Highway Ring Road, Hvammstangi, Northwestern Region, Iceland

The Icelandic horse is a breed of horse developed in Iceland. Although the horses are small, at times pony-sized, most registries for the Icelandic refer to it as a horse. Icelandic horses are long-lived and hardy. In their native country they have few diseases; Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return. They have been developed from ponies taken to Iceland by Norse settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries.