Lens-Artists – Page 2 – Travels with Ali

~ Hazlewood Castle, Tadcaster – A Historic Gem for a Memorable Overnight Stay ~

This year on our way back from Glasgow we had an overnight stay at Hazlewood Castle. I only happened upon this castle when looking at our route home and saw that it was also a hotel. I was extremely excited to find that it was quite reasonable for an overnight stay. We didn’t manage to get a room in the castle itself but in one of the buildings surrounding the place.

Hazlewood castle dates back to 1066 and was in the possession of Gamel, son of Osmund. It was during the time of King Edward the Confessor.

1086 Doomsday notes that it was given to Mauger le Vavasour by William de Percy.

From 1183 until 1826 it was in the hands of the Vavasour family and it was only due to the death of the 7th baron that it was passed to a relative – Edward Stourton, who then took the name Vavasour.

In 1290 it was granted a licence to crenallate the medieval building.

In 1908 it was put up for sale and the Vavasour family moved to New Zealand where they started the famous Vavasour Winery.

This of course is just a very short timeline and below is the history of events that took place during the different reigns. The family certainly had their ups and downs but always seemed to come together again.

Coincidentally Vavasour is one of my favourite Sauvignon Blancs so I was especially intrigued that the name was originally from France. The restaurant was also called Vavasour.

The surrounding buildings and gardens

The castle is situated in beautiful countryside and the views are amazing. We had a pleasant walk through the gardens and were also surprised to be given a key to enter the small chapel. I think the key must date back hundreds of years as it was extremely large and difficult to open the door.

The door to the chapel

Inside the Castle

This is a fabulous hotel for a night or two, great for an anniversary or birthday treat. There is also a day spa offering relaxing and revitalising treatments, ideal for a girls’ weekend away.

Also posting for Lens Artist Challenge, In the Garden, hosted by Ann-Christine.

~ Zig zag photos ~

“Life is a zigzag journey, they say, not much straight and easy on the way, but the wrinkles in the map,explorers know,smooth out like magic at the end of where we go”

Ivan Doig

An interesting theme this week from Patti for Lens Artist Challenge, to look for zig zags in your photos. I can’t say that I’ve photographed anything specifically for a zig zag, but they can be found in so many of our photos.

We’ve been on the road travelling interstate for the last ten days or so and I have a few new photos.

The rest are from the archives! I’ll be posting about the road trip on my return to Perth.

Reflection of Fairfield Pipeline Bridge, Victoria, Australia

Alexandra Suspension Bridge, Launceston, Tasmania

The photo above was taken a few years ago but I noticed a few zig zags here!

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Balconies around the World- Lens Artist Challenge

This week the Lens Artist Challenge is balconies, hosted by Flights of the Soul. Who doesn’t love a balcony to sit out and watch the sunset or sunrise from your hotel, or if you’re lucky to have one in your own house to sit and watch the world go by. When we lived in Hong Kong we called a balcony a veranda or verandah, I’ve since learned that the word veranda is very much Australian. A proper balcony is elevated and a verandah is on the ground level, perhaps under a balcony!

Seville, Spain

The above photos were taken on a visit to Seville, Spain many years ago. With most cities a balcony is all important and a way to feel connected to your neighbour and the action below.

The above were taken whilst walking along the Regents Canal, London. I wonder what the significance of the cow is!

Our apartment was the first floor on the left, it was relaxing to sit and enjoy the spectacular views over the Bay of Kotor.

**Enjoying the sun underneath the balcony in Stanley, Tasmania**

Lorne, Victoria — **Enjoying the sun underneath the balcony in Stanley, Tasmania**

I could only stand inside the apartment and take this photo, it made me feel too uneasy being on the 26th floor!

~ Amazing Albania – Three nights in Tirana ~

Our journey through Albania is now coming to an end and our final destination is the capital of Albania, Tirana. I had read and been told that you only need one night here but I didn’t heed this advice much to my annoyance! One of the reasons was that we thought we would go Djati Express cable car. Sadly we didn’t get to do this for various reasons.

We were staying at Hotel Opera and after leaving the car in the carpark at the back of the hotel for the driver to pick up, we checked in to our 12th floor room. We had a fantastic room with a large verandah with no furniture though.

Also when we arrived in Tirana it was 37 degrees. At this point I was already thinking what were we going to do for three days. The first thing we did was find a restaurant for a very late lunch.

After a delicious lunch we set off exploring. Our hotel was within walking distance of Skanderberg Square. Named after the national hero Gjergj Kastrioti, also known as Skanderberg. He led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire, starting in 1444 and lasting for 25 years. There are some famous buildings around the Square and some seating areas, but we thought it was a bit underwhelming. We found the white tiles making up the Square to be almost blinding in the brilliant sunlight. We much preferred the tree lined boulevards providing welcome shade.

There was some amazing murals and sculptures dotted around and over the next two days we went walking to find them. Tirana is a wonderful walking city and there were so many other murals I never got to see.

Murals of Tirana

Mother's Care - Case Macleam — Mother’s Care
Artist – Case Macleam

Sculptures and Statues

**The angle of the camera makes this sculpture look bigger than it is!**

A monument donated to Albania by Kuwait to remember the friendship between the two nations. It has the flag colours of Kuwait on the canopy.

Buildings and Churches

There are some spectacular buildings in Tirana that are easily comparable to other major cities around the world, and there are many structures in the process of being built.

Resurrection of
Christ Orthodox Cathedral

Tirana — Resurrection of
Christ Orthodox Cathedral

One morning we visited Bunk’art 2 and walked smack bang into the middle of a protest. At first I thought it was a queue to get in! There were dozens of police officers and a whole crew of media. It was a protest about the Israeli war.

Anyway we managed to dodge all the crowds and made our way down into the bunker. We both had completely the wrong idea about this place thinking it was an art museum, we were soon disabused of this notion. Quite a harrowing and depressing place to visit and we were relieved to make our way back up into the sunshine.

As you can see, dozens of police waiting for trouble

Tirana, Albania — **The Media and Anthony!**

**Victims of the communist terror regime**

BUNK’ART 2 reconstructs the history of the Albanian Ministry of Internal Affairs from 1912 to 1991 and reveals the secrets of “Sigurimi”, the political police that was the harsh persecution weapon used by the regime of Enver Hoxha. Source – Bunkart

I reminded Anthony it was a museum and not a department store and this jacket was not for sale.

The exhibits and information were quite horrific, menacing dogs and lists of torture, so I didn’t feel inclined to take many photos.

We did manage to find a department store after and Anthony wandered around for a while and I found a stool to sit and scroll!

During the day and night we wandered up and down the streets of the Blloku District, a small leafy suburb of Tirana with hip and happening bars and trendy shops. During the era of Communist rule, it was a closed-off precinct for the party elite, and the villa of long-ruling dictator Enver Hoxha still stands.

The apartments were handed back to the owners when Hoxha was ousted as the deeds were never destroyed. It looks like they haven’t been maintained at all.

There are so many good restaurants in Tirana, especially traditional ones, which we enjoyed.

All in all we filled our time well in Tirana, although on hindsight we could have condensed it down to two nights. This city did grow on me and for a weekend break from European countries it’s ideal. Tirana is great for day trips to Durres or Berat also.

Information for travelling in Albania

There are plenty of ATMs available in the area, so accessing cash is convenient and hassle-free although cash is readily accepted everywhere.

Hiring a car is not difficult as I previously read, and it was relatively easy to arrange a one way booking – of course with a fee.

Driving is on the right hand side, so can be tricky if you’re from a country that’s opposite. Albanian drivers are fearless and impatient, pull over to let them pass for a stress free trip.

The currency is Lek, although Euros are taken. If you’re using cash Lek takes up more room in your wallet!

Travel off season – before or after summer.

I hope you’ve enjoyed travelling through Albania with us on this fantastic road trip. Albania is one of the most diverse and interesting countries we’ve ever been to.

Posted also as part of Leanne’s Lens Artist Challenge – Tourist Attractions

and Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share/Public Art Challenge

~ A Trip to the Claremont Museum ~

This little outing was taken during the last school holidays and it’s also just down the road from me. The Claremont Museum is somewhere I’d never visited even though we’ve lived here for 20 years. I thought I would check it out with my two munchkins.

The building was actually a school once upon a time, called Freshwater Bay School opening in 1892. It was subsequently used for a place of worship, a boarding house for young men and also a police station.

There is no entry fee which was surprising and when we entered the kids were given clipboards by the lady in charge with photos of tiny lego men which were hidden all around the museum.

After spending a good hour in here we wandered down to the small river beach and as it was a hot day, they decided to have a paddle and build sandcastles.

Sand and water provide endless entertainments for kids.

After I had taken this photo I zoomed in and was taken aback at how creepy and ugly these mini sculptures were!

“Kids, hallowed be thy youth. Enjoy it while it lasts.”
― DON SANTO

Oh! to be young again is many a lament you often hear from old people, but I’m not sure I would want to be a child again. I’m very happy I don’t have to go to school anymore, especially not hundreds of years ago anyway.

“No matter if you’re 14 or 90 years old, you’ll never be this young again.”
Matt Purcell

Tina from Travels and Trifles is the host this week for Lens-Artist and the topic if you haven’t guessed is “To be young again”.

~ A Purplicious Post ~

It’s time for Sunday Stills Monthly colour challenge from Terri. Not just purple but also quartz, diamond or crystal.

This is my gallery of purples. A random selection from the archives.

Embracing the beauty of the purple hue

The above photo was taken many years ago, I actually can’t remember when it’s been so long since we visited Brisbane.

Have a great week!

~ Movement in Water ~

“Water is the driving force of all nature.“
~ Leonardo da Vinci ~

The challenge from Lens Artist this week is “Water in Motion” by Sophia @ Photographias.

Who doesn’t take photos of water? Everything about water, sea, rivers, lakes and waterfalls is just waiting for a photo. Here are some of mine over the years.

**Bleak day – New Year’s Eve UK from our hotel window**

I would love to see this in Perth right now! It’s just another day in paradise here but in dire need of rain as trees and plants die, as huge branches fall heedlessly to the pavement below.

**In the not too distant past – Gulfoss Falls, Iceland**

**Purpose built waterfall – Launceston, Tasmania**

**Wellington Dam, Collie, Western Australia**

*Watching Storm Eunice wreak havoc in Devon*

“I’ve seen your stormy seas and stormy women,
And pity lovers rather more than seamen”
~ Lord Byron ~

“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),
It’s always our self we find in the sea.”
― e.e. cummings –

**Ramoji Film Studio, Hyderabad, India**

Hong Kong – A City of Contrasts

After the serenity and calmness of Bali we are now in the busy and bustling city of Hong Kong. Surrounded by lush green hills, the skyscrapers jostle for space in this ever growing city. Wherever you go there are buildings going up and buildings coming down. Each competing with the others to see who can be the tallest or thinnest and offer the best view. It’s a city that never sleeps and is never quiet.

We are staying once again at the Hotel Icon on the 17th floor and can see for miles across the harbour to Hong Kong Island.

On our first morning we opened the curtains to this view. Not a skyscraper in sight. A heavy fog had descended, obscuring everything. I remember these days well from when we lived here before, especially in the New Territories. They would last for days and wreak havoc with my hair.

Luckily for us the weather turned out well over the next few days.

Maybe you’re wondering who cleans all these windows and how. There was a small notice in our room informing us of window cleaning, but one I only glanced at. Good job we were both decent at the time!

Vertigo would have no place in this job!

Each morning we would have coffee in the room and enjoy the spectacular views and comment on the activity below.

Each day we would take a bus to wherever we wanted to go. There was a bus terminal around 10 minutes walk from the hotel. With google maps I could find the exact route and times as well.

A mix of old and new buildings in Central.

The photographic opportunities in Hong Kong are many and I have to stop and think, “do I already have that shot?” as they never get old.

Posted also for Lens-Artist Challenge – Cityscapes

~ Sculptures by the Sea – 2024 ~

It’s that time of year again for all those innovative sculptors to exhibit their wonderful creations upon the shores of Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia. I went with a friend yesterday to walk along the beach and upper grassy areas to view the fantastic pieces on offer. Many of the photos also work well with John’s Lens Artist Challenge this week too, which is all about light, shape, texture and form.

We started along the top grassy area and then walked to the end of the groyne. We both had swim suits on under our dresses and the water looked so good, we had a swim before proceeding to see the rest.

The focus on the photos above are circular shapes and different textures. The name of each piece did not seem to correlate with the sculpture and seemed to be random words selected from a hat! Everytime I tried the last photo a small boy kept looking through and saying hello!

A view through the sculptures

Tall and skinny ones and mirrored images

All the pieces looked completely different depending on which angle you shot from, making them all the more interesting.

My favourite out of the four above would be Florb, the texture was amazing to touch. Some of the sculptures allowed for touching. There were hoards of school children swarming around, some too young to read, so therefore lots of touching going on!

“The Top of the Balance” edited by me!

The above are also two of my favourites. How cute is the “Moon” and look at the intricate detail. I also love “Dave” standing loud and proud.

Textures, shadows and shapes

I made up the above titles!

I hope you enjoyed this walk along the sands with me to view these wonderful sculptures. This is one of my favourite events of the year.

Also joining Restless Jo for Monday Walk – although my walk was Wednesday!

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~ Hong Kong – Treemendously Magical Moments ~

December in Hong Kong is always magical and this year is no exception. Every shop, hotel, bank and restaurant has a tree up, most of them real too. We have been out and about the last few days and I have been snapping away at some of the trees and decorations on offer this year.

We have also been lucky with the weather. Normally it’s quite cool adding to that Christmas feeling but this year I have been walking around in t-shirts and linen pants.