Audierne, Brittany, France

Audierne, originally uploaded by kerivoa.

Audierne (Breton: Gwaien) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. The town lies on a peninsula at the mouth of the Goyen river and for centuries was a fishing village, with a wide sandy beach. Visitors can take a boat from Audierne's port of Esquibien to the Île de Sein.
The harbour, formerly important to the local fishing industry, is now essentially a yacht port. Remaining of the fishery is an oyster farm, in which the delicacy can be bought.
Along the harbour stretches the town's main shopping area with its cafés, bars and restaurants, crêperies, boutiques, estate agents and holiday agencies, the town hall, the tourism office, and the regional bus stop. On Saturday mornings there is a farmers' market, which serves as a meeting place for natives and tourists alike.
Audierne is twinned with Penryn, Cornwall.
source and more info @: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audierne
and @ the official site: http://www.audierne.fr/

Soldiers Beach, Central Coast, NSW Australia

Soldiers Beach, originally uploaded by -yury-.

Soldiers Beach, located at picturesque Norah Head, is one of the few Central Coast beaches totally untouched by urban development. Neither homes, not shopping centres will interrupt your experience of this fabulous stretch of coastline. On a clear day, from the highest point of the beach, at the northern tip, visitors will drink in an amazing view of the NSW coast in both the northern and southern directions.

The beach is flanked on the northern side by Norah Head Lighthouse. Built in 1903 the Lighthouse is no longer manned, but still operates automatically guiding ships travelling along the coast. To the south, Soldiers Beach borders the southern end of Wyrrabalong National Park where bushwalkers can enjoy a number of different scenic coastal walks.

Soldiers Beach is a surfers' dream and a swimmers delight. Its' south-easterly aspect ebcourages wave sizes in excess of 1.5m. There is plenty of car parking close to the beach and picnic tables and a small kiosk make it conductive to family picnics.

Self-contained accommodation can be found nearby at one of the Council's tourist parks. Other accommodation options, including motels and resorts, can be found at nearby Toukley, Budgewoi or The Entrance.
source: http://www.check-in.com.au/Central_Coast/Soldiers_Beach.htm

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Audierne (Breton: Gwaien), France

Audierne, originally uploaded by kerivoa.

Audierne (Breton: Gwaien) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. The town lies on a peninsula at the mouth of the Goyen river and for centuries was a fishing village, with a wide sandy beach. Visitors can take a boat from Audierne's port of Esquibien to the Île de Sein.
The harbour, formerly important to the local fishing industry, is now essentially a yacht port. Remaining of the fishery is an oyster farm, in which the delicacy can be bought. Along the harbour stretches the town's main shopping area with its cafés, bars and restaurants, crêperies, boutiques, estate agents and holiday agencies, the town hall, the tourism office, and the regional bus stop. On Saturday mornings there is a farmers' market, which serves as a meeting place for natives and tourists alike.
Audierne is twinned with Penryn, Cornwall.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Rethymno lighthouse, Crete, Greece

Rethymno lighthouse, originally uploaded by Glikò.

Rethymno (Greek: Ρέθυμνο, pronounced ['reθimno], also Rethimno, Rethymnon, Réthymnon, and Rhíthymnos) is a city of approximately 40,000 people in Greece, the capital of Rethymno Prefecture in the island of Crete. It was built in antiquity (ancient Rhithymna and Arsinoe), even though was never a competitive Minoan center. It was, however, strong enough to mint its own coins and maintain urban growth. One of these coins is today depicted as the crest of the town with two dolphins in a circle.
This region as a whole is rich with ancient history, most notably through the Minoan civilisation centred at Kydonia east of Rethymno.

Rethymno itself began a period of growth when the Venetian conquerors of the island decided to put an intermediate commercial station between Heraklion and Chania, acquiring its own bishop and nobility in the process. Today's old town (palia poli) is almost entirely built by Venetians. It is one of the best preserved old towns in Crete.
The town still maintains its old aristocratic appearance, with its buildings dating from the 16th century, arched doorways, stone staircases, Byzantine and Hellenic-Roman remains, small Venetian harbor and narrow streets. The Venetian Loggia today houses the information office of the ministry of culture. The Wine Festival is held there annually at the beginning of July. Another festival is held on 7-8th of November, in memory of the destruction of Arkadi Monastery.
It has a large Venetian castle called the Fortezza, one of the best preserved castles in Crete. Other monuments include the Neratze mosque (the Municipal Odeon arts centre), the Great Gate (megali porta, Porta Guora), the Piazza Rimondi (Rimondi square) and the Venetian Loggia.
As part of the Crete, the town was also captured by Turks in 1600s and ruled more than 3 centuries. Turkish version of Rethymnon is Resmo. It was sanjak centre in Crete (Girit) Province during Ottoman rule.
Today its main income is from tourism, many new facilities having been built in the past 20 years. Agriculture is also notable, especially for olive oil and other Mediterranean products. It is also the base of the Philosophical School and the University Library of the University of Crete and the School of Social and Political Sciences having 8000 students on its University Campus per annum at "Galos", where the Academic Institute of Mediterranean Studies is situated. The city has an Archaeological Museum.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Fire Island Lighthouse, Long island NY USA

Fire Island Lighthouse, originally uploaded by Ronaldo F Cabuhat.

We were in NYC but was still cold for a walk in Central Park.
We drove through Long Is, NY and ended up on this enchanting island. (More pics to come!)

This lighthouse is a 167 foot Stone tower that began operation in 1858 to replace the 89 foot tower originally built in 1827.

I think this is the building where one scene(beginning portion) in
"National Treasure 2 : Book Of Secrets " ( starring Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren and Ed Harris) was shot.
The scene at the mail office (supposedly in a Massachusetts town).

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler






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Light and Shadow, Reykjanesviti, Iceland.

Light and Shadow, originally uploaded by visiticeland@hotmail.com.

Reykjanesviti is Iceland's oldest lighthouse. It serves as a landfall light for Reykjavík and Keflavík. The tower is a 31 metres tall construction, situated on the southwestern edge of the Reykjanes peninsula. The original structure was built in 1878; just eight years later the building was destroyed by an earthquake. In 1929 the current Reykjanesviti lighthouse, a concrete construction yet with traditional looks, was illuminated. Its focal plane measures 73 metres above sea level. The light characteristic is "Fl(2) 30 s", i.e. a group of two flashing lights every 30 seconds. An antenna for the transmission of DGPS-signals in the longwave range is mounted on the rooftop.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler






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Lighthouse inferno, Camogli Italy.

Lighthouse inferno, originally uploaded by GadiHext.

CAMOGLI – 2km southeast of Recco – was the "saltiest, roughest, most piratical little place", according to Dickens when he visited in 1884. It's had its rough edges knocked off since then, and is one of the most attractive small resorts along this stretch of the coast, well connected by road, rail and boat. The town's name, a contraction of Casa Mogli (House of Wives), comes from the days when voyages lasted for years and the women ran the port while the men were away. In its day, Camogli supported a huge fleet of 700 vessels, which once saw off Napoleon. The town declined in the age of steam, but the crumbling arcades by the harbour and the dark flight of steps into the town centre still have the "smell of fish, and seaweed, and old rope" that Dickens relished.

The train station is just south of the beach; turn right towards the centre for the small tourist office, 50m north at Via XX Settembre 33 (Mon–Sat 8.30am–noon & 3–7pm, Sun 9am–1pm; tel 0185.771.066, www.camogli.it). Summer boats shuttle over from Genoa's Porto Antico in an hour (8), using the old harbour on the north side of town, separated from the unimpressive pebble beach to the south by a promontory occupied by the medieval Castello della Dragonara. You can wander up through the alleyways to the castle, though the aquarium it houses is currently closed for renovation.

The best hotel is the lavish Cenobio dei Dogi, in its own waterfront park at Via Cuneo 34 (tel 0185.7241, fax 0185.772.796; 160–200); once the summer palace of Genoa's doges, it boasts its own beach, pool, tennis courts, restaurants and tasteful guest rooms. La Camogliese, Via Garibaldi 55 (tel 0185.771.402, fax 0185.774.024; 50–65), is a friendly spot excellently situated by the water (take the steps down opposite the station); it has pleasant rooms and they don't insist on full pension. Otherwise, try the spartan Selene, Via Cuneo 15 (tel 0185.770.149, fax 0185.770.195; 35–50). The Camogliese hotel has a quality mid-priced restaurant (closed Wed in winter). The much pricier Vento Ariel on the harbourfront (tel 0185.771.080; closed Wed) serves only fish brought that day directly from the nets into the kitchen. Away from the sea, Don Ricardo on Salita Priaro (the flight of steps up from the fishing harbour) does affordable Mexican food, and Revello is a fine bakery at Via Garibaldi 183.

Fish aside, Camogli makes its living from ferries operated by Golfo Paradiso, Via Scalo 3 (tel 0185.772.091). Departures to tranquil Punta Chiappa, ideal for a spot of swimming and basking in the sun, and San Fruttuoso, are most frequent (May–Sept at least hourly; Oct–April 3 weekdays, hourly at weekends), with a special night excursion offering the most romantic views of the gulf plus three hours in San Fruttuoso for dinner or a stroll (July & Aug 3 weekly; 9 return). There are also boats east to the Cinque Terre (July–Sept 2–4 weekly), which stop beforehand at Portofino and continue to Portovénere, as well as plenty more west to Recco and Genoa.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler






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Point of Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, Scotland, UK

Point of Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, originally uploaded by antsplan (away).

Point of Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, Isle of Muck & Isle of Rum, Scotland

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler






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