tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48089587915601982282024-03-12T20:11:54.978-07:00Everyday explorersAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831780904116844235noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808958791560198228.post-72202403370852373692014-12-29T05:47:00.002-08:002014-12-29T05:51:17.358-08:00New year, new blog<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have upgraded the Everyday Explorers blog to Wordpress.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more musings and photos of my explorations, you can follow me here: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.everydayexplorersblog.com/">www.everydayexplorersblog.com</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you to everyone that has read my blog posts in the past year. I hope you have taken or learnt something from my ramblings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831780904116844235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808958791560198228.post-23227942924744086652014-12-23T02:04:00.002-08:002014-12-23T07:33:34.021-08:00You are what you eat: documentaries you have to watch<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to the internet we all have access to an abundance of information on planet issues. Netflix rules when it comes to documentaries and below are three important films that I’ve watched recently. If you haven’t seen them you really should, they’re pretty shocking.</span>
</h4>
<h3>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Food Matters</span> </h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jh_jemRYyY4/VJk7DTQCwiI/AAAAAAAADY8/EH34CP1pDDI/s1600/1-food_matters_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jh_jemRYyY4/VJk7DTQCwiI/AAAAAAAADY8/EH34CP1pDDI/s1600/1-food_matters_thumb.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Food Matters blew me away. It talks about the connection between food/nutrition and personal health/wellbeing. It also looks at the truth behind pharmaceutical drugs and that big, greedy, corrupt industry. <br /><br />The documentary poses the theory that you can use food to heal and cure diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, instead of using modern medicine. Some doctors offer nutritional therapy to cancer patients that involve putting them on a drip that gives them high dosage of vitamin c. And this cures patients – no chemo, no hair loss. This kind of therapy isn't offered in lot of countries. In fact it’s even banned in some places, such as the USA. Doctors have to work from Mexico in order to offer this therapy.<br /><br />The documentary accuses the pharmaceutical industry of profiting from peoples illnesses by treating their sickness instead of curing them of it. It also advocates the raw food diet. Did you know that when you cook food it loses 50% of its nutrition?</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YoEfzQiQneA/VJk7H5mBiJI/AAAAAAAADZU/OQzjZEsL6PA/s1600/shutterstock_108554639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YoEfzQiQneA/VJk7H5mBiJI/AAAAAAAADZU/OQzjZEsL6PA/s1600/shutterstock_108554639.jpg" height="200" width="181" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />It features Charlotte Gerson, Founder of the <a href="http://gerson.org/gerpress/" target="_blank">Gerson Institute</a>. The foundation offers a natural, non-toxic, safe treatment of cancer and other diseases. Garson Therapy is said to activate your body's ability to heal itself through changing your diet and switching to plant based meals and raw juices. <br /><br />There are no clinical trials on the Gerson therapy but there are patients that have used this therapy exclusively and it’s worked – most famously, Gearin-Tosh and Beata Bishop.<br /><br />Food Matters have set up their own website, offering lots of health and nutritional advice. Check it out: </span><a href="http://www.foodmatters.tv/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.foodmatters.tv</span></a><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Food Inc</span> </h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O16PcrySRiM/VJk7Drfm3jI/AAAAAAAADZE/aAfeCs2mTKA/s1600/Food_inc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O16PcrySRiM/VJk7Drfm3jI/AAAAAAAADZE/aAfeCs2mTKA/s1600/Food_inc.jpg" height="200" width="156" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think anyone that eats meat but does not go out and kill/prepare their dinner should watch this to know where their food is coming from. Documentary filmmaker, Robert Kenner, looks at the impact of mass farming on the planet, and questions the ethical treatment of the animals and workers.<br /><br />It’s not just about global warming, it also discusses the treatment of the food and how this can have an effect on our health.<br /><br />One scene in the film shows you the inside of a chicken farm, where they have developed chickens that grow bigger, faster, with more breast meat – which has resulted in the chickens legs not being able to hold their own body weight so they just collapse in their dark closed pens. The story is much the same for all these mass produced animals, crammed together in huge numbers, injected with antibiotics (which ends up on your fork – think about it), deformed, suffering, and often brutally killed. On some farms, cattle are being fed corn instead of grass, which has led to infection. And the solution to these problems…add more chemicals! <br /><br />One scene shows a farm bleaching a hamburger to prevent the meat from being poisoned.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> They’re choosing to bleach your meat instead of just switching back to grass fed cows…because cows don’t grow as big and fast on grass. And the industry won’t turnover a higher profit. These are BIG world issues.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TPQzPV9Awiw/VJk7JiNLuUI/AAAAAAAADZc/IoqnEe_ZoIY/s1600/shutterstock_73162207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TPQzPV9Awiw/VJk7JiNLuUI/AAAAAAAADZc/IoqnEe_ZoIY/s1600/shutterstock_73162207.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />It’s not all doom and gloom. The film also highlights the RIGHT way of farming. One organic farmer featured in the film feeds his small number of cattle on grass and lets them roam free on the land. Probably how you would prefer to picture your meal before it lands on your plate.<br /><br />This is a must see that will alter your way of thinking and enlighten you on the issues we have with agriculture and corporations.<br /><br />Find out more on this website: </span><a href="http://www.takepart.com/foodinc"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.takepart.com/foodinc</span></a><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An Inconvenient Truth</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sI96o74g0KE/VJk7D8ZDKTI/AAAAAAAADZA/3i_PU2b-zuo/s1600/inconvenient.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sI96o74g0KE/VJk7D8ZDKTI/AAAAAAAADZA/3i_PU2b-zuo/s1600/inconvenient.jpg" height="200" width="145" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a sucker for anything global warming related and this documentary is one of my favourites.<br /><br />It follows Al Gore’s campaign to educate America on global warming and it has won lots of awards for the film’s director, Davis Guggenheim.<br /><br />The film has inspired many and has done a great job raising the profile of climate change. <br /><br />It follows Gore on a roadshow around the states where he presents his facts and figures about the planet and what we’re doing to it, as well as highlighting the consequences of our actions if we don’t change our habits.<br /><br />One key issue that Gore focuses on is the reduction in Antarctic ice, which is horribly depressing and upsetting as we have already gone too far to help much of the recovery of this. It also paints a picture of what will happen once all the ice has melted…it’s terrifying. Invest in a canoe whilst you still can.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WJWDzJ-3PMI/VJk7J502JnI/AAAAAAAADZg/cgmH65lB7Pk/s1600/shutterstock_155217797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WJWDzJ-3PMI/VJk7J502JnI/AAAAAAAADZg/cgmH65lB7Pk/s1600/shutterstock_155217797.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />What’s probably most shocking of all is the amount of people who don’t even believe that global warming is a thing. Despite scientists around the world signing a document to say that this is a fact and we need to address it, and despite all the overwhelming evidence, there are those in power who say it is unproven. This film was made in 2008 so since then the issue has gained more global headlines. This has forced politicians into changing laws and regulations whereby we need to reduce and limit our greenhouse gas emissions.<br /><br />This quote by Roger Ebert, American film critic, journalist, and screenwriter, pretty much wraps this up: <i>"You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to."</i><br /><br />You can find our more about this on their web page: </span><a href="http://www.takepart.com/an-inconvenient-truth/film"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.takepart.com/an-inconvenient-truth/film</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading. Remember to buy responsibly and reduce your carbon footprint where possible.<br /><br />And if anyone has recommendations for related documentaries please let me know.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831780904116844235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808958791560198228.post-89084280990562004142014-11-17T15:16:00.000-08:002014-11-17T15:16:23.869-08:00Lomography love<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My collection of lomography cameras continues to grow.</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am finally getting around to developing a Sardina 35mm colour film from various expeditions, spanning Tromso, the Lake District, the Azores, and (home sweet home) Greenwich.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some have gone a bit grainy from being on the wrong setting but I quite like the effect. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My camera could not handle the temperature near the Arctic and a lot of my photos from there seem to have got damaged from being exposed to -15 degree temperatures. You can't really capture how beautiful the Nordic wilderness is on film so you'll just have to experience it yourself. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mWcqYP6uv8M/VGpwo5Ssf8I/AAAAAAAADBs/Kg8W6nJzLgQ/s1600/Photo04_0A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mWcqYP6uv8M/VGpwo5Ssf8I/AAAAAAAADBs/Kg8W6nJzLgQ/s1600/Photo04_0A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nDWASmjND14/VGpxy18O3MI/AAAAAAAADCE/SRDAFzq61Do/s1600/Photo05_1A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nDWASmjND14/VGpxy18O3MI/AAAAAAAADCE/SRDAFzq61Do/s1600/Photo05_1A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m4UUWZ90wOQ/VGpyWukLPgI/AAAAAAAADCM/utdaiLt1yiA/s1600/Photo06_2A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m4UUWZ90wOQ/VGpyWukLPgI/AAAAAAAADCM/utdaiLt1yiA/s1600/Photo06_2A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-toy3amGKyJk/VGpyftotmkI/AAAAAAAADCU/G5J7uqnWwzw/s1600/Photo07_3A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-toy3amGKyJk/VGpyftotmkI/AAAAAAAADCU/G5J7uqnWwzw/s1600/Photo07_3A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cJPLK33_Rxs/VGpzeU3eHKI/AAAAAAAADCg/PNXWdqoP4G8/s1600/Photo08_4A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cJPLK33_Rxs/VGpzeU3eHKI/AAAAAAAADCg/PNXWdqoP4G8/s1600/Photo08_4A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yMDP0R_z-pQ/VGp0BOj4eEI/AAAAAAAADCo/xziRjTABMQk/s1600/Photo09_5A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yMDP0R_z-pQ/VGp0BOj4eEI/AAAAAAAADCo/xziRjTABMQk/s1600/Photo09_5A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iVfw-cww57E/VGp0V2mOs9I/AAAAAAAADCw/sFlIRVZoBtI/s1600/Photo10_6A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iVfw-cww57E/VGp0V2mOs9I/AAAAAAAADCw/sFlIRVZoBtI/s1600/Photo10_6A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GlYKuQIFyM4/VGp1EwN70yI/AAAAAAAADDA/PzguWO4f7Fg/s1600/Photo11_7A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GlYKuQIFyM4/VGp1EwN70yI/AAAAAAAADDA/PzguWO4f7Fg/s1600/Photo11_7A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SWsR3LMdIl8/VGp2KJxYTVI/AAAAAAAADDM/QWiAu08Z1YQ/s1600/Photo13_9A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SWsR3LMdIl8/VGp2KJxYTVI/AAAAAAAADDM/QWiAu08Z1YQ/s1600/Photo13_9A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BxWnv5JsMzQ/VGp2J9ZeOII/AAAAAAAADDQ/ePe5TLe-JY8/s1600/Photo14_10A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BxWnv5JsMzQ/VGp2J9ZeOII/AAAAAAAADDQ/ePe5TLe-JY8/s1600/Photo14_10A.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kha0iied-5w/VGp2jr9nYxI/AAAAAAAADDc/ob10VmQPnYc/s1600/Photo15_11A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kha0iied-5w/VGp2jr9nYxI/AAAAAAAADDc/ob10VmQPnYc/s1600/Photo15_11A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--SdSYg2H024/VGp3m8fVqFI/AAAAAAAADD0/Im5pNePf-i8/s1600/Photo16_12A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--SdSYg2H024/VGp3m8fVqFI/AAAAAAAADD0/Im5pNePf-i8/s1600/Photo16_12A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ooTTxWueezY/VGp3T0bCaUI/AAAAAAAADDs/31kjvArNOpE/s1600/Photo17_13A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ooTTxWueezY/VGp3T0bCaUI/AAAAAAAADDs/31kjvArNOpE/s1600/Photo17_13A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Found this cool cave in the Lakes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yyDW6CfwhU8/VGp3B8Pt5SI/AAAAAAAADDk/9mCuC0BvDlY/s1600/Photo18_14A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yyDW6CfwhU8/VGp3B8Pt5SI/AAAAAAAADDk/9mCuC0BvDlY/s1600/Photo18_14A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LwVi51lQ03o/VGp4Eg68XmI/AAAAAAAADEE/taX9amDo2mY/s1600/Photo19_15A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LwVi51lQ03o/VGp4Eg68XmI/AAAAAAAADEE/taX9amDo2mY/s1600/Photo19_15A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hVwddxCCCFw/VGp5SePLIFI/AAAAAAAADEU/Pp8oP2NeMCE/s1600/Photo20_16A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hVwddxCCCFw/VGp5SePLIFI/AAAAAAAADEU/Pp8oP2NeMCE/s1600/Photo20_16A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kk21rvg2Pqk/VGp4B4tdk8I/AAAAAAAADD8/fbaM47d1txk/s1600/Photo21_17A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kk21rvg2Pqk/VGp4B4tdk8I/AAAAAAAADD8/fbaM47d1txk/s1600/Photo21_17A.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9l7QSdCCiQs/VGp5Dec8enI/AAAAAAAADEM/zM89It2WlP4/s1600/Photo22_18A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9l7QSdCCiQs/VGp5Dec8enI/AAAAAAAADEM/zM89It2WlP4/s1600/Photo22_18A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xfa-qt7rUT4/VGp5cmi0FlI/AAAAAAAADEc/yRaSjGCg69Q/s1600/Photo23_19A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xfa-qt7rUT4/VGp5cmi0FlI/AAAAAAAADEc/yRaSjGCg69Q/s1600/Photo23_19A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QTARnIalTis/VGp6kEFlL5I/AAAAAAAADE4/VDiXHFyUqOk/s1600/Photo24_20A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QTARnIalTis/VGp6kEFlL5I/AAAAAAAADE4/VDiXHFyUqOk/s1600/Photo24_20A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zVYdMjhTOjw/VGp5umMWxQI/AAAAAAAADEk/ulerbVEF6ms/s1600/Photo25_21A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zVYdMjhTOjw/VGp5umMWxQI/AAAAAAAADEk/ulerbVEF6ms/s1600/Photo25_21A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zvv9PBZBGhQ/VGp62h3gRlI/AAAAAAAADFA/BuuPgsmHigY/s1600/Photo26_22A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zvv9PBZBGhQ/VGp62h3gRlI/AAAAAAAADFA/BuuPgsmHigY/s1600/Photo26_22A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ncixOHlSYQE/VGp6brs_KgI/AAAAAAAADEw/ZD6N1ZsqaGk/s1600/Photo27_23A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ncixOHlSYQE/VGp6brs_KgI/AAAAAAAADEw/ZD6N1ZsqaGk/s1600/Photo27_23A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S9jvePApehQ/VGp75p4qAlI/AAAAAAAADFU/jU3ACIHhDHs/s1600/Photo28_24A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S9jvePApehQ/VGp75p4qAlI/AAAAAAAADFU/jU3ACIHhDHs/s1600/Photo28_24A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1tMXhFFVquw/VGp7rkWU6VI/AAAAAAAADFM/5a3gwaR91-w/s1600/Photo30_26A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1tMXhFFVquw/VGp7rkWU6VI/AAAAAAAADFM/5a3gwaR91-w/s1600/Photo30_26A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qdaaR7kQoi8/VGp87-T85NI/AAAAAAAADF0/x6I2f-XxC64/s1600/Photo31_27A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qdaaR7kQoi8/VGp87-T85NI/AAAAAAAADF0/x6I2f-XxC64/s1600/Photo31_27A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZN8UtS50Lxk/VGp9a8xRQLI/AAAAAAAADGE/qxFSa48tBtk/s1600/Photo32_28A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZN8UtS50Lxk/VGp9a8xRQLI/AAAAAAAADGE/qxFSa48tBtk/s1600/Photo32_28A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yho0l-vsfQE/VGp8kVAmIZI/AAAAAAAADFk/qzbTrsW5F30/s1600/Photo33_29A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yho0l-vsfQE/VGp8kVAmIZI/AAAAAAAADFk/qzbTrsW5F30/s1600/Photo33_29A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PvnY9sgoQFY/VGp87BI08SI/AAAAAAAADFs/fG4bvSMmBqY/s1600/Photo34_30A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PvnY9sgoQFY/VGp87BI08SI/AAAAAAAADFs/fG4bvSMmBqY/s1600/Photo34_30A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FxYJ-K3dPyM/VGp9PzoFqQI/AAAAAAAADF8/mTSB5RWoiN4/s1600/Photo35_31A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FxYJ-K3dPyM/VGp9PzoFqQI/AAAAAAAADF8/mTSB5RWoiN4/s1600/Photo35_31A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pLBaoEq_XTE/VGp-kD5uvBI/AAAAAAAADGg/XcMGgYhQo6Q/s1600/Photo36_32A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pLBaoEq_XTE/VGp-kD5uvBI/AAAAAAAADGg/XcMGgYhQo6Q/s1600/Photo36_32A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TiUUOGpMhRg/VGp9p8UiUpI/AAAAAAAADGM/rXoqqgnScMI/s1600/Photo37_33A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TiUUOGpMhRg/VGp9p8UiUpI/AAAAAAAADGM/rXoqqgnScMI/s1600/Photo37_33A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rzfwKDehAY/VGp-pdshTII/AAAAAAAADGs/o0X8bdjImzo/s1600/Photo38_34A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8rzfwKDehAY/VGp-pdshTII/AAAAAAAADGs/o0X8bdjImzo/s1600/Photo38_34A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6SdSQJZ8G-I/VGp-GvIBRwI/AAAAAAAADGU/IVyaQLxSZjU/s1600/Photo39_35A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6SdSQJZ8G-I/VGp-GvIBRwI/AAAAAAAADGU/IVyaQLxSZjU/s1600/Photo39_35A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TXvMXNQ7glw/VGp-jeUXXaI/AAAAAAAADGc/dEtowpcfh9c/s1600/Photo40_36A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TXvMXNQ7glw/VGp-jeUXXaI/AAAAAAAADGc/dEtowpcfh9c/s1600/Photo40_36A.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Save the best till last</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831780904116844235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808958791560198228.post-18399636009916496952014-10-27T03:57:00.002-07:002014-11-01T06:41:11.332-07:00Greenwich: the home of time and space<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Greenwich is one of those places that gets a reaction from people when mentioned. People usually say how nice it is with a slight element of surprise, usually forgetting it even existed. Greenwich has a lot to boast about, but is never in your face about it.</strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Guest blog by Matthew Bronka</em></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><br /></em></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rt_yWQnDal8/VFTUuB6mH5I/AAAAAAAAC7E/FXh3xvy7L4E/s1600/IMG_4757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rt_yWQnDal8/VFTUuB6mH5I/AAAAAAAAC7E/FXh3xvy7L4E/s1600/IMG_4757.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of my favourite pastimes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is close to central London, is rich in history, and all the 'time' in the world revolves around it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think Greenwich is one of London's most awesome areas of London and I really hope that doesn’t change. I have been living in the green leafy borough for two years now and want to share my favourite things that Greenwich has shown me.</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/greenwich-park">Greenwich Park</a></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First to be mentioned is the park. It’s cool because it’s hilly, has London's BEST view and only planetarium, a historic observatory, and hosts a loads of events.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HbKj633LP5s/VFTZYOnA8DI/AAAAAAAAC8E/3efmoibYO1A/s1600/IMG_4703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HbKj633LP5s/VFTZYOnA8DI/AAAAAAAAC8E/3efmoibYO1A/s1600/IMG_4703.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s one of those parks that attract people's respect effortlessly, due to its well-kept greens and clean, smart layout. It is located in-line with the Queens House and the star gazing observatory, plonked at the top of the hill.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />You can see the snake-like curve of the Thames wind its way into London, and it would have been the perfect place to spot all those historic ships coming and going into the busy Greenwich port. It was a party place for the Victorians with their summer fair, where mad hatters and dames sprinted up the hill. There's also a deer park at the rear (apparently the deer used to roam free), a herb garden, a boat lake, as well as a killer hill for skateboarders to mash themselves up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qX_8B4QOqko/VFTZBlrxzCI/AAAAAAAAC7k/twL18oR8MVI/s1600/IMG_4439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qX_8B4QOqko/VFTZBlrxzCI/AAAAAAAAC7k/twL18oR8MVI/s1600/IMG_4439.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LKwXGBZwCE0/VFTZRenqLwI/AAAAAAAAC70/dovriCEfLyk/s1600/IMG_4606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LKwXGBZwCE0/VFTZRenqLwI/AAAAAAAAC70/dovriCEfLyk/s1600/IMG_4606.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mL3T0iPA6gY/VFTZXktJPqI/AAAAAAAAC8A/4A5Ainm8qLw/s1600/IMG_4612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mL3T0iPA6gY/VFTZXktJPqI/AAAAAAAAC8A/4A5Ainm8qLw/s1600/IMG_4612.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I know it’s the most obvious attraction in Greenwich, but it really is a banging park. Have a day there when the sun is out, you won’t regret it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EopNMfLUJ1g/VFTZi4eNrPI/AAAAAAAAC8M/JsPQbTrwg5Q/s1600/IMG_4628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EopNMfLUJ1g/VFTZi4eNrPI/AAAAAAAAC8M/JsPQbTrwg5Q/s1600/IMG_4628.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C0sRoulpwCc/VFTY6dQqnnI/AAAAAAAAC7U/0ocRCiQceNc/s1600/IMG_4584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C0sRoulpwCc/VFTY6dQqnnI/AAAAAAAAC7U/0ocRCiQceNc/s1600/IMG_4584.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<h4>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory">Royal Observatory</a></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Secondly, it has to be the observatory and planetarium – there is so much good stuff to see here. Even if you don't go into the Royal Observatory, just stand outside and close your eyes for a moment and pay some god-darn respect to the amount of stuff that got figured out here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZP7iJjdqiKg/VFTZwMgXpuI/AAAAAAAAC8k/h0dlFgtcAgU/s1600/IMG_4735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZP7iJjdqiKg/VFTZwMgXpuI/AAAAAAAAC8k/h0dlFgtcAgU/s1600/IMG_4735.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4rRfxUQfMNY/VFTY79hE0AI/AAAAAAAAC7c/Pug1EIUBIMA/s1600/IMG_4309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4rRfxUQfMNY/VFTY79hE0AI/AAAAAAAAC7c/Pug1EIUBIMA/s1600/IMG_4309.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hXse62ZtU1g/VFTZJ-C7Q5I/AAAAAAAAC7s/K7J6shzTmJA/s1600/IMG_4587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hXse62ZtU1g/VFTZJ-C7Q5I/AAAAAAAAC7s/K7J6shzTmJA/s1600/IMG_4587.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />One being a time system that everyone could use and stick to, so no more meeting at high noon to have a shoot-off. Because of Greenwich Mean Time, boats, trains, royal naval stuff and navigation could all be done punctually. This was discovered by looking at the planets and stars. Anyone who was anyone back in the day studied there. From this we also derived Longitude, it was a clever way to figure out how far north or south you were based on planets and time. Rad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OaaS-6978Y8/VFTbPoHDpEI/AAAAAAAAC9k/tWonfJfn688/s1600/shutterstock_168176105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OaaS-6978Y8/VFTbPoHDpEI/AAAAAAAAC9k/tWonfJfn688/s1600/shutterstock_168176105.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<h4>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meantime</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moving on to the less obvious now, make sure you have a drink of beer when visiting. Go to the <a href="http://www.oldbrewerygreenwich.com/">Old Brewery</a> in the Royal Naval College and get tasting. The Old Royal Naval College was basically a fancy old people’s home designed by Sir Christopher Wren by the king’s order for the lucky old wrinkly sailors that needed the care after their honourable duty at sea.</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The old brewery is located in what was their original old brewery and they serve a selection of Greenwich Meantime beers. <a href="http://meantimebrewing.com/brewery-tour">Greenwich Meantime</a> have a hilariously entertaining tour down the road, near the Blackwall tunnel, where you will have plenty to taste and leave with more knowledge and appreciation for the stuff.</span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n_zJ2btkK24/VFTakhH0dbI/AAAAAAAAC84/jDT0IUj0pjY/s1600/5835275957_aaf07e51e7_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n_zJ2btkK24/VFTakhH0dbI/AAAAAAAAC84/jDT0IUj0pjY/s1600/5835275957_aaf07e51e7_z.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Old Brewery</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The two other favourite drinking spots in Greenwich are the more hidden <a href="http://www.greenwichunion.com/">Greenwich Union</a> - TRY THE CHERRY BEER! Oh man it’s like fresh cherry liquid love. Also spend an afternoon in the <a href="http://www.cuttysarkse10.co.uk/">Cutty Sark Pub</a>. Although not next to the existing Cutty Sark boat, it does have homemade meat/cheese boards (sausage rolls, scotch eggs, you name it) to share, a great drink selection, and its bang on the Thames for a good river view (although not the cheapest!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sfJsrNZdIi0/VFTakDEaxiI/AAAAAAAAC80/ZDqJ-gt4wOc/s1600/cutty-sark-tavern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sfJsrNZdIi0/VFTakDEaxiI/AAAAAAAAC80/ZDqJ-gt4wOc/s1600/cutty-sark-tavern.jpg" height="228" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<h4>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Greenwich_Picturehouse/">Picturehouse</a></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Greenwich Picturehouse cinema is so well suited to the pace and outlook of Greenwich it can’t be missed. It has a community feel with the best, I repeat, THE BEST selection of films from new releases, foreign flicks, old classics and the odd celebratory cult themed evenings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QXSHKzYTpug/VFTalsIzyOI/AAAAAAAAC9E/REiZwhZ8N_4/s1600/GreenwichEx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QXSHKzYTpug/VFTalsIzyOI/AAAAAAAAC9E/REiZwhZ8N_4/s1600/GreenwichEx.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bar is inviting and they will even show screenings of films of your choice if you get enough people willing to attend. Every visit makes me feel warm and reassured that there is still hope for authentic love of good film, and also helps me forget about the price of popcorn!</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vinyl</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A gem of a shop to visit is the <a href="http://www.mgeshops.com/music-video-exchange-23gcs/">Music and Video Exchange</a>. They give you cash (or double that in vouchers) for your old DVD's and you can lose yourself browsing vinyl and DVD’s. It’s a distant memory of what record stores used to be, with the typical loud music of the sales assistants choice blaring and quietly mooching muso's sifting through the dusty relics. Stop in and lose yourself for a while.</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Calamari</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Chinese on the corner, <a href="http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/restaurants/restaurant-8781.php">Tai Won Mein</a>, serves you the biggest plate of noodles for £5 - you will have to share it. You can also get a massive bowl of chilli squid for the same price. It’s served quickly, with the minimal amount of service grace, but so tasty you won’t really care. It’s always full of people, but that’s always a good sign. Go there if you want a large, filling tasty treat for a very cheap price. I know some people that go out of their way to go for a meal here. Other than the calamari, which is a must, try the Singapore noodles...nommmmmmmmmm.</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.greenwichmarketlondon.com/">The market</a></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last but not least, visit the bustling markets for more tasty grub, crafty goods and bric a brac. The inside market in the square is always fun, with some good lunchtime selections and interesting toot. They also hold an awesome vintage motor show on the last Thursday of every month, very fun.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0RXDZzKXSRI/VFTaltbaUAI/AAAAAAAAC9I/6w61GnyZ8Wo/s1600/greenwich%20market%20main%20image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0RXDZzKXSRI/VFTaltbaUAI/AAAAAAAAC9I/6w61GnyZ8Wo/s1600/greenwich%2520market%2520main%2520image.jpg" height="233" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Flood Gallery sells the coolest cult prints of bands, films, and books. The Clock Tower Market hosts more vintage finds, with bric a brac and retro clothing that is always worth a browse. Make sure you check out the dude with the gramophone and ask him to play an original Shellac. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t forget to visit 'The Junk Shop', a delightful shop full of interesting junk only down the road - kind of like a market but in the shape of a shop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So these are my favourite things! There’s still an endless list of things to enjoy in Greenwich, such as the vast masts of the Cutty Sark, crossing the Thames via the underwater foot tunnel, the Lunar Cinema events held in summer, watching the popular hairy chested Greenwich drag racing, as well as numerous festivals, arts and concerts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-58hSMvTAXhQ/VFTZnfmOfXI/AAAAAAAAC8U/oRwl_3C445c/s1600/IMG_4712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-58hSMvTAXhQ/VFTZnfmOfXI/AAAAAAAAC8U/oRwl_3C445c/s1600/IMG_4712.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vCeuChq4AJg/VFTZonmndhI/AAAAAAAAC8c/tuwTvp1rQjE/s1600/IMG_4727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vCeuChq4AJg/VFTZonmndhI/AAAAAAAAC8c/tuwTvp1rQjE/s1600/IMG_4727.jpg" height="400" width="282" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is so much character in Greenwich and so much to do, please don’t tell anyone else or they will all come flooding.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TraVXjr9ldU/VFTbOqH0l8I/AAAAAAAAC9c/TVSvz-FHvzY/s1600/shutterstock_171510752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TraVXjr9ldU/VFTbOqH0l8I/AAAAAAAAC9c/TVSvz-FHvzY/s1600/shutterstock_171510752.jpg" height="207" width="400" /></a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831780904116844235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808958791560198228.post-91673454176570778692014-09-13T08:19:00.001-07:002014-09-19T03:48:52.906-07:00Pineapples, praias and peaks: my Azores adventures<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've just returned from the most amazing week on São Miguel Island. I've shared some of our adventures below for anyone planning a trip there and looking for inspiration on what to to...</span></span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Palms at Terra Nosta Gardens" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nbt10Q3X8ss/VBRa9abWtiI/AAAAAAAAB0I/IupVdwCYrL4/s1600/IMG_4813.jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Palms at Terra Nosta Gardens" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Palms at Terra Nosta gardens</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nbt10Q3X8ss/VBRa9abWtiI/AAAAAAAAB0I/IupVdwCYrL4/s1600/IMG_4813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><br /></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Where are the Azores?
</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we told friends where we were heading on our holiday this year we were met with a lot of blank faces. The islands of the Azores are situated off the coast of mainland Portugal and are about five hours from London Gatwick. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found the Azores by chance when I was looking on Google maps at the coast of Portugal. I zoomed out and spotted some small islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. When I checked them out on Google images they looked a lot like Jurassic Park…three months later we were on a flight to São Miguel.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qVAuaBsBSuo/VBVL20v8SdI/AAAAAAAACDU/P7vZiDB6rZU/s1600/IMG_4861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Caloura village" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qVAuaBsBSuo/VBVL20v8SdI/AAAAAAAACDU/P7vZiDB6rZU/s1600/IMG_4861.JPG" height="400" title="Caloura village" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The horizon over Caloura village</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Stuff to know before you go
</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I carried out a lot of research before I went and read quite a few travel blogs and guides. The island has lots of activities but they are mostly geared towards sporty outdoorsy pursuits. A party island it isn't. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tfDTGuZH2eY/VBVgW3LDJ3I/AAAAAAAACHI/skkjyCnCagk/s1600/IMG_5014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tfDTGuZH2eY/VBVgW3LDJ3I/AAAAAAAACHI/skkjyCnCagk/s1600/IMG_5014.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Nordeste coastline</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I read a lot of comments saying that the island wasn't a beach resort - whilst it isn't solely geared around this, we did find lots of unbelievably beautiful black sandy beaches dotted around the coast, perfect for spending an afternoon with your head in a book or jumping waves. Some of them have facilities such as beach bars, surf lessons and showers, whilst others are completely free of anything but mother nature - rocky and ferocious waves - a big attraction for the local surfers.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PTQAkXZVqmM/VBVNoVs774I/AAAAAAAACDg/DOl3kOSR-BM/s1600/IMG_5024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Praia des Moine" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PTQAkXZVqmM/VBVNoVs774I/AAAAAAAACDg/DOl3kOSR-BM/s1600/IMG_5024.JPG" height="173" title="Praia des Moine" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Praia dos Moinhos</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would recommend looking at different excursions and booking some before you go. We booked kayaking and whale watching before we went and didn't have to pay until we arrived so if you have a change of plan when you get there it’s pretty flexible. We tried to book a boat trip from the marina in Ponta Delgada on our last day and it was fully booked so if you do plan on booking on arrival, visit the tour operator a few days before to get tickets. This wasn’t because the island is busy; there are just limited tour operators so less spaces available on trips.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Omq_hPBwmOM/VBVfzvVb_6I/AAAAAAAACHA/bOfcfa8wDmg/s1600/IMG_5034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Omq_hPBwmOM/VBVfzvVb_6I/AAAAAAAACHA/bOfcfa8wDmg/s1600/IMG_5034.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think the key draw for this destination is that it’s still a bit of a hidden treasure. It isn't too touristy and we found that it was mostly Portuguese mainlanders that holiday here. You kind of feel like you're in on a bit of a secret by even being there. I hope it can remain like this and just focus its tourism on eco activities.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1U8yxvWwGSk/VBVRFUPi0CI/AAAAAAAACD0/hsh6VTwRJB4/s1600/azores2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Hiking trail from Furnas Lake" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1U8yxvWwGSk/VBVRFUPi0CI/AAAAAAAACD0/hsh6VTwRJB4/s1600/azores2.jpg" height="400" title="Hiking trail from Furnas Lake" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hiking trail from Furnas Lake</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Where to stay</strong></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I debated staying in Ponta Delgada (the biggest town) but we wanted to get away from anywhere busy and built-up so we opted for Caloura in Agua De Pau. It’s a village on the south coast and is in the centre of the island, making it perfect for getting around. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were walking distance from two small, quiet beaches and also had a local fishery nearby where you could go for a swim and enjoy the catch of the day at the restaurant overlooking the ocean - the scene could have been taken straight from a Wes Anderson film.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vTVMifmj9cY/VBVRmFHINdI/AAAAAAAACD8/Pgdd44OupPQ/s1600/IMG_4890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Caloura fishery" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vTVMifmj9cY/VBVRmFHINdI/AAAAAAAACD8/Pgdd44OupPQ/s1600/IMG_4890.JPG" height="400" title="Caloura fishery" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Caloura fishery</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We booked our apartment through <a href="https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/155590?s=wG7p" target="_blank">Air BnB</a> and our hosts were wonderful, they even invited us for dinner on our last night, which was delicious. They gave us the sweetest pineapple (grown locally) for dessert. We couldn’t have asked for more from our stay. Their dog Simon was a real character as well (Garfunkel had run away sadly).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GMnLGEMico4/VBRcml-IMgI/AAAAAAAAB3A/PXykvSagGN4/s1600/IMG_4863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GMnLGEMico4/VBRcml-IMgI/AAAAAAAAB3A/PXykvSagGN4/s1600/IMG_4863.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
What to do if you have a week in São Miguel
</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, I would highly recommend renting a car and picking it up from the airport. The island is small but there are so many beautiful drives and it saves you the hassle of waiting around for buses. We discussed renting bikes to get around but now that I've been I wouldn't recommend it. The island is incredibly mountainous and even the car struggled on some of the slopes.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We squeezed in lots of exploring and adventures during our week on the island. I've shared some of our experiences below for anyone who is visiting the island and wants to know what there is to do.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
1. Lagoa do Fogo
</span></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1JgLT1--Jxs/VBVSoj_7dVI/AAAAAAAACEE/iWhO1j6rsC4/s1600/Fogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lagoa do Fogo" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1JgLT1--Jxs/VBVSoj_7dVI/AAAAAAAACEE/iWhO1j6rsC4/s1600/Fogo.jpg" height="300" title="Lagoa do Fogo" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fire lake was my favourite of all the lakes. To get there you descend into a volcanic crater which you can access from the lookout point. There are some steps to guide you but it’s a steep climb so wear trainers. It took us about 20 minutes to get down…maybe a little longer to climb back up as we had to stop to catch our breath.
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you get to the bottom you are surrounded by green covered rock face, beautiful clear waters and white sandy beaches. There were hardly any other people down there and if you follow the beaches around the crater you can find a secluded spot to yourself. We went for a swim in the crystal clears waters to cool down - its was heavenly.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hQC1PTpP9D4/VBVS3xPhZOI/AAAAAAAACEM/iG45yb0LBf4/s1600/Fogo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hQC1PTpP9D4/VBVS3xPhZOI/AAAAAAAACEM/iG45yb0LBf4/s1600/Fogo1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were lucky as it wasn’t too cloudy when we went Although I don’t think this would affect your visit apart from the view from the top. Also, take food and water with you as there isn't anything but mother nature when you get down there.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
2. Snorkelling on Ilheu da Vila
</span></h4>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xc8KNh4Sw4E/VBRar4B07II/AAAAAAAABzs/p_4G4oHEZ6A/s1600/IMG_4779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Ilheu da Vila" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xc8KNh4Sw4E/VBRar4B07II/AAAAAAAABzs/p_4G4oHEZ6A/s1600/IMG_4779.JPG" height="300" title="Ilheu da Vila" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The view of the island from Vila Franca do Campo</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The island is 10 minutes boat ride from the marina at Vila Franca do Campo (look out for the tour operator stand where you buy tickets). We took our snorkels and flippers with us, as well as towels and packed lunches/water. The island is a nature reserve and there is a limit to how many people can visit per day so I would recommend setting off early to avoid the crowds. In the centre of the island is a natural swimming pool which is pretty shallow but you can see lots of fish if you stick to the rocks around the edges. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rV3oRLm1LEk/VBVTBdFA7zI/AAAAAAAACEU/lAo2Ggy-c2c/s1600/Snorkelling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ilheu da Vila" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rV3oRLm1LEk/VBVTBdFA7zI/AAAAAAAACEU/lAo2Ggy-c2c/s1600/Snorkelling.jpg" height="267" title="Ilheu da Vila" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We swam out of the pool and around the island where there are hundreds of fish! It was really fun but that area isn’t lifeguarded so be careful, the waves and current are super strong.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7I-eAj5vMBk/VBVTHvg_fMI/AAAAAAAACEc/YQQTMroF2E8/s1600/Island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ilheu da Vila" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7I-eAj5vMBk/VBVTHvg_fMI/AAAAAAAACEc/YQQTMroF2E8/s1600/Island.jpg" height="300" title="Ilheu da Vila" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The island is beautiful but you have to be careful of the swells around the rocks. We saw some people get knocked over by a huge wave. This was one of my favourite places so make sure its high on your list!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wo276OriHEA/VBVTM43xzGI/AAAAAAAACEk/VHdkkgqi4_k/s1600/Fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ilheu da Vila" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wo276OriHEA/VBVTM43xzGI/AAAAAAAACEk/VHdkkgqi4_k/s1600/Fish.jpg" height="300" title="Ilheu da Vila" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
3. Praia de Santa Barbara</span></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-agO_boKAdiM/VBRaHltpwKI/AAAAAAAABzU/GNR_z04XyDc/s1600/IMG_4790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Praia de Santa Barbara" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-agO_boKAdiM/VBRaHltpwKI/AAAAAAAABzU/GNR_z04XyDc/s1600/IMG_4790.JPG" height="300" title="Praia de Santa Barbara" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was the biggest beach out of all that we visited. It has lots of facilities so you can just turn up with your towel – there is a café and showers so you can grab an ice lolly and wash the sand out your pants. The waves tend to fill you swimsuit with handfuls of the stuff!
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had lots of fun jumping waves here – the current is strong so keep an eye on where you were sat on the beach. We also got told one day that there was a shark in the water! All the locals seemed unfazed and carried on swimming around in the sea though. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This beach is popular with surfers and the week after we left they were hosting a surf tournament (end of Aug). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We spent quite a few afternoons here soaking up the sun and watching the surfers ride the waves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
4. Dolphin/whale watching
</span></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H1-iYUtZhuY/VBRbEgtrOZI/AAAAAAAAB0k/hVAjw8GqBeY/s1600/IMG_4805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Sea Colours Azores" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H1-iYUtZhuY/VBRbEgtrOZI/AAAAAAAAB0k/hVAjw8GqBeY/s1600/IMG_4805.jpg" height="400" title="Sea Colours Azores" width="300" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We booked with <a href="http://www.seacolorsazores.com/" target="_blank">Sea Colours</a> – mainly because they were marine biologists and loved nature.
<br />
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a quick briefing at the marina and then about 10 of us went out on a small inflatable boat – passing the Moby Dicks tour boat which was a lot bigger and full of people. We sped out into the ocean which was a lot of fun bouncing off the waves. Within about ten minutes we were surrounded by common dolphins and given the chance to get in the water with our snorkels to see them. They were beautiful but we didn’t get to see them for too long as they swam past us.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tzWyIKmDpYE/VBVTwGYZqoI/AAAAAAAACEs/qiDu95QSCQM/s1600/Dolphins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sea Colours Azores" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tzWyIKmDpYE/VBVTwGYZqoI/AAAAAAAACEs/qiDu95QSCQM/s1600/Dolphins.jpg" height="300" title="Sea Colours Azores" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the while we were in the boat they were jumping alongside us, leaping out of the water.
We went further out into the Atlantic where we found a pod of larger bottlenose dolphins. This time I saw what seemed like hundreds of them swimming by – underneath and either side. It was quite a magical experience.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sadly we didn’t spot a whale but I would still recommend the tour to anyone visiting. As we were in a small group we got to talk to some cool and interesting people as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
4. Furnas
</span></h4>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9q40iDNJGNM/VBRb6QNTg7I/AAAAAAAAB2Q/MDYPYtHw-9o/s1600/IMG_4844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9q40iDNJGNM/VBRb6QNTg7I/AAAAAAAAB2Q/MDYPYtHw-9o/s1600/IMG_4844.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The view from Pico de Ferro</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Furnas is cool. It’s a village and it has a big lake nearby. You can’t swim in this one though but they have canoe hire. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Furnas village head to Terra Nosta gardens for a few hours. It is a beautiful garden with a natural mineral pool that you can swim in. Explore the gardens and you can find a grotto and giant lily pads in the ponds. We also saw some gigantic eucalyptus trees.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UzX91HSE3Sc/VBRbY9wa3sI/AAAAAAAAB08/F8jJHShEPw4/s1600/IMG_4814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UzX91HSE3Sc/VBRbY9wa3sI/AAAAAAAAB08/F8jJHShEPw4/s1600/IMG_4814.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SV9K3b4IqgQ/VBRcAZTLlEI/AAAAAAAAB2Y/xoBKt1nYVYc/s1600/IMG_4833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SV9K3b4IqgQ/VBRcAZTLlEI/AAAAAAAAB2Y/xoBKt1nYVYc/s1600/IMG_4833.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The gardens are like a scene from a romantic film and couldn’t be further removed from the landscapes along the coast. It was like visiting a different country entirely.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Lagoa das Furnas there are bubbles and steam coming up from the volcanic ground which stink of sulphur…it looks like the bog of eternal stench! It was pretty cool to see it bubbling up from deep in the earth. From here follow the hiking trail up to Pico de Ferro for a spectacular view of the lake. The hike is challenging and slippery and took us about 45 minutes. Maybe less on the way down.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wW8BR7oOSsE/VBRbxJS2EJI/AAAAAAAAB1k/vRfrebiXU-4/s1600/IMG_4836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wW8BR7oOSsE/VBRbxJS2EJI/AAAAAAAAB1k/vRfrebiXU-4/s1600/IMG_4836.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Avoid the famous 'costido' stew if you have taste buds. We went to Tony’s to try some and it was pretty awful. Kima is great though and replenished my tastebuds!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-82rw0CEj5Nc/VBVbhDZLexI/AAAAAAAACG0/LXXSUqjQ9MU/s1600/Kima.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kima" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-82rw0CEj5Nc/VBVbhDZLexI/AAAAAAAACG0/LXXSUqjQ9MU/s1600/Kima.jpg" height="400" title="Kima" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
5. Sete Cidades
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></h4>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zKTiFmRAvDk/VBRdBmedZ-I/AAAAAAAAB3o/Z2kJpAaLAW0/s1600/IMG_4910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zKTiFmRAvDk/VBRdBmedZ-I/AAAAAAAAB3o/Z2kJpAaLAW0/s1600/IMG_4910.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The view from Vista del Rei</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These twin lakes – Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde – are stunning. We went kayaking here and booked it through a guy called <a href="http://www.azoresadventureislands.com/" target="_blank">Dioniso</a> (or Didi as he preferred to be called). He turned out to be super helpful and we contacted him throughout the week for recommendations for restaurants, surf shops and activities. We kayaked for a few hours between the two sides of the lake. We found a corner where there was an amazing echo that reverberated around the crater. The backdrop was beautiful and it felt like we could have been surrounded by a tropical rainforest.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gBuYDlM6sPI/VBRcvpydG9I/AAAAAAAAB3Q/8zwFiJrg8eo/s1600/IMG_4922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kayaking Sete Cidades" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gBuYDlM6sPI/VBRcvpydG9I/AAAAAAAAB3Q/8zwFiJrg8eo/s1600/IMG_4922.jpg" height="400" title="Kayaking Sete Cidades" width="300" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QfFBiK7Kfsk/VBVVOln4NuI/AAAAAAAACFE/-UpzC2Bhyfg/s1600/IMG_4927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kayaking Sete Cidades" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QfFBiK7Kfsk/VBVVOln4NuI/AAAAAAAACFE/-UpzC2Bhyfg/s1600/IMG_4927.JPG" height="300" title="Kayaking Sete Cidades" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the lookout point Vista del Rei there is an abandoned hotel, the Monte Palace. Go and have a look around, its huge and really cool. You also get amazing views of the twin lakes from here.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LNfe7IFxO2o/VBVUY6TJ91I/AAAAAAAACE0/2o6Pod5TfMI/s1600/IMG_4968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Monte Palace, Azores" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LNfe7IFxO2o/VBVUY6TJ91I/AAAAAAAACE0/2o6Pod5TfMI/s1600/IMG_4968.JPG" height="300" title="Monte Palace, Azores" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-He90oJE0Kw4/VBVUuUxbIDI/AAAAAAAACE8/bVp512OpM1Q/s1600/IMG_4964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Monte Palace, Azores" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-He90oJE0Kw4/VBVUuUxbIDI/AAAAAAAACE8/bVp512OpM1Q/s1600/IMG_4964.jpg" height="400" title="Monte Palace, Azores" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Other places worth a visit:</span></h4>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Caloura beach – take a BBQ down there in the evening and check out the stars. The Milky Way looked unreal!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bar Caloura – our favourite spot for dinner.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mosteros beach - on the west of the island. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gorreana Tea Plantation – you get to sample the free tea. We took some of the orange one home with us, it’s so refreshing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Calderia Velha (near Ribeira Grand) – a nature reserve with hot springs and waterfalls to swim in.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nordeste – the drive up the mountains through the forests is spectacular.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Praia dos Moinhos in Porto Formoso - small quiet beach with a beach bar and showers//toilets.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Azores shot on a Diana F+ using 120 colour negative film</span></h4>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-raxJcMbuGjM/VBVW-ADThYI/AAAAAAAACFc/AUjI6mFayVI/s1600/000001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-raxJcMbuGjM/VBVW-ADThYI/AAAAAAAACFc/AUjI6mFayVI/s1600/000001.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wzHppOFLiV0/VBVW9jC8Z9I/AAAAAAAACFU/sE_nsj7lF1w/s1600/000002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wzHppOFLiV0/VBVW9jC8Z9I/AAAAAAAACFU/sE_nsj7lF1w/s1600/000002.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fWELFkPd13g/VBVW9uT0TVI/AAAAAAAACFQ/niK9-jp8Hog/s1600/000003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fWELFkPd13g/VBVW9uT0TVI/AAAAAAAACFQ/niK9-jp8Hog/s1600/000003.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HthYpDyBBfA/VBVXAAGPURI/AAAAAAAACFw/jR77gM3znsA/s1600/000004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HthYpDyBBfA/VBVXAAGPURI/AAAAAAAACFw/jR77gM3znsA/s1600/000004.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WUwndpNa5cU/VBVW_EW63qI/AAAAAAAACFo/XO5Qh-dMCBY/s1600/000005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WUwndpNa5cU/VBVW_EW63qI/AAAAAAAACFo/XO5Qh-dMCBY/s1600/000005.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9UeR8RC5520/VBVXCsWEK3I/AAAAAAAACF4/CV7avy6AOOc/s1600/000006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9UeR8RC5520/VBVXCsWEK3I/AAAAAAAACF4/CV7avy6AOOc/s1600/000006.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ytnz7h1f3fE/VBVXC1xK7dI/AAAAAAAACF8/ma3pHQUdL4A/s1600/000007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ytnz7h1f3fE/VBVXC1xK7dI/AAAAAAAACF8/ma3pHQUdL4A/s1600/000007.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zMWG8eE4tHY/VBVXDP872ZI/AAAAAAAACGA/8wy5g2WhJZ4/s1600/000008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zMWG8eE4tHY/VBVXDP872ZI/AAAAAAAACGA/8wy5g2WhJZ4/s1600/000008.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yuj1drcPFyM/VBVXGQK-YGI/AAAAAAAACGU/aAArZwyr3Bw/s1600/000009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yuj1drcPFyM/VBVXGQK-YGI/AAAAAAAACGU/aAArZwyr3Bw/s1600/000009.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F3QK4D5Zkwo/VBVXFwNpV-I/AAAAAAAACGQ/0IHmhTVa5BM/s1600/000010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F3QK4D5Zkwo/VBVXFwNpV-I/AAAAAAAACGQ/0IHmhTVa5BM/s1600/000010.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cQzQEowM2LU/VBVXGZX3_JI/AAAAAAAACGY/yBwcjaY3zw0/s1600/000011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cQzQEowM2LU/VBVXGZX3_JI/AAAAAAAACGY/yBwcjaY3zw0/s1600/000011.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q4V4mIGMEjs/VBVXHgNG_3I/AAAAAAAACGo/nEne6nKec0E/s1600/000012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q4V4mIGMEjs/VBVXHgNG_3I/AAAAAAAACGo/nEne6nKec0E/s1600/000012.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/"></a><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831780904116844235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808958791560198228.post-26210028592933531872014-08-15T09:13:00.001-07:002014-08-16T01:15:20.833-07:00How bad are bananas?<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently read a book by Mike Berners-Lee which looks at the carbon footprint of lots of things, starting from the small stuff (sending a text message) and ending with the earth shattering stuff (war).
One thing that struck me the most was the carbon footprint of some of the foods I was consuming.</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've changed a lot of my day-to-day habits after reading this book and I wanted to share some of the more interesting food related references that are touched upon (because let's face it, we all love to talk about food). </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Er0GZn-TEII/U-4vwKCvmoI/AAAAAAAABdc/fh95ISSnYbw/s1600/How-Bad-Are-Bananas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Er0GZn-TEII/U-4vwKCvmoI/AAAAAAAABdc/fh95ISSnYbw/s1600/How-Bad-Are-Bananas.jpg" height="266" width="400"></a></div>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 facts you should know about the food you eat </span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. So lets start with the blog post namesake - how bad are bananas? </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually not that bad at all. And here's why… </span><br>
<br>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A banana has 80g CO2e each </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are packed with nutrition, including vitamin C, potassium and dietary fibre, and are a healthy boost of energy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are grown in natural sunlight and therefore do not require hot housing </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They keep well so although they are not grown locally, they are transported by boats (which is about 1% as bad as flying) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is hardly any packaging because they provide their own </span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just make sure you're buying the fair-trade version. And don't let any go to waste. If you have a brown speckly banana then I recommend you peel it, put a skewer or chopstick through the middle, and stick it in the freezer for a few hours. Then ta da…you've got a delicious banana ice lolly (I do this a lot and trust me, they taste heavenly). </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Oranges </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An orange has 90g CO2e each or 1kg CO2e each if it is air freighted for the start of the season </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make sure you only buy oranges when they're in season (between January and March) as the out of season stuff can be air freighted rather than transported by boats. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Choose the fruit over the juice - production of the juice is often inefficient with the pulp going to waste, procession emissions, packaging, transport miles and refrigeration. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Strawberries </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A punnet of strawberries has 150g CO2e when grown in season in your own country. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A punnet of strawberries has 1.8kg CO2e when grown out of season and flown or grown in a hot house. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's quite a difference - the out of season stuff has more than ten times the footprint of the naturally grown version! Read the packaging and always check that the fruit has been grown in your own country - otherwise buy yourself a pack of fair-trade bananas instead.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And again, don't waste any of the fruit - if its starting to turn then stick it in a blender and have a strawberry smoothie. Or freeze them and use them at a later date. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Strawberries are in season June and July. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 4. Carrots </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1kg of carrots has 0.25kg CO2e if grown locally and in season </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1kg of carrots has 1kg of CO2e if they are shipped baby carrots </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you opt for the local seasonal veg, these are a healthy and climate friendly option.
Seasonal carrots have a small carbon footprint because they are grown in natural conditions, don't require artificial heat, and don't go on aeroplanes. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What you do to prepare the carrot will increase its carbon footprint. For example, if you boil it for ten minutes you need to add a few more grams to the footprint. Its best to just munch on a fresh and crunchy raw carrot - great for dipping - as this also has the most nutritional value. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carrots have been around for about 5,000 years and were originally grown for medicinal use. They are a good source of vitamin A and you can get more than 200% of your daily allowance from just one carrot. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A carrot a day… </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YacKLzgIIcg/U-4wt40GwSI/AAAAAAAABd0/C7bWCrIJCBo/s1600/Carrots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YacKLzgIIcg/U-4wt40GwSI/AAAAAAAABd0/C7bWCrIJCBo/s1600/Carrots.jpg" height="266" width="400"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Porridge</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A bowl of porridge has 82g of CO2e if you choose the traditional Scottish type and have it with water </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A bowl of porridge has 300g of CO2e when made half with milk </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A bowl of porridge has 550g of CO2e when filled with milk and sugar </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These measurements are based on the porridge being cooked on the stove. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oats are an awesome healthy low-carbon breakfast option. They are nutritional, they fill you up, reduce cholesterol, support your digestive system, and can even give you better skin. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So far these have all been pretty carbon-friendly options, but lets see what foods don't fare so well in the climate fight. </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Ice cream</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A 60g ice lolly has 50g of CO2e, if its eaten on the day of purchase</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A dairy ice cream from the ice cream man has 500g of CO2e.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This ones a no-brainer - an ice lolly is just frozen sugary water. Further up the scale is the creamy dairy filled cone with a flake. This one obviously has the bigger impact - it's dairy based. You have to account for all the inefficiency of livestock farming. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have the willpower, go for a refreshing lemonade lolly. Better for the planet and the waistline. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. Dairy milk</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A pint of milk has 723g of CO2e.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's a high carbon product because it comes from a cow.
Cows play a big part in releasing bad gases into the atmosphere. They waste more energy through keeping warm and walking around than they do creating meat and milk. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cows also burp up methane - this doubles the footprint of the food they produce.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a lot of people saying that the livestock industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change. For more on that, <a href="http://cowspiracy.com/" target="_blank">check out this website</a>. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The carbon footprint of milk includes not only what takes place on the farm, but also transport, packaging and refrigeration.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are lots of alternatives to milk that are much more climate friendly - soya milk, almond milk, rice milk - and also a lot more healthy. These are becoming more and more popular and are now more widely available in shops.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is an issue with soya driving deforestation, but this isn't from human consumption. Most of the worlds soya is fed to cows. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NVB_VMJMaxE/U-4vxR7SfCI/AAAAAAAABdo/tTd0RLwnrms/s1600/methane-from-cows-one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NVB_VMJMaxE/U-4vxR7SfCI/AAAAAAAABdo/tTd0RLwnrms/s1600/methane-from-cows-one.jpg" height="266" width="400"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8. Asparagus</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A 250g pack of asparagus that is local and seasonal has 125g CO2e</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A 250g pack of asparagus that is air freighted from Peru to the UK in January has 1.3kg of CO2e</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When 1kg of produce is being moved, a mile by air has more than 100 times the climate impact of a mile by sea. This is because it takes a lot of energy to keep a plane in the air.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Locally grown asparagus cuts about 97% of the footprint compared to the overseas type.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You should also eat asparagus within 48 hours of harvesting for the best taste.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Air freighted food is <u>NOT</u> sustainable and more than likely, it never will be.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Be responsible and buy local or shipped produce.
The following foods are likely to be air freighted if they are bought out of season:</span><br>
<br>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baby corn</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baby carrots</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mangetout</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Green beans</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fine beans</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okra</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shelled peas</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lettuces</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blueberries</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Raspberries</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Strawberries</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more information on when fruit and veg is seasonal, <a href="http://www.carta.co.uk/beebstuff/seasons.htm" target="_blank">check out this table</a>.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Low carbon options to eat instead include kale, carrots, parsnips, swedes and leeks.
</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">9. Trout</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tinned trout has 5.9kg of CO2e</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fresh or frozen trout has 6.9kg of CO2e</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fish is healthier and more carbon friendly than meat. Unfortunately, most of our fish stocks are getting dangerously depleted. People are taking more fish from the ocean than can be replaced by those remaining.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WWF have said that unless something is done about the current state of unsustainable fishing, then all the oceans fish stock will be gone by 2048.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Marine Conservation Society has a <a href="http://www.fishonline.org/" target="_blank">fish purchasing guide</a>, which tells you fish sustainability ratings and what to avoid. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10. Lamb</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A leg of lamb has 38kg of CO2e</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This footprint includes transport, basic processing, refrigeration and packaging.
The reasons for this having a high footprint are similar to that of the cow - they release a lot of methane. And typically they have a higher footprint than beef.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been realised that livestock in general is causing the planet quite a few problems. The industry is a bigger source of greenhouse gas emissions than all the worlds planes, trains and automobiles combined.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want to buy meat then try to do it less and buy responsibly. And remember that red meat is the worst offender.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want to read more on this <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2009/04/the_kindest_cut.html" target="_blank">have a look at this article</a>.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have got this far, thank you for taking the time to read this </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Climate change and sustainability is by far the biggest problem facing the planet and population, whether they acknowledge this or not.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some ways you might improve your eating habits is to buy local produce. I get veg and fruit deliveries from <a href="http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/the-really-important-stuff" target="_blank">Abel and Cole</a>.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recently watched an incredible documentary called An Inconvenient Truth. If you haven't already seen it and you are interested in climate change issues then check it out. I got a copy off eBay for about £3. I'm going to lend it to any global warming sceptics I encounter.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm going to sign off with a quote by Winston Churchill…</span></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p1eaPzJWMnc/U-4vwiuAKPI/AAAAAAAABdg/G-Ug6wON1Jg/s1600/cover-churchill-hires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p1eaPzJWMnc/U-4vwiuAKPI/AAAAAAAABdg/G-Ug6wON1Jg/s1600/cover-churchill-hires.jpg" height="242" width="400"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences."</i></span><br>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831780904116844235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808958791560198228.post-4319783563669245842014-07-11T13:23:00.001-07:002014-07-14T09:43:27.115-07:00A polar bear is for life, not just for Christmas<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Polar bears have been getting quite a lot of bad press lately, which has pushed me to write this blog post. </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, I love polar bears, otherwise known as ursus maritimus (sea bear). It’s high on my bucket list to see one in its natural habitat, albeit from a distance.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LJZRUjBTc6M/U8A6NwHGmXI/AAAAAAAABbI/8KL_DxvKnOw/s1600/polar-bears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LJZRUjBTc6M/U8A6NwHGmXI/AAAAAAAABbI/8KL_DxvKnOw/s1600/polar-bears.jpg" height="272" width="400"></a></div>
<br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m sure lots of people were distressed by the </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/09/horatio-chapple-paw-prints-polar-bear-attack-inquest" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">recent report</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> detailing the events that took place in Svalbard in 2011. It was tragic that it resulted in two deaths, both student and animal. I just hope that this rare attack hasn't influenced the public opinion into thinking that polar bears are to blame for these kind of accidents.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those who want to learn a bit more about these beautiful animals, the good and the dangerous, please carry on reading.</span><br>
<br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Polar bear attacks</span></strong><br>
<br>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Polar bear attacks on humans are rare</b>. In almost all cases, the polar bear in question was undernourished, frightened, or provoked. Scientists expect human polar bear-encounters to increase as the sea ice continues to melt and hungry bears are driven ashore.
</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the past few years, <b>sea ice losses have led to more polar bear sightings</b> in northern coastal communities and an increase in human-polar bear encounters. Some of these have had tragic endings, for both humans and the bears.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can a community learn to live with polar bears? Hundreds of polar bears gather near <a href="http://www.everythingchurchill.com/experiences/polar-bears/" target="_blank">Churchill, Manitoba</a>, every autumn to wait for the sea ice to form on Hudson Bay. Yet since 1717, only two townspeople have ever been killed by polar bears.</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Climate change is the biggest threat to polar bears and if people don't change their daily habits and lower their carbon footprint, unfortunately polar bear encounters are likely to become more common. And worse than that, once the ice disappears the polar bear numbers will greatly reduce. <a href="http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/what_we_do/oil_gas/" target="_blank">Oil and gas exploration in the Arctic</a> are deteriorating the bears fragile habitat.</span><br>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-16wPOZdfTxQ/U8A7C51SnUI/AAAAAAAABbQ/jHpCbXVTrpk/s1600/polar-bear-on-ice_1599244i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-16wPOZdfTxQ/U8A7C51SnUI/AAAAAAAABbQ/jHpCbXVTrpk/s1600/polar-bear-on-ice_1599244i.jpg" height="266" width="400"></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<br>
<ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></ul>
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Polar bear deaths</span></strong><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1968, local teenagers followed tracks through fresh snow, found a polar bear, and threw rocks at him. The bear attacked and killed one of them. <b>The bear was shot. </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What can we learn from this? Some humans are plain stupid.</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1983, a local man scavenging in the recently burned ruins of the Churchill Hotel found meat in the freezer and stuffed his pockets full. A polar bear, attracted by the smell, killed the man. <b>The bear was shot. </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What can we learn from this? Don’t walk around polar bear territory with pockets full of raw meat!!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O_Lk3k0fq-M/U8BBhFWGeKI/AAAAAAAABb8/btnOCVfevao/s1600/male-polar-bear-stalking-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O_Lk3k0fq-M/U8BBhFWGeKI/AAAAAAAABb8/btnOCVfevao/s1600/male-polar-bear-stalking-photo.jpg" height="297" width="400"></a></div>
<br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One study, a review of bear-inflicted injuries and fatalities published in 1999 in the journal <a href="http://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(99)70848-3/abstract" target="_blank">Wilderness and Environmental Medicine</a>, documents the number of incidents involving polar bears up until that time:</span><br>
<br>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Between 1980 and 1985 in Alaska, there was only one recorded injury caused by a polar bear, and no deaths.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over a 15-year period in <a href="http://www.visitnorway.com/uk/where-to-go-uk/north/svalbard/" target="_blank">Svalbard</a>, Norway, other researchers documented polar bears killing one person and injuring three others. <strong>At least 46 polar bears were killed by people</strong> in the same time frame.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a 20-year period in Canada, six human deaths and 14 injuries were attributed to polar bears. During the same period, <strong>251 bears were killed by people</strong>.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of the six deaths and 14 injuries in Canada, 15 were considered to be acts of predation by the bear, and one by a polar bear defending her cubs. One was attributed to both, while the other was unresolved.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until 1999, two deaths and two injuries had occurred in the town of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada, a seaport inhabited by around 1,000 people and a similar number of bears. One death was a sudden encounter between a bird hunter and the bear. The hunter approached the bear, was killed and eaten. The other involved a man who walked down the high street in the middle of the night carrying cooked meat. He too was killed and partially consumed by the bear.</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FZ-tmtSLEQE/U8A-GEjcIlI/AAAAAAAABbc/rPSSmf8UtpM/s1600/Polar-bear-014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FZ-tmtSLEQE/U8A-GEjcIlI/AAAAAAAABbc/rPSSmf8UtpM/s1600/Polar-bear-014.jpg" height="240" width="400"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br>
<br>
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Polar bear mischief</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br>
<br>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When a bear ambled into the Royal Canadian Legion hall, the club steward shouted, <i>"You're not a member! Get out!"</i> The bear did.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While attending a school concert, one Churchill family lost some leftover chicken. A bear broke into their trailer, gobbled up the leftovers, and beat a retreat before the family returned.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At Churchill's Harbour Board kitchen, a polar bear made off with a bag of garbage, completely ignoring the pork chops on the counter.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A trapper shooed a bear from his porch—attracted by the smell of fish stew—by banging pie plates together.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A tiny woman chased a bear from her porch with a whack on its rear from a broom. The bear fled, never to return.</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pBWsz0RLKGE/U8A-6fMUjCI/AAAAAAAABbk/51WWVpAWnYo/s1600/polar-bear-lounging-1024x768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pBWsz0RLKGE/U8A-6fMUjCI/AAAAAAAABbk/51WWVpAWnYo/s1600/polar-bear-lounging-1024x768.jpg" height="300" width="400"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br>
<br>
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How to survive a polar bear encounter</span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br>
<br>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the early days of the north, the natives of Alaska and the Yukon believed that bears were another species of man. They also knew that they could be dangerous. So, if they came upon a bear, they would stop and hold their hands over their heads and say “<i>Hello brother bear, I did not mean to disturb you. I will leave your territory now and let you in peace.</i>” Then they would back away, unharmed. While this is only legend, it does work, at times. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A bear will attack a man if they are surprised, feel they are in danger, wish to protect territory or if they have cubs. The best way to avoid danger is to avoid the bear.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you do encounter a polar bear, try to make yourself big (spread your arms high), be loud and intimidating, while you slowly back away. Make it clear that you're not an easy meal.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The one thing you should NEVER do is turn and run. Running is an invitation to chase. Prey runs, and the bear is faster than you. Don't be prey.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.wwf.org.uk/how_you_can_help/change_how_you_live/" target="_blank">Reduce your carbon footprint</a></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. If climate change continues and the sea ice retreats, it will also mean that more polar bears will be forced to hunt further inland. And that means more polar bears roaming around parts of the Arctic and sub-Arctic that people call home.</span></li>
<ul>
</ul>
<br>
<ul>
</ul>
</ul></div>
<br>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uy-KRzETj4I/U8BACjthDnI/AAAAAAAABbs/44sSaLrQdBY/s1600/polar-bear-face_1811615i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uy-KRzETj4I/U8BACjthDnI/AAAAAAAABbs/44sSaLrQdBY/s1600/polar-bear-face_1811615i.jpg" height="267" width="400"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Facts</span></strong><br>
<br>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Polar bears live in the arctic and can be found in Alaska, Canada (home to 60% of the world’s bears), Russia, Greenland, and Norway (the Svalbard archipelago). </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are currently between 20-25,000 polar bears in the arctic. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are top of the food chain in the wild and mainly feed on seals. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The word Arctic comes from the Greek word for bear, and Antarctic comes from the Greek meaning the opposite, without bear. You will never find a bear in Antarctica.</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<ul><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This a<span style="text-align: center;">stonishing photo, taken in the late 70</span><span style="text-align: center;">s, shows a man feeding a polar bear and his cubs with milk in the north Russia border. <u>Don't try this at home</u>.</span></span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br></span></span>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Au7WcT8RxDQ/U8BA_Fk9MLI/AAAAAAAABb0/p2Ekg1NfWP8/s1600/polar_bear_north_pole_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Au7WcT8RxDQ/U8BA_Fk9MLI/AAAAAAAABb0/p2Ekg1NfWP8/s1600/polar_bear_north_pole_1.jpg" height="266" width="400"></a></div>
<br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Save the Arctic!</b></span><br>
<br>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, polar bears are among the few large carnivores that are still found in roughly their original habitat and range, and in some places, in roughly their natural numbers.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although most populations have returned to healthy numbers, there are differences between the populations. Some are stable, some seem to be increasing, and some are decreasing due to various pressures. As of 2013, 5 of 19 populations were in decline.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By 2040, scientists predict that only a fringe of ice will remain in Northeast Canada and Northern Greenland when all other large areas of summer ice are gone. This is known as the <a href="http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/last_ice_area/" target="_blank">Last Ice Area</a>.</span></li>
</ul>
<br>
<ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br></b></span><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And last but not least…</span></strong><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a </span><a href="http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/wildlife/polar_bear/resources/?223073/See-the-Arctic-from-a-polar-bears-POV" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">video from the WWF</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> website about seeing the Arctic from the polar bears point of view. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you care about protecting the polar bears home then check out this </span><a href="http://vimeo.com/100195272" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greenpeace video</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and sign the petition to end Lego's partnership with Shell who are drilling oil in the Arctic!</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you have a new found appreciation and respect for polar bears. I invite you all to go and make your own polar bear t-shirts...</span><br>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-83npJ3McAMU/U8BDKRjF_rI/AAAAAAAABcI/rBhx0Wt0wdg/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-83npJ3McAMU/U8BDKRjF_rI/AAAAAAAABcI/rBhx0Wt0wdg/s1600/photo.JPG" height="400" width="300"></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span>
<script async="" src="//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js"></script><script async="" src="//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js"></script><script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-52762574-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831780904116844235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4808958791560198228.post-33332406955468002462014-06-22T14:12:00.001-07:002014-07-11T13:48:00.694-07:00Arctic expedition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though it was three months ago that we packed our ski jackets and thermal underwear, I can't start this blog without reminiscing on our Nordic adventure earlier in the year. </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Months of planning took us on an unforgettable trip to London - Bergen - Oslo - Svalbard- Tromso - London. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Norway is the land of fjords, snow peaked mountains, waterfalls, lakes, the aurora, nature. It's one of the most beautiful countries on the earth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Svalbard is, of course, home to Iorek Byrnison. It's an archipelago of untouched arctic wilderness, located halfway between Norway and the North Pole. 60% is covered by glaciers and its home to one-sixth of the world's polar bear population. I can only describe the experience of visiting there as being on another planet entirely. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below are some tips and recommendations for anyone planning a trip to this part of the globe. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. If you find yourself in the city of Bergen, take the <a href="http://www.floibanen.com/" target="_blank">funicular railway</a> up to Floyen Mountain to explore the hiking trails. On the way back stop off at the fish market in town to sample the delicious fish soup - excellent winter warmer if you happen to be visiting in the colder months. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0BaBbHZhvUE/U6c-tSE0sQI/AAAAAAAABYU/3eLpjXTqWZ8/s1600/DSCF2340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0BaBbHZhvUE/U6c-tSE0sQI/AAAAAAAABYU/3eLpjXTqWZ8/s1600/DSCF2340.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W00Qm9uBc0g/U6dBDzSXwaI/AAAAAAAABZE/1m6bFHy91Pk/s1600/20140322_110935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W00Qm9uBc0g/U6dBDzSXwaI/AAAAAAAABZE/1m6bFHy91Pk/s1600/20140322_110935.jpg" height="400" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. If you are travelling between places, make the <a href="https://www.nsb.no/en/our-destinations/our-regional-railway-lines/bergensbanen?gclid=CM7wpsr3j78CFWfkwgodD4AAnw" target="_blank">Bergen-Oslo rail journey</a>. We went through all seasons just travelling through the Nordic landscape. Scenes from Narnia passed us by on our six hour journey, as well as endless beautiful fjords with the sun beaming down on them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. In Svalbard, go on a husky sleigh ride over the frozen lakes to explore the landscapes. As a bonus you get to cuddle the huskies before and after your trip. We booked our travel with <a href="http://www.svalbardvillmarkssenter.no/?lang=en" target="_blank">Svalbard Villmarkssenter</a>, I would recommend using this tour operator. We also got chocolate cake and warm blackcurrant afterwards - bonus!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dWYOouyhwPg/U6c_z5pcXzI/AAAAAAAABYc/n_E5xUEukkE/s1600/DSCF2445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dWYOouyhwPg/U6c_z5pcXzI/AAAAAAAABYc/n_E5xUEukkE/s1600/DSCF2445.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5XK1o6EU2Bs/U6dBgBvCrXI/AAAAAAAABZM/CXTQbT3q4lY/s1600/DSCF2468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5XK1o6EU2Bs/U6dBgBvCrXI/AAAAAAAABZM/CXTQbT3q4lY/s1600/DSCF2468.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZw65ljDoSs/U6dEckH4H0I/AAAAAAAABZ4/suF3NZ61oTw/s1600/20140324_101642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZw65ljDoSs/U6dEckH4H0I/AAAAAAAABZ4/suF3NZ61oTw/s1600/20140324_101642.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H2KkP5MWve4/U6dEyFcT1RI/AAAAAAAABaA/Qn9oUANKrgE/s1600/IMG_4107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H2KkP5MWve4/U6dEyFcT1RI/AAAAAAAABaA/Qn9oUANKrgE/s1600/IMG_4107.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. If you are adventurous, go for a <a href="http://www.wildlife.no/en/winter_activities/day_trips_winter" target="_blank">hike up the Sarkofagen</a> and descend down the ice cave in Longyearbyen. You have to go with a guide as they carry guns (there are more polar bears than people in Svalbard so you can't be too careful). The cave is beneath a glacier and the ice has been there for thousands of years - it's pretty spectacular. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-xF0ok-ihw/U6dAHDi1JlI/AAAAAAAABYk/kwupmEDWC0k/s1600/DSCF2493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-xF0ok-ihw/U6dAHDi1JlI/AAAAAAAABYk/kwupmEDWC0k/s1600/DSCF2493.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9CQKdrUgrEk/U6dEY4qqpZI/AAAAAAAABZw/0FTCEOCxUWs/s1600/DSCF2539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9CQKdrUgrEk/U6dEY4qqpZI/AAAAAAAABZw/0FTCEOCxUWs/s1600/DSCF2539.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. If you are staying in Tromso, stay at the <a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/no/apartment-tromsa-red-old-house.en-gb.html?aid=318615;label=New_English_EN_GBIE_5226314545-RnYQj%2AqnIkYg15Re%2ASD5mgS44708051185%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg;sid=2c0d941e20a77f80f100b4f9ceb89f67;dcid=1;ucfs=1;srfid=6519dab91213e9efee4f5f61fa581d92cf233da6X1" target="_blank">Red House</a> - Arne is an excellent host and gave us lots of advice for seeing the Northern Lights - and we did based on his recommendations! It's in a perfect location for exploring the area. You will need a car for all the stunning drives you can do. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QaTfbBzRE9Q/U6dAanpX9II/AAAAAAAABYs/6Va1DzV9cPM/s1600/DSCF2702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QaTfbBzRE9Q/U6dAanpX9II/AAAAAAAABYs/6Va1DzV9cPM/s1600/DSCF2702.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Places that I would recommend visiting around Tromso are Grotfjord (beachy inlet - very pretty), Sommeroy (find the cliff path rope and ascend to the top - well worth it for the views), and the Lyngen Alps (you get to ride a ferry over there which is fun!) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v57I6AE1Di8/U6dAz4j3f6I/AAAAAAAABY0/I6yRgHA29QE/s1600/DSCF2628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v57I6AE1Di8/U6dAz4j3f6I/AAAAAAAABY0/I6yRgHA29QE/s1600/DSCF2628.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p_fB_OoP7To/U6dA3nKAykI/AAAAAAAABY8/4CyfhZRAj2k/s1600/DSCF2662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p_fB_OoP7To/U6dA3nKAykI/AAAAAAAABY8/4CyfhZRAj2k/s1600/DSCF2662.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L2lnjcRY4SQ/U6dE5hkTOqI/AAAAAAAABaI/vaaCjOaHtG0/s1600/IMG_4138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L2lnjcRY4SQ/U6dE5hkTOqI/AAAAAAAABaI/vaaCjOaHtG0/s1600/IMG_4138.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7. Northern Lights hunting - you need complete darkness so drive away from the city and find a quiet spot up near the mountains. It needs to be clear skies or you're not going to see much. Be patient as they might not appear until 2am. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take a warm flask of drink, some snacks, as well as some car games to entertain yourself. Wrap up warm if you are going in winter. We spotted several satellites, Mars, Saturn, and endless stars when keeping watch for the Northern Lights. It's a cosmic stake-out! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Check the <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowForum-g190475-i2314-Tromso_Troms_Northern_Norway.html" target="_blank">Trip Advisor forums</a> for updates on the Northern Lights. This was an invaluable source of information for us. There are also lots of apps you can use to see what the activity is like each evening.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Fact: Norway's surface is 50% mountains and a quarter lakes, rivers and forests.</i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-34EH7lTrRDs/U6QumGU2QdI/AAAAAAAABX0/HOyWcmQWDWY/s1600/IMG_4030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ipgnC_baRiY/U6Quq7UGDcI/AAAAAAAABYE/_tLucSW4PQ4/s1600/IMG_4107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<script>
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
ga('create', 'UA-52762574-1', 'auto');
ga('send', 'pageview');
</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831780904116844235noreply@blogger.com0