Exploring with my camera
I had visited several cemeteries and battle grounds and reflected on what I had seen. It was disturbing and unsettling, but nothing quite prepared me for the atmosphere of Beaumont-Hamel, where I shivered and felt heavy as I walked into … Continued
We stayed in Arras for two nights, visiting cemeteries and countryside around the city. The aim was not to follow the historical path of the war, or specific battles, but to photograph for an illustrated talk and to ‘react’ to … Continued
We planned a few days in Northern France to do some research on WWI battlefields and started at the end of the war, the Armistice. The Armistice was finally signed in Compiègne on 11 November 1918, and brought to an … Continued
Mertola is a small, walled town on a hillside next to the River Guadiana at the edge of the Algarve, and topped with a castle. This was the most northerly trading town on the river, used by the Phoenicians and … Continued
The remains of a substantial Roman countryside villa were found by accident at Pisðes, a few miles west of Beja, in 1967. The villa apparently included over 40 rooms and was occupied between 1C-4C.
Serpa is another of those towns in the east of Portugal’s Alentejo which is relatively unknown to tourists – people travel to the Algarve, or Porto, or Lisbon, but the Alentejo remains hidden and undiscovered. Restless Jo wrote a marvellous post on … Continued
We were in Beja, which was new to us, staying in the wonderful Pousada Sao Francisco there, and set off to explore the surrounding areas as well. It was an easy and attractive drive to Moura, another of those sites … Continued
The PR6 in the Guadiana Natural Park begins at Azinhal, a small village on the IC27 about thirty minutes south of Beja. (A map of the walk can be downloaded here.) We chose this walk, which is along tracks, chosen … Continued
The Regional Museum in Beja was established in 1927 in the Convent of Our Lady of Conception. The building is rich and beautiful, and very feminine after the austerity of the Pousada, and I returned daily while staying in Beja.
Visiting an area or town for the first time usually means seeing the ‘obvious’ sights first, returning if there is time and I particularly enjoyed something, then I move on to the ‘secondary’ sights, and after that I am free … Continued