Let us wake up my blog with my favourite entry. 2016 has been a year to work, so no much time to travel, but as usual, I managed to fins some time to get lost around our planet. It is time to remember the feelings that these places have inspired on me!
15. NEW LANARK (SCOTLAND)
It was the second time that I visited this place, but the difference between early and late spring landscape is substantial. This year, I have enjoyed this UNESCO Heritage site with a greener than ever colour. Aside from the important role the place played for Urban Geography, the waterfalls and fauna found in all the zone are amazing. Once you get immersed in the history of this place, it is difficult not to feel the magic of the utopy aiming at building a fairer society.
14. NAARDEN (THE NETHERLANDS)
An we we move now to another place important for Urban Geography. Even if today it has become an upper-class stronghold, you can admire the local architecture without having the feeling that you are in a theme park. Compared to the large amount of ideas never materialised in the Renaissance, Naarden constitutes an exception, a city model based on planification and which aimed at breaking with the medieval chaos. In my experience, I was very well treated and I was able to learn about all bits of history hidden in each corner of the city thanks to the locals.
13. OBAN (SCOTLAND)
Albeit being often in Scotland, I never had stopped at this town. In my opinion, the word that can best describe Oban is quietness, with a neverending peaceful silence living there. I do not know why, but I had a sensation akin to being at home, since it bears many common elements with the Basque fishing town. Especially this connection with the sea, both for being the seafood capital and for giving of the typical smell of the seawater of genuine fishing towns. Oban could well be in the Basque coast, and after spending some months abroad, there is no such a feeling as being at home.
12. ZUID KENNERMERLAND (THE NETHERLANDS)
What a pleasure is to live close to a National Park! So many takes I took the frequently-used bike and I head there when I wanted to observe more natural landscapes. After seeing many dunes in this country, I find these ones the best, since there are loads of contrasts during summertime (forests, lakes, sand, flowers...), as well as a wide range of bird species.
11. AÑARBE IBAIA (BASQUE COUNTRY)
Like every year, I have worked in the river, thanks to which I had the great chance to discover gorgeous places. The place in the picture is Añarbe River, in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, and it readily gives us a visual and simple argument to make rivers more natural again, as can be seen in many sections of this tributary river. And now picture how beautiful the place would be once all the anthropogenic impacts had been removed. This 11th position goes for close and unknown places.
10. SICCAR POINT (SCOTLAND)
This beautiful coastal region would probably be just a beautiful coastal region for a normal hiker, but this milestone in Geology has a special meaning for Earth Scientists. Maybe it is because the geological unconformity is clearer than anywhere else, as if destiny wanted this to be the very first place in which an example of such a feature would be recognised. And yes, the hopes of Mother Earth indeed came true in the 18th century.
9. KAKUETA (EUSKAL HERRIA)
I had not know this Basque province until last summer. Like always, I feel a strong connection with limestone landscapes, especially because of the secrets that are so frequent in these materials. And how easy it is to show people what a karstic area is when they see Kakueta Spring. What is also true is that with such massive amounts of tourists visiting the area, it is harder to feel the energy of the place due to the continuous distractions. I will have to come back in another moment!
8. MARKEN (THE NETHERLANDS)
The most charming town that I have seen in the Netherlands. It is true that all Dutch towns contain large numbers of appealing monuments and canals, but Marken contains different elements and therefore, breaks up the homogeneity of the Dutch landscape. Maybe it is a result of its isolation, until the humankind has built an artificial tombolo, but it is anyway a great pleasure to come back to the independent republic of Marken.
7. BARNS NESS (SCOTLAND)
All places keep some of their history hidden within and it is our duty to unravel it. Just like in architectonic buildings you need to understand the reasons behind each different piece, in natural landscapes it is through geological evolution that we can truly get to know the place. Barns Ness could have just been just another place for me if its inner secret would have not been revealed to me. In fact, it has been the place that has most estimulated my imagination in 2016 when I learnt that there was a Carboniferous forest in that same area some million years ago. I could clearly see the trunks of the trees fitting the current holes and their leaves colouring the landscape with a rainforest green. And these special experiences are much more important than firt impressions, as they are memorable.
6. LLAFRANC (CATALUNYA)
Touristy places are normally full of people, logically, but they have their reasons for that. In the idyllic and famous Costa Brava, you can easily feel the essence of the Mediterranean landscape: different vegetation, the underlying bedrock is easier to see because of the smaller amount of plants, the turquoise hue of the water so typical of the postcards of the area, where ships are just white spots spread around the water, the chance to taste great gastronomy... It could easily be both the starting and finishing point of a trip to Catalunya.
5. HILLEGOM (THE NETHERLANDS)
In pictures up to now, it seems that beauty is something that sticks to the place forever or throughout the year, but it is not usually like that in rural areas. Beauty, as bird migrations, carries out numerous go and return trips, leaving the splendor of the panorama dependent on the crop cycle phase of the time. In a country where togography hardly gives any contrast, flowers give life to the underlying soil. Honestly, the most beautiful and recommendable phenomenon to see in the Netherlands.
4. GLEN ROY (SCOTLAND)
Back to Scotland, we move now to an enigma that puzzled scientists for a long time. Glen Roy is an isolated valley, where rocks have registered a sequence of three so-called parallel roads. They finally concluded that those were the traces of the water levels of some ice-dammed lakes and just like Barns Ness was very helpful in estimulating imagination about goelogical changes, Glen Roy does the same for geomorphological processes linked to climatic changes.You can easily imagine the thickness of the ice and its evolution throughout time. And then think again how many hypotheses were being proposed so as not to accept that catastrophical events could also have their place in the usually calm beat of geology.
3. GLENCOE (SCOTLAND)
The Scottish Highlands contain thousands of stunning corners. If you are coming from the South, you can enjoy a very nice transition leaving you more and more astonished. In that road, there is an inflection point before getting to all the area of Skye and the North in general, and that one is Glencoe. Last year I also had the opportunity to stop at tis place and I also found it really appealing, but this year I had the chance to feel the place a bit better. Under the background music of a bagpipe, I was admiring every single element of this special valley, comparing last and this years panorama, because even if the time difference between May and June is rather small, the landscape changes spectacularly in this short period.
2. HOLTZARTE (BASQUE COUNTRY)
On the second position of this ranking, let us praise one of the most wonderful Basque places. In our most unknown province, this gigantic gorge carved by Olhado and Olhadübia Rivers is ready to surprise the visitor. And also it is a great experience to feel the adrenaline and the possibility of contemplating this dramatic abyss from above when you are crossing the iconic footbridge, which I found very inspiring. Of course, you will have to share this wonder with many tourists.
1. PENTLAND HILLS (SCOTLAND)
And to put an end to this ranking, we came back to Scotland for the last time to visit Pentland Hills. The landscape there is not per se as dramatic as that of the Highlands, and if I had gone in another day, I would have found it more ordinary. But I have already mentioned many times that the meteorological state is of great importance in our perception of a certain panorama. And in my particular case, I find a special connection with the fog, I find it so charming and it makes me experience a wide range of feelings. In Scotland it is very reccurrent, true, but normally it goes away and comes back in cycles of 5-15 minutes; that day, conversely, it stayed with us all the day, giving rise to a landscape full of mysteries. And on the way back, when we were looking to the landscape behind, fog was more dense, as if telling us to forget the past steps and to carry on to our future.
More inspiring stories in: https://www.facebook.com/MrXtravel/?fref=ts
15. NEW LANARK (SCOTLAND)
It was the second time that I visited this place, but the difference between early and late spring landscape is substantial. This year, I have enjoyed this UNESCO Heritage site with a greener than ever colour. Aside from the important role the place played for Urban Geography, the waterfalls and fauna found in all the zone are amazing. Once you get immersed in the history of this place, it is difficult not to feel the magic of the utopy aiming at building a fairer society.
14. NAARDEN (THE NETHERLANDS)
An we we move now to another place important for Urban Geography. Even if today it has become an upper-class stronghold, you can admire the local architecture without having the feeling that you are in a theme park. Compared to the large amount of ideas never materialised in the Renaissance, Naarden constitutes an exception, a city model based on planification and which aimed at breaking with the medieval chaos. In my experience, I was very well treated and I was able to learn about all bits of history hidden in each corner of the city thanks to the locals.
13. OBAN (SCOTLAND)
Albeit being often in Scotland, I never had stopped at this town. In my opinion, the word that can best describe Oban is quietness, with a neverending peaceful silence living there. I do not know why, but I had a sensation akin to being at home, since it bears many common elements with the Basque fishing town. Especially this connection with the sea, both for being the seafood capital and for giving of the typical smell of the seawater of genuine fishing towns. Oban could well be in the Basque coast, and after spending some months abroad, there is no such a feeling as being at home.
12. ZUID KENNERMERLAND (THE NETHERLANDS)
What a pleasure is to live close to a National Park! So many takes I took the frequently-used bike and I head there when I wanted to observe more natural landscapes. After seeing many dunes in this country, I find these ones the best, since there are loads of contrasts during summertime (forests, lakes, sand, flowers...), as well as a wide range of bird species.
11. AÑARBE IBAIA (BASQUE COUNTRY)
Like every year, I have worked in the river, thanks to which I had the great chance to discover gorgeous places. The place in the picture is Añarbe River, in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, and it readily gives us a visual and simple argument to make rivers more natural again, as can be seen in many sections of this tributary river. And now picture how beautiful the place would be once all the anthropogenic impacts had been removed. This 11th position goes for close and unknown places.
10. SICCAR POINT (SCOTLAND)
This beautiful coastal region would probably be just a beautiful coastal region for a normal hiker, but this milestone in Geology has a special meaning for Earth Scientists. Maybe it is because the geological unconformity is clearer than anywhere else, as if destiny wanted this to be the very first place in which an example of such a feature would be recognised. And yes, the hopes of Mother Earth indeed came true in the 18th century.
9. KAKUETA (EUSKAL HERRIA)
I had not know this Basque province until last summer. Like always, I feel a strong connection with limestone landscapes, especially because of the secrets that are so frequent in these materials. And how easy it is to show people what a karstic area is when they see Kakueta Spring. What is also true is that with such massive amounts of tourists visiting the area, it is harder to feel the energy of the place due to the continuous distractions. I will have to come back in another moment!
8. MARKEN (THE NETHERLANDS)
The most charming town that I have seen in the Netherlands. It is true that all Dutch towns contain large numbers of appealing monuments and canals, but Marken contains different elements and therefore, breaks up the homogeneity of the Dutch landscape. Maybe it is a result of its isolation, until the humankind has built an artificial tombolo, but it is anyway a great pleasure to come back to the independent republic of Marken.
7. BARNS NESS (SCOTLAND)
All places keep some of their history hidden within and it is our duty to unravel it. Just like in architectonic buildings you need to understand the reasons behind each different piece, in natural landscapes it is through geological evolution that we can truly get to know the place. Barns Ness could have just been just another place for me if its inner secret would have not been revealed to me. In fact, it has been the place that has most estimulated my imagination in 2016 when I learnt that there was a Carboniferous forest in that same area some million years ago. I could clearly see the trunks of the trees fitting the current holes and their leaves colouring the landscape with a rainforest green. And these special experiences are much more important than firt impressions, as they are memorable.
6. LLAFRANC (CATALUNYA)
Touristy places are normally full of people, logically, but they have their reasons for that. In the idyllic and famous Costa Brava, you can easily feel the essence of the Mediterranean landscape: different vegetation, the underlying bedrock is easier to see because of the smaller amount of plants, the turquoise hue of the water so typical of the postcards of the area, where ships are just white spots spread around the water, the chance to taste great gastronomy... It could easily be both the starting and finishing point of a trip to Catalunya.
5. HILLEGOM (THE NETHERLANDS)
In pictures up to now, it seems that beauty is something that sticks to the place forever or throughout the year, but it is not usually like that in rural areas. Beauty, as bird migrations, carries out numerous go and return trips, leaving the splendor of the panorama dependent on the crop cycle phase of the time. In a country where togography hardly gives any contrast, flowers give life to the underlying soil. Honestly, the most beautiful and recommendable phenomenon to see in the Netherlands.
4. GLEN ROY (SCOTLAND)
Back to Scotland, we move now to an enigma that puzzled scientists for a long time. Glen Roy is an isolated valley, where rocks have registered a sequence of three so-called parallel roads. They finally concluded that those were the traces of the water levels of some ice-dammed lakes and just like Barns Ness was very helpful in estimulating imagination about goelogical changes, Glen Roy does the same for geomorphological processes linked to climatic changes.You can easily imagine the thickness of the ice and its evolution throughout time. And then think again how many hypotheses were being proposed so as not to accept that catastrophical events could also have their place in the usually calm beat of geology.
3. GLENCOE (SCOTLAND)
The Scottish Highlands contain thousands of stunning corners. If you are coming from the South, you can enjoy a very nice transition leaving you more and more astonished. In that road, there is an inflection point before getting to all the area of Skye and the North in general, and that one is Glencoe. Last year I also had the opportunity to stop at tis place and I also found it really appealing, but this year I had the chance to feel the place a bit better. Under the background music of a bagpipe, I was admiring every single element of this special valley, comparing last and this years panorama, because even if the time difference between May and June is rather small, the landscape changes spectacularly in this short period.
2. HOLTZARTE (BASQUE COUNTRY)
On the second position of this ranking, let us praise one of the most wonderful Basque places. In our most unknown province, this gigantic gorge carved by Olhado and Olhadübia Rivers is ready to surprise the visitor. And also it is a great experience to feel the adrenaline and the possibility of contemplating this dramatic abyss from above when you are crossing the iconic footbridge, which I found very inspiring. Of course, you will have to share this wonder with many tourists.
1. PENTLAND HILLS (SCOTLAND)
And to put an end to this ranking, we came back to Scotland for the last time to visit Pentland Hills. The landscape there is not per se as dramatic as that of the Highlands, and if I had gone in another day, I would have found it more ordinary. But I have already mentioned many times that the meteorological state is of great importance in our perception of a certain panorama. And in my particular case, I find a special connection with the fog, I find it so charming and it makes me experience a wide range of feelings. In Scotland it is very reccurrent, true, but normally it goes away and comes back in cycles of 5-15 minutes; that day, conversely, it stayed with us all the day, giving rise to a landscape full of mysteries. And on the way back, when we were looking to the landscape behind, fog was more dense, as if telling us to forget the past steps and to carry on to our future.
THE END
More inspiring stories in: https://www.facebook.com/MrXtravel/?fref=ts
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