Fuerteventura, a spanish island, is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa.
Lire la suite « Fuerteventura »Auteur : Hi Suk
I’m a korean born French lady, married, sharing my time between Paris and a country house in the south of France (Perigord). My parents and brothers live in South Korea while my daughter and son live in the USA. I’m a ceramist and create mostly contemporary artworks. What I like best: travelling and reading novels.
The USA west coast
On april 2008, we toured four US western states: California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. While we spent only one day in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Las Vegas, we focused mostly on some very famous Parks: Valley of fire, Zion, Bryce canyon, Lake Powell, Sequoia, Grand canyon and Monument valley to name a few.
When you realize that California alone is about the size of Sweden, it becomes obvious that crisscrossing four states within a couple of weeks implies a lot of time on the road! Nevertheless, we manage to get enough time to enjoy the fabulous parks.
L.A. Venice beach in early morning
Stars at Hollywood…
A limo, not ours…
Excessive Las Vegas
Las Vegas by night!
Hello Valley of Fire!
Valley of Fire: a sarcophagus?
Hiding in the Valley of Fire
The pink Zion…
The ocher Zion…
The fabulous Bryce canyon!
It’s just unbelievable!
Down there, you’re like an ant!
Erosion built this huge organ!
The Colorado river at Powell dam
Flying over lake Powell
At Monument Valley, the seven sisters… and us!
Monument Valley tree-dwelling fauna!
Tree-dwelling fauna! (continued)
Monument Valley: feeding a tortoise!
Monument Valley: three sisters? or four?
Monument Valley the great!
Monument Valley: look at that!
By the grand canyon of Colorado
By the grand canyon of Colorado
2 km deep, 8 km wide… You hear me?
Over the grand canyon: we dit it!
This canyon turns me thoughtful!
Route 66: wanna give a call?
Route 66: need gas?
Route 66: Bagdad cafe
At Sequoia Nat Park: we’re ants!
A lying sequoia is still impressive!
San Francisco: a tramway named desire!
San Francisco cheerful colored victorian houses
San Francisco: at Fisherman’s wharf, seals are obviously enjoying the city as much as me!
Tour du Mont Blanc
The « Tour du Mont Blanc » is a ten to fifteen day trek around « Mont Blanc », Europe highest mountain.
Our trek lasted a full week. We did it clockwise, starting from « Le Tour » village just above Chamonix, and ending at « Notre Dame de la Gorge » close to « Les Contamines ». This represent about tree quarter of a full revolution, hence the duration.
After a week of intensive training, we joined a group lead by a guide… and a mule. To do it in a group limits your freedom, but has as main advantage to have a tent waiting for you every night and a mule to carry half your luggage. Our mule, Noisette (hazelnut in english) became soon our heroine when she proved so skilled and strong at climbing anywhere day after day. And withsole salary… grass and the carrots I had brought for her.
So we toured the Mont Blanc in July 2007. One of our most exhilarating experience!
Week 1 (training)
The pretty Le Tour village near Chamonix where we dropped our car and spent the first week.
Not quite near the top!
Lys martagon
Facing « les Aiguilles Rouges »
Nice encounter
Am I pretty?
Checking our location with GPS
Never high enough!
Facing les Aiguilles Vertes and Mont Blanc
At the top!
Over 2000 m high, it’s getting chilly
Azalea are still blooming in July
Shall we dash away or not?
Stilted water in lac Blanc
Week 2 (touring Mont Blanc)
Hi Suk, the guide and the mule Noisette. Who’s overloaded?
A crowd of trekkers crossing the swiss border
Ferret pass. We’re still fresh in the morning!
It seems it’s always climbing up!
La Peula, our only indoor bivouac. Hay can be a fabulous mattress!
Who said slit eyes?
Just follow the trail…
At Mt Dolent, the top of which belongs to France, Swizerland and Italy.
Beautiful gentian
Fabulous edelweiss
Great view at grand Ferret pass!
In the afternoon, tiredness is taking its toll!
Even climbing down is climbing!
A nice resting place near refuge Elisabetta
Lake Miage, another icy lake
The end of the day: tired but happy!
At Seigne pass
Fours pass: yes it is very steep!
Fours pass: ascending ahead of the group… and the mule!
The last névé at nearly 3000 m high
Noisette and her new guide!
After the longest lap, at the col du Bonhomme
Ready to fly!
Mule drawn?
Islas_Baleares
Les îles Baléares forment un groupe d’îles de la Méditerranée à l’est des côtes espagnoles, à la hauteur de Valence, à 88 km du point de plus proche de la péninsule Ibérique. La seule île de Majorque couvre presque 75 % de l’étendue de l’archipel, suivie de Minorque , Ibiza, et Formentera. Les autres îles, de superficie moins importante, sont Dragonera, Conejera et Espalmador.
Les îles Baléares sont une communauté autonome de l’Espagne. Le catalan est la langue co-officielle avec le castillan, la variante locale du catalan étant le baléare.
La population totale de l’archipel est de plus d’un million d’habitants (2008). La capitale, Palma de Majorque, est située sur la plus grande des îles : Majorque. Au plan géo-linguistique, les îles Baléares se situent dans l’aire catalane, ensemble avec les régions de Valence (Pays valencien) et Barcelone (Catalogne).
L’archipel des Baléares accueille chaque année environ dix millions de touristes, dont 20 % d’Allemands.
… plus nous deux !
Première rencontre / First encounter
Au travail ! At work!
Détails / Details
Première ballade / First walk
Trop mangé ! / Too much eating!
Devant mon jardin… / In front of my garden
Canal du Midi
From Toulouse to the Mediterranean sea, a 240 km ride on a towing path along a winding canal built between 1669 and 1681.
The « Canal du Midi » is Europe oldest canal still in activity. Its main goal was to enable cargo to cross France by boat from the Mediterranean sea to the Atlantic ocean, thus avoiding to sail around Spain and Portugal. It has now become a peaceful place for tourists, run either by bicycle or by leisure boat. Today’s sportsmen ride their bicycles along the towing paths formerly used by horses and men to tow the cargo boats.
This canal has been included into the UNESCO « world heritage » list in 1996.
In autumn
In summer
Now, the TRIP!
The departure, after Toulouse, is too easy. A small tar road, the sun shines, the wind is pushing our backs!
Loaded like a mule!
Who said riding a bike is tiring?
The plane tree falling leaves make a colored carpet
Isn’t it romantic?
A few hours later, getting tired!
It’s a never ending canal…
Horror, water has vanished!
First lap at Castelnaudary
So much vines reminds me of a sweet hot cup of wine…
The best time: tea break!
Looking shy in front of the camera…
Is the canal going up or down?
When is this gate going to open?
There’s a time when pedaling is… a dream!
That’s really too cold at 7 AM, even in icy Carcassonne
Where are we supposed to go?
Looking for mushrooms…
If we don’t go back home right away, I’ll prick a whim!
Where’s my bike?
I will never tell my friends there was no water in the canal, who would believe me?
Why shouldn’t we stop and buy a nice boat?
At the end of the road… sorry of the canal: the reward!
Now let me tell you a confidence, I can’t sit any more…
OVERSEAS 
