The final instalment of my favourite photos of our trip! Part 1 covered Latvia to Thailand, and part 2 from Kuala Lumpur to China.
I added a fisheye lens to my camera kit in Uzbekistan. Inside the dome of Chorsu Bazaar in Tashkent was the perfect place to give it a trial run
Potato sellers perched on a bench in Tashkent’s Chorsu Bazaar
I got chatting to this group of ladies after I took this sneaky photo and found out that they were visiting Tashkent from the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon
Looking out through the entrance of Barak Khan Medressa to Khast Imom Square, Tashkent
One of my abiding memories of Uzbekistan is the colour blue, from the turquoise of the mosques to the clear blue skies
Laghman noodle soup with a round non bread and a side of the ubiquitous tomato and cucumber salad was a favourite lunch during our time in Uzbekistan
The Registan in Samarkand was jaw-droppingly beautiful by day and by night
A bright orange sunrise seen over the rooftops of Samarkand
The second time that Jo joined us on the trip was in Uzbekistan. Here she’s photographing one of the mausoleums at Shah-i-Zinda in Samarkand
A bright green stick insect on the vibrant tiles of a mausoleum at Shah-i-Zinda
Uzbek gravestones feature portraits of the deceased. We enjoyed wandering through the cemetery in Samarkand and practicing our Cyrillic transliteration skills
Char Minar in Bukhara was the gatehouse of a long-gone 19th century medressa
The souvenir stalls in Khiva offered lots of thick woollen socks, often made by the stallholder like this lady inside the Tosh-hovli Palace
When we ascended the watchtower of the Kuhna Ark in Khiva to watch the sun set over the city we were surprised to find a music video being shot and spent as much time taking photos of the dancer as of the historic buildings
The ship cemetery at Moynoq which used to sit on the edge of the Aral Sea really brought home the environmental tragedy caused by the Soviet Union’s irrigation projects in the area to increase cotton production. Moynoq was a thriving fishing town at the edge of the lake in 1960 but is now 150km away from the still retreating water
Vendor of traditional Uzbek silks at Margilon Bazaar in the Fergana Valley
The Uzbek people were some of the friendliest we came across and we spent a lot of time saying hello and answering questions at the enormous Margilon Bazaar
Pigeons frightened by a cat outside Yeni Cami in Istanbul
Magnificent interior of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul
Necklaces for sale in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar
A man begins his afternoon prayer in the Rustem Pasha Mosque
We couldn’t resist the Turkish Delight shops in Istanbul
Andrew getting a different view of “Bring Yourself to Me” by Handan Boruteçene in Istanbul Modern
The huge Basilica Cistern in Istanbul lay forgotten for almost a hundred years after the Ottoman Conquest
This photograph really captures the day that we visited the Topkapi Sarayi, the former palace of the Ottoman sultans in Istanbul – rainy and grey
When Steph, Tom and Olly visited us in Istanbul we got to see the local playgrounds and behave like big kids!
Passengers on the ferry to the Princes’ Islands feeding gulls
The iconic Haghia Sophia stands in the centre of Istanbul and dominates its skyline. Its dome rises 56m above the floor and looks much smaller than it actually is from below
Malta’s traditional architecture is very distinctive and nowhere more so than in the capital city Valletta with its golden limestone, narrow streets and wooden covered balconies
Looking back towards the start of the walk at Dingli Cliffs. Not bad for a day in November
The prickly pear grows throughout the Maltese countryside and the fruit is both eaten and used to make a liqueur
The Lascaris War Rooms were a fascinating insight into WWII history
A can of beer and a packet of crisps on Għadira beach after a long day’s walk around the northern coastline
Roofline of the church at the Addolorata Cemetery in Paola, Malta
Street lamps in the twisting streets of Mdina, the fortress city in the centre of Malta
Stormy clouds behind St Lawrence’s Church, Vittoriosa
The fantastic Segway tour that we took on Gozo went past the natural salt pans on the north-west coast
Traditional fishing baskets are still used by Maltese fishermen who let them down and mark the spot, collecting them several hours later
It was eerie to see steam rising from vents in the snowy Monte Barbagallo crater of Mt Etna
Baccala, or salt cod, is a typical regional ingredient in Sicily. In Catania’s fish market we saw it drying in the sun
Looking up inside the conical Santuario della Madonna delle Lacrime in Siracusa. We nicknamed it the ‘Cone of Shame’
Temple of Vulcano at Agrigento where we spent an unexpectedly cold and slightly snowy New Year’s Eve
Fantastic banyan trees in Giardino Garibaldi, Palermo
Spritz o’clock became a late afternoon institution during our stay in Sicily where the refreshing cocktail is served with complimentary bar snacks
Views up the coast from the former fortress atop La Rocca over Cefalù, Sicily
The mosaics inside Monreale Cathedral tell stories from the bible to assist in medieval times when the vast majority of the population were illiterate
Sculptural Silk floss trees from South America in the Botanical Garden in Palermo
The rather unlikely sounding tile collection of Stanze al Genio in Palermo ended up being one of our favourite sights in Sicily. We dreamt about starting our own collection in an attempt to make our own home so beautiful
Locals leave offerings for skulls in the Fontanelle Cemetery in Naples
On one of the rare sunny days of our fortnight in Naples we spent exploring the house and grounds of the nearby Reggia di Caserta
We climbed to the cupola atop the dome of St Peter’s Basilica for views across Rome but hadn’t expected the staircase to be inside the sloping walls of the dome itself
Entering the base of the dome at St Peter’s Basilica was an unexpected treat for the vertiginous view to the floor of the church
Looking down into the Colosseum from the third tier trying to reimagine ancient Roman times
The view through the keyhole of the Villa del Priorato dei Cavalieri di Malta was surprising in its perfection even when we knew what to expect
A pyramid in Rome? Yes really! It was built in around 12BC as the tomb of Gaius Cestius
There’s a lot of graffiti in Italy. Most of it is fairly unsightly tags but occasionally it is well enough done that it improves whatever it is sprayed onto, like this line B metro train in Rome
The main synagogue in Rome stands imposingly above the River Tiber
The leaning Tower of Pisa is part of a complex known as the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles). The Baptistry has incredible acoustics which are demonstrated every half hour by the guard who stands in the centre of the room and sings a few notes which resonate for so long that he can create chords with his own voice!
The Camposanto Monumentale cemetery in Pisa is slowly being restored after being damaged by bombing in WWII
We loved catching up with our friends Heidi and Olivier in Switzerland and once again admiring the spectacular scenery of their home country
Sunlight streaming through the stained glass window of a tiny chapel on Spreuerbrücke in Luzern
‘Wandering the immeasurable’ by Gayle Hermick stands outside the visitor centre at CERN and is inscribed with major discoveries in physics in the language that they were made
The sun goes down behind the tree lined Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence
Inside the diminutive Basilique Saint-Nazaire in the medieval La Cité, Carcassonne
Carcassonne’s medieval walled fortress town, La Cité
Reflections inside Toulouse’s Church of the Jacobins
The bread, cheese and wine in France was just as good as we’d expected
Luxembourg’s Notre-Dame Cathedral has three spires, each different from the others
Smokers outside the ornate Centraal Station in Amsterdam
Amsterdam’s canal houses were built with a pulley projecting from the gable to more easily move goods to the upper floors and they are still in use today
National Monument and Royal Palace in Dam Square, Amsterdam
‘Tolerance’ by Alaniz is one of the artworks featured in Amsterdam’s Street Art Museum
Looking down the pond in Museumplein towards the Rijksmuseum
We got up early to catch the dew on the tulips at Keukenhof Garden before meeting up with Dan, Clare, Scott and Emma
All of the windmills at Zaanse Schans village are working, milling items as diverse as logs, spices and dyes for paint!
A funfair was squeezed into Dam Square for the King’s Day celebrations
We enjoyed cycling through the colourful bulb fields of the Netherlands
The European Parliament in Brussels
The Atomium was built for the Brussels World’s Fair in 1958 but its architecture still looks futuristic
two year trip
The views along the Solway Firth were the highlight of the day
After yesterday’s post I know that you’re all dying to know what Ullswater Pie is – here you go, imagine a lattice topped pork pie filled with ham, chicken and stuffing. Yum!
Still smiling despite the rain
A bit of sunshine on the coastal path between Maryport and Workington
