Author Archives: Andrew

Day 6
Started the day with a trip up to the high point above Cortina, Le Tofane at 3244m. Frances opted to stay at the cafe slightly lower, but I took the final cable car and then completed the final scramble to the summit. Superb views looking down into three separate valleys, including several impressive backdrops used in Cliffhanger. I was looking down on rising mist and low cloud, so superb photography.
After lunch we drove up to the lake at Misurina, another strong recommendation from the tourist office. This is a beautiful clear lake surrounded by high mountains, and very photogenic despite the other tourists.
Our plan was to finish the day with the last of the “must do” recommendations, the cable car to the Cinque Torre (5 towers), but we were running too late. However a spot of map reading suggested an interesting substitution – the drive up to and view from the Passo di Santa Lucia. As we arrived the sun was going down and storm clouds gathering, producing fascinating light.
Back to the hotel, and a very good “Gala Meal” well above my previous experience of half board fare. The Francesci Park Hotel gets a very high recommendation.
Food: 8/10
Photography: 9/10
More bloody cyclists: -5/10
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Day 5 Our long drive to Cortina D’Ampezzo started with a gentle drive on the old road to Trento, most remarkable for the very erratic roadsigns showing remaining distance. Warning: the value of your roadsigns may go up as well Continue reading →
Friday, October 4, 2013 in
Italy 2013,
Travel
My Canon 7D, like the 40D before it, has a feature I love and would find it hard to relinquish – three fully programmable custom modes, right on the mode dial. This makes it possible to sort out the myriad Continue reading →
Day 3 Ghastly first hour driving from Bergamo to Breschia along the motorway, with heavy traffic, narrow lanes and roadworks frequently eliminating the minimal existing room for manoeuvre. We got off as soon as possible and drove gently towards Verona Continue reading →
Thursday, September 26, 2013 in
Italy 2013,
Travel
Quick update on the support position for the Panasonic GX7. Phase One won’t commit themselves on Capture One support. It looks like the DNG converter is the best Adobe are going to do. I also haven’t yet managed to track Continue reading →
The majority of my camera purchases have been somewhat “behind the curve”, to the extent that I’ve purchased some just before the announcement of their replacement. However for my latest purchase I’ve gone right to the other end of the Continue reading →
Saturday, September 21, 2013 in
Photography
For 2013 we’ve come back to Northern Italy. It’s a place we both love. Frances has long harboured a desire to visit Verona, and I wanted to revisit the Dolomites through which I took a fleeting drive many years ago, Continue reading →
Wednesday, September 18, 2013 in
Italy 2013,
Travel
We are becoming quite the connoisseurs of balloon fiestas (unless fiesta is its own plural :)). Following on from Northampton 2008 (0 balloons) and Albuquerque 2012 (over 500 balloons) we’ve now added Britain’s biggest festival on Bristol, which featured a Continue reading →
Wednesday, August 14, 2013 in
Thoughts on the World
I’ve been catching up with some of the outstanding shots from our USA trip in 2012. One of the most successful days of the whole trip in photographic terms started in the fascinating Bisti Badlands, and ended on a short Continue reading →
Thursday, July 25, 2013 in
Photography,
Travel,
USA 2012
I’ve just posted my review of World War Z – The Book. In it, I liken the book to a science fiction version of “The World At War”. Now here’s the real oddity – the book of The World at Continue reading →
I am trying to work out what to make of the announcement of Canon’s new 70D. For those of you who haven’t caught up yet, Canon have finally, after four years, upgraded their APS-C sensor technology, yesterday announcing their new Continue reading →