Saturday 8 August 2009

Arctic Summer




The Arctic summer is a short but intense burst of life. For just a few months, the harsh climate of the Arctic relents. The sun shines day and night. And in come the birds Snowy owls live on the tundra and hunt during the day, unlike their cousins, the great horned owls.The arctic summer is a time of brightness and life.

Snow and ice clear to reveal a landscape of colourful tundra and bright alpine flowers on the shores of clear blue, iceberg-strewn fjords.

Tuesday 4 August 2009

A visit to the Azores - São Miguel Island


Ponta Delgada, the main town.


A Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores islands have volcanic origins.
Lagoa do Fogo
Cryptomeria, the Japanese cedar, is a conifer extensively grown for its timber; the large trees here reach 70 m and cover the extint volcano hillsides:


Hot springs are mostly located in the center of the island. São Miguel has several stratovolcanoes, the largest of them Sete Cidades, Fogo and Furnas.

The Terra Nostra Garden, fed by hot sulphuric springs:

Tropical forest? No, just a local Nature Park.

Hydrangeas are considered to be a symbol of the archipelago and decorate roadsides:

The Northeastern coastal road has the best panoramic sights of cliffs and sea.