Tag Archives: travel photography

August 1, 2022 · 5:35 am

Transatlantic 2022 — Vision of the Seas to La Palma, Canary Islands


Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas in La Palma, Canary Islands

Ursula and I only recently got back from a trip that began with a flight to Fort Lauderdale on 27 April 2022, and didn’t see us return until 7 July. This was yet another transatlantic cruise aboard a Royal Caribbean ship, Vision of the Seas. Now, I love sea days, as it affords me the opportunity to play bridge. And play I did, twice a day every day at sea. But on 7 May it was time to get down to the business of photography as we made port in the city of Santa Cruz de La Palma on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands.

Maritime Station of Santa Cruz de La Palma

Now, Ursula and I have been to La Palma before, but we went into the interior on tour. For this visit we opted to hoof it into town and see the sights on our own.

Seawall decoration by the cruise terminal — La Palma silhouette (left) and painted tilework

So, early morning, we set out on foot. The sun was low in the east and clouds shrouded the peaks above the city.

A hacienda in the clouds

La Palma offered me a lot of color, and I began taking advantage of this even before we left the pier:

Colorful buildings overlooking the port for Santa Cruz de La Palma
Layers of color marching up the hill

One of the first images hovering over you as you leave the port for downtown is this charming church perched high above:

Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Luz (Hermitage of Our Lady of Light)

After exiting the port and making our way to the pedestrian street Calle O’Daly, we turned northeast and headed toward the sights. This is a great street to walk, take in the scenery, and enjoy the atmosphere without the traffic.

Calle O’Daly

We’ll continue this walk on Wednesday, but for now I’ll leave you with images of the typical doors and wonderful balconies for which Santa Cruz de La Palma is known:

Beautiful stone building on Calle O’Daly with…
… an exquisite draped balcony above

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July 8, 2022 · 5:35 am

Fun Photo Friday — Southern Caribbean; Dominica Favorites 2


Grandeur Framed by Vendor Huts

This week’s Fun Photo Friday concludes both our visit to Dominica and this series on cruising the Southern Caribbean. Next week I’ll present something a bit closer to home, but which is a lot of fun.

Enjoy Dominica!
Pelican Taking a Break
Fishes Making Wishes?
The “Grandeur” of a Dominica View

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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July 6, 2022 · 5:35 am

Southern Caribbean Cruising — Dominica; Soufrière back to Roseau


That charming church you see above is Saint Mark in the northeastern quadrant of Soufrière just yards from Bubble Beach Spa. The colors and architecture of Saint Mark may at first appear stark until you recall how colorful the surrounding buildings and boats are in this small village. Sat Mark is just a fun, fun structure to photograph when the light hits it right, as it did in this afternoon shot.

Saint Mark closeup

I’m going to present three more images of Soufrière sights, then take you to a couple of attractions in Roseau:

After Soufrière we headed back north to Roseau for eventual reunion with our ship Grandeur of the Seas. But before we reboarded we had two additional places to see starting with a hilltop overlook of the capital city. This is the view from Morne Bruce Garrison and Viewpoint:, which is 400 feet/122 meters above sea level:

Roseau, Grandeur of the Seas (upper left), Windsor Park Stadium (right)

As I noted above, this is the former location of the Morne (Mount) Bruce Garrison, which defended Dominica from the 1770s until July 1854:

Morne Bruce Garrison historical marker

From Morne Bruce we descended back toward Grandeur of the Seas, but not before passing through the Dominica Botanical Gardens. Doesn’t this look delish? It even has a delicious name, sausage tree:

Sausage tree (Kigelia africana)

But let neither the name nor the appearance of this large (up to 15 pounds/7 kilograms) berry lull you into taking a nibble. Kigelia africana is poisonous to humans if eaten unprepared! But elephants and baboons love them straight off the tree.

Sausage tree berry

And here’s an example of a banyan fig tree:

Banyan tree in Domina Botanical Gardens

Fun Photo Friday will conclude not only this visit to Dominica, but completion of this series on cruising in the Southern Caribbean. Starting next week I’ll be taking you to place I’ve reviewed before, but which has since gotten a complete remake.

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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