Europe and Beyond - Landscapes, Borders & Strokes

Europe and Beyond - Landscapes, Borders & Strokes

Photographs and photography of European landscapes including France, Italy and Spain.

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France, Alpes de Haute Provence - Plateau de Valensole
The Plateau de Valensole is a vast area covering some 800km² at a height of approximately 500 meters. The climate for the area is typically Mediterranean, with the climatic conditions on top of the plateau being ideal for growing lavender. Across the top of the plateau huge areas are covered with neat rows of lavender plants. Depending upon location and climate the lavender will bloom typically between the end of June and the end of Sprtember/early October. In order to maximise the amount of oil extracted the plants need to be harvested at just the right time. File0542.
Keywords: Lavender fields Provence, Plateau de Valensole, of, French, France, crop lines, rows blooms, flowers, Alba Landscapes File0542dng

France, Alpes de Haute Provence - Sisteron
Sisteron is a commune of some 7,500 people in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region of France. Often referred to as the Gateway to Provence it lies in a valley between two extended mountain ranges in an area which has been inhabited for more than 4,000 years. Roman armies used this route on their marches through this region of France and due to it's strategic position the area has seen a significant number of conflicts throughout it's history.
Sitting high above the commune of Sisteron is The Citadel of Sisteron. The Citadel is a collection of various fortifications the earliest of which dates back to the 12th century.
This particular afternoon I'd set up my tripod on the hill across the River Durance to wait through the afternoon for sunset. Instead, as the afternoon progressed the mid-summer sky closed over, darkened and the thunderstorm started, as a result, I managed several frames with lightening striking the top of the hillside near to the citadel. File 9993.
Keywords: Sisteron, lightening, strike, striking, The Citadel of Sisteron, Provence, France, old town photography, Alba Landscapes, File9993dng

France, Alpes de Haute Provence - Valensole
The region known as the Plateau de Valensole is well known for it's lavender fields. In the Provence region there are typically three varieties of lavender which grow.
True Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia). This particular variety can be found between 600 and 1,500 metres. True lavender is cultivated but also grows wild in higher areas. Commonly thought to have the best aromatic fragrance of the three varieties.
Large lavender (Lavandula latifolia). Typically grows wild between 600 to 800 metres. Not the best fragrance and is rarely used commercially.
Hybrid lavender (Lavandula X intermedia). Commonly known in the UK as English lavender and is a cross between large and true lavenders. This variety gives high yields and is disease resistant. Hybrid lavender is the most commonly grown variety in Provence. File 0161.
Keywords: Lavender, fields, crop, plateau de Valensole, Provence, France, French, Route de la LavandeAlba Landscapes, File0161dng

France, Alpes de Haute Provence - Valensole
The Plateau de Valensole is one of the major lavender growing regions of France. The altitude at around 500 metres is perfectly suited with the well drained soil for lavender production. Summer temperatures can be in excess of 37°C and very heavy thunder storms are frequent. The Plataau de Valensole is in fact one of the most storm prone areas in France.
Being in the tallest object together with a tripod in the middle of a large, very flat lavender field with a violent thunder storm closing in hasn't made it onto my 'bucket list'. File 0099.
Keywords: Lavender flowers, field of lavender, crop, row, Valensole, plateau de Valensole, Provence, France, French, File0099dng

France, Alpes de Haute Provence - Valensole
On the Plateau de Valensole in Provence, this particular evening culminated in a genuinely spectacular sunset which just dominated the whole of the sky. This was one of those special evenings when the joy of working with the camera, coupled with what mother nature was generating makes you feel privileged to have been present and able to record something of the event. File 0114.
Keywords: Lavender fields, rows, crop aromatic, purple, Plateau de Valensole France, French, Alba Landscapes, File 0114dng

France, Alpes de Haute Provence - Valensole
Located close to Valensole is a lavender farm which is also a member of France Passion. I had found this composition the previous day and opted to park up under their almond trees and stay over that night ready for the sunrise. As with many sunrise shots on the Plateau de Valensole during July the haze on the horizon tends to be ever present.
What particularly caught my eye here was the three groups of complimentary parallels, plus the lone tree.
The Plateau de Valensole in addition to growing large expanses of lavender also produces significant quantities of cereal crops namely, wheat, corn, barley, oats and sorghum. File 0072.
Keywords: lavender wheat fields, Plateau de Valensole France, French sunrise, Provence. Alba Landscapes,File0072

France, Alpes de Haute Provence - Valensole (2)
On the Plateau de Valensole when following the route D6 there are some exceptionally large lavender fields to be found. The light is typically so bright in the area that apart from sunrise and sunset my camera remained in my bag for the vast majority of the time that I was there. However, on the evening of this particular photograph everything came together spectacularly at sunset. Once the sun started to fall towards the horizon the colours began to build, the D6 was littered with cars parked on the side of the road to watch natures light display, despite the threat of the local gendarmerie driving past. File 0108.
Keywords: Lavender fields, rows, crop aromatic, purple, Plateau de Valensole France, French, Ron Walsh,File 0108dng

France, Aquitaine - Orthez
Orthez is a commune in the Aquitaine region of south-west France. The Gave du Pau flows through the middle of the town roughly dividing the old town from the new.
Spanning the Gave de Pau is this 14th century four arch bridge which I had spotted the tower of two nights earlier when I was driving through Orthez just before midnight. Having parked the car I went to investigate and made the decision to stay and attempt to photograph the bridge and entrance to the old town. Two days later after continual rain I finally got just 20 seconds of light before everything went flat again.
What I find amazing is that just some 20 metres from the start of the bridge is a main high speed railway line and living under the arches beneath the railway line are an assortment of homeless French tramps. File 6468.
Keywords: Orthez, Aquitaine, old bridge, tower, historical, history, Gave du Pau, river, French, Ron Walsh, File6468

France, Aquitane - Col de Marie Blanque
The Col de Marie-Blanque reaches a maximum altitude of 1035 metres in the Pyrenees linking the valleys of Aspe and Ossau together.
The pass was first used as a climbing stage for the Tour de France in 1978 and has been used regularly since then.
This particular view looks west down the pass towards it's starting point at the small commune of Escot beside the N134. File 6513.
Keywords: Col de Marie-Blanque, holly tree, Pyrenees, France, Mountain pass French, bracken, Alba Landscapes, File6513dng

France, Normandy - Mont St Michel
Located approximately 1Km offshore in the waters of the English Channel at the mouth of the Couesnon River in Normandy, France is Mont St Michel. Mont St Michel is renowned the world over for it's famous Benedictine Abbey and steepled church and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site receives some three million visitors each year.
Over many years the Couesnon River has had a number of canals linked to it which has significantly reduced the outflow of water from it. In addition, the coastal region has been extended outwards and together with the construction of a true causeway in 1879 this has resulted in the deposition of large deposits of silt around the Mont. A major project initiated by the French government in 2006 has resulted in the construction of a hydraulic dam across the Couesnon River, removing the permanent causeway to be replaced by an elevated bridge. These changes are designed to allow the silt to be dispersed naturally over time.
My aim on this visit was to look for a different take on this world famous structure and fortunately on the pastures on the west of the Couesnon River I found this ruined barn to contrast with Mont St Michel in the background. File 6283.
Keywords: Le Mont Saint-Michel, Mont St Michel, Normandy, Couesnon River, File6283TIFF

Italy, Aosta, Valsavarenche - Pont
Pont in the comune of Valsavarenche is the main starting point for the majority of people who leave to climb Gran Paradiso Italy's highest mountain peak at 4,061 metres. Gran Paradiso is also the only peak over 4,000 metres which sits entirely inside Italy. On September 4th 1860 the first summit ascent of Gran Paradiso was recorded for J.J. Cowell, J.Paynot, W. Dundas and J. Tairraz. Gran Paradiso is now classed as an easy 4,000 metre peak with only the last 60 metres requiring any technical skill.
Photographed in mid September this image shows the alpine meadow from Pont looking towards the Gran Paradiso massif. Shortly after this burst of light thick cloud, low mist and rain returned to once again hide Italy's highest mountain. File 2908.
Keywords: Gran Paradiso, Gran Paradiso Park, Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso, Valsavarenche, Pont, Aosta Valley, Valle d'Aosta, Alba Landscapes, File2908dng

Italy, Aosta Valley - Villeneuve
Sitting on a rock terrace above the town of Villeneuve in the Aosta Valley in north-western Italy are the ruins of Chateau de Chatel Argent. The Romans originally fortified this same site in order to control the Aosta Valley.
The castle of Chatel Argent is now a ruin dating originally from the 13th century. The keep is the best preserved of all the remains and at the time of visiting in 2011 was undergoing some new restoration work.
The peaks you see in the background running right to left are Bouque de Croux (1712 meters), Cou Plan (2200 m), Mont de Ane (2367 m) and Becca de Chamen (2961 m). File 2848.
Keywords: Villeneuve, Aosta, Valley, Valle d'Aosta, Château de Chatel-Argent, Italy, Bouque de Croux (1712 meters) Cou Plan (2200 m) Mont de Ane (2367 m) and Becca de Chamen (2961 m), File2848

Italy, Aosta Valley - Villeneuve
Sitting high above Villeneuve in the Aosta Valley in Italy is the Châtel-Argent. The castle is now a ruin dating from the 13th century, it's name being derived from the fact that the site originally housed in it's interior a mint.
Just to the right of the castle keep the apse of a church dating from around 1050-1070 can be seen. The church which is constructed in a Romanesque style is dedicated to Sainte Colombe, who, ironically enough was beheaded by the Romans on the orders of the emperor Aurelian. File 2921.
Keywords: Château de Chatel Argent, Villeneuve, Sainte Colombe, Valle d'Aosta, Aosta Valley File2921

Italy, Graines - Castle of Graines
High up in the Val d'Ayas on a rocky spur are the remains of the Castle of Graines. A little further up the valley is the comune of Graines itself. The Val d'Ayas is a side valley from the well known Aosta Valley. The nearest town of any size is Brusson which makes a good starting point for climbing Monte Rosa.
The Castle of Graines is thought to have originally been constructed during the 11th century by an order of monks who also built inside it's walls a Romanesque chapel which was dedicated to Saint Martin, the remains of which can still be seen today. Throughout 2012 restoration work is being carried out and there is no access to the castle itself.
The castle is typical of those of the Aosta Valley, the main entrance door was located some five metres from the ground and only accessible by ladder. During the time of any siege this ladder was removed. File2961.
Keywords: Castle of Graines, Italy, Val d'Ayas, Valle d'Aosta, Alba Landscapes File2961

Spain, Aragon - Los Llanos
Travelling close to Zaragoza in Spain the sun began to finally drop towards the horizon after a very hot days driving. Needing a break I made the decision to try and find something to photograph. A couple of miles from the main road I found a deserted petrol station beside which was a field of dead sunflowers surrounding a lone tree. This was one of those rare moments when a chance find, the light, sky and composition came together. File 6583.
Keywords: Los Llanos, Valencia Province, lone tree, sunset, sun flowers, Spanish fine art landscape photography, File6583dng

Spain, Cuenca - Monastery of Uclés
Just north of Villarubio in Cuence, Spain when driving along the A-3 towards Madrid there can be seen on the horizon to the east the most incredible building. So intrigued by its dominance of the horizon I opted to take a closer look and subsequently discovered the Monastery of Uclés. Ucles is a municipality in the Spanish province of Cucena with a population of just under 300. The Monastery of Ucles also known as El Escorial de La Mancha dominates the skyline above the village which is built below the monastery on the eastern slope of the hill.
The monastery is housed inside the walls of the original fortress of Uclés which dates from the 12th century with the existing monastery dating from the 16th century.
The Monastery of Uclés is the headquarters of the Order of Santiago in the Province of Cucena. The Order of Santiago is an Order of Knights who's origins date back to the 9th century when they were formed for the purpose of driving out the Muslim armies in the Iberian Peninsula. File 7241.
Keywords: El Escorial de La Mancha, Convent, Ucles, Monastrey, Order of Santiago, high plains Spain, Spanish landscape photography, photograph, Alba Landscapes, File7241dng

Spain, Cuenca - Uclés
The Meseta is an Inner Plateau in central Spain. Often referred to as the tablelands or high plains. Here the sky dominates everything with the eye stretching for miles in each direction. In summer the temperature can be extremely high, whilst winters can be very cold. The plateau is also known for its strong winds.
This particular image was taken very close to the Monastery of Uclés which is the headquarters in the Province of Cuenca for the Order of Santiago. Started in the 9th century to rid the Iberian Peninsula of Muslim invaders the Order of Santiago still exists today under the Spanish crown. There are some 35 knights and 30 novices belonging to the order. To serve the order they must be a practising Catholic, be of legitimate birth and must not be descended from non-Christians. File 7206.
Keywords: Meseta, Inner Plateau, tablelands, high plains, Spain, Spanish landscape photography, File7206dng

Spain, Murcia - Calblanque
The Calblanque is a Protected Natural Park on the south eastern coast of Murcia in Spain. The area of the Calblanque retains it's natural beauty having been saved from development in 1987. In 1992 the Calblanque was also designated as a Nature Reserve. Local people fought long and hard to achieve this protected status and save this special region from the same fate as the majority of Spain's coastline. The coastline of the Calblanque is 13Km long and the park covers and area of 2400 hectares. The park has no facilities, has only one dusty track for access and is not well signposted, all of which help to retain it's natural character. Long may it stay that way.
The beauty of the Calblanque lies in it's beaches, dune systems, flora and fauna, bird life, the salt lakes of Rassall, cliffs, mountains and abandoned sliver, tin and copper mines.
In 2011 the Calblanque suffered two major fires resulting in large areas being fire damaged. Despite investigation the abandoned property in the photograph I was unable to determine who had occupied it and for what purpose, or when it had been abandoned. File 7031.
Keywords: The Calblanque, Murcia, Spain, Spanish landscape photography print, lone tree, old farm house, fine art, Alba Landscapes, File7031dng

France, Alpes de Haute Provence - Allemagne - en - Provence
Deep in the heart of Provence lies the commune of Allemange-en-Provence. Originally in France there were two communes that had the word Germany in their names. In 1916 during the First World War the commune of Allemange in north western France chose to change it's name to Fleury-sur-Orne. Whilst in Provence with it's Château d'Allemange-en-Provence the commune opted to keep it's name.
The origins of the château can be traced back to the 13th century, the present structure dates predominantly from the 15th century having recently been restored. The château has many examples of highly intricate plasterwork. In the summer of 1792 during the French Revolution a patriotic society was set up in the commune and Château d'Allemange-en-Provence was earmarked for being blown up but eventually managed to avoid being destroyed. File 0515.
Keywords: Château d' Allemagne-en-Provence, Allemange-en-Provence, France, French château, Alba Landscapes File 0515

France, Alpes de Haute Provence - Valensole
The Plateau de Valensole has littered across it a significant number of crumbling old farm houses and barns. Whilst these make interesting subjects for including in photographs they are a clear reminder of how rural life in France has changed and continues to evolve through the use of machinery.
This composition near Valensole worked best for me with the simplicity of a blue sky, together with the sun on the wheat field, typical of the plateau at the height of summer. File 9997.
Keywords: wheat fields Valensole France Alba Landscapes old farm house, File9997dng

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