St Ives is a Cornwall gem

Second only to Cotswolds, Cornwall is the most amazing place in England, and one of my favourites in Cornwall is St Ives. It's a very small town and it's difficult to find parking but it really is one of the most charming places I've visited and of course it has a little beach where children are playing. If it's lunchtime you can have a Cornish pasty, bring it with you and have it by the beach looking out over the water. If not there is plenty of chances to buy ice cream. I warmly recommend a visit!

Musician on the main street

On the way out of St Ives

Sneak peak of the Lake district

Earlier this summer, when it was still nice outside, we went on a trip to Hadrian's wall - the Roman wall that goes from coast to coast and was protecting the Roman empire from the north. On the way we passed through the Lake District. So pretty! Will we go back there - most definitely!!

Padstow is a real tourist attraction

Padstow is probably one of the most famous places in Cornwall England, meaning that there are lots of tourists. There are some activities in the harbour and the street are packed. It's very beautiful but not much to do. As always in Cornwall, the tide is very evident.

The tide is very evident

Children fishing 

There are some activities on the streets

Lots of tourists sitting around

Sort of saw The Queen at Windsor

Exactly one year ago Maria and I went on our first road trip together - to Windsor Castle, one of The Queen's official residences. When she's not staying there it is open for public (same rules apply for Buckingham Palace). It's a magnificent castle - huge (difficult to get a sense from the pictures how large it really is) and obviously well preserved. And Windsor is such a nice little town.  

Outside the castle we ran into some girls in old fashioned clothes... 

The crooked house - can't go to Windsor without taking a picture of it!

Coolest telephone booth I've seen!

The Queen is calling

Does it get more London than this?

I walked by Buckingham Palace yesterday and could not resist to take a picture of the iconic London figure - the Buckingham Palace Guard. Haven't seen the changing of the guard yet - I guess I should do at some point. Until then, these pictures will have to suffice!

Mysterious Stonehenge

Stonehenge is one of the most famous sites in the world and is at a very convenient distance London. It's fascinating to walk around the monument while letting the audio guide telling you about the history (nobody has any idea of why it was built though). Archeologists believe it was built 2200-2400 BC but there are indications that the first stones were raised as early as 3000 BC. In either case, it must have been quite a job to get the top stones on top of the standing ones. Wonder how they did it.  

Pappa

Weather can change fast...

Looks like someone is looking down from above... 

Little peek of the Peak District

On the way back from Yorkshire Dales the other weekend we drove by Peak District. Wanted to check out whether it was worthwhile spending a weekend to go back for real. Judge yourself but I'm quite sure I will be back!

Hiking in Yorkshire Dales

The last couple of weeks have been really busy. Except for my day job we have built and developed the Fotoble webpage and have set up a Facebook page (search for fotoble in Facebook and please like our page). Also, last weekend we went on a three day hike in the Yorkshire Dales. It was snowy and cold on Saturday but a bit nicer on Sunday. More pictures on http://fotoble.com/hiking-in-yorkshire-dales-day-one/

On the first day of the hike, which started in Kettlewell - a village with 323 citizens - we hiked up on a plateau that was fairy windy and where there was a bit of snow... 

Once down from the plateau it was fairly green though... 

The day after we went to a waterfall, where we had to climb 40 metres (or so) up a rock. The view up there was magnificent. 

Once up we kept on walking along the plateau. Views kept on being nice and quite dramatic.

At the other end of the plateau we got a good look on the Yorkshire Dales.

After two days on hiking, Monday came and it was time to head home. Weather was still a bit tricky but roads were fine.