The garden of Ninfa 5

For some reason trees grow bigger here at Ninfa and flowers bloom extra big too. Its true that the varieties of blooms were selected for their huge size but even so they do extra well in the Garden of Ninfa. I've been checking airfares. Norwegian air are selling tickets for 2018 and they leave from major cities in the USA. In May next year if you book now fares from Los Angeles to Rome are as low as US$189 one way. What are you waiting for? I'd go except I need to go elsewhere to explore and collect more stories. I have a Youtube channel too under my name. I use my real name in all my social media channel.

The Garden of Ninfa 4

The sweet sound of the trickling of water is soft and barely audible. The river Ninfa flows through the whole property making it an incredible water feature for the water loving Gunnera and the Iris. The water is as clear as glass and extremely cold and is alive with numerous reeds living in it. One needs to experience the Garden of Ninfa in person to appreciate fully its charm and beauty. When I see all the ugliness in the whole, the anger and the violence, I wished that they could just pause to admire such beauty and their lives would be so changed. I get trollers and spammers on my social media pages and I always reject them with the caption, 'no strange or ugly people please.' I cannot stand ugliness especially in people's attitudes.

Its Ninfa again

Norwegian air is selling really cheap tickets for next year. Direct flights to Rome from major cities are now available especially from US cities. Check it out and plan your trip to Rome and to one of the opening days at the Garden of Ninfa. I've just released an eBook on the garden of Ninfa. Check that out too on Amazon.

Calgarry on the Isle of Mull June 2016

This is what the Machair looks like in June and in July other varieties start popping up making it look like a Persian carpet. In August they all die and only the heather blooms and the whole area becomes purple. Most of the world's Machair are found on the Western side of the Outer Hebrides because conditions for it are ideal there. While there are some in the Inner Hebrides like this patch in Calgarry. To really see and experience the Machair you have to go to the Outer Hebrides and in July if possible.

Machair?

Some of my best memories are to places where there is not a single painting, no buildings, no musical instruments, no modern construct, to places where mother nature does her thing unimpeded.Here I was sitting on the Machair in South Uists of the Outer Hebrides enjoying mother nature where except for a midge bite I was so contented.

The Machair of Scotland

After traveling for the last 20 years, cities don't excite me anymore. I need to see and experience the wild and natural places. I discovered the Machair 2 years ago and found out that 70% of the world's Machair are in the Western Isles of Scotland. So I made 2 trips there and have plans to embark on a third. I'm writing an eBook about it too even as the eBook on the Garden of Ninfa is now available on Amazon Kindle. The plan is to seek out the world's extraordinary places and write about them. More about Machair is coming.

The Garden of Ninfa, the eBook

This is the eBook I just published on Amazon Kindle and is available for sale. It gives a more detailed history of the people responsible for the garden and how and when to visit. Its not a lot of money but I think is worth the read. I'm working on my eBook on the Hebrides right now and am looking for ideas for other titles. I'm looking for more obscure places that are worth the effort. Many of us are seasoned travelers and like me are running out of cute and extraordinary places to go to. Let me help you.

Ninfa 3

Of course when you go is important. To see the roses in their splendorous glory, the first 2 weeks of June is ideal. I was here at the end of April and though the roses did not that much of a splash, I did see some. I will always love the garden of Ninfa, there is none like it.

Ninfa 2

As one visitor described it as 'a medieval Pompeii' it was once a thriving city with numerous churches, city walls, and castles. Today only the ruins remain and before they were cleaned up and restored, they were covered with ivy that draped over everyone and made it look totally spooky. The Caetani family because of their connection with the Pope was able to acquire the whole village and turned into their country estate which they restored to the dazzling beauty that it is today. Being dubbed, 'the most romantic garden in the world' it certainly behooves us to visit it at least once in a lifetime.

Ninfa

The garden of Ninfa, just outside of Rome is known as the most romantic garden in the world. I had the joy of visiting it this las April and it is truly marvelous. There's not another garden like it even as I just uploaded my ebook on the garden and its history. Check it out on Amazon Kindle.

Foraging for brambles in England

The brambles are early this year. They usually don't ripen till mid to late August. The long lane leading up from the main road to the entrance at Scotney castle was lined with brambles. The walk to the entrance was done with another English couple so while we did a little picking we chatted most of the time. I did a lot more foraging on the way back to the main road where the bus dropped us off. I dawdled, picked and ate. It was a childhood dream of mine living in a British colony and reading books about life in England. I must have been 6 when I read this English reader about a little girl and boy who went out picking blackberries with their grandfather. The grandfather used the crook of his cane to reach those blackberries high above their heads. That story has stayed with me for 60 years and I've always wanted to do that. The past years have seen me do a little foraging but not to the extent I did this trip. This memory will stay with me for a very long time.

Scotney castle, UK

Trust me, this photo wasn't photo shopped even though it looked like it. For a while now I've seen the evocative pictures of Scotney castle and have it on my iPhone to remind me that I need to visit. Its so easy these days, just google anything and the instructions on how to get there pops up. So armed with the information off I went that morning in London. The train from Charing Cross station took me to Tunbridge Wells. At Tunbridge Wells High street, bus 256 will take me to Lamberhurst and from there a long walk (20 minutes) will lead me to the front entrance of Scotney castle. This is the old castle, 630 years old which the owner has let become a ruin turning it into a romantic folly. The residence is up the hill and was built in 1837. There is a massive moat that surrounds this old castle. I walked its whole perimeter taking pictures from every angle. She doesn't have any bad side at all. She's beautiful and so evocative. If you happen to be in London on days that Scotney castle is opened, make the effort to visit.

The beaches of the Outer Hebrides

I was on a quest, in search of the Machair, those flowery meadows of the Outer Hebrides. I found more, I found those beautiful white sand beaches and icy blue ocean waters that are the beaches of the Outer Hebrides. The Outer Hebrides are those far western island chain of Scotland that borders the Atlantic ocean on one side. It is the Atlantic ocean side that has these kinds of beaches. They are so evocative and exceedingly beautiful. I just came back and already making plans to return.

Viewfield House, Portree, Isle of Skye

My Hebridean adventure ends on the Isle of Skye. The Isle of Skye is considered part of the Inner Hebrides. It is also known as the garden of the Hebrides. It is filled with wild flowers that line the roadside and also unused fields. It lacks the drama of the Machair of the Outer Hebrides but is not any less delightful. Portree, the capital of Skye sees a lot of visitors, a lot of Asian visitors. Most visitors to Scotland, besides visiting the biggies like Glasgow and Edinburgh, also visits Inverness, Loch Ness and Skye. So accommodation is really tight in Portree. I'm staying 3 nights, each night in a different place. Last night was at a B&B outside of town. Tonight I'm staying in this 200 year old mansion. Tomorrow I'll be moving to a hostel downtown. That will signal the end of this trip, as I return home to complete the ebook on the Hebrides, both Inner and Outer! I love the wildness of the Outer Hebrides and I find nothing in the city that could compare to it. I see a field of beautiful purple thistles and I want to run through it. Of course that's not advisable, I'll get pricked in the bottom before I could get very far. Its been amazing! Its hard to top this!

My last day in the Outer Hebrides

This is my last stop, Stornoway, in the Outer Hebrides. I'm leaving from Tarbert tomorrow, taking the bus there and then a ferry will take me to the Isle of Skye. Getting accommodations in Skye was a nightmare. I spent most of yesterday making my onward arrangements but I did 2 places to stay in Skye, one for 2 nights and the other for the 3rd night. It is very expensive too if you can find any rooms. I've been told Skye is very beautiful. I shall miss all the wild flowers. It was planned a year ago to be here in July to see the beautiful wild flower fields called Machair. Its going to be a book on the Hebrides. I was at the Inner Hebrides last year. I want to come back. It is so beautiful and unspoiled and the people are so nice.

The Outer Hebrides

This was a week ago at the start of my Outer Hebrides adventure. I'm still in the Outer Hebrides wending my way North covering a lot of ground in a short time meeting some of the friendliest people and seeing some of the most wondrous Machair. The Machair is unique to the Outer Hebrides and is absolutely stunning. That is the reason why I'm here. There are fields and fields of Machair everywhere. There are wild flowers everywhere and beautiful scenery, beaches, rock outcrops and wild life. This was taken at Barra airport a week ago.

Howmore

This was my hostel yesterday, at first sight, a very dismal and dumpy place but I had the best time here. I stayed a night here. I was alone, then I was joined by Steve, a bicyclist and mush later Alan, another bicyclist. All three of us talked the night away. I didn't know Howmore was so small. It had no shops, cafes or anything. I had a bar of chocolate with me. I told myself, half of it is for lunch and the other half for dinner. But when Steve arrived, he boiled some pasta left over by another party and there was half a can of canned tomatoes left in the fridge. With that I made a sauce and had enough for lunch and dinner. This trip was all about serendipity. The hostel was right smack in the middle of a mach air and I had the best time of my life living on such minimal of things. There was of course no Internet and I was off the grid for 24 hours.

Home

Home is Southern California, home is Los Angeles, home is Hollywood, home is the Pacific ocean! While I love to be home, I love to wander also. I'm going wandering in a few days and be away for a few weeks. But I can't wait to get home and to entertain again. I wander the whole world over looking for wild flowers and going next week to do exactly that, look for wild flowers. In March this year, I didn't have to wander far, just 30 miles away, to the hills and to this magical canyon which was ablaze with the wondrous sight ever, wild flowers everywhere in them hills. I've never seen Southern California so glorious. I love you, California!

Regrets?

I regret not getting a slice of this gigantic cherry cake when I was in Coimbra, Portugal this May 2017!

April 20th, 2017

While everyone in my dorm were still sleeping, I'm out and about at 6.30am and am heading for the train station at Paddington. I'm on the 8.15am train to Swindon and right on time the train pulls out of Paddington station. I spot the spirea in bloom. Emma Bridgewater wrote in a recent book that the best way to see wild flowers in England is from a moving car or in my case from a moving train. We passed the numerous varieties of wild flower species that dot the sides of the motorway or train tracks. I'm in England on the trail of snakehead fritillaries. What? I know, I know, few people have even heard of them. While roses and peonies are in such abundance, the habitat of snakehead fritillaries is already very limited and is getting smaller. They like their feet kind of wet so a marshy field is ideal. There are only a few areas where they are found in any large quantities. Magdalen field in Oxford is one and the other is Cricklade's North meadow. So I'm on my way to Cricklade. Upon arrival at Swindon, I went to the bus station and boarded a bus for Cricklade. No one knew what I was looking for but the tourism office in Cricklade knew and pointed the way to North meadow. Cricklade is so small, there is only one street and if you walked it to the end, you can't miss North meadow. The display of snakehead fritillaries was spectacular, a wide and expansive field colored purple with snakehead fritillaries. This is the motherlode! Every year in the month of April, they appear and is so magnificent. Few people venture this far to see them but those who do is rewarded tremendously. Mind you I live in Los Angeles and made the effort to track them down. It was a wonderful experience bar none!