To get started, I have decided to discuss some of my favourite places in the World. Although I haven't done as much travelling as some people, I have done a fair amount in the last few years. I have been to the USA twice, Spain, France, Germany, Turkey and Italy (numerous times) so I consider myself to be incredibly lucky. I hope that this blog can inspire travel, and show you some of the places I most recommend to visit.
Lets start with one of the most recent places I've visited, and equally the most amazing and out of this world - No. 1: Antelope Canyon, Arizona, USA.
This is truly one of my favourite places in the world. In a 6 week long trip to America in September, I went on a week long trip through Arizona, Utah and Nevada which consisted of an afternoon in this wonderful place. You descend steps, which are incredibly steep, like climbing down a ladder, from the Mojave desert and enter into what seems to be a completely different world. The sandstone canyon appears in a cacophony of shapes and forms, molded into shape by wind and water and is carved by years of fast floods. As you can see by the photos, the width and shape of the canyon changes around every corner. We walked a stretch of 1-2 miles in about 90 minutes (the delay purely for the fact we couldn't stop admiring the scenery and taking photos).
The sunlight coming in through from the exposed roof of the canyon, casts an orange glow onto the rock in its view, and a purple shadow onto the rock not. We visited the canyon at around 2/3pm in order to make the most of the sunlight. Any earlier or later would have impact on our ability to take photographs within. To enter the canyon you have to book a guided tour as the locals wish to preserve the canyon by ensuring no-one attempts to climb or damage the walls, and for safety.
I highly recommend visiting here and spending as much time in the canyon as possible. On my trip I also visited the Grand Canyon, but the beauty of Antelope Canyon by far exceeds the beauty of the Grand Canyon. These photographs provide a glimpse of whats on offer, but it is truly a place that needs to be experienced in person.
Next time: Yosemite National Park