Mountain tranquiity in Valdres Norway (Photo iphone6plus)

Passing this little lake up in the valley Tisleidalen in Valdres often invites for a short stop for a photo of the idyllic lake where this old boat have done its last trip for fishing wild trout.

The fantastic stave church in Heddal, Norway

From ancient times - build in wood and still standing there - the old stave churches in Norway.

This is how VisitNorway describes this fine almost 800 years old Stave church:

Heddal stave church, a masterwork of wood, it is the largest of the 28 stave churches in Norway today. The church lies along the E-134 west of Notodden, on the way to Seljord-Haugesund.

Norway's largest stave church built in the 1200s and still in use. Rose paintings from 1600's, "bishop's chair" and incense vessels from medieval times. Heddal Stavkirke - the largest stave church in Norway.

Around the year 1250 the expanded with a larger apse as we see it today. Ore-pine from the woods in Heddal, beautiful carved portals and inventory indicates of a blossoming age in Heddal at the time. The church is used for ordinary events in the summer.  Next to the church lies a vicarage barn with a summer and church exhibition.

Heddal stave church doesn't just look like it comes from a fairytale. It is a fairytale.

Mountain pass in Solitude. Smaaroi, Buskerud, Norway

I was as good as alone as I crossed over the mountain pass from Rjukan in Telemark and to the mountain village Geilo in Buskerud in July.

Under the threating clouds hoovering above it was a mighty and impressive landscape in the summer - with only some small dots of snow up in the hillsides.

A long drive that took an unpleasant amount of time with my little travel caravan due to the bad road.

To the left a view to Sonstevatn (Sønstevatn) before we go down to the valley Numedalen and Dagali.

standard on a big part of this little used route.

Showboat along the Telemark Canal. Norway

I was biking along the Telemark Canal in July and was catching up with the MB Henrik Ibsen on her way to Skien. Already from a far distance I could hear the disco and shouting from the party people onboard - just in the middle of the day - what a life - what a way to travel.  To the idyllic setting in this photo there is not much of the idyllic scene left with pop music blaring out over the canal....

Some info from the canal admin:
Telemark Canal was carved into the rock over 100 years ago. When the canal was completed in 1892, it was called the "eighth wonder".
The Telemark Canal - one of the most beautiful waterways in the world.
It consists of two waterways; Skien- Dalen and Skien-Notodden. The canal connects the coast of Telemark with the interior through eight locks at a distance of 105 km from Skien to Dalen.

In addition, you can also experience the canal by car, bicycle or on foot. Therefore, it is now possible to experience the Telemark Canal by ferry, charter boats, your own boat, canoes and kayaks.

Safe harbour along the Telemark Canal in Norway. iphone6+

Sailing along the Telemark Canal must be a safe way of travel vs. sailing in open sea. Here by the Canal locks at Lunde where some boats will stay overnight in the fair weather this summer day in July.

Canoes ready for use the next morning

Some info from the canal admin:
The Telemark Canal - one of the most beautiful waterways in the world.

The Telemark Canal was carved into the rock over 100 years ago. When the canal was completed in 1892, it was called the "eighth wonder" The Telemark Canal - one of the most beautiful waterways in the world.

 In addition, you can also experience the canal by car, bicycle or on foot. Therefore, it is now possible to experience the Telemark Canal by ferry, charter boats, your own boat, canoes and kayaks.It consists of two waterways; Skien- Dalen and Skien-Notodden.  The canal connects the coast of Telemark with the interior through eight locks at a distance of 105 km from Skien to Dalen. .

Red spots along the Telemark Canal, Lunde, Norway. Photos: iphone6plus

The Telemark Canal right at the locks near Lunde. A super place for taking your canoe out.

Telemark Kanal Caping offer super spots to park your camping car, caravan or tent.

Henrik Ibsen in the Telemark Canal, Norway.

What a place a canal going form the coast of Oslofjord and inland to some fine valleys in Telemark.
Here the tourship Henrik Ibsen is just coming out of the lock at Lunde. Below find a photo of the ship in the canal lock.

Some info from the canal admin:
The Telemark Canal - one of the most beautiful waterways in the world.
The Telemark Canal was carved into the rock over 100 years ago. When the canal was completed in 1892, it was called the "eighth wonder".
The canal connects the coast of Telemark with the interior through eight locks at a distance of 105 km from Skien to Dalen. It consists of two waterways; Skien- Dalen and Skien-Notodden. Therefore, it is now possible to experience the Telemark Canal by ferry, charter boats, your own boat, canoes and kayaks.
In addition, you can also experience the canal by car, bicycle or on foot.

As we wait for the afternoon rain. Telemark, Norway

What a summer with all those days with rain - even after one fine sunny day the rain is there in the afternoon. This photo is from my camp right by the very popular Telemark Canal bringing you from the coast of Oslofjord and to the inland mountains in Setesdal.

The red campercar at the Telemark Canal Camping in Norway

A very idyllic camping right by the Telemark Canal in the Southern part of Norway. A super stay on a fine summerday as here.

To the left our own little caravan placed next to the shores of the Telemark Canal.  A good choice for traveling around with its small size and easy to tow around.
Even so later in the season we decided to sell our small caravan.

Norway sometimes a land without wifi. Photo iphone6 plus

Presently I travel around in the Southern part of Norway in my little travel caravan. Often to small camping sites where wifi is not at work at all.
But I'll be back when possible.

This photo from a grey Sunday up in Valdres in Norway.

Town Houses in Port-Vendres. South of France

Town houses in Port-Vendres - as it can be down here in the South of France.
Attractive? IMO YES.

2 photos stitched. Camera: iPhone6plus.

Walking home from the Madeloc Tower. Cote Vermeille - South of France

What a place. The magnificent vista over this beautiful landscape with the vineyards falling the hill down the hills to the shores of the Mediterranean. To the left we can see the harbour and village of Port-Vendres and right ahead the distant Banyuls Sur Mer.

Such a landscape can only be captured with a stitch of 3 photos in my iphone6plus.

Roquefort the small cheese village in South of France

From the terracce of the main Office to the Cheese Company: Societe we overlook the village street of Roquefort.
One street clinging to the nearby mountain - essential for the producing of the Word famous cheese.

This is another stitch of 3 photos.

From the net:
The cheese city clings precariously to the side of the Combalou Rock in the South of Larzac.It is a village of 679 souls, and the altitude is 630metres -2066ft-. Roquefort is located in the Grands Causses Regional Natural Park.

Even if Roquefort seems to be peaceful, it is also an industrial village where about a thousand people work to ripen the famous Roquefort cheese. The tradition dates back to a thousand years, and this secret is kept at the depths of its natural caves. Those caves are directly laid out in the slide rock of Combalou and measure 2km -1.24mi- long and 300m -984ft- wide.

The beautiful landscape by Roquefort in South of France

It was a very beautiful and lovely landscape we could pass on Our way to the village producing the most known French cheese: Roquefort in the Aveyron District.  (Close to Millau and the grand viaduct).

My Choice was to make a stitch out of 3 photos to have the really grand panorama to unfold as displayed above.

Som more from the net:
Aveyron district
This is a region of gently rolling hills and valleys, and livestock farming. Cattle in the lower area, but increasingly sheep farming as one moves further up into the "Causses", fairly dry limestone plateaux famous as the production area of France's most famous cheese, Roquefort (a blue cheese made from ewe's milk).

Panorama of Millau in the South of France

2 photos stitched with some details from the village Millau in the Aveyron department in the French Midi-Pyrenees region.  This photo is a "right out of the hotel window" version.
We did not have a view directly to the well known Millau bridge - one of the highest in the world - but still, as you can see, a fine view.

The day after we visited the small village Roquefort and of course
had some sightseeing in the caves where this very famous cheese mature.

Beautiful landscape outside of the Roquefort Village in South of France.
3 photos stitched

The gate to Port-Vendres in South of France. iphone6plus

2 photos stitched from iphone6plus - presenting the gate to Port-Vendres the deep water harbour in South of france. Close to the Spanish border. 
My favorite Place to sit in the afternoon white a glass of white wine looking at the boats going in and out of the port. Just along the curved road to Cape Bear.

Harbor details Port-Vendres. Sud de France

5 photos stitched from the deep water harbor in Port-Venderes in the South of France.
Today the harbor is still having some fishing ships as they always have had. For some years ago it was central for shipping men and equipment between France and Algeire.
Before that it was the last stop for the big ships going from Marseille via Port-Vendres with immigrants to the attractive USA (for sure a pre Trump period).

Some "barrels" problem with the lines here - but still a good view to this small maritim village.

Hiking to the Madeloc Tower. Collioure in South of France. (iphone6plus)

This is a stitch of 2 photos taken by an iphone6plus.
We are hiking the last part of the road leading up to the Madeloc Tower at alt. 650m above the Mediterranian sea. And as you can see we have a magnificent vista to Collioure and a large part of the Rousillon plain here where France ends in the SouthEast.

Jardin les Plantes. St.Cyprien in South of France. (iphone6plus)

Perfect Place for a walk on a fine summerday just inside the shores of the Mediterranian in the small village St.Cyprien.

From the net:
le Jardin des Plantes de Saint-Cyprien s'étend sur presque cinq hectares et permet d’admirer des arbres plus que centenaires et de très nombreuses variétés de palmiers, bambous, camélias et plantes aquatiques...

History of old fishermens huts by Etang du Canet ou de Saint-Nazaire in the south of France

Just inside the coastline on either side of Canet-Plage, there are the large lagoons. These are now protected natural spaces, where members of the public can go (ideally on the well-maintained special cycle routes) to see the huge variety of natural wildlife, which includes the local rosé-coloured flamingos. You can also see the traditional fishermen’s huts along the shoreline of the nearest on, the Etang de St Nazaire. They were constructed using a variety of reed that grows traditionally on the lagoon. They have almost no windows and were used as homes by the fishermen up until the 1950s. Now, they are mostly used for storage by the ten fishermen that are still licensed to fish the lagoon.

In fact, centuries ago, Canet-en-Roussillon was a walled fortress of a city that profited from trade along its route as part of the Catalan kingdom.
That particular era of financial prominence ended when feudal France took over from the kings of Catalonia and Majorca and Louis XIV ordered all city walls in the area to be dismantled in 1645.

In the last century, the beach extension of Canet-Plage was created. Up to that point, there were no tourists along this stretch of coastline. People went much further east to places like Nice or west to the resorts of the Atlantic coast. The Catalan coastline was a place only for local residents and fishermen on the lagoons. It was all quiet and traditional, smelling strangely and plagued by mosquitoes.

REF: irishexaminer.com