Photos and the City

Category: Nature

Terme di Baia

By train, I made my way from Pozzuoli to Baia, a lovely harbour and town and a very fashionable resort during the Roman Times!

particularly towards the end of the Roman Republic, when it was reckoned as superior to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Capri by the super-rich who built luxurious villas here from 100 BC to 500 AD. (Wikipedia)

Having a villa in Baia was a must for the Roman aristocracy!

Nothing in the world shines brighter than the gulf of Baia. (Horace)

After some caffé (and probably gelato) and a nice stroll around the harbour, I made my way to the former baths, still a little bit crushed that I wouldn´t be able to visit the Parco Archeologico delle Terme di Baia with the glass boat. But another time it will work out!

The Temple of Mercury, used the have the biggest dome before the Pantheon was built.

the Baia bath complex was the largest one in the world of ancient Rome. It runs along a 450-meter front; the entire hill from the “Baia saddle” down to the sea is covered with the ruins (Naples Life)

Back on the way home to Napoli!

16/05/2019
Salerno

I managed to arrive safe and sound in Napoli, saying goodbye to the car and make myself comfy in the same Airbnb as the year before, looking all over the city. But it was a short first night, early morning the next day I hopped on the train to Salerno for a little photo shoot.

After a lovely trainride, I was back at the Amalfi coast, less stressed than a few days before with the car and it only takes one hour by train. I also had thought about going by boat (traghetto) but the departure times didn´t quite fit my schedule.

Carola picked me up at the train station and we drove in direction of Paestum to the stunning Lido delle Sirene. The beach was completely deserted and we had every corner just for ourselves.

Afterwards, Carola drove me back to Salerno and there was enough time for a little stroll around the city.

I didn´t see that much but got a little taste for next time. I just strolled around the Old Town and the Trieste Lungomare, a wonderful promenade to the port.

Human settlement at Salerno has a rich and vibrant past, dating back to pre-historic times. The site has been one of the most important and strategic ports on the Mediterranean sea, yielding a rich Greco-Roman heritage. It was an independent Lombard principality, Principality of Salerno, in the early Middle Ages. During this time, the Schola Medica Salernitana, the first medical school in the world, was founded. In the 16th century, under the Sanseverino family, among the most powerful feudal lords in southern Italy, the city became a great centre of learning, culture and the arts,[…] (Wikipedia)

For a very brief time, February to August 1944, Salerno was the Italian capital, during the liberation after the landing of the allied armies until the liberation of Rome.

03/05/2019
The Gardeners Cottages

My winter minibreak in England is over, so let´s head back to last summer. During my days at Loch Lomond, I stayed in the smallest of the Gardeners Cottages near Bellanoch adjoint to a walled garden.

The Gardeners Cottages

Once the home of the gardeners who planted and tended the ground of Arden House, the Gardeners Cottages form a row, their backs against the wall of a Victorian walled garden. And today they are very cosy and comfortable holiday cottages!

Arden House must have been a grand estate once, along the driveway to the cottages are many other stunning buildings and cottages, a coach house and I think one sees a little bit of the former big house, now divided into flats and apartments.

Once called Bannachra Estate until the Glasgow merchant George Buchanan bought it in 1770.

The Buchanan family sold Arden and Bannachra to the Lumsdens in 1864. The Lumsden family, perhaps best known latterly for their connection with Burmah Oil, continued in residence at Arden House until the 1980’s when it was sold and converted to flats. (The Vale of Leven)

I tried to find out a little bit more about the history of the estate and found some stories about big parties around Christmas for all the children from the surrounding areas.

The Walled Garden

My days at Loch Lomond were quite wet but the walled garden must be a beautiful place to relax and slow down during drier days. Such a beautiful place!

Loch Lomond

And there is even more! A little pathway brings you to the shores of Loch Lomond and a little private beach.

Disclaimer: I paid my stay at the Gardeners Cottages, as I also paid for every other stay during my time in the UK, but felt so in love with the place that I wanted to share it!

21/03/2019