Tuesday 12 July 2011

The Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland


At 23km this is the longest glacier in Europe and the most beautiful in Switzerland, starting south of the Jungfrau in the Bernese Oberland and descending to the Upper Rhone valley in the Valais. On the horizon at the start of the glacier is the observatory of the Jungfraujoch.
This photograph was taken in June 2008 and the glacier, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is said to have retreated by 100m between 2005 and 2006.

Click here to view the full panorama

This view of the old harbour of Dubrovnik is from the end of the southern jetty. The massive building at the entrance to the harbour is St. John's Fort, then follows part of the famous city wall which completely surrounds the old city, and can be walked along for its entire length. Looking back along the jetty, is the Rector's Palace.

Sunday 10 July 2011

Church of San Giovanni Battista, in Mogno, Switzerland



In 1986 the original 350-year-old church in the small hamlet of Mogno, together with several uninhabited houses, was destroyed by an avalanche. This is the modern replacement built in the 1990s and designed by the Ticinese architect Mario Botta.
The controversial design has a glass roof but no windows and incorporates alternating layers of native white Peccia marble and grey Vallemaggia granite. The outside curvature of the building appears to be shaped to withstand any future avalanches.

The beach at Lyme Regis in Dorst, from Lucy's Jetty

Panorama of Lucy's Jetty supplied by Panoramic Earth

Lyme Regis main beach photographed from Lucy's jetty on a warm Saturday afternoon in June. This jetty separates the sandy section of beach next to the harbour, from the long shingle section constructed in 2006 to protect the seafront from storm damage. 
In October 2005, the workmen renovating this jetty discovered the remains of a 190 million year old Ichthyosaur fossil which is now displayed in the Lyme Regis Museum.