I live on the Isle of Wight in the UK, just across the waters of the Solent facing Southampton and Portsmouth, the most part of which is recognised as “an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Sea sports, swimming, walking and cycling are the most popular pastimes and twice a year Walk the Wight, and Cycle the Wight draw hundreds of visitors. Cowes Week, the Regatta which once saw the crowned heads of five nations take part, is a major event in August and if the number of royals in attendance is less than in previous years, the number of royally rich with their super-yachts has increased.
It is a very literary Isle and apart from the number of writers who live here now, the Island was home to many famous literary figures in the past, including Keats, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Charles Dickens, Alfred Noyes, Longfellow, J.B. Priestley and others. Karl Marx, who spent a few years here, wrote in a letter to Fredrich Engels, “This island is a little paradise”. It is even more famous for being the home of Queen Victoria and her consort Alfred, who built a residence here for their growing family away from the stress of the London Court. Osborne House is now one of the most visited places along the south coast and it remains much as it was in Victoria’s day, a family home full of photographs, children’s toys and lots of love.
I am a keen photographer but find that travelling with a DSL and extra lens is difficult so I travel with ta compact system camera and although my images may lack that “wow” factor, my back feels better!
Thailand, Italy and Spain I love passionately and I am fortunate to live in an area with good transport links which make it possible to do long weekends in favourite cities.
I hope this blog will be mostly about my travelling life, museums that impress, and the occasional bit of travel ephemera. I’ll try not to be too “Pliny the elder” with dates and figures and if I do go overboard sometimes on the historical data, no doubt someone will pull me up for it.
There won’t be too much personal material here, my main aim is to offer my view of the places I visit, to savour its smells and its spices, its hidden highways and byways. I shall try to show behind the scenes if possible but I won’t be offering any intimate tales. I was in Thailand when the tsunami struck, lost some very good friends in that tragedy, but can’t write about it, though I did re-visit Khao Lak in 1919 and managed a piece on the recovery made in that area.
The travel bug has been with me since my teens, more years ago than I care to reveal, and I was a feature writer for many years before turning to travel writing. At the same time I was helping my husband run a business so I always seemed to be wearing two hats. My writing seems to fall into the same pattern as I go from destination travel to battlefields, museums to photo challenges.
So join me on my travels and I’d love to hear from you if you would like to add your comments. Otherwise I’ll never know if anyone is reading my rambling thoughts.
MARI'S TRAVELS WITH HER CAMERA 
Marie, thank you for reading my posts. I hope that your health is much better now. I am away on holidays and will catch up after 10th May. Godspeed!
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I’m gearing up for the Pick a Word challenge in May!
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Sorry you found this wooden. It’s only a profile, not a post.
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Not sure what your comment is as there is nothing there.
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Thanks so much for the detailed camera information. I’m going to check out the Lumix TZ100 soon. We’re headed to Greece next! Appreciate you!
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I’m a big Lumix fan and I think that today’s cameras as so good it’s not worth spending a fortune on one, unless you are near-professional and like the fun of changing lenses. I love the convenience of a camera in my pocket.
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I’m using my iPhone 10X a bunch just for that last reason!
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Hi Mari. Your pictures are amazing and your website is very informative. This is an amazing way of showing the world to others. I’m having a fantastic time reading your brilliant picturesque articles.
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Hi Matilde, nice to get to know you through your articles, and thank you for liking my articles and photographs. I’m really pleased though, as my eyesight is not great and I often have trouble in focusing, so when they turn out OK I’m thrilledl.
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Since ditching my DSLR the camera I mostly use is the Sony Compact System 6000 for which you can buy many different attachable lenses. I was considering what Zoom Lens to buy when a professional photographer suggested I get the little Lumix TZ70 which is a small compact but with a zoom lens of 70 which he assured me was equivalent to any attachable lens I could get, was less weight and less price but,…….always available and ready to shoot. I confess to using it more often than the compact system because of its convenience and the “always there” factor. The Zoom really is terrific and as the Sony has a very good wide angle lens fitted, this sets me up. Sony also makes a small one with the same-size zoom as the Lumix. Originally the comp.sys. was about £550 I think and the little Lumix about £299. They may have come down in price now as they have both been superceded by new models. I’m told the Lumix TZ100 is outstanding.
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Would love to know what type of camera you use. Traveling to Cambodia at the end of January, and I’m tired of lugging my Canon DSLR.
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Hi
I live on the Isle of Wight too! I’m always interested to find posts about our lovely island. Like you, I have travelled a lot, and I like photography. I look forward to seeing more of your lovely photos.
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Nice to have contact and I love your images. Look forward to seeing more of them.
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Lovely About-me page.
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Hi Mari 🙂 Not sure where else to put this as I can’t see an email address and if I put it on my site you’ll probably not see it. The statue you were asking about in Monchique? This link explains : http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMDY0J_Dr_Humberto_Messias_Monchique_Portugal
I’ll need to update my post. Half a story! 🙂 🙂
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I’ve just caught up with this Jo, thanks for that. Interesting and it is a lovely piece of work.
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