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Kingscliff Northern Rivers NSW

March 20, 2017 by David Herd

Breakfast at Kingscliff

Kingscliff Northern Rivers NSW

Kingscliff Northern Rivers NSW was my first stop after leaving Surfers Paradise where I had spent a week catching up with friends. My plan was to travel down the coast to Sydney stopping at various coastal towns on the way.

Kettles on

Very popular for breakfast as you can see.

Eggs Benedict for me.

Cooked to perfection. 🙂

Huge breakfast for my brother Ian.

There is nothing wrong with his appetite. 🙂

Kingscliff Northern Rivers NSW

A fairly typical coastal town with lots of coffee shops, tourists & terrific beaches.

For instance

Miles & miles of surf & sand & deserted at 9am on Wednesday March 8th 2017.

Short walk from the beach to the shops

Kingscliff Northern Rivers Coast NSW is a tourist destination with a population of a little over 6,000 with beach and estuary access for swimming, surfing, fishing and all types of water sports.

Choppy surf today

Kingscliff is only 14 kms from Coolangatta airport.

Location

It’s obvious why Kingscliff is so popular given how close it is to the Gold Coast.

A beautiful day

Kingscliff by the beach.

Kingscliff estuary

A nice peaceful picnic area.

Picnic area beside the estuary.

Grab the morning paper & relax under the trees.

Time to hit the road & head south

I got an amazing deal on my hire car from Apex, 6 days hire and drop it off at Sydney airport for only $150, a special relocation deal.

Here we go

After an excellent breakfast I’m on the road again.

Hundreds of new townhouses

So many new homes, the demand is obviously here.

Other towns heading south.

All are nice little seaside villages, I may well wind up in this area when I return permanently to Australia in the next few years.

This was Chinderah on the way to Kingscliff.

One lazy pelican and Mount Warning in the distance.

The highway to Byron Bay.

I thought I would bypass Byron Bay and head for Yamba.

Road tunnel

Cutting through the hills.

Inside the tunnel

Lucky for me there is very little traffic.

Thanks for visiting my Kingscliff Northern Rivers NSW photo blog.

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Lake Como Lake Garda Italy

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Beautiful Lake Garda northern Italy

August 18, 2015 by David Herd

Another Italian Gem.

Beautiful Lake Garda northern Italy

Beautiful Lake Garda northern Italy is the largest Italian lake. The wealthy and the snobbish will always prefer Lake Como because that’s what they read about in the social pages and gossip columns, the experienced traveller however would most certainly choose Lake Garda as the more interesting and user friendly location.

Lake Garda northern Italy

Lake Garda is Italy’s largest and most visited lake. The lake is 51km long but only 17km wide at its widest point in the south. The distance around the lake is 158km. Picturesque villages, medieval castles, and lakeside promenades dot the shoreline.

Swimming at Lake Garda

The lake has numerous small islands and five main ones, the largest being Isola del Garda. Nearby to the south is Isola San Biagio, also known as the Isola dei Conigli (“Island of the Rabbits”). Both are offshore of San Felice del Benaco, on the west side. The three other main islands are Isola dell’Olivo, Isola di Sogno, and Isola di Trimelone, all farther north near the east side. The main tributary is the Sarca River, while the only outlet is the Mincio River.

Relaxing beside Lake Garda

There are many delightful cafes and restaurants around the lake where you can relax and enjoy the sunshine.

Beautiful Lake Garda

Lake Garda is known for its clear water, great for swimming in summer. Windsurfing, sailing, and hiking in the lake’s many parks are popular activities.

Beautiful Lake Garda northern Italy

Is it surprising that Italy is my favourite European country?

Lakeside restaurant

A perfect spot to relax by the lake.

Lake Garda church

If you would like to rent an apartment here use THIS LINK for an excellent rate.

Fabulous colours

Magnificent colours on the buildings.

Shopping arcade beside the lake

Shop, drink coffee or enjoy pasta for lunch.

Ferry at Lake Garda

You can also explore the lake from the ferry.

Old castle

The lake has a diverse landscape with beaches along the southern shores and rocky cliffs above the northern shoreline.

North of Lake Garda.

The surrounding countryside is magnificent.

The Castle of Sirmione on Lake Garda.

The Sirmione castle is the most significant example of the defensive structures on Lake Garda. Between the 13th and 14th centuries, the village of Sirmione was a border town situated between the land owned by the Della Scala dynasty of Verona and the property of the lords of Milan. The original nucleus was delimited by a tall square wall with three towers, and was probably built on top of the remains of a Roman fortress.

Thanks for visiting my Beautiful Lake Garda northern Italy photo blog, which one do you prefer Lake Como Lake Garda?

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Lake Como northern Italy

August 17, 2015 by David Herd

Lake Como northern Italy

Lake Como northern Italy has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times, it’s a very popular tourist attraction with many artistic and cultural gems. It has many villas and palaces such as Villa Olmo, Villa Serbelloni, and Villa Carlotta.

Fabulous Lake Como home

Lake Como weather is generally mild. It is known for its Mediterranean-like climate where sub-tropical plants can grow year-round, Average daily temperatures range from about 2 °C (36 °F) in January to 30 °C (86 °F) in July.

Bellagio on Lake Como northern Italy

Bellagio is a wonderful upmarket village on Lake Como, certainly a place that attracts the wealthy. Bellagio & Lake Como are both beautiful and famous, however I do prefer the larger Lake Garda which is a couple of hours east. I found it more “user friendly” in so much as there were many more places you could actually access the lake itself. The wealthy and the snobbish will always pick Como because that’s what they read about in the fashion magazines and gossip columns, but the experienced traveller I believe would choose Lake Garda as the more interesting location.

My little road rocket

This little car really covered a lot of miles in the coming weeks, all the way to Saint Tropez, Cinque Terre, Menton, Breil Sur Roya, Verona, Pejo, St Moritz and Salzburg.

Lake Como northern Italy

Taking the shortcut across Lake Como northern Italy.

West side Lake Como

It is a rather short trip on the ferry.

For whom the bell tolls

Pardon me quoting the title of Ernest Hemingway’s 1940 novel, however I’m sure he would have sometime in his life sipped his double daiquiris on the shore of Lake Como. 🙂

Hemingway did enjoy a drink

What a fabulous old photo.

San Giacomo Church, Ossuccio

This Romanesque church is situated along the shore at Spurano, Ossuccio. It was built between the 10th and 12th centuries. The sail bell tower on the outside wasn’t built until after the 14th century. The double arched apse is typical of the local architecture and inside the church you can see visible traces of original frescoes.

Grand Hotel Tremezzo

Dining outside on the terrace overlooking the lake with the lights of Bellagio twinkling is a magical experience.

Grand Hotel Tremezzo

Way above my pay grade I’m afraid. 🙂

Como Cathedral

No, I didn’t go inside. 🙂

Como

Como is a city and comune in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps has made Como a popular tourist destination and the city contains numerous works of art, churches, gardens, museums, theatres, parks and palaces.

Veal Scallopini

One of my favourite meals is veal scallopini and this dish I had in Como at the restaurant shown below was perhaps the best I have ever experienced.