© Alison Day
Showing posts with label sun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sun. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 February 2016
Thursday, 6 August 2015
Tuesday, 21 July 2015
Monday, 20 July 2015
Tourist Wall
Tourist Wall by Alison
Day
The tourist wall—a place to walk along, sit, or ponder the seascape, pose, photograph or be photographed.
© Alison Day
Thursday, 16 July 2015
Monday, 6 July 2015
Cool Coffee
Already twenty-four hours on the sunny island of Crete in Greece. After a good sleep, it's time to sip cool frappés whilst guarding our cookies from the relentless attack of pigeons.
Yesterday was a very long day, a 3am start in Amsterdam followed by a 6.20 am, three-and-a-half hour flight from Schipol to Heraklion. Arriving at our hotel, a refreshing swim in the mosaic hotel pool and friendly greetings from the hotel staff rejuvenated our spirits.
Dinner by the sea of: tzatziki, saganaki, calamari and a Greek Salad with a finale of the local firewater - raki, accompanied by luscious watermelon.
© Alison Day
Sunday, 26 April 2015
Primavera Prosecco
Lunch on a balcony, in the little restaurant: Dietro L'Angolo. Overlooking the town of Monreale (Sicily), with its lemon groves and the hazy blue of the sea.
Glorious! — Sun, Prosecco aperitif, wine, fresh fish and olives.
by Alison
Day
© Alison Day
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Berry Delight
Flashback to a cooling summer drink and my interpretation of a Strawberry Slush: Strawberries, pineapple juice, lemon juice, crushed ice.
Monday, 7 July 2014
Morning Coffee
Early morning coffee on the terrace and it's already 26 degrees on Crete in Greece—Happy days!
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Toast with Showers
Sick of leaving the house forgetting to check the weather forecast and getting a drenching?
Well, designer Nathan Brunstein may have come up with a solution that is both handy and edible. Introducing the ‘Jamy Toaster’ — capable of predicting the weather—thanks to an inbuilt barometer and thermometer.
Put a piece of bread into the toaster, and when it's done, it will pop up with the day's forecast 'printed' onto it.
Via DesignTaxi
Friday, 31 August 2012
Super Solar
That aside, the development of clean solar energy technologies combined with the vast electrical energy created by the power of the sun, could translate into an unlimited, non-polluting energy for the future. It could also be part of the solution to our current problem of global warming as well as other environmental issues.
Via Inhabitat
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Connections Magazine - Summer #28, 2010
For the summer issue of Connections, we set a competition for children asking them to
'Design a Summer cover' for the magazine. Here is the the winning entry created and sent in by Sam Kompier.
Read & download issue here
First
published in the Connections magazine #28
Summer 2010
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Crete the Final Frontier
I
had absolutely no qualms about leaving behind what must have been one of the
wettest Augusts on record for a two-week holiday on the island of Crete in
Greece.
My
friends Kate and Luc, who emigrated there a couple of years ago, picked me up
at the hot and chaotic airport of Heraklion and we sped off in their jeep in a
westerly direction to Rethymnon, situated on the northern coast of the
island—cans of ice-cold beer in hand.
It’s
fifteen years since my last visit to Crete , and
of course during this time there has been a lot of change and restoration. As a
tourist attraction Rethymnon manages to cater for the wishes of its
visitors without compromising its customs and traditions. The old town of
Rethymnon for example, has still retained its charm, with the local butchers,
bakers, and corner shop all still in existence. This is no mean feat in a day
and age of the larger supermarket and mass production breathing down their
necks.
Historically, Crete and
particularly Rethymnon has a broad history dating back as far as the Neolithic
period. Modern day Crete only became part of Greece
The south coast of the island is
easily accessed by moped, motorbike or car. Driving through the mountainous
regions on the way is more than impressive. The roads twist over and around
dry, orangey coloured rocky hills, daubed with green vegetation, which has
managed to escape the heat so far; through gorges with sheer rock faces on
either side. Village signs are shot full of holes in celebration of the birth
of a child or just for sport. Locals sit in the shade on wooden chairs
discussing life and the universe; the men often stripped down to their vests in
an attempt to keep cool. Every bend in the road with an alarming drop
seems to have a shrine in memory of someone who managed to misjudge it.
As with most places in the world there
is also an expatriate presence on Crete ,
who meets regularly for coffee mornings and lunches in small tavernas by the
sea. There is the CIC (Cretan International Community of Chania) in Chania and
the Rethymnon group, whose members I found to be very open and friendly.
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Monday, 22 March 2010
Cucumber Time!
What does one do in the summer months, often referred
to by the Dutch as ‘komkommer tijd’ (cucumber time)?
Not much can be organized
or done during this period as everyone is planning his or her holidays. If you
have not already flown to foreign shores, or disappeared to the nearest lake
with a good book for the afternoon, you could always join the exodus to one of
the islands along the coast of the Netherlands for a week or two. There
are five in total: Schiermonnikoog, Terschelling, Ameland. Vlieland and Texel. Each
offer a diversity of nature, scenery and activities to appear to all.
Schiemonnikoog
This island can be reached from Lauwersoog in
twenty-five minutes, and its size makes it perfect for a day visit. Cars
of visitors are not allowed on the island, as it is a nature reserve so the
main means of transport is the bicycle. These come in all sorts of shapes and
sizes both for adults and children. The tandem is a regular sight and trailers
can be filled with your baggage or even small children for quick transport
around the island and down to the seashore.
Apart from the obvious attraction of the sea with
its dunes and grasses, the natural beauty of this national park includes salt
marshes as well as a variety of flora and fauna. There are numerous cafes,
restaurants and pavilions, a lighthouse, and a bunker from the Second World War
to be visited along the way.
Terschelling
Terschelling can be reached from Harlingen by boat
and takes an hour and a half. This is somewhat bigger than Schiermonnikoog
and is made up of a number of small villages all easily accessed via a
connecting road system. The best way to get a good impression of what
Terschelling has to offer is to walk from the Noordzee to the Waddenzee right
across the island. Along the way you will see the natural dune formations and
pass through the different ecosystems of the island (there are nine in total),
which are homes to a rich diversity of flora and fauna. The beach is the widest
of the Dutch coastline and in the whole of Western Europe.
Generally there are plenty of places to stay on the
island unless you choose to visit around the time of the annual ‘Oerol’
Festival. During this time because of the festivals enormous popularity, most
places are fully booked although some camping areas may have a few places
available.
Oerol this year is 10th – 19th June and
has a nautical theme entitled ‘Geen zee te hoog’ (‘No sea too high’) and has to
do with the bond between the islanders and navigation. During the festival the
whole island becomes a stage and the backdrop for (street) theatre, cabaret,
circuses, dance acts, and artistic creations. Tickets sales begin on the 8th and 9th of June
on the island with half being withheld for sale during the festival itself.
More information about Oerol can be found at: www.oerol.nl/index.html.
Ameland
To reach Ameland the boat goes from Holwerd and
takes forty-five minutes. Used to belong to the royal family around the
beginning of the 18-th century but since the early 19-th century has
become part of the property of Friesland.
The island has 4 villages, a population of 3,500 and
measures 25 kilometres in length and is 4 km at its widest point. Again
interesting to explore it is rich in flora and fauna. One such area, known as
the Nieuwlandsreid, is a marsh filled with unusual vegetation due to the fact
that it is regularly flooded with salt water.
The natural history museum offers activities and
information as well as an enormous aquarium filled with a diversity of fish and
shellfish whose natural habitat is the Noord- en Waddenzee.
Vlieland
This island can be reached by boat from Harlingen
and takes one and a half hours. This island also has a no car policy for
non-residents, the bicycle again being the main means of getting around the
island.
The tourist office has all the infomation about what
there is to see and do on Vlieland and offers a variety of different excursions
around the island. There is an aquarium which is filled with sea life native to
the area, but there is also a special aquarium filled with rays and dog sharks
that can be stroked if you dare!
Other attractions for all ages include the
‘Kabouterbos’ (‘Gnome wood’), ‘Jutterszolder’, (‘Beachcombers attic’) filled
with all kinds of objects that have washed up on the seashore, and a
‘Wrakvondstenzolder’, (‘Shipwreck attic’) exhibiting objects retrieved by
divers from Northsea shipwrecks.
Texel
Texel is the biggest and most diverse of the
‘waddeneilanden’ (‘wadden islands’) and can be reached by boat from Den Helder
in twenty minutes, and is home to large herds of sheep and birds
On Texel, EcoMare can be found in the center of the
National Park ‘Duinen van Texel’ (‘Dunes of Texel’). This comprises of a
visitor’s center, a center for education about nature and the environment, a
museum, a crèche for sea lions, and a bird sanctuary. There is also information
available about the North Sea, the Wadden area, nature on Texel and the
influence of man’s presence on all this. The dune park of 70-hectares has a
number of different walks marked out, which can also be done as part of a
guided tour, giving the visitor a good idea of the diversity of plant life on
the island.
More
information about the islands and Holland: HERE
First
published in the Connections magazine #8 July 2005
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Discovering Groningen by Waterbus
With
the weather warming up, now’s the opportunity to take one of the circular
boat trips round Groningen and view the city from another angle.
Lasting
about an hour, the trip starts across from the Central Station and follows the
canals that circle the city centre. With refreshments on board one
can sit back and enjoy the multitude of historical buildings,
bridges, towers and houseboats that seem to glide effortlessly by. This is
accompanied by a pre-recorded tour guide via the tannoy on Groningen’s history
and inhabitants, in Dutch, English and German.
If
you would prefer to see the Groninger countryside on a more extended trip then
maybe the Reitdiepcruise is more for you. Leaving Groningen early in the
morning on the ‘Ommelaand’ and returning at 20.00 in the evening, the trip follows
the Reitdiep channel to a lake called the “Lauwersmeer". Included in the ticket
price is morning tea or coffee and lunch.
Other
cruise destinations available from Groningen are Nienoord, Delfzijl -
Dollardvaart, Damsterdiep, and the lakes, Zuidlaarder Meer and Paterswoldse
Meer. The boats ‘Pronkjewail’, and ‘Goudraand’ of the
excursion company Kool, sail all the year round and are also available for
group excursions such as weddings, business lunches, school trips and
promotions.
More information and reservations: Here
First
published in the Connections magazine #8 July 2005
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
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