January skiing in the Spanish resort of Formigal
These are the slopes of the ski resort of Formigal (in the Spanish Pyrenees) mid-morning, on a Thursday in late January, I think 2006. Just look at those slopes – nary a soul out there.
Being a rubbish skier, I’m always a big fan of empty slopes – the more elbow room, the better for everyone concerned. On this particular holiday, the lack of people was doubly welcome as we were in the Pyreness to film our short break ski holiday for the BBC Holiday programme. The good looking, empty slopes did us no harm at all.
I must also say that the presenter, Craig Doyle, helped a lot. As with the previous film he had done for us in the Picos de Europa, he really ‘got’ this holiday and enjoyed being out in the Spanish mountains. I think that shows on the final piece which was broadcast. When the film aired we got in excess of 1,200 enquiries.
I have only managed to track down a copy of a shortened version of the original piece – this was broadcast as part of the BBC’s Holiday 10 Best series. As I say, it’s a few years old now – for instance, Formigal has now grown to around 137km of runs – but it is still a wonderful place for a short ski holiday.
See all of our skiing holidays in the Pyrenees.
The moon as seen from Chile's Atacama Salt Flats
I’m cheating a bit here as this photo was taken by my mother so I can’t claim it as my own. This photo was taken with a ‘point and shoot’ camera held up to the viewfinder of the telescope – no trickery or crazy lenses.
Last October/November my parents travelled around South America for a well deserved treat after a lifetime of working and raising three of us boys. By early November they had made it to Chile’s Atacama Desert having joined our Atacama Patagonia walking holiday group.
The combination of walking in the Atacama and Patagonia is a fairly common offering amongst tour operators to South America which is precisely why we try to do things differently. Go places other people do not, get away from the obvious to find hidden gems. This photos is a perfect example.
A few years back we discovered a French astronomer living on the edge of the salt flats near the town of San Pedro. He offered to take our clients out into the salt flats, away from any light pollution, set up some telescopes and introduce everyone to the night skies of the southern hemisphere. People enjoyed it so much that we have included it as part of the holiday ever since.
For me, this photo does two things. Firstly it reminds me how wonderful it is to be away from atmospheric and light pollution, it really is rejuvenating. Secondly, this photo makes me want to stop and stare. This is either going to be horribly corny or a statement of the bleedin’ obvious but I suspect that the romance of the moon landings has never really faded, even for those of us born after the event.
The moon is a constant presence which most of us just take for granted and yet it is completely unknown to most of us. This photo lets me stop and stare, to explore and imagine the physical features of the moon really quite vividly. I hope you enjoy it too.
Read more about our holidays to Chile or read our guide to Chile.
If you would like to go on a walking holiday to Chile and see the moon close up, as well as the rings of Saturn, the red glow of Mars…then take a look at our Atacama Patagonia holiday.
Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro and Sugar Loaf mountain.
I know flying over Rio in a helicopter might come across as a little gauche but it really was a lot of fun. It’s the only time I’ve been in a helicopter, just so you don’t think it’s the sort of thing we get to do all the time, working in travel.
I had always pictured myself confidently striding across the tarmac to get on board. In the event I was basically on my hands and knees, very nervous indeed about those rapidly spinning rotary blades. I’m 6′4″ so whilst I’m sure there was plenty of clearance above my head, those blades didn’t feel far enough away so I bent over, a lot.
The thing about Rio is that it’s an outdoor city – you don’t come here to visit museums, you come here to see what is arguably the most beautifully situated city in the world. It is genuinely spectacular, spread out over often thickly forested hillsides around a series of bays and beaches (the Olympics and World Cup film crews will lap this place up).
What better way to get a sense of the landscape than by helicopter? I should say that the ride itself isn’t or at least wasn’t silly money, about $45 dollars I think. While it lasts about 5 minutes, that’s time enough for a lap or two of Ipanema, Copacabana, Sugar Loaf and Corcovado mountain and its statue.
Pretty much wherever you are in the city, the statue of Christ is there looking down on you. Now this is an icon we have seen all our lives, in any number of adverts, photos, postcards, programmes and films. I know I was fully expecting the experience of seeing it in the flesh to be along the lines of “Oh yeh, there’s that thing” i.e. underwhelmed. The truth is that I found it to be incredibly powerful and moving. Not when circling around his head in a helicopter but actually standing on the top of Corcovado mountain at the feet of the statue.
What nobody ever really tells you is that it’s a beautiful piece of art-deco sculpture on a vast scale (38m tall). I’m going to give you a second photo today so you can see what I mean. Hopefully.
The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro
I appreciate that this is a piece of religious art so it might turn many of you off. I personally like to think that the gesture of those open arms is pretty much universal. The hands are wonderful.
So if you are wondering why all the hype, don’t. Rio is amazing. If you are lucky enough to be able to take a holiday to Brazil make sure to include a visit to Rio.
Find out more about our Brazil holidays or read our guide to Brazil.