Sant’ Antimo Abbey

Posted on February 1, 2017 by kathy

Leaving Asciano, we weaved our way through the beautiful Tuscan countryside to Sant’ Antimo Abbey, not far from Montalcino.

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The Benedictine monastery dates back to the Middle Ages and the abbey was completed in 1260.

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I love the solitary cypress next to the bell tower.

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The landscape of olive trees, vineyards, fields and cypress was an artist’s dream

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and the town of Castelnuovo Dell’ Abate stood guard over the abbey.

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We wandered around the grounds of the monastery

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before entering the abbey to observe the prayers and chanting of the monks.

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We were awed by the light streaming in, accentuating the 13^th century wooden crucifix behind the altar.

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The interior was stunning, the alabaster walls reflected the light

and there was so much detail wherever we looked.

The capitals had intricate carvings,

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the most impressive depicted Daniel in the Lions’ Den.

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The abbey was known for its Gregorian chanting and the monks started at exactly the scheduled time of 12.45pm. Words can’t describe our ethereal experience, surrounded by those exquisite voices with the Tuscan countryside offering a tranquil portrait in the window frame.

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Returning to reality, we spent some time admiring the architecture of the exterior

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and found more intricate carvings of animals and humans.

One last look at the spectacular surroundings

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and we headed for our next destination, Montalcino.

The Falkirk Wheel

Posted on January 6, 2017 by kathy

We had seen a documentary on the Falkirk Wheel some time before our travels and just had to see it for ourselves. Near the town of Falkirk in central Scotland, the Forth & Clyde Canal used to be connected to the Union Canal by a series of eleven locks. In the 1930s, the locks were demolished and for decades there was nothing to connect these two canals. The Falkirk Wheel, the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, opened in 2002 and reconnected Glasgow and Edinburgh via these canals. We walked along the Forth & Clyde Canal on a crisp autumn morning

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and were absolutely awed at our first sight of the wheel.

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The wheel works on Archimedes principle of displacement. The two gondolas are full of water. When a boat enters the gondola, it displaces a proportional volume of water so that the total mass is equal to the other gondola, whether there is a boat in it or not.

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The upper gondola is lowered as the lower one rises. Fascinating!

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The shape of the wheel was inspired by the Celtic double-headed axe. It is 35m in diameter and raises the boats 24m. More than eight boats can be carried at a time, taking around 20 minutes for a one way trip. Of course, we hopped on for a return circuit.

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I wish I had taken more photos, it was truly amazing.

wilderness & wine

Posted on November 29, 2016 by kathy

The second day of our transcontinental journey on the Indian Pacific was spent relaxing, reading and watching the scenery pass by.

There were sporadic signs of human habitation in the otherwise desolate landscape.

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The terrain changed the further we travelled through South Australia

and just north of Peterborough, the fertile green fields of farmland contrasted with the barren outback.

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Passengers can commence their journey in Adelaide, where the train stops for supplies and welcomes a new crew. This allows a few hours to enjoy an off train excursion to the National Wine Centre. Built in the year 2000 in the shape of an oak barrel, it has won many architectural awards.