Loose_Grip/Pete's photos

An overview of the Moon Ponds at Studley Royal from the Octagon Tower. The rain had just started! HFF to everyone . Enjoy the weekend.

It was a beautiful day when I climbed Penyal d'Ifac - the Phoenician's Northern Rock to Gibraltar's Southern Rock. This is looking north towards Cap d'Or & Moraira in the right distance. The track winds around the mountainside from the notch - a third of the way down the slope - partially built up with drystone walling. Just visible are the chains fastened to the rock to hold onto in those areas without the support underfoot. It's not a really difficult climb but you have to watch your step in these areas. It's well worth the effort when you reach the 332m summit - or as my iPhone has it: 67 "flights of stairs"!

After a boat trip on Alqueva reservoir we visited the beautiful town of Monsaraz . The lake can be seen on the far right & is the largest in Europe apparently. Off shot to the left it forms the border between Spain & Portugal in this region. The proximity of the border explains the reason for the presence of this fortress town. HWW to everyone.

Take a seat. Fom the window of 1L02, the 06.10 East Midlands Trains Nottingham to Norwich service 6 years ago. HBM to everyone. Enjoy the start of the new week.

We had been in Jakarta for a meeting with Pertamina and were now at the airport waiting for our Garuda flight back to Medan. We got a beer while we waited and as the doors to the departure lounge opened straight out onto the airstrip Ken took a stroll in the heat outside. I'm not sure where the barefoot little Indonesian girl came from but I thought the two of them made a nice composition.

Vale do Peso A station is on the closed Cáceres branch line from Torre das Vargens to Castelo de Vide, opened in 1880, which used to run over the Marvão-Beirã border into Spain. The regional trains service on the Cáceres branch line ended on February 1, 2011. This halt is on the same line as the main station and goods yard posted earlier but closer to the town. HFF to everyone. Enjoy your weekend.

Orange trees on the Plaça Beato Francisco Sendra in the old town centre of Calpe on the Costa Brava. HWW to everyone. Enjoy the day.

I have photographed sunrises & sunsets over Penyal d'Ifac - the Phoenicians' Northern Rock (Gibraltar is the Southern Rock) - many times but I finally made the effort to climb it last Friday. An early start meant that I got to see the Rock silhouetted against the pre-dawn sky from the beach front. HBM to everyone. Enjoy the start to the new week.

The beautiful little station at Vale do Peso station is on the closed Cáceres branch line from Torre das Vargens to Castelo de Vide, opened in 1880, which used to run over the Marvão-Beirã border into Spain. It is covered in exquisite blue & white tiled scenes of the region which fortunately have not been vandalised. The regional trains service on the Cáceres branch line ended on February 1, 2011. The station is frozen in time with everything still in place; track, signals, points, goods shed, loading gauge, water tank and clearly hasn't been disused for too long. The photo was taken from the "new" goods loading yard which according to the stone plaque was inaugurated by the "Camara Municipal do Crato" on 7th May 1993. I guess the optimism of the 1990s was misplaced and the crisis of 2008 badly hit the region. I would like to believe it will open again someday.