FU MAGZ PART 2

Top 5 Iceland Experiences

Unique

Northen Lights Adventures

County Cork,

Iceland

French:

Lavender Fields of Provence

Contents

November 2019

County Cork, Iceland 1

Unique Northen Lights Adventures 4

By Wanderlust.co.uk

By Wanderlust.co.uk

French: Lavender Fields Of Provence 2

By Wanderlust.co.uk

Top 5 Iceland Experiences 5

By Wanderlust.co.uk

County Cork, Iceland

1 Cork City 2 Whales 3 Island Life Laced with a network of waterways – the two channels of the River Lee – and spanned by bridges, Cork is a city that seems designed for a meander on foot. Handily, there’s a series of self-guided walks marked by colour-coded signs to make doing just that a simple affair.

The best chance of catching a humpback breach or the tail of a minke whale, you will need to take to the water. Head to Baltimore, where Nic Slocum of Whale Watch West Cork has been running ethical trips for years on his 12-person catamarans.

The Shandon Walk (red), City Centre Island Walk (orange), University Walk (green), and South Parish Walk (blue). They all begin at Daunt’s Square and guide you to the city’s many highlights. Try one or a combination to work up a hunger.

Keep your eyes peeled for rarer orca and basking sharks as well as the more commonly spotted Risso’s, bottlenose, white-beaked and white-sided dolphins, plus Atlantic grey and common seals basking on the rocks.

Grab some food from the Fairtrade and health food eatery Organico Café, then take the ferry to Whiddy Island – population 20.

Hire a bike and pedal to the remains of the old schoolhouse before climbing to the island’s highest point and imagining what it must have been like here in 1918 when it was taken over as a US naval airbase during the First World War.

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A girl in Lavender Fields.

FRENCH:

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LAVENDER FIELDS OF PROVENCE

If you’re lucky enough to visit the South of France in summer, don’t miss a chance to see the nearby lavender growing regions. For me two words “Provence” and “lavender” have become inseparable, so I hardly imagine one without the other: the lavender farms burst into vivid purple colour spreading heavenly delicate fragrances that, for sure, have become another emblematic symbol of France after the Eiffel Tower. The region is so picturesque itself that there are no photographers, artists and, of course, bloggers that can resist to its beauty without visiting the region from all over the globe from mid-June till the end of July.

The main lavender fields of Provence are scattered from the north, of the Luberon and Verdon plateau regions to the north of Aix-en-Provence and Marseille, with the blossom season in the lowlands being generally from the end of June to mid-July, which is slightly varying depending on the weather conditions throughout a year.

The higher up you go on the plateau, the colder it gets, so the area around the town of Sault is flowering from early July to mid-August roughly speaking. For those who want to get a small introduction and discover some facts about lavender and its production, you can go to the main lavender region - the department of Alpes Haute Provence. There are lavender farms, and even a museum dedicated to this gorgeous plant.

And, of course, don’t forget to buy souvenirs made of lavender and taste a real lavender honey and ice cream!

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Unique

Northen Lights

Adventures

Head deep into western Iceland, chasing both whales and the Northern Lights, on this wildlife and wild lights adventure with Wildlife Worldwide. The bay of Grundarfjordur in western Iceland is a wildlife lover’s delight. Birdlife is abundant and whales are frequent visitors. Based in the countryside, set amidst lava fields, and within the imposing, glacier-topped volcano of Snaefellsjokull in western Iceland in sight.

Set off on an adventure through the Yukon in search of the Aurora Borealis, the bright ribbons of colour known as the Northern Lights, with Flight Centre. Staying in Whitehorse, you’ll spend your nights looking for one of nature’s most impressive spectacles, and your days exploring the Yukon’s wildlife and mountains, as well as trying out some winter sports such as dog sledding and snowshoeing.

The trip includes two whale-watching expeditions by boat, as well as the chance to explore the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and visit Stykkisholmur, a small fishing village known as the ‘town of a thousand islands.’ The peninsula is lightly inhabited, so at night, when the Lights come out to play, you’ll see them clearly.

The trip includes two whale-watching expeditions by boat, as well as the chance to explore the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and visit Stykkisholmur, a small fishing village known as the ‘town of a thousand islands.’ The peninsula is lightly inhabited, so at night, when the Lights come out to play, you’ll see them clearly.

Toast marshmallows around the campfire under a multitude of stars. Soak in the Takhini Hot Springs. Or even try your hand at ice fishing.

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Top 5

Iceland Experiences

1 Explore Glaciers

You’re never far from a glacier in Iceland, with over a tenth of the total land area covered by ice caps.

Indeed, the country has 269 named glaciers of almost every variety, from ice caps and outlet glaciers to mountain glaciers, alpine, and cirque glaciers.

2 Epic Waterfall

The monumental power of nature is evident across Iceland, but it’s the country’s spectacular waterfalls that’ll make you feel it the most. Whether plunging over towering volcanic cliffs or coursing through old gorges, their unbridled power is overwhelming.

Welcome to Iceland.

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3 Icelandic Horse

Hardy and inquisitive, Icelandic horses are as tough and uncompromising as the environment they live in.

First brought to Iceland by Vikings, you’ll spot them everywhere - grazing on vast green plains against a backdrop of volcanic mountains, trotting along black sand beaches or simply standing beside a fence, huddled against the cold.

5 Great Geysir

4 Watching Whales

Your chances of seeing whales in the picturesque town of Húsavík are amongst the best in the world.

Perched on the edge of Shaky Bay, it’s known as the whale-watching capital of Europe. Humpbacks, minke and blue whales visit the bay so regularly that local tour operators claim you have a 90% chance.

The Great Geysir on the slopes of Laugarfjall hill in the Haukadalur Valley is the monster of all geysers. A mandatory stop on any tour of the Golden Circle, it was the first geyser recorded in any printed source and the origin of the English word ‘geyser’.

Geysir, though, took its name from the Icelandic verb ‘geysa’ (to gush).

Welcome to Iceland.

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