950th Minsk Anniversary Balloon Cup

Minsk is a city you can easily fall in love with and this is my vision from a bird’s eye point of view. Once you fly over this city in a basket suspended from a hot air balloon, you will never forget the beautiful vision that lies below you. Minsk is almost the only capital in the world, over which flights in balloons are allowed.

On September the 9th, Minsk celebrated its 950th anniversary and on September the 19th lots of balloonists from around the world celebrated the 234th anniversary of the first flight of sheep, duck and cock on the balloon designed by the Montgolfier brothers, which lasted 12 minutes somewhere in the vicinity of Paris. The Balloon Cup has now been organised three times in the Belarussian capital, this year’s Balloon Cup was for the 950th Anniversary of Minsk.

On the first day, the 8th of September we were all very disappointed with weather as no balloons took to the sky at the old airport in Minsk, where the opening ceremony of the championship was held, which had a huge fake balloon in the form of a Russian doll.

In the early morning of September, the 9th Minsk people were smiling after seeing balloons soaring in the sky above the city. 35 hot air balloons from 7 countries participated in the International Ballooning Cup which flew over Malinovka, Sukharevo, the Svisloch River, the Palace of the Republic then on towards Zaslavl and the Minsk Sea lake.

In the evening, over the Svisloch River in The Trayetskaye Pradmestsye, the historical centre of Minsk, aeronauts congratulated the city on its anniversary with a bright show of light from their gas burners. Fiery flames lit up the embankment during the festive fireworks display in honour of the foundation of ancient Minsk, which in 50 years’ time will celebrate its thousandth anniversary. Beautiful Minsk, is loved by all balloonists!

There are never enough flights in these competitions. So, the morning flight on September the 10th sadly finished the competition.

The winners were awarded their prizes later at the Hotel Forum in Ratomka. Congratulations to the pilot from Russia Ivan Menjajlo, who was the champion of this year’s Balloon Cup.

The Montgolfier’s will return to Minsk again in 2018, it would be nice to see you there!

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The Symonds Yat Rock in the Forest of Dean

The Forest of Dean is one of the most ancient surviving woodlands in England, it is situated between the picturesque valleys of the Severn and Wye Rivers in an area of 110 square kilometres and is the second largest crown forest after the New Forest. Before 1066 the Normans reserved the Forest of Dean for royal hunting. The name of Dean can be translated as “Land of Danes” following the Viking settlements in that era.

The Wye Valley has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as it is one of the most dramatic and scenic areas in England. The viewpoint at the gorge of the River Wye is known as the Symonds Yat Rock. The cliff is about 120 m high, with an observation deck at the top in the shape of a balcony with masonry walls on three sides. From this spot you can admire the incredibly beautiful, mesmerising and delightful view of the valley. The bend of the Wye River is in the form of a horseshoe, surrounded by cliffs and woodlands. In clear weather, visibility can stretch over several miles.

Symonds Yat was named as one of The Seven Natural Wonders of the West County. Yat is the old English word for “gate” or “gorge”. The Rock was named in honour of Robert Symonds, a 17th century sheriff of Herefordshire.

On the sides of the River Wye valley there are the villages of Symonds Yat West and Symonds Yat East, where you will find a number of country pubs and guesthouses. One, called “The Old Court Hotel” in Symonds Yat West, was built in the 16th century and was originally the home of John Graves Simcoe, the founding father of Upper Canada who abolished slavery there. In this village there is also a large caravan camping site and an amusement park. Tourist activities like canoeing and kayaking are very popular here. In addition, a deep gorge in the river Wye valley is popular for rock climbing.

The Forest of Dean is unique in its flora and fauna. Here there are deer, wild boars, peregrine falcons that nest annually on the rock, buzzards, goshawks, as well as rare butterflies, such as the pearl-bordered fritillary, wood white, Laminitis Camilla. Also here you will find many deciduous and evergreen trees such as oak, poplar, beech, pine, sweet chestnut, conifer and larch. The Forest of Dean timber was used for building ships for the Royal Navy, including Admiral Nelson’s “Victory”.

The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region. In the valley caves, archaeologists have discovered the remains of Hyena, Sabre-toothed cat bones and mammoth. Clothes and tools found in the caves confirmed the assumptions about their human habitation during the Iron Age 12,000 years ago.

Around 50 AD, during the Roman invasion, the area was used for coal mining and was the earliest use of coal for domestic heating and the preparation of iron ore. During the industrial revolution the region achieved national importance in the production of iron. The steel industry pioneer Robert Forester Mushet (1811 – 1891), started the metallurgical industry and his son invented carbon steel.

This extraordinary and amazing natural landscape is the perfect setting for any would be photographer. Once visited Symonds Yat Rock will leave you with a lasting impression of a most beautiful grand valley during your travels.

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The fantastic Italian gardens of Peto in Ifford

Travelling along the A36 we spotted a sign saying “ Efford Manor” just out of curiosity we decided to turn off and have a look. Suddenly on the bank of the river From in the valley of Ifford there was this absolutely magical place. The Medieval Manor of Ifford, it is located between Bath and the town of Bradford – on – Avon on the steep southern slope of the valley.

In the 14th century the estate belonged to the Carthusian monastery but has since been sold several times. In 1899 Harold Peto a renowned architect and garden designer, bought it and created the most amazing Italian gardens on the terraces at the back of the house. Before acquiring the Manor house he had travelled extensively around Italy and the French Riviera designing houses with gardens for other people and at the same time collecting architectural objects to decorate his future dream of an Italian garden embodying all that he had learned during his travels.

When in 1899, Peto visited Ifford, he realised that this is where his dream would come true. The steep slopes descending to the river were ideal the conditions for his Italian garden, for which terracing was the main element. His idea of an ideal garden is a combination of architecture and plants. He did not have big finances but he managed to carry out numerous commissions in England and Ireland giving him the funds to create his ideal Italian gardens using the classical techniques and architectural features of Italian garden design from his projects.

After Peto’s death in 1933, the garden gradually fell into decline but in the 1970s was restored in accordance with the ideas of Harold Peto by the new owner a Miss Elizabeth Cartwright. Today, the gardens are open for visitors from April to October. Art festivals, jazz concerts and opera performances are held annually mostly at weekends.

The gardens have a grand terrace walk along which he displays some of his
classic vases, sculptures, antique sarcophagi and other artefacts from his collection all surrounded by cypresses, junipers, wisteria and lots of assorted flowers among the colonnades, statues and pools that abound in these beautiful gardens. There is also an octagonal arbour of the XVIII century, well paved with stones surrounded by flowering irises and an oval basin with flowering lilies. Finally, we have a beautiful pavilion with marble columns from the 13th century all the way from Verona. From each terrace, there are delightful romantic views of the river valley and the surrounding villages.

At Iford, Peto, created the Italian fairytale garden he had always dreamed of.

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Stow-on-the-Wold, the oldest town in England

I heard about this old town many times from a friend of mine, he told me that this is one of the oldest towns in England and all along the streets when passing old cottages, elderly ladies would invite you in for tea. I wanted to visit this town and experience some of the old English traditions in that place.

The last time my friend visited this place was about 30 years ago and of course we no longer found the old ladies who invite you in for tea. Also none of the current residents we asked could remember this practice from the old days. But the feeling of antiquity and days gone by has been preserved on the main streets where there are many cozy cafes, serving traditional English high tea with scones and clotted cream.

Located in the Cotswold Hills, Stow was founded by the Norman lords as a trading center since it was well located at the intersection of several trade routes. In the center of the town there is a main square where the ancient cross still exists which was used for selling horses, sheep and wool. The fair grew and the town prospered. The tradition of holding the fair has survived until now but has now been moved to the outskirts of the town.

Originally the town was called Stow St Edward in honor of its patron Saint. The Church of St. Edward was built in the center of the town in the 11th century where amazing stained glass windows still survive. During the Civil War (1842 – 1851) royal prisoners used to spend the night in the church. Stow was of great importance in the battles of that war. Often the royal and parliamentary armies passed through this town. In 1845 King Charles spent the night in the “King’s Arms” inn.

In March 1846, in a field near the town of Stow, the last battle took place between the royal army under the command of Sir Jacob Astley and the parliamentary army of Colonel Thomas Morgan. The Royal forces were defeated and were forced to retreat, the battle continued right to the town’s square and according to legend, ” Blood flowed down Digbet Street”.

The captive Royalists were subsequently released under oath never to take up arms and commander Sir Jacob Astley was imprisoned in Warwick Castle. Thus, the last battle of Stow ended with the defeat of the royal army and ultimately the execution of the king, which laid the foundation of the British parliamentary democracy. Some names in the town remind us of past historical events, such as: “The Kings Arms” and “The Royalist Hotel”.

There are many old pubs in the town, one of them “The Porch House” claims to be the oldest in England, built in 947 AD. I recommend you not to miss any of the pubs and most certainly visit them all; each of them is unique in its design. In addition, in this town it is simply pleasant to take a walk and admire the ancient architecture: most of the cottages are built from the local Cotswold stone, mined in the area. Around the square and along the main street there are beautiful antique store, souvenir’s shops and art galleries.

Stow is indeed one of the oldest towns of England and one of the most picturesque in the Cotswold Hills.

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The Epsom Derby

Ordinary people all over the world enjoy horse racing, for many years, a favourite sport for Kings and the aristocracy. The first records of racing horses date back to 1000 BC in India. The start of horse racing in England, took place in 1309 and mass races were first held in 1776 in Doncaster, where grand stands were erected along the racetrack for the visitors. The event was named “St Leger” in honour of the army officer and politician Anthony Saint-Leger who developed the sport. Since then, every year in September, competitions for three-year old stallions at a distance of 2937 meters have been held. The Doncaster Cup is the oldest prize in the world. The “St Leger” inspired a number of similar events around the world.

The Derby competitions are held annually in early June, not far from London near the village of Epsom, the second oldest of the five classic races after the “St. Leger”. In 1779, Edward Smith-Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby on the occasion of his wedding decided to organise horse racing on his estate named “The Oaks”. The overall winner of these races was Bridget, a horse that belonged to Lord Derby himself. The races at Epsom became one of the leading events in the British calendar and have been named after Lord Derby.

Last weekend, I visited the Epsom races. These are slightly different from the competitions held at Ascot, which are traditionally visited by the Queen. In Ascot, people and specially the ladies dress extravagantly in expensive designer clothes and participate in competitions for the most original hat. Every year the outfits become more sophisticated and some of them completely outrageous, giving the impression that this is a competition of outfits rather than racehorses.

In Epsom, a huge area of the hill opposite the stands is reserved for the mass audience of ordinary English people who do not want to participate in the races for the best “dress code”. They come here with their families, hold picnics on the grass, participate in the extensive Fun Fair nearby or walk around the huge shopping market and many snack bars serving take away food and soft drinks. Sitting on the hill one can very clearly watch the events taking place on the racetrack. Those that wish to actually be on the racetrack, buy tickets and reserve places on the grandstand, dressed in beautiful outfits with most of the men sporting top hats while the ladies arrive in elaborate head dresses slightly resembling ladies day at Ascot.

Most people who go there tend to make a bet or two. Winnings depend on the total amount of betting on the races. Sometimes if an unpredictable outcome happens they can be very large. For example: if a horse, that is not favoured will have increased odds as very few people will bet on it, but if it does come in first the winner will benefit greatly. It is known that in 1995 the biggest prize of £153000 was paid out in Nottingham for a bet of only 5 pence. Most racehorse owners are extremely wealthy individuals, who take part in this sport for prestige and for the love of horses such as the Queen.