“THE LAST SUPPER” PAINTING in Milan, Italy

17 Oct 2016 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , ,

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Santa Maria del  Grazie Church and Convent

October 5, 2016

On my day of arrival in Milan,  I had a half- day tour set up, in advance, with  Zan Viaggi  Tours,  so that I could see  ” The Last Supper” painting.   Unless you make your reservations to see the painting months in advance,  a tour company like this is your only chance.   The tour was half  riding in a bus  to see some sights and history of Milan and half  walking tour.  It was enjoyable,  well organized and I would highly recommend.

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The Last Supper was painted by Leonardo da Vinci  from 1494 – 1498, directly on the wall  in the refectory of  the convent.  It  measures approximately  15 by 29 feet.

During World War II   the  church and  convent was bombed and much of the refectory was destroyed, but  the wall that holds the The Last Supper, which had been sand-bagged in order to protect it, survived.

In 1980,  a 19 year restoration began on the badly deteriorated painting .  Sadly  very few of  da Vinic  actual brush strokes remain.

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 The Crucifixion,   by  Donato da Montorfano , also  was painted directly on the wall in the dining hall across from The Last Supper  in 1495.

 

A funny  side note to this tour stop was that I sat next to a  Australian  lady, who was traveling alone and had quite a sense of humor.    We had a bit of free time while at this stop  and , while I went across the street to enjoy some strawberry gelato, this lady went to see the inside of the church.  When we all got back on the bus, she commented to me that,  even though she wasn’t Catholic, she had ” sprinkled myself with Holy Water – I don’t know if it did any good but thought I would try”.

Thanks for reading!

 

INTRODUCTION DAY TO MILAN, ITALY

17 Oct 2016 3 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

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My favorite Italian meal – Alottagelato –  with pizza on the side.

October 5, 2016

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Delizioso !  A piece of heaven in Italy.

I am now  back to  home, sweet home,  but I  still want to share with you my adventures in Italy.  My home base was Milan with its wealth of attractions  and an easy to navigate Metro system  to provide inexpensive transportation.

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Milan is  best known for it’s fashion…..

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and it’s economic capital of Italy.

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Method of  personal common transportation – tiny cars ( this one was parked on the sidewalk)  and..

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hundreds of these  “motociclo”  buzzing in, out and between  traffic  like annoying  bees.

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Food is  a very popular part of Italy — – -no simple chocolate chip cookie to be found here.

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Italian food is so popular, they make and sell magnets to show off their famous brands

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Typical Milan building facades and  adornments are quite impressive.

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Space is at a premium , and this  church, makes the most of it’s corner lot.

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Many street artists can be found at the local  ” piazza”  but  I found this “art” to be especially  unique.

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Lastly, the bird of the day, is the Hooded Crow, a common bird  found all over Europe.

“To awaken  in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.”

– Freya Stark

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

CROSSING the CARRICK-A-REDE BRIDGE, in Northern Ireland

09 Oct 2016 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

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See that little white building on top of the cliff?  That’s where the walk  to the bridge begins…

Oct 3, 2016

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There you can still barely see the white building, but the path is certain.

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One of the marvelous  views from the path.

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A view of where the path leads and just how far it is to walk is becoming more apparent.

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More views – the little white building where we started can barely be seen.

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Almost there…..

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Now I can really see what I am in for…

These people have already crossed the bridge and really to come back over.

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Besides the mile long path  walk along stunningly beautiful views, the Carrick-A-Rede bridge involves walking down very steep steps ( like almost straight down steps) to reach the bridge.    The  ravine opening where the bridge crosses over  is 65 feet wide and the drop off  from the bridge to the bottom  is 98 feet deep. Did I mention yet that this is a rope bridge?  That this location is incredibly windy?

Evidently a rope  bridge has been erected here by fisherman for 350 years to allow them to catch migrating salmon. This adventure continues the tradition, except it is  courage we are searching  for, not salmon.

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Only 8 people at a time are allowed to cross.

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View of the steps from the other side.  No, sorry,  I did not  take any photos while on the bridge – my hands were clenching  the sides of the rope bridge for dear-life as the wind was blowing, the bridge was  swaying and my jacket was  making flapping noises.  I was trying to concentrate on not looking down and how terrified I really was !  I vaguely remember  that the bottom held  moving  muddy water and rocky  sides of the cliff edges.   I  could see that before I took the first step onto the bridge.  From that point  on,  I looked anywhere but down and gingerly took each step until I  reached the other side.  Knowing all along, I would have to walk across it a second time.

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This little guy went across the bridge both ways but had a serious melt down when it was all over.   I totally understood and  wanted his Mum to hug me too when it was all over !

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Another  unbelievable view on the walk back.

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This little sheep,  holding his lucky shamrock,  smiled on all of us on the bus ride back.

That wraps up my  fantastically  enjoyable  trip to Ireland.   Now on to Italy!

Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

GIANT’S CAUSEWAY, in Northern Ireland

09 Oct 2016 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

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Nicknamed ” The Giant’s Pipe  Organ”

Oct 3, 2016

On the 2nd  Wild Rover Tour day trip,  the Giant’s Causeway was the 2nd stop.   The Giant’s Causeway has  a distinctive rock formation  symmetry for  almost 18 miles on the coastline.  The  rocks are  hexagon-ish  shaped tubes stacked next to each other like puzzle pieces.   It is believed to have been caused by volcanic eruptions more than 60 million years ago.

Of course, the Irish know the true story – it was really caused by the Irish  Giant Finn McCool.    Finn was having  trouble with the Scottish Giant  Benandonner  across the way.  Finn starts throwing  massive pieces of the coast toward Scotland to walk across and  teach  Benandonner a lesson.  But the Scotish giant was much more massive than Finn  and  Finn hastily retreats.    Finn’s wife quickly  disguised Finn as a baby.  Benandonner  saw the baby and  decided if the baby was that big,  then the daddy must be  even bigger.  Thus  the Scottish Giant ran back to Scotland and ceased to be a problem.

Here are my many favorite photos of  the Giant’s Causeway.

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I would be amiss if I failed to  mention how beautifully green and  rugged  the  northern  Irish coast  is on the  drive to the Giant’s Causeway.

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The scenery also  is full of grazing and lazing cattle…..

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and sheep .   What the Irish call a “woolly  jumper”  actually because the  wool comes from the sheep to make jumpers, sweaters and the like   – as  I was explained in one of the gift shops.

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We also made a photo stop at the Dunlace Castle, dating from the  13th century.   The castle is actually  eroding  off the edge of the Atlantic  coast due to wind and sea.  It was also  used  for filming in the  “Game of Thrones”.

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Coastal view  looking the opposite direction of the Dunlace Castle.

Lastly, the Irish say……
“Ireland, it’s the one place on earth
That heaven has kissed
With melody, mirth,
and meadow and mist.”

But Finn  McCool says…

“Count your joys instead of your woes,

count your friends instead of your foes.”

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

IRELAND DAY TOUR TO BELFAST

09 Oct 2016 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: ,

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Oct. 3, 2016

Another Wild Rover Tours Day Trip I recommend would be the tour to Belfast, the Giant’s Causeway and the Carrick-A-Reed Bridge.   In the morning, you have the choice of  a Black Taxi  Political tour or seeing the Titanic Museum ( the  ill-fated Titanic was built in Belfast).  I chose the Black Taxi tour.  This tour  touched  upon Northern Ireland’s  four decades of  civil unrest.   Some people think this was merely a Catholic and Protestant issue but it was also actually  ” a  “war”  between the paramilitary element of the minority nationalist community  with the British state and the paramilitary element of the Protestant Loyalist community”   as stated on Wild Rover Tour web sight  in the description of the tour .

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There are more than 2000 political  murals in  Northern Ireland.

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The Catholics and the Protestants , even today, still live in separate neighborhoods.  These gates to a  Catholic community are closed every night  and opened every morning –  to keep out ” any stray troublemakers” as it was explained.

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This is an example of a Protestant neighborhood.

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This depicts a section of  the “Peace Walls or Lines”, built in 1969, and  are a series of barrier borders separating the communities.  Everyone is invited to sign the wall to  encourage peace.    109 walls still  exist today.

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On a lighter note – well, sort of,  this shot is of the Belfast Titanic Museum.  Built in 2012,  at a  cost of  97 million British Sterling  and sits close to the site where the actual Titanic was built.  The building is stated to stand  as tall as the Titanic ship.

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(  above saying and photo borrowed from the internet)

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next 2 blogs of this Wild Rover Tour!

IRISH HUMOR – Funny Signs I Stumbled Upon

09 Oct 2016 3 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized

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Oct. 4, 2016

Irish humor – gotta see it to believe it…

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Restaurant’s  sign, plus a new Irish twice to a familiar nursery  rhyme…..

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Bag of corn  snacks – these were a pickled onion flavor and they are said to be the best cure of all for a hangover. You can eat them alone or add them  atop  a sandwich.

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Aren’t we all?

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The unexplainable.

Irish saying of the day……

“May those who love us love us.
And those that don’t love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn’t turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we’ll know them by their limping.”

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

ST. PATRICKS CATHEDRAL, Dublin, Ireland

09 Oct 2016 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

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Oct. 4, 2016

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, built in 1220,  ( and renovated many times)  is the largest and oldest cathedral in Ireland.  St. Patrick, himself,  has been credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland.    Besidse being a place of worship, the church contains many historical artifacts. For example, there are many flags of former Irish regiments and many statues of people unknown to me.

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This  chair was used by  King William III when he came to St. Patrick’s to give thanks for winning the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

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There are over 500 people buried at St. Patrick’s – both in the cemetery in back and in the church itself, many buried under the floor such as…

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Jonathon Swift  ( Gulliver’s Travels author)   is buried under the floor beside his best friend, Esther/Stella Johnson.  Swift’s  burial plate was being polished so I could only photograph Esther’s plate.

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Obviously one of the  1st burials in the church but no record as to the identity.

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This Monument was built in 1632  inside  the cathedral.

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Here is another.

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The nave is beautiful, but considerably ” dressed down”  from many other churhes I have  seen.

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The cathedral

has an ornate pulpit.

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A brass lectern with the  eagle atop  represents “spread the word of God through out the world”.

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Complimentary cushions for your seating pleasure.

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Lastly,  another darling Irish lad  that I sneaked a photo of.

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They are just as cute when they grow older also.  : )

Closing with another Irish saying…..

“May God take a liking to you

But not too soon!”

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

THE CRYPT AT ST. MICHAN’S CHURCH – Dublin, Ireland

07 Oct 2016 2 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: ,

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St. Michan’s Church – –   looks innocent enough, right?

October 4, 2016

Originally  built in 1095 to serve the Viking population of ancient Ireland for more then 5 centuries. The original building, made of wood, no longer exists.  The present building dates back to 1685.  Most interesting about the church today is the  burial vaults and…..

Also,  according to legend,  Bram Stoker, a  former resident of Dublin, studied the  bodies in the crypt for his book “ Dracula”.  He also researched the Irish  vampire legend ,  Abhartach   and the  accused that was  buried  standing and upside down in Glenullin, Ireland.    Stoker’s mother was buried in the graveyard behind the St Michan’s.

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Entering the 2 vaults was just as creepy as stepping down into my Grandma’s canning cellar, but  that’s only the beginning…..

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Some of the vaults are private and thus locked with an iron gate, but others are open.  The caskets are placed in  no particular order.   Two of the private vaults are still “active”,  meaning  there is still family alive that will be  utilizing some  space in the future.

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Besides  bones, much dust has accumulated and remnants of flowers and wreaths are present also.

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In this  vault, the  plain casket placed to the left  side was “the black sheep of the family”.  Thus no fancy casket and he was  placed off to the side, alone, as no other family member wanted to lay close to him for eternity.

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This open  vault shows the mummified state of  Dubliners from the 17 – 19th century.    For some  unknown reason, the bodies in the vault are well preserved (considering  the time past) but their caskets are disintegrating.  One of the residents is 800 years old and measures 6 , ½ feet tall – the legs have been shortened and tucked up under the body, in theory,  to make the body fit into the casket.  This resident is referred to as “the crusader” due to his size.  One of his hands is slightly raised, and in the past visitors were invited to shake his hand – that invitation no longer exists.

As the old Irish saying goes….

“May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead”

Thanks for reading!

 

 

DUBLIN TIDBITS

06 Oct 2016 3 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , ,

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Too much Guinness

October 1, 2016

Dublin city, in particular, seems to be largely all about the Guinness, which was founded in Dublin in 1759 and still continues strong today.  The Guinness Brewery is the most visited attraction in the city.

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There are  crossing- the- street aids as to which way to look for traffic in Dublin, which I am sure is for the Guinness drinkers and not for the western tourists.

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This colorful, life-size commemorative  statue of Oscar Wilde is made from stone and is meant to depict his colorful personality.

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In the USA, we call these Duck tours but…..

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But in Dublin, they are called Viking Tours.

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Molly Malone, according to legend, sold fish by day and her body by night.  The statue’s nickname is ” the tart with a cart” or ” the dish with the fish”.  All jokes aside, it is a beautiful  bronze statue.

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The interesting tidbit about the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, which opened in 1832,  is that there was also a tower built  to watch for grave robbers, who would ( supposedly) steal bodies to be  sold for medical research.

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The Irish love their football or soccer or whatever they call it.   The first night in town there was a game and it was immediately  clear it was the evening to hide in the hotel.

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Trinity College in Dublin, was founded by Queen Elizabeth in 1592.

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The Old Library at the college was built between 1712 and 1732 and today  houses 200,000 of its oldest books.  In all,   Trinity College’s library  has nearly 3 million volumes, held in its 8 buildings.

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The Old Library also holds ” The Book of Kells” which was written by Irish Monks in the year 800 AD.  No photos were allowed but the pages were decorated  with  colorful elaborate  celtic designs .  Very  beautiful and interesting to see.

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Lastly, little Irish kiddos on the go and a prayer for all:

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(copied, pasted from the internet)

Thanks for reading!

 

 

CLIFFS OF MOHER, Ireland

05 Oct 2016 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , ,

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October 2, 2016

Enjoyed a great day  with Wild Rover Tours  to see the Cliffs of  Moher in County Clare, Ireland.

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This row of 5  are best known as the Cliffs of Moher but there are other cliffs on Ireland’s Atlantic coast  also.   These are 700 feet high at the tallest point and altogether  5 miles long.  The lighting  wasn’t the best  that  morning  for photos in this direction.

 

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But  with the sun behind me, the cliffs  that sat  opposite were an incredible sight.

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O’Brien’s Tower, built in 1835, sat atop.

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More cliffs and lots of walking.

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In the visitor’s center, the local flavor shows off in their ice cream.  Brown Bread ice cream for anyone?

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During the day  tour, we also stopped in an area called the Burren, which is very rocky but also known for the diverse flowers that grow there.

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More of the Burren.

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During the drive, there were  still a few  thatch roof houses  to be seen.

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This was a typical little Irish village we rode through.

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Also there are  many castle ruins that spot the countryside.  Our driver  mentioned  a  count of  about 2000  today.

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Our Wild Rover driver was excellent navigating these narrow, winding roads.  But these three  vehicles made for a interesting  few minutes as they had to rethink and rearrange  their position as they blocked the street  for all.

It was a great day with Wild Rover , plus  Ireland’s  countryside is so beautiful  with its greenery, ruins, little towns, cattle and sheep grazing and the  view of the  blue Atlantic Ocean as a back drop for all.

Thanks for reading!

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