08.31.09

Notting Hill Carnival 2009

Posted in General, People at 5:00 pm by Warren Williams

After experiencing my first Notting Hill Carnival last year, I made sure I could attend again, to witness the culture of the Caribbean through their music, costumes and delicacies. Decided to use the Notting Hill Carnival as the 12th event for the London Photography Meetups group, where everyone had a blast, whilst trying not to get lost amongst the crowd of near 1 million people. Here’s a few of my favourites:

Notting Hill Carnival 2009
Happily gave this busker some change

Notting Hill Carnival 2009

Notting Hill Carnival 2009

Notting Hill Carnival 2009
The talented Ray Wise

Notting Hill Carnival 2009 Portrait

Notting Hill Carnival 2009 Portrait

Notting Hill Carnival 2009

Notting Hill Carnival 2009

Notting Hill Carnival 2009

Notting Hill Carnival 2009

Notting Hill Carnival 2009

Notting Hill Carnival 2009

Notting Hill Carnival 2009

Notting Hill Carnival 2009

Notting Hill Carnival Eye Contact

Banana and Chocolate Crepe - Notting Hill Carnival 2009
Banana and Chocolate Crepe – Great way to follow up after Jerk Chicken and Rice

Notting Hill Carnival 2009
Jarvis getting in the swing of it

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08.14.09

Sardinia to London

Posted in Landscape, Transportation, Travel at 4:00 pm by Warren Williams

We flew out again with Ryanair, who tried to charge me excess baggage for being just 0.6kg overweight. With no weight restrictions on carry on, ended up stuffing more gear into my backpack to get by. Leaving Alghero in the morning, bound for London Stanstead, was another great flight, with blue skies and great views over Nice and the Alps.

La Mariposa
La Mariposa campsite along the beach front with trees

Isola Piana from the Air
Isola Piana, Sardinia

Nice from 37,000 feet
Nice, France

lac de serre-ponçon
Lac de Serre-Ponçon – Southeastern France – One of the largest artificial lakes in Europe

Ryanair Wingtip 737-800
The race is on

France and English Channel
Northern France and the English Channel

BBQ London
Arriving back to London for a BBQ

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08.13.09

Final Night in Sardinia

Posted in Landscape, Travel at 9:06 pm by Warren Williams

As you can see, didn’t shoot too much over the past few days, after all, you can only take so many photos of amazing clear waters, with them all looking the same. Our final night back in Alghero, there was a strange colour pattern in the sky, worthy of a photo. With our tent pitched only 20 metres from the beach, ran back to grab the camera for these…

Alghero Sunset

Blue Streak Sunset
The strange phenomena, with the blue streak stretching through the hills (the far left point is Capo Caccia)

Alghero Goodbye

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08.12.09

Capo Caccia Clifftop Sunset

Posted in Landscape, Nature, Travel at 9:56 pm by Warren Williams

After spending the night on La Maddalena, took a slow drive across the northern part of Sardinia, back towards Alghero, whilst stopping at some more great beaches for a swim and relaxation. With a final night with the car, decided to drive to the Capo Caccia cliffs, where we had previously seen Neptune’s Grotto 600 feet below. Watching a sunset, whilst precariously perched several hundred feet above the water is always great fun!

Capo Caccia Clifftop Sunset
Can you spot my tripod and camera bag?! Angled slippery surface, with large fractures in the cliff. Great idea. Not.

Capo Caccia
A view from where the tripod was in previous photo


The view behind

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08.11.09

Tranquility of Isola Caprera & La Maddalena

Posted in Landscape, Nature, People, Travel at 6:30 pm by Warren Williams

After a night under the stars at Capo D’Orso, we made the 10minute drive into Palau to catch the ferry to the beauty islands of Maddalena and Caprera. With very little planning done for this trip, with having no idea till the last minute we were going to hire a car, we asked around and checked some tourist guides, which unanimously advised us to head to this north-eastern corner of Sardinia. The ferries themselves run frequently, however seemed costly for the relative short distance from the mainland. The reward however was the some of the most amazing clear waters I have ever seen.

Isola Caprera
First stop for the day, Isola Caprera, in the early morning before the crowds got in

Isola Caprera Clear Water
Hazel, Adele, Ayla & Warren

85L Clear Water

Canon 85L Beach Sardinia

Isola Caprera Clear Water

Snorkelling Sardinia

Fishing Sardinia
Fishing in pristine waters of Caprera

Caprera Hues of Blue
Hues of Blue

Neck Deep in Clear Water
Neck deep in ultra clear water

View from Caprera looking back to Maddalena
View from Caprera back to Maddalena

Ruins on Isola Caprera
Ancient Ruins on Isola Caprera

Walkway to Cala Coticcio
Walkway to Cala Coticcio (So gobsmacked, I didn’t see my own shadow)

Cala Coticcio
Cala Coticcio – One of the best beaches in Sardinia, and possibly the world
Only accessible by boat, or an undulating 40min walk

Cala Coticcio, Isola Caprera, Sardinia
Clear Waters of Cala Coticcio

Cala Coticcio, Isola Caprera, Sardinia

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Awakening to Sardinian Beauty

Posted in Landscape, Nature, Travel at 7:00 am by Warren Williams

After a long previous day driving 400km cross country, we ended up sleeping under the stars on a beach at Capo D’Orso. As we arrived after 10pm at night, it was already dark, with only the moon illuminating the water of the lake and sea to give us a vague idea of our location. The droning hum from thousands of mosquitos from the lake area, awoke us just before sunrise, revealing the true beauty of the area.

Capo D'Orso Sunrise - Sardinia 2009

Lake in Capo D'Orso

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08.10.09

Road Trippin’ Sardinia

Posted in Architecture, Landscape, Travel at 8:56 pm by Warren Williams

After a couple of days exploring the local flavours of Alghero, Ayla and I decided it was time to venture off around the mediterannean island. With our newly met English friends, Adele and Hazel, who happened to be on the same flight and bus, we convinced them to come along for some fun, music and more secluded sights of Sardinia. With a quick check of the maps, decided to head south to the town of Bosa, before venturing cross country to Cala Gonone on the east coast of the island. A few wrong turns later, (sign posting is almost nonexistent!) and we had found some great beaches to relax at. The Italian cuisine continued to roll through, pastas, pizza, wine, before finding a suitable place to camp up for the night – another beach!

Alghero Coastline
View along the coastal drive from Alghero to Bosa – Beautiful, smooth winding roads, with impressive views

Bosa River
Arriving into Bosa – Temo River

Bosa Bridge
Parking across the Temo River, with a daunting walk across the narrow bridge

Bosa Clock
More impressive architecture, with an old clock

Bosa across River
Temo River, from Bosa

Bosa Blue

Amazing Cala Gonone Beach
Beaches near Cala Gonone

Pristine Cala Fuili
Pristine Cala Fuili

Waters of Cala Fuili
Clear waters of Cala Fuili

Cala Fuili Rocks
From the northern end of Cala Fuili

Sunset Costa Esmeralda
Sunset from the road, near Costa Esmeralda

Ayla with Kittens
Ayla with wild Kitten

Warren & Ayla, Sardinia
Warren & Ayla after watching the sunset from the road

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08.08.09

Alghero, Sardinia

Posted in Architecture, Landscape, Travel at 9:21 pm by Warren Williams

Our first full day in Alghero, involved getting to know the local town, streets filled with various architecture, and enjoying the heat as it roasted towards 35°C.

Alghero Waterfront
Alghero Waterfront, streets are empty in the morning and lunch periods

Alghero House
A house in Alghero, overlooking the sea

Warren Statue
Not sure what the purpose of these stones were, but created my own statue 😉

Aloe Vera Growing in Alghero
Aloe Vera growing by the fortified town

Alghero Courtyard
Courtyard in Alghero, where I enjoyed my first Sardinian Pizza

Lazaretto, Sardinia
In the late afternoon, we caught a ferry to Neptune’s Grotto
Here we are, passing Lazzaretto and the textured cliff faces

Cliffs at Isola Foradada
Massive cliffs at Isola Foradada

Isola Foradada
Blue waters at Isola Foradada

Cliffs at Capo Caccia
Cliffs at Capo Caccia – Can you see the path cut into the cliff?

Capo Caccia
The bottom of the 656 steps leading from the top of Capo Caccia

Our arrival to Neptune’s Grotto, was rather precarious as we battled large sea swells, and had to literally walk the moving plank into the cave.

Neptune's Grotto 
First cavern inside Neptune’s Grotto, located underneath the massive Capo Caccia cliffs

Neptune's Grotto Cave
People are dwarfed to the scale of the Grotto

Neptune's Grotto Panoramic
Panoramic spanning almost 180 degrees with around 10 photos stitched together

Neptune's Grotto Exit
Light at the end of the tunnel

Tramariglio
Entering the waters near Tramariglio

Amazing Cliff Detail Alghero
More cliff detail near Lazzaretto, in the evening light

Entering Alghero Marina
Entering Alghero Marina

Yachts in Alghero

Alghero Sunset
Low sun lighting up the seaside buildings

Alghero Sunset Red
Alghero Sunset

Alghero Red Buildings
Rich red hues from sunset

Sunset Alghero
Sunset on the beach in Alghero, whilst trying out an Americano Pizza (French fries on pizza!)

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08.07.09

Destination Sardinia!

Posted in Aviation, People, Travel at 9:00 pm by Warren Williams

After a whirlwind tour of Europe, what better way to chill than to head to the tropical waters surrounding beautiful Sardinia, Italy. Located in the Mediterannean, I was asked along by Ayla who was finishing off her Middle East/European tour with a week camping around northern Sardinia. The flight was only £15 at last minute, flying directly to the coastal town of Alghero.

RyanAir EI-DCH (737-800) into Alghero, Sardinia
RyanAir – EI-DCH (737-800)
The lack of rainfall very obvious over Sardinia

Alghero Marina
Alghero Marina, after catching the 70cent bus from airport to town (why can’t other cities be this cheap?)

After pitching the tent in La Mariposa, we treaded the few steps to the beach for the ensuing sunset

Ayla Alghero Beach
Ayla on the busy golden sands of Alghero beach

Alghero Beach Sunset
View from the beach access from La Mariposa towards Alghero – around 2km away

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