A climber on the eastern face of Mont Blanc – source Ben Tibbetts (click on photo to enlarge)
Ben Tibbetts is an adventure photographer and aspirant British Mountain Guide based in Chamonix, France. He currently offers Alpine and British guiding, logistics and guiding in Greenland and adventure photography services worldwide.
If you want to take your adventures further, get in touch with Ben here!
As legend has it, Rome, Italy, was founded by the twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, in 700 B.C. The former Caput Mundi, or Capital of the World, sits beneath Palatine Hill, where the ruins of its original incarnation are open for exploration.
No Rome tour is complete without stopping by the remains of the Temple of Saturn and Arch of Septimus, both located in the Roman Forum. Get in touch with your inner gladiator and stop by the Colosseum, a relic of Roman bloodsports and perhaps the most recognizable element of the city.
Toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain to ensure you’ll return to Rome one day; don’t toss in two coins unless you’re ready to fall in love with a Roman. Continue your Rome sightseeing in St. Peter’s Square, home of St. Peter’s Basilica. The world’s largest church, designed by Michelangelo, is both a remarkable structure and a tribute to faith. You can look down from the famous dome to the Holy Square, which is usually filled with the faithful looking to obtain a blessing from the Pope. After this, it’s just a few steps to restaurants filled with Italian food. Forget coming back to Rome – you’ll never want to leave.
What’s your favorite memory of Rome?
Click here to visit our La mia Roma Italian language travel guide page for more information or to plan your next vacation!
This 38-second video shows three hikers walking across the clear frozen lake. And while many viewers were amazed, others doubted that the video was real. READ MORE
Manchester Christmas Markets from a helicopter – taken by the National Police Air Service
Following Transport for London’s (TfL) tender for proposals to improve pedestrian links across the river, Heatherwick Studio and actor and campaigner Joanna Lumley have developed an idea for a new pedestrian ‘Garden Bridge’ across the River Thames; a scheme to connect North and South London with a garden. READ MORE
November 9, 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall. On this day the world’s eyes will look at Berlin once again.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the LICHTGRENZE (The Border of Lights), an extraordinary light installation, is produced, following the former route of the so-called Berliner Mauer. READ MORE
The stone of eloquence and poison garden of fascinating Blarney Castle, Ireland
Amidst the blue Irish skies and green lands of Blarney, lies the Blarney Castle, an intriguing medieval fortification. One of the features that make this place really popular is the well-known Blarney Stone, also known as ‘The Stone of Eloquence’. According to a legend, anyone who kisses this stone is rewarded with eloquence and persuasiveness, an enticing prize for many of the world’s powerful and famous.
The Blarney Castle is set against the refreshing greens of the gardens dotted with colorful flowers and trees you will find it hard to resist the charm the fort exudes. However, hidden behind the Castle battlements, you will find the new poison garden, which you must enter at your own risk. It is believed that a similar garden once occupied the same site, from as early as the 1800′s, where plants would have been cultivated for both medicinal and culinary purposes.
Poison Garden
In this garden, the plants are so dangerous and toxic that they may be kept in large cage like structures. This part of the grounds contrasts largely with the bright green scenes that greet you everywhere else in the grounds.
It contains a collection of poisonous plants from all over the world including Wolfsbane, Mandrake, Ricin, Opium and Cannabis. Many of these are labelled with information about their toxicity and traditional and modern uses. A large number of plants that we now know to be toxic were once used widely as herbal remedies for all sorts of ailments.
The old expression “It will either kill you or cure you” could not have been more apt!
