Monument Valley

Here are some pictures taken from last years trips to Monument Valley on our photography tours. In a few weeks time we will be staying at the View Hotel and driving the 18 mile circular tour around this special place. We also visit on our Route 66 trip. Monument Valley is not technically on the route but is so close it would be a shame to miss it out. Its a highlight of both tours.

If you get the chance to visit then stay at the View Hotel. This is built in the Navajo run park and has stunning views over the valley. It is expensive in peak season but well worth the money. You wake up to one of the best sunrises anywhere in the world. The hotel is the only hotel for miles and they have just opened some cabins nearby which you can also stay in – These are very good quality and also have views across the valley.

We still, have 2 places available on our Route 66 trip for 2020 Click on the link to find out more https://www.fotocourses.co.uk/America/route66.html

Best Free Views of London

London is a great city for photography. Here are my top 3 best places to get an aerial view of the London skyline. Best of all they are all free.

No 3 View of St Paul’s

St Paul’s

Just across from St Paul’s is the One New Change shopping Mall. Take the lift to the top floor which is a roof terrace with some bars. This gets busy so has limited access at popular times.

No 2 Tate Modern

Tate Modern

This is a great view a 360 degree walk around. Go to the basement and get the lift to the top.

No 1 Sky Garden

Sky Garden

This has to be booked in advance but is well worth it. The top of 20 Fenchurch Street which is know as the Walkie Talkie Building. The top floor is an indoor park with restaurants and a cafe.

Here’s a link to the website: https://skygarden.london/sky-garden-home

Sarum Lights

18th – 22nd February 2020

Something for your diary – A sound and light show on the outside and inside of Salisbury Cathedral to celebrate its 800th anniversary. Tickets are £5 with some great photographic possibilities. Check out what their website says:

“This awe-inspiring show combines soundscapes and stunning light projections themed around different aspects of the Cathedral’s story located in different zones, starting at the West Front and continuing throughout the inside of the Cathedral.
15-minute time slots have been allocated to reduce queuing times and to allow a designated number of people access to the Cathedral over a period of time to reduce crowding. The spectacular itself will take about 1 hour to view in full, depending on how long you spend in each ‘zone’. There is no need to rush your experience – everything is on a loop so installations can be viewed more than once if you wish.”

Here’s a link to the web site: https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/events/sarum-lights-light-and-sound-spectacular

Top Places to visit in Las Vegas

When we do our Las Vegas and the National Parks tour in a few weeks we will be spending 2 nights in Las Vegas. The first night on the strip and last night in Fremont.

On our first night we will be staying in the Flamingo. I like this as it has slightly older feel and is very close to the main action on the strip. Just across from the Flamingo is the Bellagio with its fountains. There’s a free show every 20 minutes or so and are well worth a look. Over the years I have been lucky enough to stay in quite a few of the main hotels on the strip including the Luxor, New York, Flamingo, New York, Venetian, MGM Grand and Treasure Island. They’re all great themed hotels and one of the very best is the Venetian. They say more people visit and stay at The Venetian than visit Venice in a year!! Its a vast hotel complex with over 4000 rooms, it has a canal on the 1st floor with Gondola rides and some copies of stunning Venetian art and buildings. Its well worth look round – check out the Casino and Grand Canal Shoppes with its painted sky ceiling.

The Venetian

The strip with its modern hotels is the newest part of Vegas. I like the older part around Fremont and the classic Golden Nugget hotel. If you want to see the real Vegas this is the place to go. The Fremont Experience contains bars, restaurants, ziplines and some real sights. Not to be missed.

Nearby is the Neon Sign Museum which is a scrap yard of old Vegas neon. Well worth a tour around this outside Museum. Take a night tour and many of the signs are lit up. Check out their website: https://www.neonmuseum.org/

Neon Sign Museum

Viva Las Vegas

Mike, Derek, Kim, Andrew & Nick – Grand Tour 2019 starting in Las Vegas.

It’s now just 6 weeks to the start of our first USA trip in 2020. The National Parks of Arizona and Utah. 7 of us will be heading off from Las Vegas taking in the Hoover Dam, some of the best parts of Route 66 to the Grand Canyon. Then onto Antelope Canyon at Page. The trip then heads out to the View Hotel at Monument Valley before heading North to Arches National park. Finally we visit Bryce Canyon and Zion before heading back to Las Vegas. Over a 1000 miles of classic landscapes and Americana.

Our first night is on the strip at Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hotel. Close to the Bellagio and Caesars Palace. Check out my next blog when I will be sharing some of the places in Vegas that are well worth making a detour.

Christmas Gift Ideas

photography courses

Check out our Christmas Gift Ideas. These make great presents for family and friends with all courses receiving a personalised certificate valid for all of 2020. Courses range from our Fotowalks starting at £45 to our 1-2-1 days from just £150 for 1 person to £195 for 2 people. We also undertake 1 day group courses a stunning locations. Corfe Castle, New Forest, Bath, Salisbury and London. Our Motorsport courses at Silverstone, Brands Hatch and the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Revival meetings start at just £135. Give us a call on 01425 479257 to book your experience or visit our web site: https://www.fotocourses.co.uk