View over trees to river and sea
Gardens,  Landscape,  Nature Photo Challenge,  Themed galleries,  Travel in general

Gallery: finding peace while travelling

May 27, 2023 / 36 Comments

I live in a busy London suburb and even though we have a nearby park which I love, it can’t really be described as peaceful. So when asked where I find peace and calm in nature, my answer has to be, that I find it most easily when I travel.

After a busy day exploring on our travels I confess that these days I welcome the comfort of a reasonably good hotel. And even better a hotel with a balcony and a view.

Or if there’s no balcony, perhaps there is a pretty garden in which to relax, with exotic flowers and birds. A seat with a view out to sea maybe, or towards mountains. Anything in fact that is restful on the eye while still feeling very far from home. There is no better way to relax.

I’m pretty sure that for this week’s Nature Photography challenge Denzil expected us to share a haven of peace rather closer to home, and I’ve already done just that. But as I said, there’s only so much peace you can find in a suburban park, so I decided on a follow-up.

Here then is a selection of spaces where I’ve had the pleasure of unwinding after a day exploring and photographing. It is perhaps not surprising that several of them are from Costa Rica where respect for nature and the environment is probably higher than anywhere else I have visited.

Balcony and terrace views

Sunset view of trees, river and the sea

Sunset from our terrace at Lagarta Lodge, Costa Rica

My featured image is a day time photograph from the same spot

Pink sky above still water with low shrubs

Sunrise over the mangroves from our deck at Souimanga Lodge, Senegal

Sunset over a river and mountains

Sunset at Nong Khiaw, Laos, from our terrace at the Riverside hotel

View of a river surrounded by trees and mountains

View from our balcony at the Hyangsan Hotel, North Korea (by far the best quality hotel we stayed in there!)

View of mountains, sky and distant sea framed by trees

Late afternoon view from our terrace at the Senda Monteverde, Costa Rica

Conical mountain with wispy clouds

View of Volcan Arenal from our balcony at the Korio Hotel

View of dry hills framed by pine trees

View from the terrace of Spahn’s B&B, near Sheridan, Wyoming

Trees in full leaf

A view of nothing but trees from our balcony at the Bracknell Forest Hotel, Munnar, Kerala

Garden views

Rustic wooden bench beside a lake

In the grounds of Lake Crescent Lodge, Olympic National Park, WA

Still water reflecting deep blue sky

Evening view of Lake Quinault from the grounds of the Rain Forest Resort Village, Olympic Peninsula, WA

Statue of a woman carrying a pot on her head looking out to sea

Looking out to sea from the gardens of Ngala Lodge, Gambia

Low buildings overlooked by high mountains

In the grounds of the Hotel Las Torres in the Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Sky just after sunset reflected in a river

Winter sunset at the Hotel Ranga, south Iceland

You might also enjoy

White flowers in front of an old house

Gallery: the White Garden at Sissinghurst Castle

June 23, 2021
Three bright red flowers

Gallery: three flowers, three fruits

June 16, 2022
Modern building with strong diagonal lines

Gallery: scenes from the Musée Albert Kahn

October 13, 2023

36 Comments

Do share your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you!