Egidio has for this week chosen our destination: Fun! In fact I just returned from one of those – namely fantastic gardens. Please go to his beautiful site for more inspiration.

He asks ”What is your fun destination? What are some fun things you do? Some prefer seeing action and crowds, such as sporting events or concerts. Others prefer quiet moments with a book in hand.” I guess my answer could be: Travel and quiet moments alone. Those two can be opposites, but maybe not always…With a camera in hand, I can lose myself in photographing and shut out the world. I do need them both to feel good.

I love watching my dogs having fun – what could be better than that? And, when the children were small, we had entertainment all day from the whole family.

This is an old favourite photo of Mille and Totti, my first lagottos. They brought so much warmth, laughter, tears and joy. Talking about destination Fun! I still miss them, both had their own charming peculiarities, just like children have.

A great joy has always been hiking beautiful landscapes, especially in the delicateness of Spring and the colours of October. I am always excited to head out there for new adventures. Open landscapes and forests – they let my heart and soul breathe and my spirit soar.

Nothing beats the art of Mother Nature – but much fun is to be had at museums and exhibitions as well. I don’t have to go far away for interesting art…there is a great exhibition site just 10 kilometers away.

Being a teacher for many years, I have a natural interest in young people, their education and upbringing. I still have some students that stay in contact with me. In fact yesterday one of my students had his dissertation and is today a professor in mathematics. He contacted me, so I could follow it on zoom.

Many of our castles have jousting games with knights and horses. During my last years before retirement, I had a student who now is so skilled he won the Swedish championship several times in these games.

I often go to the nearest castle, Hovdala, that hosts these games – not just to see my old students but also to see the youngsters having fun. This sweet young man with shining eyes……might one day grow into a handsome and chevaleresque knight!

My most frequented destination is my garden – and it is always fun to see things grow, be it children or plants. Right now the grapes are ripening and soon the glass house will leave its last cucumbers and tomatoes, chili, paprika and physalis for letting my Mediterranean plants glow. I am immensely grateful for being able to enjoy the beauty and scent of acacia, jasmin, bottlebrush and camellias – despite our cold climate.

Travel, yes, that has been my way since I was 16. Destinations chosen because of architectural marvels in beautiful cities like Prague…

…for natural wonders as Catedrales in Spain

…for hiking among the glaciers in Greenland,

Iceland and Norway … and the majestic mountains of middle Europe.

But also for the opportunity to meet people of different origin and with different customs.

Back home again, there is another spot I always return to – for continuing the fun – my computer. All those photos have to be taken care of. Blogging, writing messages, making cards for birthdays, Christmas and other festivities.

To sum up my fun destinations, they are: hiking in gorgeous nature at home or abroad, visiting cities with great art and architecture, spending time with my family, working and enjoying my garden – and photographing it all. Finally – it is fun to upload and try to make the best out of my photos at the computer…

We look forward to seeing your responses and having us all share in the fun. Don’t forget to use the “lens-artists” hashtag when responding to Egidio, so we can easily find it in the Reader. Egidio is happy to say that pingbacks are finally working on his site too.

Last week, Ritva had us working on common objects. The response was terrific, and your posts were great. Creativity shines!

Tina will host a new challenge next Saturday at noon EDT in the USA. Stay tuned. Please see this page to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and its history.