This month, the newsletter has been a long way off – both north and south!
For starters, it went to Mexico to visit the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta! This extravaganza is an annual event that has been running since 1972. It started with just 13 hot air balloons attracting 10,000 spectators, and now features around 600 balloons with hundreds of thousands of visitors over the week-long event, each October.
That first gathering took place in a parking lot of a shopping mall, and gave rise to the first ever ‘World Hot Air Balloon Championship’. These days, the Fiesta has a permanent home of a 350-acre field (just over ten times the size of the entire points site!). By the year 2000, there were over 1,000 balloons taking part but the numbers are now limited due to a lack of landing site availability.
To preserve the magic of these spectacular events, it is estimated that more than 25 million still photographs are taken of the Balloon Fiesta, repeatedly earning it the title of the world’s ‘most photographed event’. And here are two of those pictures! This copy of the newsletter was given to our reader’s American host as there was an old picture of the friend’s Mum in that edition.
Next, the newsletter headed off to Norway on a cruise ship headed into Bergen on the west coast of Norway. It is the second-largest city in Norway after the capital, Oslo, although Bergen served as the capital back in the 13th century. The city is surrounded by mountains, giving it the nickname, “the city of seven mountains”.
Following Bergen, the newsletter went on to Geiranger, a small village at the head of the Geirangerfjord. Home to some spectacular scenery, Geiranger has been named the best travel destination in Scandinavia by Lonely Planet Travel Guides for the last 20 years. There is a large, colourful statue of a troll by the dock, which is a whimsical depiction of the old Nordic folklore. Here we can see the troll has a copy of the newsletter to read!
Then, the Newsletter travelled to Rocamadour in the Dordogne region of France. This is a beautiful part of the country, set in a narrow path just above a River Dordogne tributary. It is an ancient site with medieval buildings and historical monuments, including the Blessed Virgin sanctuary that has attracted pilgrims for hundreds of years. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, further strengthening its pilgrimage credentials. Our reader tells us it helps to be part mountain goat to visit the region!
Thank you to everyone who sends in photos!
When you go off on your travels, however near or far flung, please take your copy of CCN with you and snap a picture of it in different places, and then send it in to us at cambernews@hotmail.com. If you have finished reading it by the time you take the picture, why not leave your copy at the destination for someone else to read, and maybe they will also fall in love with Camber!
Happy snapping, Camber folk – we look forward to receiving your pictures!
