After cycling the steep descent from Jerusalem we found ourselves at -400 metres below sea level on the Dead Sea. It was extremely windy, cycling in a straight line was a struggle. Storm clouds came over the mountains and covered the Dead Sea, rain came down off the mountains and poured mud into the sea changing its colour. As it rained over the Dead Sea two rainbows appeared and the mountains of Jordan could just be seen in the background. The mixture of colours made for an incredible scene, a great way for nature to welcome us to the Dead Sea.

The Western Wall, more commonly known as the Wailing Wall, is a sacred site located in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel. It is one of the most important sites in Judaism and has been a place of prayer for Jews for many centuries. We walked the maze of crowded streets through Jerusalem’s Old City, passing though busy markets, visiting tombs and cathedrals, and absorbing a mixture of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures. We proceeded through a security checkpoint where our bags were x-rayed, walked down a corridor and were spat out into the plaza of the Wailing Wall.

Seeing the old Jewish men pray to the wall was quite an experience. These men have spent their lives praying to the wall, it is a well known practice for men to pray for 40 consecutive days at a time. They calmly walk to the wall, open a book and begin prayer before walking to a different location and repeating the process. Although it seems like their actions are programmed, they move around with such purpose and wisdom.

Visitors to the wall stuff their written prayers into the cracks between the bricks. There are literally thousands of notes crammed into each crack along the wall. Gusts of wind blow the notes out of their places and into the plaza where they are swept up and disposed of by cleaners. Over one million notes are written and placed into the cracks of the wall each year.

There are a huge number of young people praying to the wall. Children run around playing in the plaza and then stop to rest against the bricks and pray. They cheerfully take photo’s of each other praying to the wall before skipping off again to cause trouble. A great amount of respect can be seen when a child walks up to one of the older men and begins praying in the same fashion side by side.

This man didn’t move from the wall for hours, his cheek and hands resting against the brick he appeared to be in some sort of a trance. His feet would repeat a tapping sequence, almost like a dance. It was quite a surreal sight watching him pray to the wall. His dedication to his religion must be at such a crazy level for him to pray like this, something I will never come to understand.

After spending some time in the plaza infront of the Western Wall I thought it was time to approach the bricks and touch it for myself. The bricks were smooth, worn down by millions of praying hands before mine. I stood for a minute with my hands on the wall just thinking about the history behind this place. A Jewish man was bowing frantically to the wall beside me reading from his book. The place is crazy, I have never seen anything like it before. It was actually somewhat of a culture shock for me as I have never witnessed such dedication by people to their religion. I’m not a religious person, but seeing such an iconic place as the Wailing Wall is something I will remember for a long time.

After a 120km day on the bike we were looking for a quiet spot to camp, it started raining and our options were not looking good. We were tired and exhausted and just wanted to set up for the night. Then down the side of a hill we spotted a small path blocked by a gate. We made our way around the gate and followed the path, it led to an old cathedral. The view from the cathedral was nothing short of amazing, on the horizon we had the glowing  lights of Athens and right before us was the remains of an old cruise ship lying on its side. We pitched our tents, got a camp fire going to warm us up and soaked up the surreal view infront of us. Tomorrow we cycle into the city of Athens.

I had no expectations for Albania, upon entering the country I had no idea what I would see or what it would be like. Cycling through the middle of the country turned out to be an amazing experience, for days we were completely surrounded by huge snow-capped mountains. Riding up some of the steep ones was not so much fun, but the epic views made it bearable.

What to do when sitting around the camp fire out the front of your very own abandoned mansion? Play with some light! As a tribute to Dennis Smith’s Ball of Light photography we took our head torches, some rope and started swinging. Clint made the orb’s whilst I drove the camera, although not the most perfect of spheres I think it’s alright for a first attempt. We had fun shooting the photographs and that’s what it’s all about!

The Bridge of Tiberius is a Roman bridge spanning the river Marecchia in Rimini, Italy. It was completed in 20AD under the rule of Emperor Tiberius and is a symbol of strength and longevity having survived multiple attempts of its destruction during the war. As the sun set on the far side of the bridge the warm light caught the inside of the arches, added to the reflection from the river it created some beautiful golden rings.

Just out out of Piacenza in northern Italy we camped in an abandoned farmhouse for the night. We did some exploring, pulling back the door to the barn we came across an old Opel car. It had seen better days, the exterior was weathered and become home to a community of pigeons. The interior and engine bay however were in immaculate condition. From what we could figure out from the registration papers the car had been sitting in this barn for about 20 years. I think with a little elbow grease the car would have started.

The old port of Marseille is a natural harbour in the historic centre of the city. Settled around 600BC the port became a major trading hub for the region. As the sun sets the port starts to glow, the lights of Notre Dame de la Garde illuminate the basilica which overlooks the old port. Fisherman return with the days haul of fresh fish and the local bars and restaurants come to life creating a lively atmosphere.