A Ride through Moria

If you want to see Moria in all its former splendour, the best and safest way to explore it is by goat. The Dwarves of the Moria expedition company sell goat rides for a few silver coins and the price is well worth the ride!
I especially recommend the ride from the First Hall to the Dolven-View which leads through all the beautiful passages and streets designed to impress even the Elves of Lothlorien.
But don’t just take my word for it, let the pictures convince you…

Teasers:

A gallery lit by crystal lamps.

A beautifully carved stone gate.

Waterfalls with beautifully carved Dwarven heads.

Random things from March

The snow is still thawing and the weather is rather grey, as are these pictures.

Misty Mountains:

A mysterious cave in Goblin Town.

A mysterious cave painting in Goblin Town.

A goblin-dwelling in Goblin Town.

Angmar:

A fortress in Angmar.

A fortress in Angmar.

A lake in Angmar.

I like the lake. It shows that even a deserted place like Angmar can have its beautiful spots.

Mirkwood:

A Malledhrim tent in Mirkwood.

The banks of the Nimrodel in Mirkwood.

A fearsome orc in Mirkwood.

I was surprised that you can see the sky in Mirkwood. From Bilbo’s tales, you would believe the leaf cover was tight all the way. But then, we have just glimpsed the outermost border of Mirkwood so far! And it is still not spring…

North Downs:

One of the gates to Angmar in North Downs.

The Witch King didn’t have half bad architects either!

The Shire:

The Mathom house in Michel Delving at night.

Bree in Snow!

Urgent note from the Bree town council weather department:
All of Bree’s business was stopped last night as masses of snow seemingly out of nowhere fell in one afternoon. For the moment, the weather situation remains critical and more snow is forecast during the next days. We urge all citizens to remain inside and not panic. The city has plenty of stores for the winter, and this weather is believed to be a freak early winter storm, not a forecast for the whole season.

Bree in Snow

Bree in Snow

Bree in Snow

Homesteads: The Shire

The second homestead visited by your ever-travelling reporters is the one in the Shire. Nestled at the border to the Southfarthing between Tookland and Michel Delving, the area is perfect for growing garden crops, fishing in the lakes and streams or just lazing in the afternoon sun in the long and mild summers.

Enter and see for yourself how the Hobbits live!

Teasers:

A mushroom growing tent in the Shire Homesteads.

A kinship hole in the Shire homesteads.

The Party Tree and Lawn in the Shire Homesteads at dusk.

Moria: The Waterworks

Moria is a big place. It’s hard to know where to start with presenting it. By rights, I should start with the entrance – the lake, the door, and the halls close to it. Possibly something about showing off the main features, a ride through the most beautiful halls, or a story of the first steps of explorations into the Goblin-infested tunnels.
But I’ve had this series of pictures lying around for a while now, and I’m itching to show them. So here they are – a series of impressions from one of the lower levels of Moria, the Waterworks.

Teasers:

A pillar distributing water to several aquifers in the Waterworks.

A great door inside a reservoir in the Waterworks.

The Hall of Flowing Water in Moria.

A stroll around Hobbiton

After the darkness of the Dwarf caves, it is time to look at a lighter part of Middle-Earth. Let’s take a stroll around beautiful Hobbiton, from the mill to the Hill.
Since September 22nd is Bilbo’s birthday, all the more reason to celebrate with a tour of the place he called home for so long!

(teasers)

Sandyman's Mill in Hobbiton.

A meadow near Hobbiton.

The Party Tree at sunset seen from Bag End.

Dwarven Homesteads

Stout, sturdy and often remote in their mountain homes, the proud race of the Dwarves is sadly often overlooked. Therefore it seems only just to start the series on the homesteads of the various races with them – give them their chance to shine!

(teasers)

The entrance to the Dwarven Homesteads in Ered Luin.

Inside the Dwarven Homesteads.

Inside the Dwarven Homesteads.

Ered Luin impressions

Ered Luin, the homeland of both Dwarves and Elves, is as diverse as these two peoples. From the warm microclimate along the River Lune in the East, where wine can be grown and the trees are in blossom all year long, the land rises into densely-forested wilderness and eventually up to the harsh snow-covered slopes of the Vale of Thrain.

This first show of impressions from the area is aiming to reflect the duality between the Elf and the Dwarf region. It is by no means a full account on travelling through the region yet (this will come later!).

(teasers)

The bridge connecting Ered Luin with the Shire.

A stone head near Thorin's Gate.

The Elf-city of Duillond in Ered Luin.

Forochel: Around Sûri-Kylä and Itä-Ma

Even Hobbits have to wear boots sometimes!

Forochel, the Northern wastes, is a powerfully beautiful, but lonely place. Bring warm shoes and a cloak! Even Hobbits should forgo their usual barefooted attire and put on warm boots to brave the seemingly eternal ice if they wish to keep their toes!

Despite its hardness, Men live in this country. The Lossoth, as they call themselves, are a proud people, but warm towards foreigners. They live mostly off fishing and deer-herding, but have a simple lifestyle that allows for plenty of free time which they spend riding sledges or ice-skating.
They also fashion warm clothes out of hides and furs, which they will gladly sell you if you have forgotten to bring your own (and can afford them!).

(teasers)

Morning over the standing stones in Forochel.

A Lossoth in front of his home.

The icy seas north of Itä-Ma.

Lothlorien: Caras Galadhon

These are taken in Caras Galadhon, the capital. You need to gain the trust of the Lord and Lady (well, more to the point the guardians of the Lord and Lady, I guess) before you are allowed to enter. Lothlórien elves sure have a strict screening program!
Since I arrived in the late afternoon, I only managed to snap a few pictures before nightfall. I’ll take some more pictures when it’s light again, there’s little point in taking pictures of the wood at night.

(teasers)

The Lord and Lady's flet in Caras Galadhon.

The Lady's Pond in Caras Galadhon in the late afternoon.

Caras Galadhon at nightfall.