Today's Destination Highlight - Winter Love Valley

It has been truly quite some time since I had the pleasure of wandering around Second Life again.  RL being RL, for the last couple of years, it has been incredibly busy.  With that being said, I have the pleasure of being able to come back and wander around the grid a little more.  

For my first post, after a 2.5-year hiatus, I bring Winter Love Valley, for your wandering pleasure.  The first impression I had of this amazing sim is that the builder took their time and patiently built a sim with a fabulous variety of activities for their guests, surrounded by gorgeous visuals for the eyes to feast on.  There are rezzers available for horses, a sleigh, and for snowboarding for the guests to enjoy, along with ice skating.  There is a ski lounge to enjoy, an ice dance cave, and a ferris wheel to ride.  When this sim is not set up for winter, it's normally called Love Valley, which is owned by the multi-talented lady, Evely Heartsong.  (Regarding the horses, they only ask that you do not ride them on the ice, since that can interfere with the skaters.)

 

Petit Lac Des Cygnes

Petit Lac Des Cygnes, which means Little Swan Lake in English, is inspired by the Southwest French countryside, near the foothills of the Pyrenees mountain range, according to the introductory notecard you receive, upon entering the sim.  It is the private home of Cougar Sangria & Henry McAuley, who have graciously opened their home to the public, Wednesday - Sunday.
There are several areas that you can visit on the sim.  There is a quaint cafe, a private dining area called Antoinette's, a maze, the L'Orangerie, and a swimming pool.  The Chateau that you will see on the land is the owners private home, which is not a public area, but with all the things to see and experience, you will be kept quite busy.
There is a group, with a small 25L fee to join, if you need to rezz something for photos, with only the small request to clean up after yourselves.
They do have a 75 script limit and a 200,000 complexity limit active there, so please keep that in mind when visiting and sex is prohibited.
They also have a Flickr group that you can join so you can share with them any photos that you may take of the sim. 
There are many areas for some fantastic photo opportunities.  The landscaping is incredibly detailed and well thought out and the feel is both rustic and quaint, at the same time.  A lot of love, time, and effort was put into the creation of this sim and it's obvious in the amount of detail that you will see here.

Achill Island: A Touch of Irish Charm

Yesterday I did a bit of a walkabout on the grid.  Translation: I was profile perving and finding places that I have never heard of or thought they sounded interesting.  

Achill Island was in the 8th profile I had perved..I mean, checked out. and it just sounded so charming, quaint, and adorable that I had to take a peek.  I'm really glad I did that.  It has this sweet, charming feel of it, that was reminiscent of Ireland.    Designed and landscaped by the talented Minnie Atlass, she captures the feel, colors, and atmosphere of the Irish countryside in vivid detail.  

As you will see in the photos, it is set up with rolling hills, a peaceful and relaxing pond, and the cliffs are rugged and dramatic looking, similar to what you would find in Ireland.

Photographers are welcome but this is also a private home for Ziggy Duster and Grace Sixpence, who are gracious enough to open their land and share, so respect for their private areas, please.

The Ippos Collective: Nymphai

This is the 3rd installment of the Ippos Collective, the Nymphai sim.  The best way to describe this sim is to think of an old town charm, with rustic cabins and campsites through it, along with corner stores to add charm and appeal and dirt paths to wander down.  There are areas where campers can gather together, to catch up and enjoy each others company, along with a landscaping that begs to be seen.  They have a corral for horses, so if you are a horse enthusiast, they are set up for you very well and pets are allowed here. This sim is set up for you to literally walk around it and is connected to the other sims, so if you are on a horse, you have a wonderful ride ahead of you here.
There are residents here as well, so heavy emphasis on respecting their areas is a must and is also home to 2 larger events, The Secret Affair and Enchantment.

**I went to visit the last of the 4 sims and was going to do a post on it as well, but realized after I landed, it is even more residential than any of the other sims.  I am uncertain on how open it really is so I will not be doing a post on that one, due to privacy concerns.**

Telrunya - Forest of Dreams

I admit, I have a deep fondness for fantasy themes that go with Fae or Elven.  It's probably from my days in roleplaying, when I first started in SL.  The outfits and looks were amazing and the only limitation was what your mind put on you.
Telrunya truly fed all those things in me and more.  To say that this sim is breathtaking does not do it justice.  The designer, Nessa Zamora; not only invites us into her dreams and fantasy world, she creates a dreamscape of color and composition that blends, flows together and allows her guests to indulge in a plethora of different areas filled with fantastic beauty and secret gardens.  As she states in her own profile, "A haven for  those who look for a tranquil environment, a home for fairies, fauns, elves and those who love to be lost in a dreamworld... "
**Side note:  the sim is not only amazing and beautiful to see, it is also graphically demanding.  This is not for those computers that are faint of heart or weak in the graphics card division."

Credit:
Sim designer and owner:  Nessa Zamora
Telrunya