Where Did The Windows XP Default Wallpaper Come From?

Does the above image look familiar? It should be if you've used or are still using Windows XP. It's one of the most famous wallpaper images showing a blissfully relaxing vista of green rolling hills and a bluer than blue sky.

The wallpaper, probably one of the most viewed images of all time, is aptly named 'Bliss.' Here in the Netherlands the image was called 'Ireland,' which has mistakenly led many to believe that that's where the image was taken. But it was not. Have you ever stopped to wonder where the image was taken, or who took it? In fact, the image is so crisp you might have assumed it wasn't real at all.

Who took that picture and where is it?