Tag: travel

Thursday Throwback – 24

Taking us back Scotland in 2013, where we encounted the Bodach, a Gaelic mythological figure.

It’s great fun to revisit images from past vacations, which is what I grabbed for this week’s edition. I’m looking back to a vacation that took us across quite a bit of Scotland back in 2013. Planning our vacations always takes a bit of extra effort to ensure that all our animals are taken care of in the best possible way (read: they get spoiled by a pet sitter while they enjoy all the comforts of home). As this was our first significant international vacation, there were definitely lessons learned.

Here’s an image that goes back to that 2013 vacation…

The Bodach

The Bodach is a sort of trickster in Gaelic mythology and this particular one has a story of admiration. The statue sits at the top of Loch Long in Archer where, according to legend, the Bodach helped repel the Vikings who attempted to drag their longships across the hills to take over the Loch and beyond.

And those lessons learned from our vacation? As I had carefully planned a route across Scotland and many bed and breakfasts for us to stay at, we wound up spending too much time driving and not enough time enjoying. Later vacations were planned differently by picking a location to stay and exploring the surrounding area; much more restful and much less packing of suitcases!

Wednesday Window – pt 26

This week we feature a view from Liverpool, focusing on Anfield stadium, home of Liverpool FC.

This week we’re jumping back to a more modern view than in last week’s Wednesday Window, while staying on the same island. Last week we were in Scotland, and this week we’re just a wee bit south in the wonderful city of Liverpool.

Here’s the view that I captured in 2019…

Anfield View

This is a view across Alroy Road from somewhat higher up in Anfield stadium, the hallowed ground of Liverpool FC. This was my first visit to the stadium, so I took one of the tours (highly recommended). For those of you who are Everton fans, Goodison Park stadium can be seen in the distance across Stanley Park.

This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.

Travel Tuesday

This week we highlight an image of the falcon statue at Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple from our most recent trip.

This week’s episode features another image from our most recent big trip to Egypt. My wife and I try to aim for a major trip every other year or so, as there’s always quite a bit of planning involved, as it’s not just us. We also have to think about the 3 Cardigan Welsh Corgis and 2 Siberian Forest Cats. So yes, these trips get planned at least a year in advance!

Here’s another image from Egypt…

Hatshepsut Falcom

This mighty Falcon sits by the second ramp that leads to the incredible mortuary temple of the pharaoh Hatshepsut. Part of what drew me to this falcon is the intrigue of the detail of the feathers that is visible in the outer layer of the statue. Much of this outer layer has been lost, but it still provides a sense of what the original look of the falcon was. Additionally, note that there is still a bit of paint visible around the eye. It would be magical to travel back to antiquity and see this statue when it was just installed.

You might be able to tell that I’d love to return to Egypt, just to spend more time at all of the monuments visited and many more… a lifetime might not be enough!

Saturday Landscape

A daily commute can be relaxing if it contains some picturesque landscapes. Here we have a stop along one of those commutes.

Over the years I have had numerous opportunities to have my daily commute to work take me through some photogenic locales. Driving through a varied landscape and small towns is something that I find relaxing; it’s much better than having to sit in traffic on some monotonous highway.

Here’s a capture from one of my commutes…

Dunstable Pond

This lovely view is a roadside pond that I passed many times while driving through Dunstable, Massachusetts. This early Spring morning was particularly still, creating this mesmerizing inky reflection in the pond. The undergrowth hasn’t really filled in yet for the year, making the pine trees look a little bare. The warm coloration of the vegetation on the shoreline makes up for that loss.

Hope that you get to enjoy your commute as well!

iPhone Friday

The city of Rotterdam has a lot of gems, including this futuristic architecture from 1977!

Some weeks I simply get stuck in a single country while going through my photos. I guess it’s the Netherlands for this week, as this installment of iPhone Friday gets us to Rotterdam. During a visit in 2017, I found myself walking through the city of my birth. There’s always something new to see in the city!

Here’s one of my favorite views that you don’t see everywhere…

Plan C

Although these houses were already 40 years old at the time of this photo, they still look futuristic. Architect Piet Blom came up with this design, of which there are several locations. The first set were built in the city of Helmond in 1972, and these in Rotterdam started in 1977. The Rotterdam collection has 38 cubes and 2 super-cubes, all of which are attached to each other.

As they were (and are) quite the novelty, residents were often asked by passers-by to let them see the inside. So one of the residents opened their house as a “show cube”, and makes a living offering tours of their interesting abode. I have taken the tour and can tell you that hanging art on the walls requires additional attachment points!

Thursday Throwback – 23

Join me for a Thursday Throwback as we explore the peaceful shopping experience on Kerkstraat in Berkel en Rodenrijs.

This week I’m keeping us in my original home country of the Netherlands. After moving to the United States most of my visits were more packed with family visits than time to relax and enjoy the simple aspects of daily life. In today’s post there’s one of those moments, where I did get that time.

Here’s a simple walk down Kerkstraat…

Winkelen op de Kerkstraat

‘Shopping on Kerkstraat (Church street)’ is a relaxed pace view of life in the town of Berkel en Rodenrijs. Doing our shopping for groceries, figuring out today’s dinner and maybe stopping at the café for a cup of coffee. It’s a pace that is bit more relaxing than rushing through a supermarket!

I hope your day brings you some relaxing moments!

Wednesday Window – pt 25

Reflections on a trip to Scotland, with its abundance of historical ruins, such as churches, abbeys, and castles, which connect the past to the present.

After last week’s Wednesday Window in the lovely city of Brno, we’re jumping to another wonderful country in Scotland. In 2013 my wife and I toured a bit of Scotland , which has only increased our desire to go back to visit more of the country. One of the things that stands out in Scotland are the number of ruins of churches, abbeys and castles that one can visit, each with their own character.

Here’s a view from one of the chapels…

Past to Present

The connection between the past and the present is very strong across all of the country. The preservation of history through allowing these ruins to stand as monuments to the actions of the past strengthens this bond.

And, yes, technically, the window is gone while still being very present.

This is my mid-week contribution to the Monday Window thread, a creation of Ludwig Keck. To read more about Ludwig, check this page.

Travel Tuesday

A trip to Scotland in 2013, hoping to see puffins on the isle of Staffa. There might not have been any puffins, but there was a great seagull!

In our travels we often have expectations, whether they are based on marketing brochures or our fanciful dreams of the locales we visit. In 2013, during our trip to Scotland, there was one side trip that we signed up for with such hopes: the isle of Staffa.

Here’s an image from that outing…

No Puffins

Every brochure about Staffa talked about the puffins’ breeding colony, enticing us with many pictures of the cute birds. I rented a special lens for the occasion, which was the envy of some of our fellow travelers on the boat trip to the island. Of course, when we arrived there was not a single puffin in sight… It did give me the opportunity to get the best shot I ever have taken of a seagull! Oh, and my wife is convinced to this day that puffins are a Disney animatronics ploy.

I did get to meet with puffins a number of years after this, and, yes, they do exist and are incredibly cute!

iPhone Friday

In this episode, we’re looking at some ancient graffiti in the tomb of Ramses IV in the Valley of the Kings

Yes, folks, this Friday’s post is another one from Egypt, as there are a lot of iPhone shots from that trip. In the previous Egypt-based post of iPhone Friday from May 16, 2025, we visited Luxor Temple, which was stunning. This week, I’m taking you back to the Valley of the Kings, where we were in another iPhone Friday from May 9, 2025.

Here’s a view from the entrance part of another tomb…

Ancient Graffiti

This is the entrance of the tomb of Ramses IV in the Valley of the Kings. What caught my attention here is the graffiti that we see to the right of the cartouche of Ramses. To my somewhat trained eye, it appears to be a Coptic text, which does challenge me to see if I can translate it.

Of course, if you have Coptic skills…please share!

Thursday Throwback – 22

A memorable snapshot taken in Schiedam, Netherlands, featuring a tobacco shop named ‘Dandia’ alongside a Marlboro sign stating ‘smoking is deadly.’

Sometimes during my travels I see something that just stands out a little bit for some unknown reason. Quite often I’m not sure that I can really tell you why I took that snapshot other than that it caught my eye. Today’s image from 2008 certainly falls within that category.

Here’s a snap from Schiedam in the Netherlands…

Smoking is Deadly

The literal translation of the text on the Marlboro sign is ‘smoking is deadly’. Regardless, the tobacco shop has the rather upbeat, perky name of ‘Dandia’; sounds like it’s all dandy like a dandelion! Part of the reason for this shot was that my father was a life-long smoker, who always maintained that he could stop smoking at any time. Of course, he never mentioned the restart less than an hour later…