74 photos from Efteling
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2019-10-05

Another trip to the Efteling in the autumn of 2019.

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195 photos from Aachen
(North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)

2006-02-25 - 2006-02-27

Aachen is a historic spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the westernmost city of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, 65 km west of Cologne. Miaomiao and Tim visited the city and the nearby three-country border during the carnaval of 2006.

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61 photos from Lyon
(Rhône-Alpes, France)

2005-04-10 - 2005-04-15

A visit to the BioVision 2005 conference, as well as the town center. Lyon is the third largest city in France, and exists since the Roman times.

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63 photos from Geysir
(Southern Region, Iceland)

2013-02-28

Geysir, sometimes known as The Great Geysir, is a geyser in southwestern Iceland. It was the first geyser described in a printed source and the first known to modern Europeans. The English word geyser (a spouting hot spring) derives from Geysir. The name Geysir itself is derived from the Icelandic verb geysa, `to gush`, the verb from Old Norse. Geysir lies in the Haukadalur valley on the slopes of Laugarfjall hill, which is also the home to Strokkur geyser about 50 metres south. Eruptions at Geysir can hurl boiling water up to 70 metres in the air. However, eruptions may be infrequent, and have in the past stopped altogether for years at a time. Tim and Miaomiao visited the geyser site during their trip through Iceland in the winter of 2013.

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43 photos from Breda
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2020-01-04

Another visit to the Reptielenhuis De Aarde zoo.

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418 photos from Puerto de la Cruz
(Tenerife, Spain)

2018-12-31

Puerto de la Cruz is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. It was formerly known by its English translation, `Port of the Cross`, although now it is known in all languages by its Spanish name. It is located on the north coast, 4 km northwest of La Orotava, and 30 km west of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The TF-5 motorway passes through the municipality. In Spanish the inhabitants are known as Portuenses. With an area of 8.73 km2, the municipality is the smallest in Tenerife. The population is 29,000. The highest point is Las Arenas, a volcanic cone with an elevation of 249 m. The city is home to the Loro Parque (Spanish for `parrot park`), a 13.5-hectare zoo. Loro Parque houses an extensive and diverse reserve of animal and plant species. The park was conceived as a paradise for parrots and has developed over the years into one of the biggest attractions of the Canary Islands, with over 40 million visitors. The park keeps orcas, which has attracted criticism from some organisations. We visited Loro Parque and the city center on a day trip from Costa Adeje on the last day of 2018.

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492 photos from Reykjavik
(Capital Region, Iceland)

2018-07-05 - 2018-07-11

On our second trip to Reykjavik in the summer of 2018, we visited the Perlan museum, the Hallgrímskirkja church, the Whales of Iceland museum, the Fjölskyldu- og Húsdýragarðurinn zoo, and other spots in the city center.

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215 photos from Michaelmas Cay
(Queensland, Australia)

2014-09-03

Michaelmas Cay is a reef in Queensland, Australia, 1,409 km northwest of Brisbane and 33 km east of Cairns. It is part of Michaelmas Reef, which forms the north-eastern section of the Arlington reef complex, within the Great Barrier Reef. The vegetation on Michaelmas Cay is characteristic of cays found on the outer barrier reef. Low-growing, it consists of Beach Spinifex, Stalky Grass, Goatsfoot, Bulls-head Vine, Sea Purslane and Tar Vine. Nutrients fertilising the vegetation come from seabird droppings and carcasses. Michaelmas Cay is important as a breeding site for several species of terns. It has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports over 1% of the world populations of Greater and Lesser Crested Terns. Green Turtles sometimes nest on the cays. The surrounding reefs have a rich marine fauna, including Giant Clams. We snorkeled at Michaelmas Cay as part of a Great Barrier Reef tour in September 2014.

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51 photos from Boxtel
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2019-06-15

A ninth visit to the Oertijdmuseum, in the spring of 2019.

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27 photos from Shaoshan
(Hunan, China)

2009-09-11

Shaoshan is a county-level city in Xiangtan, Hunan Province. It is most popularly known as the birthplace of Mao Zedong, the founder of the People`s Republic of China. We visited Mao`s former residence and other sites related to Mao Zedong.

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32 photos from Vlissingen
(Zeeland, Netherlands)

2009-04-11

Vlissingen, or Flushing in English, is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century Vlissingen was a main harbour for ships of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). It is also known as the birthplace of Admiral Michiel de Ruyter. Vlissingen is mainly noted for the wharves on the Scheldt where most of the ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy (Koninklijke Marine) are built. Tim and Miaomiao visited Vlissingen for one day during their Zeeland trip in the spring of 2009.

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115 photos from Zhengzhou
(Henan, China)

2016-07-04 - 2016-07-08

On this third trip to Zhengzhou, we visited Miaomiao`s uncle, aunt and grandparents, as well as some spots in the city center, such as the Henan Provincial Museum.

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221 photos from The Hague
(North-Holland, Netherlands)

2006-07-08 - 2006-07-09

The Hague is the third-largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, with a population of 475,904. During this two-day trip we visited Scheveningen, Madurodam and Binnenhof.

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109 photos from La Laguna
(Tenerife, Spain)

2019-01-04

San Cristóbal de La Laguna (commonly known as La Laguna) is a city and municipality in the northern part of the island of Tenerife in the Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on the Canary Islands (Spain). The city is the third-most populous city of the archipelago and the second-most populous city of the island. La Laguna`s historical center was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. In 2003 the municipality started an ambitious Urban Plan to renew this area. The city was the ancient capital of the Canary Islands. La Laguna lies right alongside the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, thus the two cities and municipalities form a single large urban center, linked by tram. The city is home to the University of La Laguna which is home to 30,000 students; these are not included in the population figures for the city. La Laguna is considered to be the cultural capital of the Canary Islands. In this city one finds the legendary house of the spectre of Catalina Lercaro, as well as the incorrupt body of Sor María de Jesús, and the Christ of La Laguna. Another emblematic building of the city is the Cathedral of La Laguna, which is the Catholic cathedral of Tenerife and its diocese. We visited La Laguna on a day trip from Costa Adeje in January 2019.

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964 photos from Moscow
(Central, Russia)

2013-06-26 - 2013-07-02

Moscow is the capital city and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural and scientific center in Russia and in Eurasia. According to Forbes 2012, Moscow has the second largest community of billionaires in the world. Moscow is the northernmost megacity on Earth, the most populous city in Europe, and the 5th largest city proper in the world. It is the largest city in Russia with a population of 11.5 million. Moscow is situated on the Moskva River in the Central Federal District of European Russia. In the course of its history the city has served as the capital of a progression of states, from the medieval Grand Duchy of Moscow and the subsequent Tsardom of Russia to the Soviet Union. Moscow is the site of the Moscow Kremlin, a medieval city-fortress that is today the residence of the Russian president. The Moscow Kremlin is also one of several World Heritage Sites in the city. Both chambers of the Russian parliament (the State Duma and the Federation Council) also sit in Moscow. We visited Moscow during our Russia trip in the summer of 2013.

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63 photos from Gullfoss
(Southern Region, Iceland)

2018-07-06

Our second visit to the Gullfoss waterfall in the summer of 2018.

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84 photos from Boxtel
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2018-05-04

A second visit to the Oertijdmuseum, in the spring of 2018.

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17 photos from Corinth
(Peloponnese, Greece)

2009-03-10

Corinth is a city in Greece. In antiquity it was a city-state, on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnesus to the mainland of Greece. To the west of the isthmus lies the Gulf of Corinth, to the east lies the Saronic Gulf. Corinth is about 78 kilometres southwest of Athens. The isthmus, which was in ancient times traversed by hauling ships over the rocky ridge on sledges, is now cut by a canal. Corinth is now the capital of the prefecture of Corinthia. The city is surrounded by the coastal townlets of (clockwise) Lechaio, Isthmia, Kechries, and the inland townlets of Examilia and the archaeological site. Geophysically the city is likewise surrounded by the narrow coastal plain of Vocha, Corinthian Gulf, Corinth Canal, Saronic Gulf, Oneia mountains, and the monolithic rock of Acrocorinth where the medieval acropolis was built. Miaomiao and Tim visited the Corinth canal and saw the Acrocorinth during a day trip from Athens to the Argolis region of Greece, in March 2009.

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64 photos from Breda
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2018-12-14

Another visit to the Reptielenhuis De Aarde zoo.

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45 photos from Badaling
(Beijing, China)

2007-11-07

From Beijing we were driven to Badaling, the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, approximately 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Beijing city in Yanqing County, which is within the Beijing municipality. The portion of the wall running through the site was built during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military outpost reflecting the location`s strategic importance. The portion of the wall at Badaling has undergone heavy restoration, and in 1957 it was the first section of the wall to open to tourists. Now visited annually by millions, the immediate area has seen significant development, including hotels, restaurants, and a cable car.

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114 photos from Aachen
(North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)

2017-06-14

On this second trip to Aachen, Tim visited the City Hall, the Cathedral and the Cathedral Treasury.

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46 photos from Loudi
(Hunan, China)

2009-09-09 - 2009-09-12

Loudi is a city located in central Hunan province, China. It is situated about 110km south west of the provincial capital of Changsha and is considered a small to medium size city within the province. The population of Loudi is just over 4 million while the city proper itself has a population of 1.3 million. We visited Miaomiao`s grandparents at the countryside near Loudi.

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45 photos from Bamenda
(Northwest, Cameroon)

2005-10-20 - 2005-10-21

Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the North West Province. The city has an estimated 446,000 inhabitants. Bamenda is known for its cool climate and scenic hilly location.

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104 photos from Luoyang
(Henan, China)

2007-11-01

Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, People`s Republic of China. We visited the famous Longmen caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Longmen Grottoes are one of the three most famous ancient sculptural sites in China. There are over 2100 niches, more than 100,000 statues, some 40 pagodas and 3600 tablets and steles in the caves of Guyang, Binyang and Lianhua.

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81 photos from Malmo
(Scania, Sweden)

2011-04-25

Malmö, in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden. Malmö was one of the earliest and most industrialized towns of Scandinavia, but it struggled with the adaptation to post-industrialism. Since the construction of the Öresund bridge, Malmö has begun a slow revival with impressive architectural developments, attracting new biotech and IT companies, and particularly students through Malmö University College. The city contains many historic buildings and parks, and is also a commercial centre for the western part of Scania. Tim and Miaomiao visited the city during a day trip from Copenhagen, in the spring of 2011.

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96 photos from Pearcedale
(Victoria, Australia)

2014-09-11

Pearcedale is a town in Victoria, Australia, 50 km south-east of Melbourne`s central business district. Its local government area is the City of Casey. At the 2011 Census, Pearcedale had a population of 3,871. Local attractions include an angora goat stud and knitting mill, an iris nursery, and the Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park, which allows visitors to see endangered Australian animals. We visited the Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park on our way from Melbourne to Phillip Island.

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621 photos from Melbourne
(Victoria, Australia)

2014-09-10 - 2014-09-18

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia, with a population of 4.35 million. It has been ranked the world`s most livable city since 2011. Founded on 30 August 1835, it was declared a city by Queen Victoria in 1847, before becoming the capital city of the newly created Colony of Victoria in 1851. During the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s, it was transformed into one of the world`s largest and wealthiest cities. After the federation of Australia in 1901, Melbourne served as the interim seat of government for the newly created nation of Australia until 1927. An international centre for performing and visual arts, Melbourne is often referred to as Australia`s cultural capital. It is home to many of Australia`s largest and oldest cultural institutions such as the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne Zoo, the National Gallery of Victoria and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building. We visited Melbourne in September 2014.

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62 photos from Tilburg
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2017-12-17

A second visit to the Dierenpark de Oliemeulen zoo, in the winter of 2017.

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