99 photos from Thingvellir
(Southern Region, Iceland)

2018-07-06

Our second visit to the Þingvellir National Park, in the summer of 2018.

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28 photos from Hong Kong
(Hong Kong, China)

2007-01-12 - 2007-01-18

Hong Kong is a territory located on China`s south coast on the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south. It has a population of 6.9 million people, and is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Miaomiao went to Hong Kong for a scientific conference in January 2007.

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117 photos from Efteling
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2019-05-12

Another trip to the Efteling in the spring of 2019.

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426 photos from Prague
(Prague, Czech Republic)

2008-12-22 - 2008-12-28

A christmas holiday in the Czech capital Prague. We visited Old Town Square, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Visehrad, Wenceslas Square, the TV Tower, two concerts and much more.

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67 photos from Tilburg
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2017-04-07

Tilburg is a city in the Netherlands, in the southern province of Noord-Brabant. With a population of 210,000, it is the second largest city in Noord-Brabant, and the sixth largest in the Netherlands. Tilburg University is located in Tilburg, as are Avans University of Applied Sciences and Fontys University of Applied Sciences. Tilburg is known for its ten-day-long funfair, held in July each year. The Monday during the funfair is called `Roze Maandag` (Pink Monday), and is primarily LGBT-oriented. We visited the Natuurmuseum Brabant in the city center.

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121 photos from Yantai
(Shandong, China)

2014-01-03 - 2014-01-07

Yantai is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Shandong province, People`s Republic of China. Located on the southern coast of the Bohai Sea and the eastern coast of the Laizhou Bay, Yantai borders the cities of Qingdao and Weihai to the southwest and east respectively. The largest fishing seaport in Shandong and a robust economic center today, Yantai used to be known to the West as Chefoo, a misnomer which refers, in Chinese, solely to Zhifu Island, which is historically governed by Yantai. The contemporary name of Yantai came from the watchtowers constructed on Mount Qi in 1398, during the reign of the Hongwu Emperor, founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty (yan—smoke; tai—tower). The towers served to raise alarms against invasions of Japanese pirates. We visited Miaomiao`s uncle, aunt and grandmother in Yantai, as well as the ChangYu Wine Culture Museum.

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21 photos from Wéris
(Luxembourg, Belgium)

2017-10-14

Wéris is a village in the municipality of Durbuy in Wallonia, Belgium. Till 1977 Wéris was a municipality. The village is a member of the organisation Les Plus Beaux Villages de Wallonie. It is well known for its megaliths, including dolmens and menhirs. There is a `Museum of Megaliths` in the centre of the village. There is a three-mile alignment of standing stones and chambered tombs that include the Dolmen de Wéris and the Dolmen d'Oppagne, as well as the Menhir Danthine, the three Menhirs d`Oppagne, and the Tour Menhir (destroyed). Other megaliths in the area include La Pierre Haina, the Lit du Diable (Devil`s bed) and the Pas de Bayard capstone. We visited the Dolmen de Wéris.

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161 photos from Durbuy
(Luxembourg, Belgium)

2017-10-13 - 2017-10-16

Durbuy is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. On 1 January 2007 the municipality had 10,633 inhabitants. The total area is 156.61 km2. In medieval times Durbuy was an important centre of commerce and industry. In 1331, the town was elevated to the rank of city by John I, Count of Luxemburg, and King of Bohemia. In 1628 Anthonie II Schetz obtains the Seigneurie of Durbuy, by permission of Felipe IV of Spain. One of the people connected to the city was the son of Lancelot II: Charles Hubert Augustin Schetz (1662-1726), Count of Durbuy. In 1756 the decendants of the House of Schetz obtain the Castle. Since then the House of Ursel resides in the Castle. The current castle was built in 1880. The Ourthe river flows through the municipality. Tourism and recreation are its main activities nowadays. Durbuy is often presented and promoted as `the smallest town of the world` - but it is not. The smallest town of the world is Hum, Croatia. We visited Durbuy in the autumn of 2017.

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41 photos from Petite-Somme
(Luxembourg, Belgium)

2017-10-15

Petite-Somme is a village in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. It is located in Septon, a borough of Durbuy. Along Petite-Somme, the Somme river flows. We visited the Castle of Petite-Somme (Radhadesh), which nowadays houses an ISKCON community.

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101 photos from Efteling
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2018-05-18

Our eighteenth trip to the Efteling in the spring of 2018.

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46 photos from Grindavik
(Southern Peninsula, Iceland)

2013-02-27 - 2013-03-04

Grindavík is a fishing town at the peninsula of Reykjanes at the south-western coast of Iceland. It is one of the few cities with a harbour at this coast. Most of the 2,800 inhabitants work in the fishing industry. The Blue Lagoon, Grindavík`s premiere attraction, is located 4.8 km from the town centre. Tim and Miaomiao visited the Blue Lagoon twice during their trip through Iceland in the winter of 2013.

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882 photos from Lisbon
(Lisbon, Portugal)

2014-04-20 - 2014-04-26

Lisbon is the capital and the largest city of Portugal with a population of over 3 million in its urban area, making it the 11th most populous urban area in the European Union. Lisbon is the westernmost large city located in Europe, as well as its westernmost capital city and the only one along the Atlantic coast. It lies in the western Iberian Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and the River Tagus. Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, and the oldest city in Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris and Rome by hundreds of years. Julius Caesar made it a municipium called Felicitas Julia, adding to the name Olissipo. Ruled by a series of Germanic tribes from the 5th century, it was captured by the Moors in the 8th century. In 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriques reconquered the city and since then it has been a major political, economic and cultural centre of Portugal. Lisbon has two sites listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site: Belém Tower and Jerónimos Monastery. Furthermore, in 1994, Lisbon was the European Capital of Culture and in 1998 organised the Expo `98. Tim and Miaomiao visited the city in the spring of 2014.

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106 photos from Vlissingen
(Zeeland, Netherlands)

2019-07-11

We visited the Iguana Reptile Zoo and the city center of Vlissingen in the summer of 2009.

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736 photos from Bangkok
(Bangkok, Thailand)

2016-07-25 - 2016-07-30

Bangkok is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply About this sound Krung Thep. The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres in the Chao Phraya River delta in Central Thailand, and has a population of over 8 million, or 12.6 percent of the country`s population. Over 14 million people (22.2 percent) live within the surrounding Bangkok Metropolitan Region, making Bangkok an extreme primate city, significantly dwarfing Thailand`s other urban centres in terms of importance. Bangkok traces its roots to a small trading post during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 15th century, which eventually grew in size and became the site of two capital cities: Thonburi in 1768 and Rattanakosin in 1782. Bangkok was at the heart of Siam`s modernization, during the later 19th century, as the country faced pressures from the West. Our visit to Bangkok in the summer of 2016 included the Grand Palace, the Bangkok National Museum, the Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World, the Erawan Shrine, and more.

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561 photos from Copenhagen
(Capital Region, Denmark)

2011-04-22 - 2011-04-26

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,200,000 and a metropolitan population of 1,900,000. Copenhagen is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager. First documented in the 11th century, Copenhagen became the capital of Denmark in the beginning of the 15th century. During the 17th century, under the reign of Christian IV, it became a significant regional centre. With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Oresund Region. Within this region, Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmö are growing into a combined metropolitan area. Copenhagen has repeatedly been recognized as one of the cities with the best quality of life. It is also considered one of the world`s most environmentally friendly cities. The water in the inner harbour is so clean that one can swim in it, and 36% of all citizens commute to work by bicycle. Every day they cycle a combined 1.2 million km. Tim and Miaomiao visited Copenhagen in the spring of 2011.

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64 photos from Changping
(Beijing, China)

2017-08-11

Changping District, formerly Changping County, is a district situated in the suburbs of northwest Beijing. Changping District, covering an area of 1,430 square kilometres, contains two subdistricts of the city of Changping and 15 towns (five of which are suburbs of Beijing) with total population of 614,821. About 34 km from the city center, Changping is renowned for its numerous scenic spots and tourist facilities, like the Min dyanasty imperial tombs and the Datangshan museum. It is rich in natural resources, mineral products, and rural products. Tim visited the Chang Ling site of the Ming dynasty imperial tombs in Changping.

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79 photos from Bruinisse
(Zeeland, Netherlands)

2017-10-20 - 2017-10-21

On our second visit to Bruinisse, we stayed in the AquaDelta park, went crab fishing, and passed by some nearby beaches and harbours.

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47 photos from Buea
(Southwest, Cameroon)

2005-10-25 - 2005-10-28

Buea is the capital of the Southwest Province of Cameroon. The town is located on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon and has a population of 57,000. Buea was the colonial capital of the German Kamerun from 1901 to 1919 and the capital of the Southern Cameroons from 1949 until 1961.

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126 photos from Shanghai
(Shanghai, China)

2007-10-25 - 2007-10-28

Shanghai is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, with over 20 million people. Located on China`s central eastern coast near the mouth of the Yangtze River, the city is administered as a municipality with province-level status. We visited the Bund, Pudong, Oriental Pearl Tower, Nanjing Road, and the Old Town with the Huxington Tea House and the Temple of the Town God.

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40 photos from Haikou
(Hainan, China)

2009-08-30 - 2009-09-18

A third visit to the city of Miaomiao`s parents. We visited some spots in the city center and the harbour.

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168 photos from Efteling
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2018-03-09

Our fourteenth trip to the Efteling in the early spring of 2018.

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82 photos from Goa
(Goa, India)

2004-10-05 - 2004-10-09

Goa is India`s smallest state in terms of area, and is a former Portugese colony. Two of its most important cities, Panaji and Margao, were visited, as well as some of Goa`s many beaches.

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239 photos from Cairns
(Queensland, Australia)

2014-09-02 - 2014-09-06

Cairns is a regional city in the far north of Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was discovered from Port Douglas. It later developed into a railhead and major port for exporting sugar cane, gold and other metals, minerals and agricultural products from surrounding coastal areas and the Atherton Tableland region. As of June 2012, the population is approximately 142,528. Cairns is located about 1,700 km from Brisbane. It is a popular travel destination for foreign tourists because of its tropical climate. It serves as a starting point for people wanting to visit the Great Barrier Reef and Far North Queensland. We visited Cairns in September 2014.

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563 photos from Beijing
(Beijing, China)

2007-11-06 - 2007-11-11

Beijing is a metropolis in northern China and the capital of the People`s Republic of China. Beijing is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. Beijing is China`s second largest city, after Shanghai. Beijing is recognised as the political, educational, and cultural center of the People`s Republic of China, while Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields. The city hosted the 2008 Olympic Games. We paid a visit to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Old Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and much more.

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95 photos from Cologne
(North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)

2010-12-04

A second trip to the German city of Cologne, where we visited the Cologne Cathedral, the christmas markets and the shopping streets.

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58 photos from Tirol
(Tirol, Austria)

2004-03-26 - 2004-04-03

A skiing (and afterski) trip of Tim to the mountain province of Tirol (Austria).

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71 photos from Zaandam
(North-Holland, Netherlands)

2018-10-18

Zaandam is a city in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811. It is located on the river Zaan, just north of Amsterdam. We visited the Zaanse Schans neighbourhood on a day trip from Amsterdam.

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164 photos from Efteling
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2019-04-14

Another trip to the Efteling in the spring of 2019.

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