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94 photos from Vik
(Southern Region, Iceland)
2018-07-08
The village of Vík (or Vík í Mýrdal in full) is the southernmost village in Iceland, located on the main ring road around the island, around 180 km by road southeast of Reykjavík. Despite its small size (300 inhabitants) it is the largest settlement for some 70 km around and is an important staging post, and thus it is indicated on road signs from a long distance away. It is an important service center for the inhabitants of and visitors to the coastal strip between Skógar and the west edge of the Mýrdalssandur glacial outwash plain. In 1991, the US journal Islands Magazine counted this beach as one of the ten most beautiful beaches on Earth. Its stretch of black basalt sand is one of the wettest places in Iceland. The cliffs west of the beach are home to many seabirds, most notably puffins which burrow into the shallow soils during the nesting season. Offshore lie stacks of basalt rock, remnants of a once more extensive cliffline Reynisfjall, now battered by the sea. We visited the town of Vík and the nearby Reynisfjara Beach and Dyrhólaey peninsula.
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233 photos from Amsterdam
(North-Holland, Netherlands)
2007-06-17
On a second sightseeing tour through Amsterdam, we paid a visit to several private gardens in the city, the Rembrandtplein, and the Dam.
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139 photos from Mierlo
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)
2017-04-15
A second visit to the Dierenrijk zoo in the spring of 2017.
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26 photos from Maastricht
(Limburg, Netherlands)
2014-06-07
Maastricht is a city in the Southeast of the Netherlands. It is the capital city in the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the Meuse river, at the point where the Jeker River joins it. In history Maastricht developed from a Belgic settlement, that in the Gallic Wars was conquered by the Romans and thus became a Roman settlement, to a religious centre, a garrison city and an early industrial city. Nowadays, it is known as a city of especially culture and education. Maastricht`s rich history shows from the fact that in this town no less than 1677 national heritage sites (Rijksmonumenten) are located, which is the second highest amount in a Dutch town, after Amsterdam. Furthermore, it has become known, by way of the Maastricht Treaty, as the birthplace of the European Union, European citizenship, and the single European currency, the euro. The town is popular with tourists for shopping and recreation, and has a large growing international student population. Tim and Miaomiao visited the city briefly on their way to Luxembourg in June 2014.
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221 photos from Nijmegen
(Gelderland, Netherlands)
2007-08-26
Nijmegen, our home town, is a municipality and a city in the east of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is considered to be the oldest city in the Netherlands and celebrated its 2000th year of existence in 2005. Each summer the Gebroeders van Limburg Festival is celebrated, in which people let medieval times come back to life.
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284 photos from Seattle
(Washington, USA)
2011-02-05 - 2011-02-09
Seattle is the northernmost major city in the contiguous United States, and the largest city in the Pacific Northwest and in the state of Washington. It is named after Chief Sealth `Seattle`, of the Duwamish and Suquamish native tribes. Seattle is the center of the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan statistical area, the 15th largest in the United States, and the largest in the northwestern United States. The 2010 census found that Seattle is home to 630,320 residents within a metropolitan area of some 3.4 million inhabitants. Seattle is the birthplace of rock legend Jimi Hendrix and the rock music style known as `grunge`, which was made famous by local groups Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam. In more recent years, Seattle has been known for indie rock and hip hop music. Seattle has a reputation for heavy coffee consumption; coffee companies founded or based in Seattle include Starbucks, Seattle`s Best Coffee, and Tully`s. There are also many successful independent artisanal espresso roasters and cafes. Tim visited Seattle and the neighbouring town of Bothell for a workshop in February 2011.
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37 photos from Cascais
(Lisbon, Portugal)
2014-04-25
Cascais is a coastal town in Cascais Municipality in Portugal, 30 kilometres west of Lisbon, with about 35,000 residents. It is a cosmopolitan suburb of the Portuguese capital and one of the richest municipalities in Portugal. The former fishing village gained fame as a resort for Portugal`s royal family in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Nowadays, it is a popular vacation spot for both Portuguese and foreign tourists. It is located in the Estoril Coast (named after Estoril, a civil parish), in the Greater Lisbon subregion. Tim and Miaomiao visited Cascais and Estoril on a day trip from Lisbon to Sintra, in the spring of 2014.
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130 photos from Zhengzhou
(Henan, China)
2012-01-31 - 2012-02-02
On our second trip to Zhengzhou, we visited the Henan Provincial Museum and the Zhengdong New Area.
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92 photos from Efteling
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)
2016-08-06
On this third trip to the Efteling, we visited the Sprookjesbos and some other parts of this theme park.
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207 photos from Philadelphia
(Pennsylvania, USA)
2008-07-02 - 2008-07-05
Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-most-populous city in the US. It is the fifth-largest metropolitan area and fourth-largest urban area by population in the US. Popular nicknames for Philadelphia include Philly and The City of Brotherly Love. In 2005, the population of the city proper was estimated to be over 1.4 million, while the metropolitan area, with a population of 5.8 million, was the fifth-largest in the United States. A commercial, educational, and cultural center, the city was once the second-largest in the British Empire (after London), and the social and geographical center of the original 13 American colonies. During the 18th century, it eclipsed New York City in political and social importance, with Benjamin Franklin taking a large role in Philadelphia`s early rise to prominence. It was in this city that many of the ideas, and subsequent actions, gave birth to the American Revolution and American Independence, making Philadelphia a centerpiece of early American history. It was the most populous city of the young United States and served as the the nation`s first capital. We visited the city during the celebrations of Independence Day.
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172 photos from Yuntaishan
(Henan, China)
2007-10-30
As part of our tour through the Henan province, we visited the Mount Yuntaishan Global Geopark of China. With a total area of approximately 556 km², the Geopark is characterized by its rifting tectonics, and spectacular landscapes formed by hydrodynamic processes, in combination with its natural ecologic and cultural relic scenery.
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59 photos from Leerdam
(South-Holland, Netherlands)
2018-10-27
Leerdam is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Leerdam is the most eastern town of the province of South Holland and is situated almost exactly in the middle of the three highways A2, A15 and A27. Leerdam received city rights in 1407. The small river Linge, bordered by beautiful water meadows, defines the atmosphere and tone of the landscape. Several centuries ago Leerdam formed a part of the Vijfheerenlanden domain, before it was raised to the level of County in 1498. In 1551, Leerdam, together with Acquoy, became property of the House of Orange and part of the County of Holland. The rich history of Leerdam can be found in well-kept historic buildings such as the Grote Kerk, the Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden, the remaining and restored city walls on the Zuidwal and the Oude Raadhuis. Since the 18th century, the town`s culture has been strongly influenced by the glass industry and the timber industry. This, with the National Glass Museum, the Glass Centre, and several art galleries, make Leerdam a major tourist attraction in the Netherlands. We visited the AquaZoo Leerdam in the autumn of 2018.
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160 photos from Rhenen
(Utrecht, Netherlands)
2017-09-01
Rhenen is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands. The municipality also includes the villages of Achterberg, Remmerden, Elst and Laareind. The town lies at a geographically interesting location, namely on the southernmost part of the chain of hills known as the Utrecht Hill Ridge, where this meets the river Rhine. Because of this Rhenen has a unique character with quite some elevation through town. Directly to the east of the built-up area lies the Grebbeberg, a hill with a top elevation of about 50 metres. We visited the Ouwehands Dierenpark, a zoo founded in 1932.
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68 photos from Wanning
(Hainan, China)
2012-01-27 - 2012-01-29
Wanning is a county-level city in the southeast of Hainan Province, with an estimated population of 65,871 (2006). We visited the town on our way from Haikou to Sanya and back, and spend a few hours at the nearby Xinglong Tropical Garden.
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249 photos from Valencia
(Valencia, Spain)
2006-08-13 - 2006-08-22
Valencia is the capital of the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia and its province. It is the third largest city in Spain and the 21st largest in the European Union. We visited the Cathedral, the beach, the Plaça de l`Ajuntament, the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, and much more.
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255 photos from Pisa
(Tuscany, Italy)
2013-10-02 - 2013-10-09
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower (the bell tower of the city`s cathedral), the city of over 88,332 residents (around 200,000 with the metropolitan area) contains more than 20 other historic churches, several palaces and various bridges across the River Arno. The city is also home of the University of Pisa, which has a history going back to the 12th century and also has the mythic Napoleonic Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and Sant`Anna School of Advanced Studies as the best Superior Graduate Schools in Italy. Tim and Miaomiao visited the city and its monuments in the autumn of 2013, on their way to the Cinque Terre region.
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33 photos from Doesburg
(Gelderland, Netherlands)
2015-12-25
Doesburg received city rights in 1237. Because of its strategic position along the Oude IJssel and Gelderse IJssel, Doesburg has been an important fortified city for a long time. The fortification of the city made Doesburg an important economic and administrative city. The Martinikerk, the main church in Doesburg is 94 meters tall. For many reasons, many of which have to do with the IJssel decreasing in depth, the prosperity in Doesburg settled after the 15th century. Doesburg changed into a sleepy provincial town and so it would remain until after the second world war. The city was protected in 1974, designated as a historic town. The historical inner city with several museums and many monuments draw thousands of tourists every year. Large tourist attractions are the Main court, the Doesburgse mustard factory and `De Waag`, which according to reports is the oldest public place in the Netherlands. Tim, Miaomiao and Max visited the city during the Christmas of 2015.
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103 photos from Volkel
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)
2017-03-19
Volkel is a town in the Dutch province of North Brabant, located in the Peelrand. The village has 3,430 inhabitants. Volkel is best known for the eponymous military airbase (Volkel) of the Royal Air Force and the nearby leisure park (Billy Bird Park Hemelrijk). We visited the Zie-ZOO zoo in the spring of 2017.
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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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107 photos from Kempervennen
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)
2015-12-28 - 2015-12-31
De Kempervennen is a Center Parcs holiday village situated in Westerhoven, North-Brabant, Netherlands. Activities include the sub-tropical swimming paradise, various outdoor and indoor adventure activities, a sports hall, `kids klub`, children`s farm, watersports, a `real snow` indoor ski slope, evening shows and forest surroundings. Outdoor activities include water sports, high climb, and bike riding. Indoor activities include sports, wall climbing, live shows, shopping, swimming, rapids, slides, indoor play zone, arcade, and bowling. The site`s restaurants include `Pizza and Pasta`, Family Grill, and The Pancake House. Onsite shops encompass a supermarket, clothes, and toys. Tim, Miaomiao and Max visited the Kempervennen during the last days of 2015.
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56 photos from Chengmai
(Hainan, China)
2013-12-30
Chengmai is an administrative district in Hainan, the People`s Republic of China. It is one of four counties of Hainan. We visited the Yongqing Temple and the Fushan Town Center of Coffee Culture and Customs in Chengmai on a day trip from Haikou in 2013.
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627 photos from Istanbul
(Istanbul, Turkey)
2010-04-02 - 2010-04-07
Istanbul (historically also known as Byzantium and Constantinople) is the largest city in Turkey and fifth largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.8 million. Istanbul is also a megacity, as well as the cultural, economic, and financial centre of Turkey. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbour known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) sides of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents. In its long history, Istanbul has served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330–395), the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire (395–1204 and 1261–1453), the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922). The city was chosen as joint European Capital of Culture for 2010. The historic areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. Tim and Miaomiao visited many famous sites within Istanbul, such as the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi Palace, the Galata Tower, the Süleymaniye Mosque, the Church of St. Savior in Chora and the Grand Bazaar. They also did a boat trip to the nearby Princes` Islands.
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26 photos from Gullfoss
(Southern Region, Iceland)
2013-02-28
Gullfoss (English: Golden Falls) is a waterfall located in the canyon of Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. The wide Hvítá rushes southward. About a kilometer above the falls it turns sharply to the right and flows down into a wide curved three-step `staircase` and then abruptly plunges in two stages (11 m and 21 m) into a crevice 32 m deep. The crevice, about 20 m wide, and 2.5 km in length, extends perpendicular to the flow of the river. The average amount of water running over this waterfall is 140 mł/s in the summertime and 80 mł/s in the wintertime. The highest flood measured was 2000 mł/s. As one first approaches the falls, the crevice is obscured from view, so that it appears that a mighty river simply vanishes into the earth. Together with Ţingvellir and the geysers of Haukadalur Gullfoss forms the Golden Circle, a popular day tour for tourists in Iceland. Tim and Miaomiao visited Gullfoss during their trip through Iceland in the winter of 2013.
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756 photos from Syracuse
(Sicily, Italy)
2014-05-10 - 2014-05-18
Syracuse is a historic city in Sicily, the capital of the province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace of the preeminent mathematician and engineer Archimedes. This 2,700-year-old city played a key role in ancient times, when it was one of the major powers of the Mediterranean world. Syracuse is located in the southeast corner of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Syracuse next to the Ionian Sea. Described by Cicero as `the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all`, it equaled Athens in size during the fifth century BC with population estimates in the range from 200,000–800,000. It later became part of the Roman Republic and Byzantine Empire. In the modern day, the city is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site along with the Necropolis of Pantalica. Tim visited the city for a course on translational medicine in 2014.
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21 photos from Skogafoss
(Southern Region, Iceland)
2013-03-03
Skógafoss is a waterfall situated on the Skógá River in the south of Iceland at the cliffs of the former coastline. After the coastline had receded seaward (it is now at a distance of about 5 kilometres from Skógar), the former sea cliffs remained, parallel to the coast over hundreds of kilometres, creating together with some mountains a clear border between the coastal lowlands and the Highlands of Iceland. The Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country with a width of 25 metres and a drop of 60 m. Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days. According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Ţrasi Ţórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. At the eastern side of the waterfall, a hiking and trekking trail leads up to the pass Fimmvörđuháls between the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. It goes down to Ţórsmörk on the other side and continues as the famous Laugavegur to Landmannalaugar. Tim and Miaomiao visited Skógafoss during their trip through Iceland in the winter of 2013.
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20 photos from Bologna
(Emilia-Romagna, Italy)
2006-03-18
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, in the Po Valley, between the Po River and the Apennines, exactly between the Reno River and the Sŕvena River. Home of the oldest university in the Western world, "Alma Mater Studiorum", founded in 1088, Bologna is one of the most developed cities in Italy. It has 370.000 inhabitants. Miaomiao visited the city center in March 2006.
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8 photos from Phoenix
(Arizona, USA)
2003-11-14 - 2003-11-21
A SC 2003 Conference visit of Tim to the desert state of Arizona, in the southwest of the USA. Phoenix is the fifth largest city of the United States with a population of 1.5 million.
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673 photos from Cinque Terre
(Liguria, Italy)
2013-10-04 - 2013-10-07
The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. `The Five Lands` is composed of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over the centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible corporate development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach them from the outside. The Cinque Terre area is a very popular tourist destination. The villages of the Cinque Terre were severely affected by torrential rains which caused floods and mudslides on October 25, 2011. Nine people were confirmed killed by the floods, and damage to the villages, particularly Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare, was extensive. Tim and Miaomiao visited all five towns of the Cinque Terre in the autumn of 2013.
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