25 photos from Antwerp
(Antwerp, Belgium)

2015-05-30 - 2015-05-31

During our third trip to Antwerp, we visited the we visited the diamond neighbourhood, the area around the Antwerp Central Railway Station, and the Chinatown.

MORE

92 photos from Middelburg
(Zeeland, Netherlands)

2009-04-11 - 2009-04-12

The city of Middelburg dates back to the early 9th century or possibly the late 8th century. The first mention of Middelburg was as one of three fortified towns erected on Walcheren to guard against Viking raids. In 844 a monastery was built on the site, which remained in use until the Eighty Years` War, when the northern Netherlands won their independence from Spain. Middelburg was granted city rights in 1217. During the Middle Ages, it became an important trading centre in the trade between England and the cities of Flanders. Later, in the 17th century (the Dutch Golden Age), it was an important centre for the Dutch East India Company. Tim and Miaomiao visited Middelburg for two days in the spring of 2009.

MORE

674 photos from Venice
(Veneto, Italy)

2012-05-17 - 2012-05-22

Venice is a city in northeast Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. The city in its entirety is listed as World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon. The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century B.C.. The city historically was the capital of the Venetian Republic. Venice has been known as the `La Dominante`, `Serenissima`, `Queen of the Adriatic`, `City of Water`, `City of Masks`, `City of Bridges`, `The Floating City`, and `City of Canals`. Luigi Barzini described it in The New York Times as `undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man`. We visited Venice in the spring of 2012.

MORE

268 photos from Hilvarenbeek
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2017-04-23

Hilvarenbeek is a municipality and a town in the south of the Netherlands, along the border with Belgium. The biggest tourist attraction is called Beekse Bergen, consisting of a safari park, amusement park/playground, holiday bungalow park, and camping parks. We visited the Beekse Bergen safari park in the spring of 2017.

MORE

162 photos from Sanya
(Hainan, China)

2012-01-27 - 2012-01-29

During our second visit to Sanya, we visited the Sanya Nanshan Dongtian Park and spent some time on the beach.

MORE

358 photos from Madrid
(Madrid, Spain)

2008-05-10 - 2008-05-14

A second visit to Madrid, together with Tim`s father and brother. This time, we visited the Plaza Mayor, Museo del Prado, Royal Palace, Parque del Buen Retiro, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, and more.

MORE

142 photos from Efteling
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2017-12-16

Our second visit to the Winter Efteling, in the winter of 2017.

MORE

47 photos from Tilburg
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2019-01-12

Another visit to the Natuurmuseum Brabant in the winter of 2019.

MORE

38 photos from Bruinisse
(Zeeland, Netherlands)

2018-06-09

A fourth visit to Bruinisse, where we went crab fishing.

MORE

686 photos from Edinburgh
(Scotland, United Kingdom)

2016-10-26 - 2016-10-30

Edinburgh is Scotland`s second most populous city and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom. The 2014 official population estimates are 464,990 for the city of Edinburgh and 1,339,380 for the city region. Recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century, Edinburgh is home to the Scottish Parliament and the seat of the monarchy in Scotland. The city is home to national institutions such as the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery. It is the largest financial centre in the UK after London. The city`s historical and cultural attractions have made it the United Kingdom`s second most popular tourist destination attracting over one million overseas visitors each year. Historic sites in Edinburgh include Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the churches of St. Giles, Greyfriars and the Canongate, and the extensive Georgian New Town, built in the 18th century. Edinburgh`s Old Town and New Town together are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We visited Edinburgh in the autumn of 2016.

MORE

127 photos from Efteling
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2017-04-02

A sixth visit to the Efteling, in the spring of 2017.

MORE

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.

MORE

61 photos from Utrecht
(Utrecht, Netherlands)

2016-09-04

We visited the Nijntje Museum (former Dick Bruna Huis) in the Centraal Museum of Utrecht.

MORE

70 photos from Bruinisse
(Zeeland, Netherlands)

2017-09-24

Bruinisse is a town in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, and lies about 19 km south of Hellevoetsluis. We visited the Grevelingendam at the east side of town.

MORE

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.

MORE

87 photos from Roermond
(Limburg, Netherlands)

2014-07-06

Roermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands. The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231. Roermond town centre has been designated as a conservation area. Through the centuries the town has filled the role of commercial centre, principal town in the duchy of Guelders and since 1559 it has served as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roermond. The skyline of the historic town is dominated by the towers of its two churches: St. Christopher Cathedral and Roermond Minster or `Munsterkerk` in Dutch. In addition to important churches, the town centre has many listed buildings and monuments. In the summer of 2014, we visited the Designer Outlet Roermond, the Saint Christopher Cathedral, the Cattentoren tower, the Markt square and the Munsterkerk church.

MORE

206 photos from Efteling
(North-Brabant, Netherlands)

2018-08-12

Another trip to the Efteling in the summer of 2018.

MORE

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.

MORE

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.

MORE

66 photos from Cape Otway
(Victoria, Australia)

2014-09-12

Cape Otway is a cape and a bounded locality of the Colac Otway Shire in southern Victoria, Australia on the Great Ocean Road; much of the area is enclosed in the Great Otway National Park. Cape Otway was originally inhabited by the Gadubanud people; evidence of their campsites is contained in the middens throughout the region. The Cape was discovered by Europeans when Lieutenant James Grant made the first west to east passage through Bass Straight in the Lady Nelson in December 1800. Grant named it Cape Albany Otway after Captain William Albany Otway. This was later shortened to Cape Otway. Cape Otway Lighthouse was built on the point of the cape in 1848. The lighthouse is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. We visited Cape Otway and its lighthouse as a part of our Great Ocean Road day trip.

MORE

149 photos from Amsterdam
(North-Holland, Netherlands)

2014-07-13

On this visit to Amsterdam, we visited the Dam square, the Royal Palace Amsterdam, the Kalverstraat street, the flower market, the Rijksmuseum and the Wallen district.

MORE

118 photos from Port Campbell
(Victoria, Australia)

2014-09-12

Port Campbell is a coastal town in Victoria, Australia. The town is on the Great Ocean Road, west of the Twelve Apostles, in the Shire of Corangamite. At the 2011 census, Port Campbell had a population of 618. Port Campbell is now a popular tourist destination for visiting the Twelve Apostles, located 12 kilometres to the west of the town and the Port Campbell National Park, as well as maintaining a small crayfishing community. We visited the Gibson Steps, the Twelve Apostles and the Loch Ard Gorge at Port Campbell National Park during our day trip to the Great Ocean Road.

MORE

138 photos from Marseille
(Provence-Alpes-Côte d`Azur, France)

2014-08-16 - 2014-08-20

On our second visit to Marseille, we visited the Old Port, the Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica and the La Canebière shopping street.

MORE

87 photos from The Hague
(South-Holland, Netherlands)

2017-07-07

On our fifth visit to The Hague, we went to Madurodam with its new attraction `Nieuw Amsterdam`.

MORE

44 photos from Wageningen
(Gelderland, Netherlands)

2018-09-05

A third trip to Wageningen in the summer of 2018.

MORE

35 photos from Bertinoro
(Emilia-Romagna, Italy)

2006-03-18 - 2006-03-23

Bertinoro is a town and comune in the province of Forlì-Cesena, Emilia-Romagna (Italy). It is located on hill, Mount Cesubeo, in Romagna, a few kilometers from the Via Emilia. Miaomiao had a conference here in the spring of 2006.

MORE

53 photos from Songshan
(Henan, China)

2007-10-31

Mount Song, known in Chinese as Song Shan, is one of the Taoist Five Sacred Mountains and is located in Henan province on the south bank of the Yellow River in China. Its summit is 1,500 meters above sea level. It is home to the Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Zen Buddhism. The Zhongyue Temple is also located here, one of the earliest Taoist temples in the country. The Songyang Academy nearby was one of the four great academies of ancient China.

MORE

76 photos from Kennett River
(Victoria, Australia)

2014-09-12

Kennett River is a small seaside town in Victoria, Australia. Situated 174 kilometres west of Melbourne, on the Otway Coast part of the scenic Great Ocean Road, Kennett River is a popular tourist destination 27 kilometres from the resort town of Lorne, Victoria. The area is known for scenic coastal views, the Great Otway National Park, and surfing. Kennett River is also one of the best places in Australia to see koalas in the wild. Turn into Grey River Road, off the Great Ocean Road, and along the first two kilometres of the road you will be unlucky not to spot koalas in the eucalypts. We visited the Kennett River Holiday Park to see koalas and birds, as well as the nearby Cape Patton Lookout and the town of Apollo Bay, on our day trip on the Great Ocean Road.

MORE