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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55 photos from Munich
(Bavaria, Germany)

2012-09-29 - 2012-09-30

In 2012, we visited the yearly Oktoberfest festival. Oktoberfest is the world`s largest Volksfest (beer festival and travelling funfair). Held annually in Munich, it is a 16-day folk festival running from mid or late September to the first weekend in October, with more than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year. Locally, it is often simply called the Wiesn, after the colloquial name of the fairgrounds (Theresienwiese) themselves. The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations, modelled after the original Munich event.

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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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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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601 photos from Sydney
(New South Wales, Australia)

2014-09-06 - 2014-09-10

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. It is located on Australia`s south-east coast along the Tasman Sea and surrounding one of the world`s largest natural harbours. Residents are together known as `Sydneysiders` and constitute one of the most multicultural cities in the world. The area around Sydney has been inhabited by Australian Aboriginal people for tens of millennia. The first British settlers arrived in 1788 and founded modern Sydney as at first a penal colony. Successive colonial Governors assisted to transform the settlement into a thriving and independent metropolis. The population of Sydney at the time of the 2011 census was 4.39 million, of which 1.5 million were born overseas. Sydney`s natural features include Sydney Harbour, the Royal National Park, Bondi Beach, and the Royal Botanic Gardens. Tourists also visit the city to experience its outstanding examples of period architecture and attend its man-made institutions such as the Sydney Opera House, numerous museums, and leading universities. We visited Sydney in September 2014.

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62 photos from Tegalalang
(Bali, Indonesia)

2017-05-25

Tegalalang is a district in the Gianyar Regency, Bali, Indonesia. As of the 2010 census the population was estimated to be 50,375. Located around 10 km north of Ubud its terraced rice fields are a tourist attraction in the area. We visited the rice fields on a day trip to Ubud and surroundings.

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373 photos from Haikou
(Hainan, China)

2013-12-27 - 2014-01-13

A fifth visit to the capital of Hainan province. We visited the Old Town, the Mission Hills Golf Resort, the Feng Xiaogang Movie Theme Town, the Hainan museum, the Hainan Centre for the Performing Arts, some parks and the seaside.

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26 photos from Selfoss
(Southern Region, Iceland)

2018-07-06 - 2018-07-08

Selfoss is a town in southern Iceland on the banks of the Ölfusá river. It is a part of, and the seat, of the municipality of Árborg. The Icelandic Ring Road (Icelandic: Hringvegur) runs through the town on its way between Hveragerði and Hella. The town is a centre of commerce and small industries with a population of 7,000, making it the largest residential area in South Iceland. We visited Selfoss in the summer of 2018.

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166 photos from Uluwatu
(Bali, Indonesia)

2017-05-21 - 2017-05-26

Uluwatu is a place on the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula of Bali, Indonesia. It is home to the Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple and is the number four surf destination in the world for surfers of all abilities. The name Uluwatu comes from ulu, meaning `lands end`, and watu, meaning `rock`. We visited the Tirtha Wedding Chapel and the Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple.

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316 photos from Sanya
(Hainan, China)

2016-07-18 - 2016-07-21

On this third trip to Sanya, we visited resorts in Sanya Bay and Haitang Bay.

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238 photos from Costa Adeje
(Tenerife, Spain)

2018-12-29 - 2019-01-05

Costa Adeje was once an overlooked fishing village filled with the world`s most fascinating beaches. It was only a matter of time before tourists discovered its golden shores and clear blue waters that lead into the Atlantic. Side by side along its just as desirable neighbors, Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas, Costa Adeje has quickly risen from its quiet beginnings to one of the most coveted resort destinations in the world. During the Spanish colonization in the 15th century, Adeje was one of the capitals of the many kingdoms of the original Guanche inhabitants on the island. Adeje is the latest addition to the slew of high-class resort areas in Tenerife. Its current developments have come from the recent tourism boom on the island and the need for space to accommodate the growing number of visitors. More than just gorgeous sprawling beaches, Costa Adeje is also home to world-class entertainment and recreation. It houses Siam Park, one of the largest and best water parks in Europe, Golf Costa Adeje, a world-class 18-hole golf course, and many other attractions. We stayed in the La Caleta neighbourhood of Costa Adeje in the winter of 2018/2019, and visited Siam Park.

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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, Þrasi Þórólfsson, 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 Fimmvörðuháls between the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. It goes down to Þórsmörk 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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27 photos from Sagunto
(Valencia, Spain)

2006-08-21

Sagunto, formerly Murviedro, is an ancient city in Eastern Spain, in the modern fertile district of Camp de Morvedre in the province of Valencia. It is located in a hilly site, c. 30 km north of Valencia, close to the Costa del Azahar on the Mediterranean Sea. We visited the Roman theater and the Old Jewish Quarter.

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757 photos from Beijing
(Beijing, China)

2017-08-01 - 2017-08-14

On our third trip to Beijing, we visited Tiananmen Square, the National Art Museum of China, the Forbidden City, Beihai Park, the Temple of Heaven, the Houhai neighbourhood and other sites in the city center.

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113 photos from Agra
(Uttar Pradesh, India)

2004-10-12 - 2004-10-13

Agra, visited by Tim in October 2004, is a city on the banks of the Yamuna River in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the home of one of the modern World Wonders, the Taj Mahal. Other highlights (and UNESCO World Heritage Sites) include the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. In the nearby city of Sikandra, the Tomb of Akbar the Great was visited.

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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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42 photos from Jonquieres
(Provence-Alpes-Côte d`Azur, France)

2014-08-19 - 2014-08-20

Jonquières is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d`Azur region in southeastern France. We visited the town and the Château de Beauregard castle in the summer of 2014 for a wedding.

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920 photos from Rome
(Lazio, Italy)

2007-12-24 - 2008-01-02

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy`s largest and most populous city, with 2.7 million residents, an urban area of 3.45 million as well as a metropolitan area of 4 million inhabitants. It is located in the central-western portion of the Italian peninsula, on the Tiber river. Rome`s history as a city spans over two and a half thousand years, as one of the founding cities of Western Civilization. Even outside of the history of the Roman Empire, Rome has a significant place in the story of Christianity up to the present day, for it endures as the home of the papacy. The worldwide Roman Catholic Church is administered from the Vatican City. Today, Rome is a modern, cosmopolitan city, and the third most-visited tourist destination in the European Union. We spend nine days in Rome, and visited Vatican City (including St. Peter`s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums), the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Circus Maximus, Castel Sant`Angelo, Pyramid of Cestius, Bocca della Verita , Piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna, Fontana di Trevi, and more.

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180 photos from Singapore
(Singapore, Singapore)

2014-08-28 - 2014-08-30

Singapore is a sovereign city-state and island country in Southeast Asia. It lies off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula and is 137 kilometres north of the equator. The country`s territory consists of the lozenge-shaped main island, commonly referred to as Singapore Island in English and Pulau Ujong in Malay, and more than 60 significantly smaller islets. Singapore is one of the world`s major commercial hubs, with the fourth-biggest financial centre and one of the five busiest ports. Its globalised and diversified economy depends heavily on trade, especially manufacturing, which represented 26 percent of Singapore`s GDP in 2005. In terms of purchasing power parity, Singapore has the third-highest per capita income in the world but one of the world`s highest income inequalities. Approximately 5.4 million people live in Singapore, of which approximately two million are foreign-born. Tim and Miaomiao visited the country briefly while travelling to Australia in the summer of 2014.

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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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185 photos from Helsinki
(Southern Finland, Finland)

2008-05-19 - 2008-05-21

Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is 574,104 (2008), making it the most populous municipality in Finland by a wide margin. Miaomiao attended a conference here in May 2008.

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95 photos from Antwerp
(Antwerp, Belgium)

2018-07-01

On this eighth visit to Antwerp, we visited the Rubens House, the Den Botaniek garden and some other spots in the city center.

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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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260 photos from Antwerp
(Antwerp, Belgium)

2017-01-06 - 2017-01-08

In the winter of 2017, we visited Aquatopia, the Antwerp Zoo, Chinatown and the city center.

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100 photos from Levanto
(Liguria, Italy)

2013-10-03 - 2013-10-09

Levanto is a municipality in the province of La Spezia in the Italian region Liguria, located about 60 km southeast of Genoa and about 20 km northwest of La Spezia. The town is on the coast at the end of a valley, thickly wooded with olive and pine trees. The ridges on either side of the valley thrust out into the sea as the headlands of Mesco and Levanto. The municipality forms part of the coastal district known as the Comunità Montana della Riviera Spezzina, and part of its territory is included in the Cinque Terre National Park. Tim and Miaomiao stayed in Levanto during their visit to the Cinque Terre.

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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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53 photos from Echternach
(Grevenmacher, Luxembourg)

2014-06-09

Echternach is a commune with city status in the canton of Echternach, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town (current population 4,610) in Luxembourg. It grew around the walls of the Abbey of Echternach, which was founded in 698 by St. Willibrord, an English monk from Ripon, Northumbria (in present-day North Yorkshire, England), who became the first bishop of Utrecht and worked to Christianize the Frisians. As bishop, he was the Echternach monastery`s abbot until his death in 739. It is in his honour that the dancing procession takes place annually on Whit Tuesday. Tim and Miaomiao visited Echternach and its abbey in June 2014.

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106 photos from Versailles
(Île-de-France, France)

2010-08-07

The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles, the Île-de-France region of France. In French, it is known as the Château de Versailles. When the château was built, Versailles was a country village; today, however, it is a suburb of Paris, some twenty kilometres southwest of the French capital. The court of Versailles was the centre of political power in France from 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789 after the beginning of the French Revolution. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. One of the largest, it is also considered one of the most beautiful palaces in the world. We visited Versailles on a day trip from Paris in the summer of 2010.

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