189 photos from Drottningholm
(Uppland, Sweden)

2019-10-22

Drottningholm, literally `Queen`s Islet`, is a locality situated in Ekerö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden, with 398 inhabitants in 2010. It is situated on the island Lovön in lake Mälaren on the outskirts of Stockholm. Drottningholm Palace, the residence of the Swedish Royal Family since 1981, is located here. The village was planned and built in the mid 18th century for the people working at the palace. It is a good example of how a Swedish village would have looked like in the 18th and 19th centuries, containing many picturesque houses and villas. Drottningholm Palace was originally built in the late 16th century, and it served as a regular summer residence of the Swedish royal court for most of the 18th century. Apart from being the private residence of the Swedish royal family, the palace is a popular tourist attraction. Tim visited Drottningholm Palace on a day trip from Stockholm in the autumn of 2019.

MORE

197 photos from Antwerp
(Antwerp, Belgium)

2020-07-24

On this eleventh visit to Antwerp, we visited the Antwerp Zoo.

MORE

48 photos from Granadilla
(Tenerife, Spain)

2018-12-29 - 2019-01-05

Granadilla de Abona is a municipality of Tenerife, located in the south of the island, occupying an area of 155 square kilometers. Its population in 2013 was 43,608. In recent years, the population has greatly increased due to an influx of immigrants, many of them illegal, from Western Sahara, Colombia, Cuba, and other African and Latin American countries. The municipality extends from the altitudinous center of the island -Mount Guajara (2,718 m, the second-highest mountain on the island, after Teide) is situated in this municipality- to the Atlantic Ocean. Reina Sofía Airport is located in this municipality, as well as the beachside town of El Médano (`The Sand Dune`), where many important windsurfing competitions are held. La Montaña Roja (`The Red Mountain`), a volcanic cone located in El Médano, is a protected natural preserve, along with five other `espacios naturales`, which comprise 25% of the municipality`s total area. We visited the airport and the surrounding area in the winter of 2018/2019.

MORE

1172 photos from Paris
(Île-de-France, France)

2022-08-14 - 2022-08-22

On our third trip to Paris in the summer of 2022, we visited La Défense, the Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, the Arc de Triomphe, the Notre Dame, the National Museum of Natural History, the Pantheon, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Sacré Coeur, and more.

MORE

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.

MORE

981 photos from Haikou
(Hainan, China)

2023-07-22 - 2023-08-15

On our seventh trip to Haikou, we visited the Hainan Museum, the Haikou Volcanic Cluster Global Geopark, the Huacai Haikou Bay Plaza mall, the Swan Lake Animal Base and more.

MORE

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.

MORE

164 photos from Catania
(Sicily, Italy)

2014-05-10 - 2014-05-18

Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the Province of Catania, and is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy. Catania is known for its seismic history, having been destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169, another in 1693, and several volcanic eruptions from the neighboring Mount Etna volcano, the most violent of which was in 1669. Catania has had a long and eventful history, having been founded in the 8th century BC. In 1434 it witnessed the opening of the first university in Sicily. Then in the 14th century and into the Renaissance, Catania was one of Italy`s most important and flourishing cultural, artistic, and political centers. Tim visited the city on his way to and from Syracuse in May 2014.

MORE

128 photos from Matosinhos
(Porto, Portugal)

2022-05-02

Matosinhos is a city and a municipality in the northern Porto district of Portugal, bordered in the south by the city of Porto (8 km from the city centre). The population in 2011 was 175,478, and covered an area of approximately 62.42 km2. We visited the SEA LIFE Centre Porto aquarium, the Castelo do Queijo castle and the Parque da Cidade do Porto park, and viewed the `She Changes` sculpture and the Porto Leixões Cruise Terminal.

MORE

19 photos from Ravenna
(Emilia-Romagna, Italy)

2006-03-21

Ravenna is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The city is inland, but is connected to the Adriatic Sea by a canal. Ravenna was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until 476. It was later the capital of the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths and the Exarchate of Ravenna until 751. From that year until the invasion of Franks, it was the seat of the king of the Lombards and equalled to Pavia by Aistulf. It is presently the capital of the Province of Ravenna. At 652.89 km2, Ravenna is the second-largest comune in land area in Italy, although it is only a little more than half the size of the largest, Rome. Miaomiao visited Ravenna in March 2006.

MORE

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.

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

1246 photos from Vienna
(Vienna, Austria)

2022-12-29 - 2023-01-05

Vienna is the capital, largest city, and one of nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria`s most populous city with about two million inhabitants. It is the 6th-largest city proper by population in the European Union and the largest of all cities on the Danube river. Vienna is host to many major international organizations, including the United Nations, OPEC and the OSCE. The city is located in the eastern part of Austria and is close to the borders of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. In 2001, the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Additionally, Vienna is known as the `City of Music` due to its musical legacy, as many famous classical musicians such as Beethoven and Mozart called Vienna home. The historic center of Vienna is rich in architectural ensembles, including Baroque palaces and gardens, and the late-19th-century Ringstraße lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks. Vienna attracts over 6.8 million tourists a year. We visited the city on a holiday around new year 2023.

MORE

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.

MORE

205 photos from Haikou
(Hainan, China)

2012-01-16 - 2012-02-05

A fourth visit to the capital of Hainan province. We celebrated the Chinese New Year, and visited some spots in the city center and the Hainan Volcano Park.

MORE

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.

MORE

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.

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

66 photos from Eyjafjallajokull
(Southern Region, Iceland)

2013-03-03

Eyjafjallajökull (Icelandic for `Island mountain glacier`) is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, situated to the north of Skógar and to the west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of 1,666 metres. The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the last glacial period, most recently in 2010. Tim and Miaomiao visited Eyjafjallajökull during their trip through Iceland in the winter of 2013.

MORE

109 photos from Sault
(Provence-Alpes-Côte d`Azur, France)

2014-08-18

Sault is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d`Azur region in southeastern France. We visited Sault and its surrounding lavender fields in the summer of 2014.

MORE

108 photos from Lopud
(Dalmatia, Croatia)

2022-07-30

Lopud is a small island off the coast of Dalmatia, southern Croatia. Lopud is economically the most developed of the Elaphiti Islands, and can be reached by boat from Dubrovnik, Trsteno, Orašac and Zaton. The island is famous for its sandy beaches, in particular the bay of Šunj. Lopud is the second largest island of the Elaphiti islands, between Koločep and Šipan. It is famous as the `island in the middle` (Insula Media, or Mezzo). It has an area of 4.63 km2 and its highest point is Polačica, 216 metres above sea level. It has 11.5 km of coastline, of which 1.2 km is sandy.

MORE

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.

MORE

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.

MORE

290 photos from Haikou
(Hainan, China)

2016-07-08 - 2016-07-25

On the sixth trip to Haikou, we visited Miaomiao`s family and celebrated Max' first birthday.

MORE

260 photos from Ubud
(Bali, Indonesia)

2017-05-25

Ubud is a town on the Indonesian island of Bali in Ubud District, located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills of the Gianyar regency. Promoted as an arts and culture centre, it has developed a large tourism industry. Ubud has a population of about 30,000 people. Puri Saren Agung is a large palace located at the intersection of Monkey Forest and Raya Ubud roads. The residence of Tjokorda Gede Agung Sukawati (1910-1978), the last ruling monarch of Ubud, it is still owned by the royal family. Dance performances and ceremonies are held in its courtyard. A number of Hindu temples exist, such as Pura Desa Ubud, which is the main temple, Pura Taman Saraswati, and Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal, the temple of death. The Gunung Kawi temple is the site of the royal tombs. Goa Gajah, also known as the Elephant Cave, is located in a steep valley just outside Ubud near the town of Bedulu. We visited the Puri Saren Agung palace, the Ubud Traditional Art Market, the Pura Desa Ubud temple, the Pura Taman Saraswati temple, the Goa Gajah temple and other places in the town center.

MORE

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.

MORE

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

2007-08-01 - 2007-08-06

Marseille is the second-largest city of France and forms the third-largest metropolitan area, after those of Paris and Lyon, with a population of 1.6 million. We visited the Old Port.

MORE

183 photos from Hong Kong
(Hong Kong, China)

2007-10-19 - 2007-11-16

A second travel to Hong Kong, and the start and the end of our China tour in 2007. We visited Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, the Avenue of Stars, Victoria Harbour, the Star Ferry, the Peak Tram and Victoria Peak.

MORE