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Coasting.154

The port of Licata lies along Sicily’s southern coast. Licata, I learned during a short visit in early July, was where allied (mostly American? at least there are some things from the long past that one can still have a shred of national pride in?) troops landed to begin the push into Italy during WWII. I was there for work reasons (link here to a recent public communication related to that part of our work), and it’s clear that I must also spend some time being a tourist in Sicily soon! Such beautiful landscapes, towns and historic buildings spanning milennia. 🙂

Posted by  |  August 4, 2026 | Categories: Italy, Sicily | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Bridges.54

Along the shore of Lake Ohrid lies this Bay of Bones museum, reconstructing a prehistoric village built over the water whose remains were found at the lake floor and some of which now sit in an on-land museum behind us as we look at the walkway / bridge across the water that takes us out to the immersive museum. Below more photos of the houses and views from the reconstructed village.

Posted by  |  August 3, 2026 | Categories: Macedonia R.N., The Balkans | Tags: | Leave a comment

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Longest Beach.74

Posted by  |  August 2, 2026 | Categories: Bangladesh | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Ah, Royalty.84

Last post with photos from my early-March visit to Schloss Ahrensburg (the Castle at Ahrensburg). Including, for those interested, photos of an explanation of this castle’s links to the Atlantic slave trade, and a timeline with some historic events and visits.

Posted by  |  August 2, 2026 | Categories: Germany, Schleswig-Holstein | Leave a comment

Urban Entrances.184

At the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, one follows those white curvey white lines of paving stones to go through the high entryway next to the downward spiral slide, then walks through one of the rotating glass doors below to enter the indoor space, which when we visited early last month was hosting one of the most captivating exhibits I’ve ever experienced, called “Amazonia.” (Along with a personally-moving photo exhibit from a gay NYC artist active in the 1970s and 1980s, and an exhibit on the long history of commercial sex work which, for me, was actually the least captivating of the three.)

Posted by  |  August 1, 2026 | Categories: Germany, Nordrhein-Westfalen | Tags: | Leave a comment

County Views.184

All from a wonderful hike in what I still think of as my ‘home park’ in Santa Rosa – Sonoma County, back in early January.

Posted by  |  August 1, 2026 | Categories: California, SF Bay Area, Sonoma & Napa, United States | Tags: , | Leave a comment

From the Air.105

Above, you’re seeing the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan (not far from a city called Türkmenbaşy, according to my in-flight map), as seen out the window during my long Bangkok to Amsterdam flight yesterday. Below, you’re seeing photos of the Turkmen desert as we flew west towards the shot above, and any photos I took during out flight over the sea, including when we flew over its western shore above Azerbaijan, fairly close to Baku. (If you’re on a bigger screen or in ‘full view’ mode, the photos are in order from east to west; if on phone simple mode, top to bottom should be east to west.) This was fun for me, because it was by far the clearest weather I’ve had when over-flying the Caspian sea, so as you’ll notice, I enjoyed looking out the window :-).

Posted by  |  July 31, 2026 | Categories: Airborne & Unknown Location, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan | Tags: , | Leave a comment

City Views.284

The pyramids of Giza it’s certainly not, but Steve and I were both quite happy that we disregarded the guidebook’s casual dismissal of this “pyramid of Tirana,” on our last-afternoon stroll around town.

Posted by  |  July 31, 2026 | Categories: Albania, The Balkans | Tags: | Leave a comment

Small Wonders.304

A workshop recently got me back into this newly-renovated, 1638-founded Amsterdam institution, of whose newly-remodeled greenhouses I recently shared one photo in another series. 10 (imaginary) bonus points to anyone who can guess which beloved institution in the immediate neighborhood of our office we’re showing you here. Hint: it’s one of the world’s oldest of such institutions, yet somehow never makes the cut for most of my visitors, when weighed against other even more famous Amsterdam institutions…

Posted by  |  July 31, 2026 | Categories: Netherlands, North Holland & Amsterdam | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Small Wonders.303

This particular plant truly lights up if I time my morning bike commute via Vondelpark so as to catch the moment when the rising sun first hits it, as I did on of the two days of shots you’re seeing here.

Posted by  |  July 30, 2026 | Categories: Netherlands, North Holland & Amsterdam | Tags: | Leave a comment

Small Wonders.302

Eetbaare kleine wunderen, bij ons taaltafel aan het Regina Coeli Instituut, Februari van dit jaar. 🙂

Posted by  |  July 29, 2026 | Categories: Netherlands, Noord Brabant | Tags: | Leave a comment

Small Wonders.301

Posted by  |  July 28, 2026 | Categories: Macedonia R.N., The Balkans | Leave a comment

Small Wonders.300

Posted by  |  July 27, 2026 | Categories: Macedonia R.N., The Balkans | Leave a comment

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Small Wonders.299

Posted by  |  July 26, 2026 | Categories: Macedonia R.N., The Balkans | Leave a comment

Small Wonders.298

Posted by  |  July 25, 2026 | Categories: Macedonia R.N., The Balkans | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment