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Urban Garden.235

The garden and buildings at Abbaye de la Cambre in Brussels, which we first introduced a couple weeks ago.

City Views.266

Amsterdam’s Dutch National Holocaust Names memorial (which opened in September 2021, not long after I moved to A’dam) is heartbreaking, and also beautiful in its simplicity and symbolism. I went again with a visiting friend on, appropriately, the weekend of the 80th anniversary of the first Dutch national liberation day.

Urban Entrances.166

All from morning and evening walks during my short Rome visit for work in June.

County Views.166

These were all shot along the way between Finnsnes and Tromsø, which means these are the last photos of Troms County. I’m not sure which town that is, above – one of the 15-minute port calls the boat made, where I neglected to photograph a sign that gave it away :-/.

Ah, Royalty.66

Biljoen castle & estate sit on the edge of Velp. Apparently first built and established in 1530 by one of Gelderland’s dukes or some such, it seems to have hosted Louis XIV and various other royals in the centuries since. Lovely park, too.

Lake Living.76

Up the street from the abbey & park I recently shared from my last Brussels visit lie two lovely little lakes, called the Etangs d’Ixelles according to my map, of which I’d also been previously unaware.

Small Wonders.276

All from my July Thailand visit. I’m hoping my friend and reader Jean (sorry, I know I’m overdue to answer en email…) will confirm or correct my tendency to call the flowers that aren’t water lilies plumeria or frangipani. They smell lovely but I’ve a feeling they’re maybe not really what I think they are…

Small Wonders.275

Islands.95

One thing I recall Sam and me both enjoying about Vlieland, on our short visit already four months ago, was how varied the terrain was for such a relatively small island. Above you see a fair amount of this variety, with forests and, yes, the hills created over ages of sand piling up and plants growing sufficiently to create enough soil for trees, and so on. In the distance I’m pretty sure you’re seeing Terschelling, the next island over. But it could possibly be the mainland instead. Below, more of the variety.

From The Air.85

I know it doesn’t show anything recognizable but for some strange reason I like this photo enough that I want to share it. It’s somewhere in the air between Beijing and Amsterdam back in March, but given the time zone changes and that the entire 12+-hour flight was in daylight, I’m really not sure where this was :-). (Left Beijing at 11:30 or so, landed A’dam 17:30 or so.)
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Mountains.85

Lake Living.75

I’ve shared a few teaser glimpses of this lakeside residence built in the early 1900s for the Kroller-Muller family in two past posts, awaiting the right moment to share more images of this beautifully-situated building that’s quite impressive itself, too.