From the archives #69

Wales (2014)

During our stay in Wales a few Summers ago we visited the "Red Kite Feeding & Rehabilitation Centre" at the Gigrin Farm near the market town of Rhayader. Red Kites ("rode wouw" in Dutch) that are wounded or sick are taken care of here. Red kites are medium-large birds of prey that can be recognised quite easily by their long forked tail which is twisting as they change direction.

Once a day the red kites are being fed; pieces of meat are spread out across a field. Visitors are welcome to view the swooping kites from bird hides. A spectacular sight!
More about the Red Kite Centre in mid-Wales can be found HERE.

I'm linking to Saturday's Critters on Eileen's blog.

From the archives #68

Wyoming, USA (2015)

After arriving in Jackson (Wyoming) we had a look around and found this store that was filled from top to bottom with wooden furniture. How about this robust four-poster bed?

From the archives #67

Belgium (2015)

This guy put smiles on the faces of both kids AND adults. A photo from June last year taken in the streets of Antwerp.

Happy weekend!

From the archives #66

(Canada- 2012)

During our stay in Banff (Alberta) we took the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain to enjoy the majestic view on the Rocky Mountains.

And while tourists came and went, 2 men were busy working on the structure. Can you see one of them standing there? What a job they have!

Happy weekend 😀 

From the archives #65

(Yorkshire, U.K. - 2014)

After a pause of almost a year I am continuing with my "From the archives"-series today, with a photo from August 2014 taken at the Newgate Market in York (UK). This daily open market is also known as the Shambles Market. Wherever we are, I always enjoy strolling around on a local market, how about you?

Have a wonderful weekend!

From the archives #64

Canada (2012)

This public artwork "(lying on top of a building,) the clouds looked no nearer than when i was lying on the street", are the words from U.K. artist Liam Gillick that we read across the facade of the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in downtown Vancouver (BC).
Back home in the Netherlands I googled the words and learned that the photo only shows the 2nd half of the sentence; we never saw what was around the corner. Oops.

Enjoy your weekend! :)

From the archives #63

Finland (2006)

In my memory there were as many car-ferries as there were bridges on the route that we followed through the Finnish Lake District. It's a beautiful region which covers most of central and East Finland.

From the archives #62

Kos Island, Greece (2013)

Even though several cruise ships were still arriving at Kos Island each day, most tourist were gone in mid October when this photo was taken. No doubt these ticket boots, selling tickets for (day) trips to Bodrum in nearby Turkey, know busier days in the Summer season.

Enjoy your weekend!

From the archives #61

Canada (2012)

During our trip through British Columbia and Alberta we passed the spot where in 1885 the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed. A monument was placed to remember this historical moment.

Nice to tell is that in the years 1923-1926 my grandfather was in Canada and actually made this journey by train. Hoping to be able to start a new life there, he travelled by train from the east all the way to the west coast and Vancouver Island in the end. Some of the letters that he wrote home have been kept until today, giving us a detailed insight of where he went and what he did, and how life was in the days of cowboys and Indians.

Have a nice weekend! :)

From the archives #60

Rome, Italy (2009)

This horse was standing patiently in front of the Panthéon as his boss was waiting for tourists to take them for a carriage tour through the city.

Have a nice weekend! :)

From the archives #59

Finland (2010)

A picture taken inside our holiday cottage in the Pyhä-Luosto National Park in northern Finland, while setting the table for dinner.


Have a nice weekend!

From the archives #58

Sweden (2012)

The village of Ekshärad in the Swedish Värmland county is not only well known for its red wooden 17th century church, but also for the cemetery with its more than 300 graceful and imaginative iron crosses. These crosses were forged locally and have small 'leaves' that sway gently in the wind.

From the archives #57

Pompeii, Italy (2009)

It is said that the ruined Roman city of Pompeii once had 35 brothels, that were known by the Roman word 'Lupanar'. With a population of 10,000 people in Pompeii during the first century CE, this seems quite a lot obviously, but then early Pompeian excavators classified any building containing erotic paintings as brothels.
The photo above shows a sign carved out in the pavement, pointing to a brothel.

And to any of you who wonder: "Hey, is that a .. ?"
It is.

Enjoy your weekend!   :)

From the archives #56

Canada (2012)

Definitely one of the most amazing things we ever witnessed was the salmon jump at Bailey's Chute in Wells Gray Park (B.C.) in September 2012. We had actually parked our car here to take a walk and when we came near the Clearwater River wondered why it was so crowded. Well, we soon found out!

Chinook Salmon travel over 600 km through lakes, up heavy rapids, strongs currents, and against natural predators to their spawning ground, leaving the last bit of effort to spawn, and then to die. If you would like to read more about the Wells Gray Park and the journey of the salmon click HERE.

The only thing missing here was a bear.. fishing and eating.. ;)     Enjoy your weekend!

From the archives #55

South Africa (2006)

During our stay in Durban we made a trip to the Valley of a 1000 Hills, and visited the PheZulu Village to see one of the magnificent and rhythmical Zulu dancing performances. In between shows these 2 dancers were enjoying their view over the valley.

Enjoy your weekend!

From the archives #54

Sweden (2013)

Let's go for some Summer colours today. During our stay on the Swedish peninsula Hornslandet, about 300 km north of Stockholm, we spent a day in the town of Hudiksvall. This beautiful Jakobs Kyrka is regarded as one of the highlights. The church is part of the Swedish Lutheran church and can accommodate 540 people.

From the archives #53

Athens, Greece (2010)

Away from the tourists, but still in the heart of Athens..

Enjoy your weekend! :)

From the archives #52

Iceland (2008)

It's the 1,000th (!) post on my blog today, showing a surreal landscape of boiling mudpools and steaming fumaroles in Hverir, a geothermal area in the north of Iceland. It was a weird and overwhelming experience to walk here, with the smells, the colours, the heat..

From the archives #51

Vancouver (BC) - Canada (2012)

A very nice thing to do if you are in downtown Vancouver, is to hop on a water taxi and pay a visit to Granville Island. This peninsula was once an industrial manufacturing area, but is now a popular shopping district and famous for its Public Market, where this photo was taken.

The Granville Island Public Market features a farmers' market, day vendors, and artists offering local Vancouver goods. There are 50 permanent retailers and over 100 day vendors in stalls throughout the market selling a variety of foods and handmade crafts.

From the archives #50

Athens, Greece (2010)

Feeding the pigeons and discussing life in the heart of Athens.