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Travel snapshots from Toonsarah

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    • My love of travel
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  • Archive
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • England
      • London
      • Newcastle-upon-Tyne
    • Europe
      • Albania
      • Austria
      • Bulgaria
      • Estonia
      • France
        • Paris
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Jersey
      • Latvia
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Spain
        • Seville
      • Switzerland
      • Ukraine
    • Beyond
      • Africa
        • Botswana
        • Cape Verde
        • Gambia
        • Kenya
        • Morocco
        • Namibia
        • Senegal
        • Tanzania
        • Zimbabwe
      • Americas
        • Belize
        • Canada
        • Chile
          • Rapa Nui
        • Colombia
        • Costa Rica
        • Ecuador
          • Galapagos Islands
        • Guatemala
        • Jamaica
        • USA
          • New Mexico
          • New York City
          • Washington State
      • Asia
        • DPRK
        • India
          • Kerala
          • Rajasthan
        • Indochina
          • Cambodia
          • Laos
          • Vietnam
        • Japan
        • Nepal
        • Oman
        • Syria
        • United Arab Emirates
        • Uzbekistan
  • Themes
    • Architecture
    • Art
      • Crafts
      • Street art
    • Colour
    • Dark tourism
    • Eco-tourism
    • Food & drink
    • Gardens
    • History
      • Ruins
      • War
    • Landscape
      • Coast & seascapes
      • Deserts
      • Mountains
      • Rivers
    • Nature and wildlife
      • Animals
      • Birds
      • Plants
        • Flowers
        • Trees, forests and woodland
    • People
      • Culture & tradition
      • Street photography
    • Travel in general
  • Photo galleries
    • Themed galleries
    • Travel galleries
  • Postcards from the road
  • Challenges
    • Photography challenges
      • Just One Person
      • Lens-Artists
      • Mid-week Monochrome
      • Monochrome Madness
      • Nature Photo Challenge
      • One Word Sunday
      • Photographing Public Art
      • Pick a Word
      • Squares
      • Sunday Stills
      • The Changing Seasons
      • Words of Wisdom
      • Cee’s challenges
        • CBWC
        • CFFC
        • CMMC
    • General challenges
      • Monday walks
      • Writers’ Quotes Wednesday
    • Challenges archive
      • Bird Weekly
      • Friendly Friday
        • The Friendly Friday Challenge: how to join in
      • Friday’s Foods of the World
      • Life in Colour
      • One-to-Three
      • Ten photos
      • Thursday Trios
      • Thursday Doors
  • About me
    • Contact me
    • ‘Always Write’ interview
    • My love of travel
    • My photography
      • Photographic techniques
      • My photography journey
      • Video
    • Disclaimer & GDPR
  • Archive

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Topics I’ve touched on

africa animals architecture art birds black_&_white buildings bulgaria cffc chile cities colombia colour costa_rica dprk ealing england flowers france friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india just_one_person_from_around_the_world landscape lens-artists Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks nepal new_mexico north_korea paris people photography photo_effects PPAC ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills usa views village wildlife
  • Architecture,  Paris

    Rising from the ashes: Notre Dame in 2021

    September 30, 2021 / 41 Comments
    View of cathedral on far side of river, with large crane

    Television has brought our world together, never more so than at times of great historical significance, and times of great tragedy. Together we watched as Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon. Together we watched Live Aid. Together we watched the planes fly into the twin towers on nine/eleven. Together we watched the fall of the Berlin Wall. And together we watched Notre Dame burn.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Large building with green oriental roof

    A look inside the Grand People’s Study House

    November 18, 2021
    Modern buildings and cathedral dome in dull weather

    Gallery: favourite city life photos of 2021

    January 2, 2022
    Looking down at a spiral staircase

    Tallinn’s TV tower in black and white

    April 13, 2023
  • Monday walks,  Paris,  Street art,  Street photography

    A sunny Sunday walk in Belleville

    September 28, 2021 / 30 Comments
    Panoramic cityscape

    What do Parisians do on a sunny Sunday? They do much as people do in any city. They meet friends in a favourite café or restaurant. They exercise in the local park or take the children there to play and for a picnic. They walk the dog, do a bit of food shopping perhaps, or browse a lively market. Certainly the people of Belleville do all those things.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Blue sign welcoming to village

    Island life in the Mekong

    September 26, 2022
    Rock face with small caves and bushes

    In the footsteps of the Anasazi: Tsankawi

    May 3, 2022
    Hazy view of bamboo clump

    Periyar’s monkeys, elephants, bison and more

    October 4, 2021
  • England,  Gardens,  Lens-Artists,  Sunday Stills

    Signs of autumn at Emmetts Garden

    September 27, 2021 / 59 Comments
    Landscape with church and autumn trees

    Autumn comes stealthily. A touch of orange on a leaf. A few berries on a tree or bush. Late summer flowers starting to dominate our gardens. Conkers falling and squirrels out foraging in our local parks. It's my favourite season, although I'd like it even more if it weren't followed by winter, my least favourite!

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Wintery beach scene

    Gallery: blowing the cobwebs away at Druridge Bay

    January 4, 2023
    Landscape with old wall on hillside

    Outpost of the Roman Empire, Housesteads

    December 5, 2020
    Swan on a lake with green algae

    Gallery: an August selection

    September 4, 2022
  • Architecture,  Latvia,  Photographing Public Art

    Gallery: meet the many cats of Riga

    September 25, 2021 / 33 Comments
    Sculpture of a cat on a roof

    In the centre of Riga is an imposing house, which has come to symbolise the city. What would in any case be a grand Art Nouveau structure is made special by the presence of two large cats on the turrets at either end.

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    Or what about ...?

    Half-timbered building seen above a hedge

    A misty morning visit to Stokesay Castle

    July 14, 2021
    Sign on boarded-up window

    Gallery: London, off the beaten track (urban erosion)

    January 17, 2021
    Two white bell towers

    A stroll around Tavira

    April 29, 2022
  • Cambodia,  Friendly Friday,  Laos,  Travel galleries,  Vietnam

    Gallery: getting up close and personal

    September 24, 2021 / 31 Comments
    Hand holding knife and straw shavings

    Like many photographers, I shoot quite a lot of images of flowers and that’s the first thing I think of when asked to showcase macro photography (which technically-speaking I don’t do) or close-up photography (which I do a lot). After that, my next thought will be insects. And I already have a few posts here on those lines. So what to do when Amanda asks for close ups and macros for this week’s Friendly Friday Challenge? The following photos are all taken from my travel archives, specifically my early 2020…

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Ornamental gate

    The Killing Fields of Cambodia

    June 23, 2022
    Red lantern, blue wall, green shutters

    2020: my (pandemic) year in review

    January 3, 2021
    Header image with two small photos

    Friendly Friday Challenge: think about your viewpoint

    July 1, 2022
  • Culture & tradition,  England,  History

    Stepping back in time: living history at Beamish

    September 23, 2021 / 29 Comments
    Old bus and motor garage

    How does it feel to step back in time and immerse ourselves in the world our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents knew? There are places where we can do just that, living museums that collate and preserve not just objects but the buildings that housed them and the environments in which those buildings sat. One such place is Beamish, in north east England.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Small town beneath a forested hillside

    Meeting Maximón, the idol of Santiago Atitlàn

    December 13, 2020
    Man beating white cloth

    A dhobi wallah in Fort Cochi, Kerala

    April 14, 2021
    Banner with photo of a tightrope walker

    Friendly Friday: meet a young tightrope walker in Jaisalmer

    August 27, 2021
  • Architecture,  Colour,  Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries

    Gallery: let there be light

    September 21, 2021 / 39 Comments
    Colourful paper lanterns at night

    The sun bathes us in natural light, even when covered by cloud. But for part of each day it is hidden from our sight, lighting the other side of the world. Our ancient ancestors learned to make fires, to keep the threats that darkness held at bay (as well, of course, to keep themselves warm). Since then mankind has developed all sorts of artificial ways to mimic the light of the sun when it disappears at night.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Blue tiles with religious painting

    Gallery: tiles, tiles and yet more tiles!

    April 30, 2022
    View over group of brick temples with tiered tiled roofs

    A walk in Patan, the City of Beauty

    February 1, 2023
    White statue of a saint against a blue sky

    Sweet freedoms in Tirana

    May 8, 2023
  • Dark tourism,  DPRK,  Photographing Public Art

    The Monument to the Three Charters for National Reunification

    September 18, 2021 / 24 Comments
    Huge statues of young women holding a stone map above an empty road

    Like many such states, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea does public art on a big scale. The many statues of the Dear Leaders are well known, but perhaps a little less so is this rather astounding example, the Monument to the Three Charters for National Reunification.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Two large mosaics with portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il

    Gallery: mosaic portraits of a dynasty

    October 21, 2020
    School children in the Hiroshima Peace Park

    Finding peace in Hiroshima

    September 7, 2020
    Factory gates with propaganda signs and various buildings

    Some short stories from the Hermit Kingdom

    November 28, 2021
  • Chile,  Deserts

    El Tatio: a steaming landscape

    September 16, 2021 / 24 Comments
    Steam rising from several geysers at sunrise

    It takes a certain amount of sacrifice and discomfort to visit El Tatio. For one thing, you will sacrifice sleep, as all tours leave very early in the morning. The steam from the geysers is most active and visible at dawn, so you need to be there before sunrise. You must also be prepared to be very cold and to cope with altitude; the geyser field is at 4,200 metres above sea level. So is it worth it? Oh yes!

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Landscape with flamingos, water, salt flats and mountains

    Gallery: the flamingos of the Salar de Atacama

    April 24, 2021
    Mountain landscape

    To touch the sky: the Torres del Paine

    May 30, 2021
    Man passing wall painting of orange bird

    Gallery: searching for street art in Santiago, Chile

    August 7, 2021
  • Paris,  Sunday Stills

    Going back to Paris, and to the Place Dauphine

    September 14, 2021 / 33 Comments
    Man with a long beard, sunglasses and hat

    Never go back, they say. And it’s a rule we tend to follow when it comes to travelling, but we make a few exceptions. And prime among those exceptions is Paris. We spent the first part of our honeymoon there, recently celebrated our fortieth anniversary there, and in between those two trips have visited together on five other occasions. And that doesn’t include a visit each back in our even more ancient and separate histories!

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Large cafe with pavement tables and teddy bears at the windows

    A stroll through the Marais

    September 19, 2022
    Looking up at a white stone church with several domes

    Le Sacré Coeur de Paris

    April 10, 2022
    Red heart and street sign with church dome beyond

    Gallery: hearts and skulls on the streets of Paris

    September 10, 2021
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Read my featured blogger interview

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By Marsha of 'Always Write'

And my answers to Bren’s ‘five at five’ questions

Lady in a hat and red top sitting on rocks

Some favourite photos

Man in a turban with fishing nets
Fisherman in Fort Kochi, Kerala
Two elephants in long grass
Okavango elephants
Blue glacier edge
Glacier Grey, Torres del Paine, Chile
Elderly woman in black hat and sunglasses
In Santiago, Chile
Very large statues of North Korean Leaders
Statues of the Great Leaders on Mansudae Hill, Pyongyang
Water reflecting the sky with clouds and low sun
Approaching sunset in the Okavango Delta
Feet of huge metal sculpture, with man standing beside
The feet of the Angel
Large moai with row of more behind
The ‘travelling moai’ and Ahu Tongariki
Man in knitted hat by water, black and white photo
Waiting for the ferry, Banjul
Mountain reflected in a lake
On the road to Dyrholaey
Sunset at Wahiba Sands, Oman
Squirrel with a conker in his mouth
In Walpole Park, Ealing
Silhouette of a man in a gateway
Looking out from Bundi Palace
Blue and pink bird on a dead tree
Lilac-breasted Roller, Chobe NP, Botswana
Buddhist monk in orange robes with mobile phone
Monk at Wat Nong Sikhounmuang, Luang Prabang
Man sleeping in a tuk tuk by a carved stone wall
Tuk tuk driver by the Terrace of the Leper King
Close up of flamingo with head tucked under
Flamingo (Jersey Zoo)
Lady with baskets of fruit sitting by a canal
In Hoi An, Vietnam
Small fishing boat with a man in it, on a large lake
Lake Atitlan
Wet street and two people with bright pink umbrella
Street in Lucca, rainy day – edited

Some topics I’ve touched on

africa animals architecture art birds black_&_white buildings bulgaria cffc chile cities colombia colour costa_rica dprk ealing england flowers france friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india just_one_person_from_around_the_world landscape lens-artists Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks nepal new_mexico north_korea paris people photography photo_effects PPAC ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills usa views village wildlife

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  • Gallery: a May selection (2023)
  • Gallery: London from the top of the Shard
  • Gallery: finding peace while travelling
  • Gallery: finding peace in the park

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All images and texts copyright Sarah Wilkie - 2023 ©
 

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