Travel with me

Travel snapshots from Toonsarah

  • Home
  • Destinations
    • England
      • London
      • Newcastle-upon-Tyne
    • Europe
      • 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
        • 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
        • 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
  • Challenges
    • General challenges
      • Friendly Friday
        • The Friendly Friday Challenge: how to join in
      • Monday walks
      • Writers’ Quotes Wednesday
    • Photography challenges
      • Lens-Artists
      • Life in Colour
      • One-to-Three
      • Photographing Public Art
      • Pick a Word
      • Squares
      • Sunday Stills
      • The Changing Seasons
      • Thursday Trios
      • Cee’s challenges
        • CBWC
        • CFFC
        • CMMC
    • Challenges archive
      • Bird Weekly
      • Friday’s Foods of the World
      • Just One Person
      • Ten photos
      • Thursday Doors
  • About me
    • Contact me
    • ‘Always Write’ interview
    • My love of travel
    • My photography
      • Photographic techniques
      • My photography journey
      • Video
    • Disclaimer & GDPR
  • Archive
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • England
      • London
      • Newcastle-upon-Tyne
    • Europe
      • 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
        • 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
        • 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
  • Challenges
    • General challenges
      • Friendly Friday
        • The Friendly Friday Challenge: how to join in
      • Monday walks
      • Writers’ Quotes Wednesday
    • Photography challenges
      • Lens-Artists
      • Life in Colour
      • One-to-Three
      • Photographing Public Art
      • Pick a Word
      • Squares
      • Sunday Stills
      • The Changing Seasons
      • Thursday Trios
      • Cee’s challenges
        • CBWC
        • CFFC
        • CMMC
    • Challenges archive
      • Bird Weekly
      • Friday’s Foods of the World
      • Just One Person
      • Ten photos
      • Thursday Doors
  • About me
    • Contact me
    • ‘Always Write’ interview
    • My love of travel
    • My photography
      • Photographic techniques
      • My photography journey
      • Video
    • Disclaimer & GDPR
  • Archive

Follow me

Follow Travel with me on WordPress.com

Topics I’ve touched on

africa architecture art birds bird_weekly black_&_white botswana buildings cambodia cffc chile churches cities colour costa_rica deserts dprk ealing england flowers friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india japan just_one_person_from_around_the_world landscape Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks museum new_mexico north_korea people photography photo_effects PPAC rivers ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills usa village wildlife
  • Landscape,  Sunday Stills,  Themed galleries

    Gallery: photographing the four elements

    January 31, 2022 / 41 Comments
    Black lava beach, crashing waves and offshore rock formations

    Fire lives in the death of earth, air lives in the death of fire, water lives in the death of air, and earth in the death of water (Heraclitus). Some of these four elements are easier to photograph than others, as a quick trawl of my archives shows. Of water and earth I have many images. But air is much harder to capture, and fire too.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Landscape with old wall on hillside

    Outpost of the Roman Empire, Housesteads

    December 5, 2020
    Rock arch with rock stack

    Gallery: earth’s story told in its rocks

    March 27, 2022
    Mist hanging over a lake

    Gallery: Morning mists over Matthew’s Linn

    January 26, 2021
  • History,  Landscape,  Lens-Artists,  People,  Travel in general

    Learning through travelling

    January 30, 2022 / 41 Comments
    Simple shop in a wooden shack and toddler in the scruffy lane alongside

    'Try to travel, otherwise you may become racist, and you may end up believing that your skin is the only one to be right' The above is the opening verse, in translation, of the song Viaggiate by Gio Evan, poet and songwriter. A friend posted it on Facebook and for me it sums up everything that is wonderful and important about travelling.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Faded photo of low stone house set in a garden

    Out of Africa: visiting Karen Blixen’s home

    March 16, 2021
    Street of adobe houses

    Acoma Pueblo: a place prepared

    January 13, 2021
    Stone circle in a landscape with blue sky and white clouds

    A visit to Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain

    June 21, 2022
  • Art,  Photographing Public Art,  Themed galleries

    Gallery: fountains from around the world

    January 29, 2022 / 36 Comments
    Metal duck's mouth with water spouting

    One form of public art that really enhances many of our cities are the many fountains to be found in our squares and parks. However I often find myself drawn to photograph these. I like to try to capture the flowing water, or perhaps to pick out interesting details in their sculptural groups.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Man standing in front of frescoes, talking

    An encounter in Zurich: a person with a passion

    March 3, 2021
    Sculpture of a soldier in uniform waving

    Gallery: a wartime farewell in Tavira

    April 23, 2022
    Stylised female statue head

    The art on the Tyne

    December 11, 2021
  • Friendly Friday,  Photographic techniques

    Friendly Friday Challenge: the rule of thirds

    January 28, 2022 / 68 Comments
    Label for rule of thirds challenge

    Rules are made to be broken, they say. Not necessarily true; if the past two years has taught us anything, it’s the importance of following the rules in particular during a time of emergency. In photography it’s arguably another matter. By breaking the rules we can sometimes create the most impact. But I’m a firm believer that in order to effectively break a photography rule you must first understand it.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Large group of dancers in traditional Korean green dress

    Gallery: dancing on the streets of Pyongyang

    November 28, 2020
    Man's hands working with tin

    Using our hands: handicrafts around the world

    April 27, 2021
    Cobbled pavement with black stones depicting a castle

    Gallery: underfoot in the Algarve

    April 12, 2022
  • Art,  Paris

    A visit to the Musée Rodin in Paris

    January 26, 2022 / 34 Comments
    Garden with statue and gold dome beyond

    Over breakfast on a damp Parisian morning we discussed our plans for the day. Maybe rather than a walk a museum visit would be a better option, given the weather? This museum occupies the Hôtel Biron, where Rodin lived for the last decade of his life.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Gallery: tripling the impact

    April 8, 2022
    Man in a brown hat with a feather

    Shanti Arts: inspired by world travel

    June 9, 2021
    Large wooden curved structure

    Gallery: Seville’s mushrooms, art or architecture?

    December 4, 2021
  • Animals,  Galapagos Islands,  Lens-Artists,  Sunday Stills

    Spotting wildlife in the Galápagos Islands

    January 23, 2022 / 59 Comments
    Large yellow reptile looking at camera

    For many years I wanted to visit the Galápagos: to walk on these remote islands where unique species thrive, where Darwin first developed the ideas that would change our understanding of nature, and where animals have never learned to fear humankind. In 2012 I realised my dream; and fortunately, it more than lived up to my expectations!

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Close up of a giraffe's eye

    Gallery: making eyes at me

    June 27, 2022
    Hairy animal holding a tree trunk

    The oddities of sloths

    March 6, 2022
    Giraffe eating

    Giraffe Manor: getting up close and personal

    January 11, 2021
  • Art,  London,  Photographing Public Art

    A little bit of Nairobi in London’s Spitalfields

    January 22, 2022 / 42 Comments
    Bronze sculpture of two young elephants

    On the outskirts of Nairobi is a very special place, where orphaned baby elephants find safety and refuge… Thus I started a blog post last May about the amazing work being done at the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. Imagine how thrilled I was when many of those residents made their way, in sculptural form, to London’s Spitalfields Market!

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Man and dog on a bench

    Recycled Spirits of Iron (Ex Nihilo)

    May 20, 2021
    Stylised female statue head

    The art on the Tyne

    December 11, 2021
    Very large green snail sculpture

    Gallery: giant snails invading Riga!

    November 12, 2021
  • Animals,  Themed galleries,  Thursday Trios

    Gallery: when three is better than two

    January 21, 2022 / 49 Comments
    Lioness followed by two cubs

    It's said that two is company, three a crowd. But when taking wildlife photos I’m always happy to have a third animal join the shot! Designers have long recognised that an odd number of items is more effective at capturing your gaze. Odd numbers force your eyes to move around the group and that forced movement is the heart of visual interest.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Large elephant walking towards camera

    Elephant encounter: flashback to our first safari

    June 26, 2021
    Giraffe eating

    Giraffe Manor: getting up close and personal

    January 11, 2021
    Large yellow reptile looking at camera

    Spotting wildlife in the Galápagos Islands

    January 23, 2022
  • Kerala,  Monday walks,  Street photography,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: a stroll through a Kerala village

    January 18, 2022 / 28 Comments
    Washing drying outside a simple home on a dirt street

    Chowara is a small fishing community in Kerala. While tourism has come to the area, bringing visitors from elsewhere in India and further afield, it remains unspoiled and still focused on that traditional mainstay of its economy, the fish. Our hotel lay right next to the village, so it was easy one morning to forsake the lure of the pool and take a stroll with our cameras.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Man sitting among motorbikes in front of a garage

    A walk in Fort Kochi, Kerala

    January 12, 2022
    Man applying colourful face paint

    Gallery: a traditional Keralan Kathakali performance

    April 28, 2021
    Man in a red turban

    The fishermen of Chowara, Kerala

    February 6, 2021
  • Colour,  Sunday Stills,  Themed galleries

    Gallery: does white exist?

    January 17, 2022 / 15 Comments
    White marble carving of an elephant and various people

    Peer at a white flower and you’ll observe nuances of different shades. The same in a white sky, even a field of snow. Light and shade play tricks with the eyes and white turns to grey, to blue, to cream. Perhaps that’s why, when I started to search my archives for ‘white’ images to share for this week’s Sunday Stills challenge, I found the purest whites in manmade objects.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Group of ladies in pink saris

    Gallery: La Vie en Rose in Rajasthan

    June 14, 2021
    Blue and white twirl effect image

    Gallery: twirling away with a new photo effect!

    May 14, 2021
    Colourful paper lanterns at night

    Gallery: let there be light

    September 21, 2021
Load More

Follow me

Follow Travel with me on WordPress.com

Subscribe to blog via email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,100 other subscribers.

Read my featured blogger interview

Logo for blogging feature
By Marsha of 'Always Write'

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 architecture art birds bird_weekly black_&_white botswana buildings cambodia cffc chile churches cities colour costa_rica deserts dprk ealing england flowers friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india japan just_one_person_from_around_the_world landscape Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks museum new_mexico north_korea people photography photo_effects PPAC rivers ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills usa village wildlife

Archive

  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020

You may have missed

  • International friendships in North Korea
  • A stroll around Avebury’s stone circle
  • Gallery: making eyes at me
  • Introduction to some monuments in Riga
  • Gallery: pick a word (June)

How to join the Friendly Friday Challenge

Follow me

Follow Travel with me on WordPress.com
All images and texts copyright Sarah Wilkie - 2022 ©
 

Loading Comments...