Travel with me

Travel snapshots from Toonsarah

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  • 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

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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
  • England,  History,  Monday walks

    A stroll around Avebury’s stone circle

    June 28, 2022 / 53 Comments
    Large stone in a field

    I find it a little odd that Avebury is not as well known, nor as visited, as nearby Stonehenge. Personally I find it just as impressive and in some ways more atmospheric. Its stone circle is so large that over time people have built their houses around and among the megaliths; so that today it seems almost as if the somewhat unearthly stones are slowly encroaching on human space.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Green hillocks and winding paths

    Is it art or is it nature? Northumberlandia

    June 30, 2021
    Yellow stone cottage with roses growing around it

    Yes, I remember Adlestrop

    June 17, 2021
    Stone statue on a plinth on a grassy hillside

    Admiral Lord Collingwood, a forgotten hero

    April 25, 2021
  • Latvia,  Photographing Public Art

    Introduction to some monuments in Riga

    June 25, 2022 / 25 Comments
    Looking up at large stone sculpture of a soldier

    Riga was a city in which I quickly felt very comfortable. It has a compact old town with plenty to see but not too ‘aspic-like’; by which I mean that it felt both touristy and homely at the same time, somewhere I could imagine that the locals don’t feel too overwhelmed by the history and the visiting population. It is also a city of monuments.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Sculpture of a cat on a roof

    Gallery: meet the many cats of Riga

    September 25, 2021
    Row of elegant buildings in cream, blue and white

    Gallery: the Art Nouveau gems of Riga

    August 20, 2021
    Very large green snail sculpture

    Gallery: giant snails invading Riga!

    November 12, 2021
  • England,  History,  Monday walks,  Sunday Stills

    A visit to Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain

    June 21, 2022 / 65 Comments
    Stone circle in a landscape with blue sky and white clouds

    Nowhere in England is the summer solstice more famously celebrated than at Stonehenge. This ancient site has been a place of worship and celebration of the solstice for thousands of years. Every midsummer it draws crowds, some committed Druids, others merely curious observers, to watch as the sun rises behind the Heel Stone to the northeast, and its first rays shine into the heart of the stone circle.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Ruined houses and white telephone box

    Tyneham: a village frozen in time

    September 28, 2020
    Typical Swaledale landscape

    Gallery: the barns of Swaledale

    September 5, 2020
    Lake with heron in foreground and large house beyond

    Gallery: a Grey Heron at Osterley Park (and friends)

    July 4, 2021
  • Gardens,  Lens-Artists,  London,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: on our doorstep

    June 12, 2022 / 50 Comments
    River with boats and houses on the far bank

    Anyone who has spent even five minutes exploring my blog will know that I love to travel. The world is full of wonderful places to explore! But I have to admit that there are some pretty wonderful places right on my doorstep too.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Landscape with church and autumn trees

    Signs of autumn at Emmetts Garden

    September 27, 2021
    Statue of winged horse and horseman

    Gallery: the Jardins des Tuileries in the rain

    May 17, 2021
    Golden temple reflected in a lake

    Exploring the temple gardens of Kyoto

    May 9, 2021
  • Art,  England,  Photographing Public Art

    The Conversation Piece and the Eye

    June 11, 2022 / 39 Comments
    Group of sculpted figures among dune grass

    Some sculptures are all the better for being in just the right place; think of the Angel of the North or Statue of Liberty, for example. And in its own less dramatic way that is true of the Conversation Piece in South Shields.

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    Or what about ...?

    Large wooden curved structure

    Gallery: Seville’s mushrooms, art or architecture?

    December 4, 2021
    Print with blue mountains

    Dust collectors? Or precious memories?

    January 23, 2021
    Metal duck's mouth with water spouting

    Gallery: fountains from around the world

    January 29, 2022
  • England,  The Changing Seasons,  Themed galleries

    Gallery: a May selection

    June 2, 2022 / 21 Comments
    Bright pink daisy-like flower

    We have had a cooler than average May, although not with many showers until the end of the month. But the flowers are here in abundance! It was time to get out and about with my camera.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Wartime sign about spies

    Cracking the code at Bletchley Park

    June 19, 2021
    Large castle on a rocky outcrop

    The great fort of Bebbanburg

    May 28, 2022
    Landscape with church and autumn trees

    Signs of autumn at Emmetts Garden

    September 27, 2021
  • Architecture,  History,  Monday walks,  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

    A city walk in Newcastle-upon-Tyne

    May 31, 2022 / 32 Comments
    Church tower and old stone built gatehouse

    I visit Newcastle so often I no longer consider myself a tourist, though local Geordies may disagree! But I recently saw it anew through the eyes of tourists when I hosted a group of former Virtual Tourist members for a weekend meeting in the city.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Yellow Victorian house

    Gallery: the Painted Ladies of Cape May

    October 10, 2020
    Lake with palace on the hill beyond

    The Palace of Bundi: Kipling’s ‘work of goblins’

    November 18, 2020
    Street of traditional Japanese houses

    Gallery: the merchant houses of Takayama

    September 23, 2020
  • England,  History

    The great fort of Bebbanburg

    May 28, 2022 / 43 Comments
    Large castle on a rocky outcrop

    One of the grandest sights on the Northumbrian coastline is that of Bamburgh Castle. It is a view that I never tire of. The castle stands on a massive outcrop of rock and towers over the sands below. Unlike many castles on this coast, it is still a family home, and thus far more complete than the ruins elsewhere. It is truly an impressive sight.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Man in a brown hat with a feather

    Shanti Arts: inspired by world travel

    June 9, 2021
    Mist hanging over a lake

    Gallery: Morning mists over Matthew’s Linn

    January 26, 2021
    Lake set among pine forests

    The Lewis Burn inlet walk at Kielder Water

    March 22, 2021
  • England,  Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries

    Gallery: one small thing

    May 24, 2022 / 49 Comments
    Bee on a white flower

    When our first lockdown was introduced in March 2020 I knew I was going to find the coming weeks (as I naively thought then!) rather tough. I would miss my social life, my cinema visits, my travels and little treats such as coffee or breakfast in our favourite local haunts. I also knew that I would be helped enormously by focusing on the smaller pleasures of life: a sunset, a pretty flower, birdsong, a message from a friend …

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Stone statue on a plinth on a grassy hillside

    Admiral Lord Collingwood, a forgotten hero

    April 25, 2021
    Waterfall cascading over rocks

    Gallery: the waterfalls of Wensleydale

    October 1, 2020
    Green valley with blue sky above

    Those blue remembered hills: Cardingmill Valley

    July 8, 2021
  • London,  Photographing Public Art,  Street art,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: some street art in London’s Brick Lane

    May 14, 2022 / 48 Comments
    Brick Lane street sign and small butterfly mural

    Brick Lane, in London’s East End, was once among the poorest slums in the capital. It takes its name from the 15th century brick and tile production based in this area. Like all poor city districts it became a magnet for various groups of immigrants over the centuries. First Jews, then French Huguenots, then Irish established communities here over the centuries, and later Bangladeshi-Sylheti immigrants settled here and made the street famous for its restaurants.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Sign on boarded-up window

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

    January 17, 2021

    Gallery: Snow in Ealing 2021

    January 29, 2021
    Bronze sculpture of two young elephants

    A little bit of Nairobi in London’s Spitalfields

    January 22, 2022
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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

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  • December 2020
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  • 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

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All images and texts copyright Sarah Wilkie - 2022 ©
 

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