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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
  • Architecture,  Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries

    Buildings three ways (three of a kind)

    May 29, 2022 / 41 Comments
    Three photos in a black frame showing an oriental palace and some details

    Every picture tells a story. But sometimes it’s useful to have more than one picture to expand on the narrative. If one picture can tell a story, what more can three tell us? Here I’ve chosen to focus on some impressive buildings I’ve visited around the world. I’ll show you the overall appearance, share a detail that caught my eye and introduce you to a person or people I saw there. Hopefully this will bring these buildings to life in a way a single image could never do.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Modern buildings and cathedral dome in dull weather

    Gallery: favourite city life photos of 2021

    January 2, 2022
    Red crumbling ruins

    ‘Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!’

    August 12, 2021
    View of cathedral on far side of river, with large crane

    Rising from the ashes: Notre Dame in 2021

    September 30, 2021
  • Architecture,  Bulgaria,  History

    The wonders of Bulgaria’s Bachkovo Monastery

    February 10, 2022 / 27 Comments
    Stone church and blue sky

    Bachkovo Monastery was for sure one of the most stunning of the many sights I saw in my short time in Bulgaria! Despite all the visitors, the atmosphere was one of tranquillity. The buildings looked so photogenic both in the drizzly weather we arrived in and the sunshine when we departed; and there was so much to see that was both interesting and beautiful.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Red crumbling ruins

    ‘Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!’

    August 12, 2021
    Red sandstone palace buildings and pool

    ‘He keepeth a great court’: Fatehpur Sikri

    March 26, 2021
    Large adobe church with white doors and crosses on towers

    Around the world in ten photos: day six

    December 22, 2020
  • Bulgaria,  Monday walks,  Photographing Public Art,  Street art,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: a walk in colourful Kapana

    December 18, 2021 / 17 Comments
    Sign saying Kapana in Cyrillic letters

    Plovdiv’s Kapana district is an object lesson in how to transform run-down into lively, neglected into loved. In this part of the city , a maze of small streets follows much the same pattern as the Ottoman souk which once stood here, although the mainly wooden buildings of that era are long since gone. The very name, Kapana, recalls that maze, as it means ‘Trap’; once among these streets it was hard to find your way out!

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    Or what about ...?

    Mural of Barack Obama shaking hands with another man

    Gallery: Staro Zhelezare, another street art village

    March 24, 2021
    Rustic blue house

    Stepping back in time in Bulgaria

    June 5, 2021
    Sepia photo of Buzludzha Monument

    Buzludzha Monument

    September 4, 2020
  • Architecture,  Bulgaria,  History

    Asen’s Fortress and the Church of the Holy Mother of God

    August 18, 2021 / 18 Comments
    Small church on a wooded mountainside

    Asen’s Fortress is built on a cliff overlooking the Asenitsa River in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains, and is impregnable on three sides. It isn’t surprising therefore that there has been a fortification here since the time of the Thracians, who fortified it in the 5th century BC. The fortress was rebuilt during the time of the Roman Emperor Justinian as one of a series of fortresses erected to defend the Empire against invasions by Slavic tribes.

    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 white building with moat

    Gallery: cool architecture, cool colours

    May 24, 2021
    Colourful paper lanterns at night

    Gallery: let there be light

    September 21, 2021
  • Architecture,  Bulgaria,  Friendly Friday,  History

    Stepping back in time in Bulgaria

    June 5, 2021 / 37 Comments
    Rustic blue house

    Koprivshtitsa is not a regular sort of town; all the buildings of the town centre constitute a museum. Together they form a sort of time-capsule, encapsulating the atmosphere of the Bulgarian National Revival period of the 19th century. Wandering its streets you can feel yourself transported back in time; and exploring its historic houses opens your eyes to a difficult period in the country's past.

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    Or what about ...?

    Closed sign on a shop door

    Gallery: when one door closes …

    June 20, 2022
    Three photos in a black frame showing an oriental palace and some details

    Buildings three ways (three of a kind)

    May 29, 2022
    Looking across a park to an historic building with a river and modern skyscrapers beyond

    Gallery: what makes a perfect city?

    March 29, 2022
  • Bulgaria,  Culture & tradition,  History,  Monday walks

    The Square of Religious Tolerance in Sofia

    April 6, 2021 / 24 Comments
    Exterior of brick mosque with dome and minaret

    Sofia is the only city in Europe where you will find places of worship for four major religions almost within sight of each other. Clustered in the vicinity of its Square of Tolerance are: an Eastern Orthodox church; a Roman Catholic cathedral; a mosque and a synagogue. This embodies the pride that Bulgarians have in their history of religious tolerance. Unlike some other countries in the region, its different faith communities have tended to coexist peacefully.

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    Or what about ...?

    Orthodox cathedral at the end of a wide street

    Gallery: Sofia’s St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

    March 7, 2021
    Sepia photo of Buzludzha Monument

    Buzludzha Monument

    September 4, 2020
    Mural of a girl's face

    Gallery: looking for street art in Sofia

    April 2, 2021
  • Bulgaria,  Squares,  Street art,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: looking for street art in Sofia

    April 2, 2021 / 42 Comments
    Mural of a girl's face

    Before I came to Bulgaria’s capital I was warned that Sofia was not an especially attractive city and had little to see. I soon found out how wrong that is. In recent years the city has tidied itself up and done a lot to highlight its history, especially its Roman antiquities.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Orthodox cathedral at the end of a wide street

    Gallery: Sofia’s St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

    March 7, 2021
    Sign saying Kapana in Cyrillic letters

    Gallery: a walk in colourful Kapana

    December 18, 2021
    Exterior of brick mosque with dome and minaret

    The Square of Religious Tolerance in Sofia

    April 6, 2021
  • Bulgaria,  Street art,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: Staro Zhelezare, another street art village

    March 24, 2021 / 16 Comments
    Mural of Barack Obama shaking hands with another man

    Can you change the world, or at least one village, with art? It seems that in several parts of the world, that idea is taking hold. In this out of the way spot a group of young Polish artists have painted portraits of famous people on the walls alongside those of villagers.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Sepia photo of Buzludzha Monument

    Buzludzha Monument

    September 4, 2020
    Rustic blue house

    Stepping back in time in Bulgaria

    June 5, 2021
    Sign saying Kapana in Cyrillic letters

    Gallery: a walk in colourful Kapana

    December 18, 2021
  • Architecture,  Bulgaria,  History,  Lens-Artists,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: Sofia’s St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

    March 7, 2021 / 24 Comments
    Orthodox cathedral at the end of a wide street

    Sofia’s St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is not only a place of worship but also a memorial and a symbol of gratitude – the gratitude of the Bulgarian people to the Russian and Bulgarian soldiers who had earned the country its freedom.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    Sepia photo of Buzludzha Monument

    Buzludzha Monument

    September 4, 2020
    Street of traditional Japanese houses

    Gallery: the merchant houses of Takayama

    September 23, 2020
    Yellow Victorian house

    Gallery: the Painted Ladies of Cape May

    October 10, 2020
  • Architecture,  Bulgaria,  Dark tourism

    Buzludzha Monument

    September 4, 2020 / 8 Comments
    Sepia photo of Buzludzha Monument

    The road twisted and turned up the mountain, winding through what seemed to be quite ancient woodland, and emerged on to the grasslands above. The crumbling hulk of the monument loomed above us, the last wisps of cloud just drifting away.

    Carry on reading

    Or what about ...?

    View of a city with river and modern architecture

    The astounding architecture of Pyongyang

    November 7, 2021
    Large building with green oriental roof

    A look inside the Grand People’s Study House

    November 18, 2021
    Ornate door and building

    Gallery: the doors of Tallinn

    October 24, 2020

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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

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  • August 2020

You may have missed

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  • Friendly Friday Challenge: think about your viewpoint
  • International friendships in North Korea
  • A stroll around Avebury’s stone circle
  • Gallery: making eyes at me

How to join the Friendly Friday Challenge

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All images and texts copyright Sarah Wilkie - 2022 ©
 

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