Views of Big Ben
Big Ben is one of the iconic institutions identified with London. It can be seen from many locations leading into Parliamentary Square. So, during my time here I tried to find some less common views of Big Ben on a couple of cloudy and hazy days in May. http://the35thillusion.blogspot.com
Views From Underwater
Last weekend I took a trip down I-95 to for lunch with a friend and a trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I hadn’t been in ages–not since the Sea Horse exhibition years ago. Despite being over run by ankle biters, it was still a lot of fun. Here are my favorite pictures from [...]
Falling into the Poconos
I drove back up into the Poconos this past weekend to the picturesque little town of Jim Thorpe for their Fall Festival and some leaf peeping. The little Leigh High Valley town, was originally two towns,Mauch Chunck (Indian for Bear Mountain) and Eastern Mauch Chunk. Both thrived and blossomed with the discovery of anthracite coal.* [...]
Fall Flowers
I drove out to Solebury Orchards today by New Hope, PA to pick up some Honey Crisp apples and fresh cider. As chilly as the weather was yesterday (it was in the 60s all day), it was blazing hot today and hard to believe the first day of fall is tomorrow. Due to the heat, [...]
Zootopia
I wrapped up my vacation last week with a trip to the Philadelphia Zoo–the oldest in the country, dating back to 1874. I strolled through the 42-acre Victorian Gardens in an 85 degree heat that assured anyone who had been in doubt, that summer had finally arrived to Philadelphia after a chilly and wet May. [...]
More INXS Photos
As promised, here are more photos from last weekend’s concert. It’s going to be slow trickle as I sort through the remaing ones. I took around 150 and a surprising number came out well. As usual click for the larger versions. Note, these are not size properly for RBL. You may want to resize before [...]
Running of the Bulls INXS Style
The late afternoon sun beat down on us while we stood in line at the Maryland State Fair waiting for the gates to open for the INXS concert. With 45 minutes to go, about 150 people were in the line ahead of us and the line behind us was growing longer by the minute. Sweat [...]
Windmills, Vineyards and French Tragedy
I spent my last afternoon in Paris, wandering the winding, hilly cobblestone streets of Montmartre. I signed-up for a 2 hour walking tour through Classic Walks Paris. My guide for the afternoon, Connie, dubbed it the “Stair Master Tour” due the multiple trips up, down around the hill crowned by the Sacre Coeur Cathedral. It [...]
Homeward Bound
I’m going to keep this post brief tonight since I fly home tomorrow. I’m mostly packed and I get on a plane early tomorrow afternoon, arriving home just 2 hours after I leave by virtue of time zone magic. I spent my last afternoon in Paris with a walking tour of the Montmartre district, or [...]
La Tour Eiffel
My time here in Paris is winding down now. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here almost two weeks now. I’ve come to feel very at home here. It’s such an easy city to navigate and despite the stereotypes, Parisians are very friendly. The great thing about Parisians is that if they’re nice to you, [...]
Braving the French Patisserie Class
Well, I’m happy to report that no international incidents were caused today (at least not by me). I survived my French cooking class and had a blast (even though I only understood about half the French). I started by treating myself lunch at Lênotreand it was well worth it. Finally, it was time to go [...]
Nymphéas and steps, oh my!
This morning I wandered out into the outer arrondisements to visit the Musée Marmottan, a museum devoted primarily to Claude Monet. I’d been on the fence about going, because it’s way out of the way and kind of a pain to get to, but this morning I finally dug out my Métro map and figured [...]
French Gastronomie
Food is at the center of French Culture–from fine wine to chocolate to patisserie and baguettes, they take great pleasure in their consumption. Dinner (or even lunch) can turn in to an event with multiple courses that begins with an entrée (in France this is the first course or appetizer), plat (the main course), a [...]
R.I.P
All Saint’s Day seemed like an appropriate day to pay a visit to the Père Lachaise Cemetery. The Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Paris and the final resting place of some of it’s most famous citizens including Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Molière, Jim Morrison, Frédéric Chopin, and Héloïse and Peter Abélard. Napoleon [...]
Chocolate, Chocolate and Still More Chocolate
Today was the day I finally braved the Paris subway system. I’ve spent my first few days walking as far as my feet would carry me; but now, I’ve mostly run out of places that are quickly accessible by foot. I’d been reluctant to descend into its depths because of all the warnings I had [...]
From the Cluny to the Luxembourg Gardens
I’ve always hated getting wet. So, needless to say, when I woke up this morning to a wet, gloomy Paris, I promptly rolled over and went back to sleep on the grounds that I was still fighting off jet lag. Around 11:30, I finally mustered up the energy to peer underneath the blinds of the [...]
Chartres
The Notre Dame Cathedral in Chartres holds a unique place among Gothic Cathedrals–it only took 66 years to build compared the hundreds of years that it took to build similar cathedrals like Notre Dame in Paris. As a result, historians say it is the purest example of Gothic architecture in Europe. It has been repeated [...]
Bonjour Paris!
When I was 13, I began taking French and I plastered a large picture of the Eiffel Tower on my bedroom wall. For me it was a magical sight. Finally, I’ve arrived in Paris and I’m happy to say that it’s just as magical at 35 as I thought it would be at 13. I’ve [...]
Kim Day is a freelance photographer and travel writer located in the Philadelphia suburbs.