Vandrelysten – Aching for the Distance
Europe
Spanish Bull-Boards
Pamplona, Spain – November 14th, 2010 Since arriving in Spain, I’ve seen the simple but striking outline of a black bull emblazoned on t-shirts, keychains, and bumper stickers. It seems to be every bit as strong a national symbol as the Spanish flag itself – in fact, the two are often combined, especially for sporting … Continue reading
Suomenlinna – Finnish Castle or Swedish Fortress?
Helsinki, Finland – June 30th, 2008 Whenever anyone asks me what they should do in Helsinki, I know exactly what to tell them – take a ferry to Suomenlinna. A boat runs all through the year, breaking ice when it needs to, so brave souls can even visit the Unesco World Heritage Site during the … Continue reading
The Window
Where: Suomenlinna, Finland When: June 2008 Camera: Canon Powershot A550 ———————————- My friend Liisa and I were playing in the Suomenlinna tunnels when we encountered the brilliant light of this window-frame, and had some fun taking silly photos there.
Fresh Bull Eggs and Googly Eyes
Bilbao, País Vasco, Spain – September 12th, 2010 Just steps from Bilbao’s old town, we visited El Mercado de la Ribera, which claims to be the world’s largest covered market. It’s hard to find independent confirmation of this claim, but the Guinness Book of World Records did list it in 1990 as the biggest covered … Continue reading
Vitoria of the Bean Eaters
Vitoria-Gasteiz, País Vasco, Spain – September 11th, 2010 This weekend, I visited Vitoria (Gasteiz in Euskera), the capital of the Basque Country. Like other parts of the region I’ve visited thus far, Vitoria charmed me with its duality – the medieval alongside the strikingly modern, the way children laugh and play in the fountains as … Continue reading
U.K. 2010
From the Lowlands to the Highlands August 1st-23rd, 2010 Trip Conception, Goals, and Planning: In my second year of university, I became friends with a Scottish exchange student named Allan. We both loved walking, so we hatched a plan to meet the next summer in his country to try a long distance trek. As the … Continue reading
Basque Church
Where: Zumaia, Spain When: November 2010 Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T1i ——————————————- I took this photo on a stormy November day, when a Basque friend had offered to show me some of the small villages that dot her region. Despite the weather, and although her car broke down the day before we’d planned to leave, … Continue reading
The 5 Weirdest Objects in the British Museum
London, England – August 2nd, 2010 Look to the British Museum’s “History of the World in 100 Objects” if you want an official list of its most relevant artifacts. If, instead, you’d like a very unofficial list of its most irrelevant artifacts, read on! Here are the five things that really made me laugh: 1.) … Continue reading
Does the British Museum Transcend Liberal Ethics?
London, England – August 2nd, 2010 When I first entered the British Museum, I was ready to be filled with a sense of righteous liberal indignation. On a visit to the Acropolis a few years earlier, the Greeks had been only too happy to tell me where all the missing statues were – the friezes, … Continue reading
Cumbres Borrascosas
Where: Irati Forest, Spain When: October 2010 Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T1i ——————————————- I took this picture while hiking and picking mushrooms in the Irati forest. The fog was so thick that day that for a long time all we could see was the path at our feet and the occasional feral pony. The cold, … Continue reading
