Category Archives: Travel

Photo of the Day – Springtime in Minneapolis

By Kenn | Published April 2, 2010
A dusting of snow in Minneapolis

Springtime in Minneapolis (photo by Kenn Stearns)

April in Minneapolis may include a dusting of snow.

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Photo of the Day – Kryssningsfartyg

By Kenn | Published March 31, 2010
Kryssningsfartyg

Kryssningsfartyg sign in Sweden (photo by Kenn Stearns)

This morning I was browsing photos from international travel looking for a Photo of the Day candidate. I came across the Kryssningsfartyg sign above and went to Google for a translation. Search results led to a translated Wikipedia page. It was a relief to learn “cruise ships have no tires” in Sweden.

Kryssningsfartyg

Machine translation still have some issues.

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Photo of the Day – Peterhof in Russia

By Kenn | Published March 9, 2010
Peterhof Palace and Garden

Peterhof Palace and Garden outside St. Petersburg, Russia (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Designed by Peter the Great, Peterhof  was a summer residence for Russian tsars on the shore of the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea). The massive luxurious royal estate is a combination of several palaces and parks also referred to as the “Russian Versailles” built between 1709 and 1724. It was virtually destroyed by the Nazi’s during WWII. More than 34,000 paintings and sculptures were destroyed. Restoration began in 1944 and continued through 1960.

The East Chapel is one of two buildings flanking the the central palace.

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Photo of the Day – Micko O’Byrne

By Kenn | Published March 7, 2010
Micko O'Byrne

Micko O'Byrne (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Born in 1952, in Queensland, Australia, as a young man, Micko O’ Byrne worked for agencies that assisted business-start-ups. After several false-starts getting his own business efforts going, and many years of tenacity, he found the courage to apply what he already knew. The successful Australian business man and consultant most recently worked as a senior consultant to the managing directors of mining companies, providing strategic advice in the area of Aboriginal economic development.

Now Micko and Liesbeth Goedhart are traveling in a Toyota “Troopie” on a unique journey from Perth, Western Australia to Rotterdam, Holland. Dubbed “Rottnest to Rotterdam,” their world expedition is expected to last two years by way of East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, China, Kyrgystan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany. At this writing, Micko and Liesbeth are north of Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia, nearing Kambot.

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Photo of the Day – Iberia Sugar Cooperative

By Kenn | Published March 4, 2010
Iberia Sugar Coop, Inc.

Iberia Sugar Cooperative, Inc. near New Iberia, Louisiana (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Built in 1937, the Iberia Sugar Cooperative factory was closed in December 2004. The factory and its 180-acre site was sold in 2007. The plant we toured in 2003 produced 8,000 tons of sugar cane daily, up from 2,000/day when the plant opened. I’ll never forget the taste of the sugar, still warm from processing.

Iberia Sugar Cooperative

The Iberia Sugar Cooperative factory (photo by Kenn Stearns)

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Photo of the Day – Bridges in Morgan City, LA

By Kenn | Published March 2, 2010

The E.J. “Lionel” Grizzaffi Bridge (Highway 90) on the left and the Long–Allen Bridge (Highway 182) on the right in Morgan City, LA (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Two passenger vehicle bridges span the Atchafalaya River to connect Morgan City, Louisiana with Berwick. The E.J. “Lionel” Grizzaffi Bridge (Highway 90) is a cantilever bridge named for a member of the Louisiana state house of representatives from 1948 to 1952. The Long–Allen Bridge (Highway 182) is a truss bridge named for Louisiana governors Huey Pierce Long, Jr. and Oscar Kelly (“O.K.”) Allen, Sr.

O.K. Allen, the 42nd governor of Louisiana from 1932 to 1964, earned his nickname for saying “okay” to Huey “Kingfish” Long who was the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and a U.S. senator from 1932 to 1935. At the peak of his popularity, Long was shot at the Louisiana State Capitol and died of internal bleeding two days later on September 10, 1935. Some believe Carl Austin Weiss, a young physician, assassinated Long. Others believe Weiss punched Long in the mouth and a stray bullet from bodyguards struck Long. Weiss was shot 61 times by Long’s bodyguards.

During his four-year term as governor, Long built more than 100 bridges and increased the mileage of paved highways in Louisiana to 2,301 from 331.

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Photo of the Day – DXB

By Kenn | Published February 24, 2010
Dubia International Airport

Dubia International Airport (photo by Kenn Stearns)

In November 2006 an article forecast that the Dubai International Airport would be the world’s largest airport by 2010. At that time, Dubai’s airport ranked fifth in the world. On average, a flight took off or landed every three minutes.

Although Dubai remains the largest United Arab Emirates city, the airport is the world’s 16th busiest – 40.9 million passengers in 2009. One boast the airport can claim: the $4.5 billion partially underground Terminal 3 which opened in October 2008 is the single largest building in the world by floor space.

Of the world’s top 50 airports, Dubai International Airport was one of only four airports to enjoy positive passenger growth in 2009.

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Photo of the Day – Le Goût

By Kenn | Published February 22, 2010
Le Goût in St. Martin

Le Goût is one of St. Martin's top sources for wines (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Le Goût in St. Martin/St. Maarten sells wine, brandy, and aged rum. The shop is popular with yacht and villa owners seeking personalized service and reliable provisioning.

St. Martin/St. Maarten, a tropical island in the northeast Caribbean, has been shared by the French and the Dutch for almost 350 years. Eilandgebied Sint Maarten, the southern Dutch half, is part of the Netherlands Antilles. Collectivité de Saint-Martin, the northern French half, is an overseas collectivity of France. The city with the highest population is on the French side but more people live on the Dutch side.

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Photo of the Day – Gelato

By Kenn | Published February 20, 2010
Pistachio gelato at Café Josie's in Austin, TX

Pistachio gelato at Café Josie's in Austin, TX (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Gelato (which means “frozen” in Italian) has less than half the fat content of ice cream. But gelato has almost twice the amount of sugar that’s in ice cream. Seems to me gelato tastes better than American-style ice cream.

Gelato in Siena, Italy

Gelateria Brivido in Siena, Italy (photo by Kenn Stearns)

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Photo of the Day – Little Mermaid

By Kenn | Published February 18, 2010
The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid sculpture in Copenhagen Harbor (photo by Kenn Stearns)

This statue of The Little Mermaid sits on a rock in Langelinie, a park in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Sculptor Edvard Eriksen modeled the head after ballerina Ellen Price but because she would not pose nude the artist’s wife was a model for the body.

The iconic work in the harbor is a copy. Eriksen’s heirs keep the original at an undisclosed location. Other copies of the statue can be found in Solvang, CA; Kimballton, IA; Brasilia, Brazil; Piatra Neamt, Romania; Weihai, China; and on the grave of Danish-American entertainer Victor Borge.

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Photo of the Day – Maryland Shore

By Kenn | Published February 17, 2010
Sunrise on the Maryland shore

Sunrise on the Maryland shore (photo by Kenn Stearns)

From crabs and clams to historic towns and beautiful scenery, Maryland’s shore is diverse. This sunrise view is from Maryland’s western shore, near Scientists Cliffs, across the Chesapeake Bay.

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Photo of the Day – Reflection on Shadows

By Kenn | Published February 13, 2010
a window at Shadows-on-the-Teche reflected in a pond on the grounds

A window at Shadows-on-the-Teche in New Iberia, Louisiana reflected in a pond on the grounds (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Shadows-on-the-Teche in New Iberia, Louisiana is an antebellum historic house museum property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The home was built between 1831 and 1834. The mansion is surrounded by extensive gardens with bamboo, camellias, aspidistras, and azaleas scattered beneath moss-draped live oaks.

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Photo of the Day – Airport in Bologna, Italy

By Kenn | Published February 12, 2010
Ducati in Bologna, Italy

Ducati shop in Bologna, Italy airport (photo by Kenn Stearns)

Known as the “land of engines,” Bologna, Italy motor mania means Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani, and Ducati. Pride associated with Italian engineering and sports cars even extends to the airport where Ferrari and Ducati have shops. The Ducati Airport Store includes “clothes, books, gadgets and all sorts of other cool souvenirs.”

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Photo of the Day – Hotel Adlon in Berlin

By Kenn | Published February 6, 2010
Hotel Adlon in Berlin

Hotel Adlon on Unter den Linden in Berlin (photo by Kenn Stearns)

The Hotel Adlon on iconic Unter den Linden in Berlin was built in 1907. The hotel burned down in May 1945. In August 1997 a newly rebuilt hotel was opened and operates today as Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin. In 2002 Michael Jackson held his son Prince Michael II “Blanket” (thought to be about six months old) over a presidential suite balcony railing (fourth-floor directly over red awning in photo above) to thrill fans below. A video of the episode was aired around the world (see a longer video below) and fanned a media frenzy.

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Photo of the Day – The London Eye

By Kenn | Published February 3, 2010
London Eye is the largest cantilevered observation wheel in the world.

The Merlin Entertainments London Eye on the South Bank of the River Thames in London, England (photo by Kenn Stearns)

The London Eye is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom. Each year more than three million people pay around $30/each to book “flights” in one of the 32 air-conditioned sealed capsules. The wheel is 443 feet high, weighs just under 2,000 tons,  rotates at 0.6 mph, and completes one revolution in about 30 minutes. The attraction was formally opened by Prime Minister Tony Blair on December 31, 1999. Initially planned for a five-year run, the attraction is now permanent. The Tussauds Group bought the wheel in 2008 from joint owners British Airways and the Marks Barfield family (lead architects).

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