Utrecht, Nederland at Night

Went wandering around town on a cloudy night with my tripod in tow to try out some night shots with the new Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 lens. It did not disappoint!

Utrecht, Nederland. Tivoli Vredenburg and Hoog Catharijne at Night. January 2022.

Utrecht Centraal Train and Bus Station. January 2022.

Stadhuis and Domtoren. Utrecht, January 2022.

There’s no denying that Utrecht is easily one of the most beautiful cities in the Netherlands. And the Sony A7C/Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 is a very solid combination for night photography. Feel free to leave any questions or suggestions about which Dutch Destinations I should visit next in the comments below!

Oudegracht in Black and White. January 2022.

Luleå, Sverige (Sweden)

My first time in Sweden outside of the Stockholm Arlanda Airport…

Downtown Luleå from the Banks of the Lule River. August 2021.

A Yellow Sunset on the Lule River. August 2021.

Walking Path Along the Lule, August 2021.

Stone Fishing Pier on the River Lule. August 2021.

Enjoy the long sunsets. More Sweden to come!

Austin, Minnesota

Welcome to Austin, Minnesota, home of the world famous SPAM museum and the fifth-ranked “Affordable Small Towns You Actually Want to Live In” according to a 2015 article on Realtor.com (written by Yuqing Pan no less).

The Entrance to the SPAM Museum. Austin, MN. July 2018.

Back in 2018 I was making my way from California to North Carolina, stopping to visit some of the most beautiful places in the United States. Yosemite, The Badlands, Craters of the Moon, and pretty much everywhere in Montana. Then I found myself in Minnesota for the first time ever. During a conversation with my dad where I was updating him on my cross-country progress, he asked if I was stopping to visit the SPAM museum. Amazingly, I had never even heard of it. So I punched Austin, Minnesota into the GPS and the rest is history. Thanks Dad.

So is it worth it? Depends on your travel preferences. Do you like stopping at weird tourist trap places like “The World’s Most Adjectivey Noun” (“The World’s Largest Spur” in Abilene, Kansas where I stopped with my brothers on a different cross-country trip comes to mind.) Then YES! You should most definitely add Austin, Minnesota to your trip itinerary. After all, SPAM is classic Americana. Just ask this Sir-Can-A-Lot (He eats ham and jam and SPAM-a-lot):

Sir-Can-A-Lot Statue, SPAM Museum. July, 2018.

Dover, United Kingdom

I didn’t even realize Dover had a castle. I was only heading there for the cliffs. Imagine my surprise when I rounded a turn into the town and glanced up to see a castle atop the next rise. Since my exploring policy mandates stopping for tall and/or shiny objects, I obviously needed to find a good vantage point for pictures of the castle. As it turns out, you can turn around and see it from the cliffs themselves.

There are several paths from the upper parking area along the White Cliffs of Dover. It seems I picked the skinniest of them all. With a sheer drop a few inches to my right and a steep cliff on my left, I made my way along the path to an outcropping in the failing light. The view was breath taking, so I snapped a few pictures and took in the view before making my way down to a flatter, more stable, area to set up the tripod I actually remembered to bring along on this trip.

The Port of Dover. March 2021.

The Cliffs at Dusk.

On the way back I picked a different path that was much more inviting and provided a little more forgiveness for missteps. Because by the time I was hiking back it was dark. And because this time I forgot my flashlight.

Oh and there were donkeys. Silent, assassin donkeys that you don’t notice in the dark until an inadvertent sideways glace finds a donkey face two feet away from your own.

Stonehenge, United Kingdom

When I was a kid, I wrote several reports on Stonehenge. I read books and theories, I drew my own diagrams of the sarsen stones and the post holes and the causeways. I finally got a chance to see them in person for the first time on a beautiful March evening with clear skies and a gorgeous sunset.

Stonehenge at Dusk. March 2021.

The monument is closed due to Covid restrictions, but going outdoors for exercise is allowed in England and there happens to be a nice public path that leads through the surrounding fields and straight to the monument. Just head towards the end of Fargo Rd, hop out, and start walking. Or you can walk from the nearby Woodhenge.

A Star Setting Behind the Heel Stone.

Shoutout to the nice English gentleman and fellow photographer who’s name escapes me that had lived four miles away for fifty-plus years. He regaled me with all kinds of stories about the site and its history as we sat around snapping pictures through the setting sun. Minus the two round-the-clock security guards, there were perhaps six other people out in the field enjoying the beautiful sunset. I was absolutely in luck.

A Glimpse of the Sun through Sarsen Stones.

Of course I forgot my tripod. Whoops. So these night images are brought to you by the not-nearly-as-great-as-a-full-frame-mirrorless-camera-on-a-tripod-Galaxy-S20. By the end it was also -4 degrees and my fingers were becoming useless. So with a few parting shots, I walked back in darkness on a moonless night, surrounded by stars. Only stepped in sheepshit once, but promptly stepped straight into a puddle a few paces later. Life is about balance.

Twilight in a Field. March 2020.

Like and comment below if you have any questions about rocks or potaytoes.

Utrecht, Nederland (With Snow!)

I can’t believe I haven’t posted any pictures of Utrecht. Thank you Lia for reminding me! Hope you continue enjoying my blog! Here was our snowfall a few weeks ago, February 2021.

The Dom and Stadhuis from the Oudegracht. February 2021.

I think I got a lot of Dutch/Utrecht pride into that picture.

Utrecht is a fantastic place to live. The people are amazing, the city is beautiful, and once avondklok and corona are gone it will again be a wonderful place to visit (and live)! If you have any questions just send me an email of comment and smash that like button below!