*Equestrian Statue of Gyula Andrassy in Front of Hungarian Parliament Building. February 2022.*

Budapest, Magyarország (Hungary)

Photaytoes February 18, 2022

*Spotlights on the Parliament Building. February 2022.*

Spent the evening walking along the banks of the Danube River in Budapest two nights ago. I wanted to try out some handheld night photography with the new Tamron f/2.8 28-75mm G2 lens. The riverside monuments are beautifully lit at night, making for some really neat shots. Also had fun trying different adjustments in the RAW files. Let me know if you have any questions or comments, and which is your favorite!

*Moon above Szent István Bazilika. February 2022.*

*Buda Castle and Europa Boat. February 2022.*

Definitely one of my favorite cities. More to come from Buda and Pest!

*Hungarian Parliament Building, the Danube River, and Buda Castle. February 2022.*

Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho

Photaytoes January 25, 2022

A road trip across southern and central Idaho took me to many beautiful places, including Craters of the Moon National Monument (and Preserve!). You know how Idaho potatoes are famous? Well you can thank the volcanic soil and the fine water from the massive aquifers that lie beneath Craters of the Moon. By the way, the name is perfect for this park. There are expansive plains of exposed lava rock that make it feel exactly like the surface of the moon. Or rather, how I imagine the surface of the moon would feel. I’ve never actually been to the moon.

Anywho, I actually drove through the park at sunset because my campground was a few miles further (farther?) down the road outside of Arco, Idaho. Speaking of which, that is a fantastic place to camp. The lights from Arco are mostly off at night, and anyway it’s a small town. This means that the night skies are absolutely incredible. And I would be completely remiss if I didn’t mention Pickle’s Place in Arco. Great burgers, cheap beer, and open much later than I ever would’ve expected given the remote location. So yeah, go to Pickle’s Place.

*Lava Lake, Craters of the Moon, Idaho. June 2018.*

Many more pictures from CotM to come, I have wayyyy more to go through.

Recap and Recommendations:

Craters of the Moon National Monument - Hikes, caves, and climbing the giant cinder cone. There’s a nice long driving loop too, if you are feeling lazy and out-of-touch with nature.
Craters of the Moon / Arco KOA - A solid campground close to Pickle’s Place
Pickle’s Place - I don’t know if there are other restaurant bars within a hundred miles of Arco, but it doesn’t matter because you should just go here.

Questions? Comments? Favorite menu items at Pickle’s Place? Friends with Pickle himself? Let me know below…

*Half Moon Over Marseille Harbour. September 2021.*

Marseille, France

Photaytoes January 23, 2022

Having just finished the 53 hour long audiobook version of “The Count of Monte Cristo” and after watching Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown “Marseille” episode for at least the fifth time, I decided it was high time to visit myself. Marseille happened to fit perfectly in my plan for a two week Mediterranean vacation that included southern France, central Italy, and Croatia. After spending a few days lying on a beach in Nice and paying a visit to Monaco, we drove down the beautiful Côte d'Azur and checked in to the beautiful Hôtel La Residence Du Vieux Port, right on the harbour. The evening view of the harbour lights was incredible.

Driving into the city is an interesting experience in itself. This city is huge, especially when compared to some of the other coastal cities and towns I have visited. And as Bourdain says, it is definitely a little rough around the edges. If you walk a few blocks away from the harbour in any direction, you will most certainly notice. But that’s not a bad thing. In fact, I think that’s part of what makes Marseille unique.

La Samaritaine

Notre-Dame and the Moon

Virgin Mary atop Notre-Dame

View from la Bonne Mère

Marseille from Above

Looking Glass

le Boat

Old Harbour

*Église Saint-Ferréol les Augustins at Dusk. Marseille, September 2021.*

Marseille harbour is pretty typical for the French Riviera. Combination Hotels/Restaurants line the outside edges, each with their own outdoor spaces and overpriced drinks. But I’m a tourist after all, so this is exactly what I wanted after a long day of driving and exploring the coast.

*Fort Saint-Jean, Marseille. September 2021.*

A Day Spent Wandering.

The first landmark you notice is the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, perched on the area’s largest hilltop. Climbing the hill didn’t seem like much fun at the time, so we chickened out and caught the bus that ran from the harbour all the way to the top. This was easily justified by saying “We will definitely walk back down.”

If you are going to Marseille and you’ve read about it anywhere else, I’m sure you already know that Notre-Dame is a must see. Not even so much for the basilica itself, but for the commanding view of the entire city. From here, you can see just how expansive (and beautiful) Marseille actually is. So I’ll add my recommendation on top of all the others that you probably have seen by this point: Be sure to go check out the city views from la Bonne Mère.

Palais du Pharo

Marseille Harbour Entrance

Fort Saint-Jean

Repost

Marseille Fish

Saint-Laurent

Tour du Fanal

Inside the Fort

Mucem

Taking in the view from the cathedral was great, because it gave me ideas for where to wander next. A very imposing fort guards the harbour entrance, so that seemed like the next logical choice. On the way there was a beautiful palace, and an amazing lunch at Le Chalet du Pharo, where you can sit and stare at the fort as boats go by. Also, you can take a little path down to the water and swim in the blue-green waters. One of the forts was closed, but Fort Saint-Jean was open to wandering (and free!) as was the Musée des civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée (also free!)

*Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde from Fort Saint-Jean. September 2021.*

Bridge to the Museum

Tower

Tour du Fanal BW

Crane Exhibit

Pink

Mini Me

Its a pretty natural progression of a walk to go from the fort to the museum to the major cathedral. And I recommend all of them! There was even a giant (and friendly!) orange bear! And everything was free, which is a huge bonus in my book. It does seem like the whole harbour area is undergoing a refurbishing, with several things closed and scaffolding on a few of the attractions. I can’t wait to go back and visit again in a few years and see what has changed.

Marseille is my favorite place in France so far. Uncharacteristically semi-nice people are occasionally less-than-reluctant to help you out if you need it, and I’m pretty sure one of the waiters almost smiled once. This is very different from my other French experiences. A quick fifteen minute drive to the airport and it’s time to pop across the water to The Eternal City. But before we go, here are a few recommendations:

Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde. - It’s a giant church on a hill. The views are amazing

Fort Saint-Jean - Wander around an old stone fort with interesting exhibits and harbour views.

Cathédrale La Major - An inspiring stripey cathedral.
Hôtel La Residence Du Vieux Port - A wonderful boutique hotel, right on the harbour.
Le Caribou Marseille - Great drinks, and super friendly staff. Awesome staff shirts, hope they start a merch store soon!
Les Mets des Saintes - Creole/African spin on French food. Delicious and cozy atmosphere.
Little Temple Bar - I didn’t see any resemblance to the actual infamous Irish pub, but drinks were dirt cheap and the location was great.

Questions/Comments? Ask away in the comment section below!

Utrecht, Nederland at Night

Photaytoes January 18, 2022

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 Utrecht, 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!

Budapest, Magyarország (Hungary)

Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho

Marseille, France

Utrecht, Nederland at Night

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