CouchSurfing in Cologne

Hello everyone!

I am glad to report that our trip to Cologne turned out great! The city was beautiful and we had an excellent host, which made our very first CouchSurfing experience very enjoyable. For those of you who have never heard of CouchSurfing, it is an online community of travelers who are interested in making new friends by hosting and visiting other community members. So, rather than staying in a hostel, this allows you a chance to stay with a local resident who is interested and excited to talk to you about their city and (if you are lucky like we were) show you around as well. It is a really great experience that I strongly recommend. And, don't worry, it really is safe: there is a verification system and you can view feedback and reviews from people that have hosted or been hosted by that individual.

As for the city itself, as the fourth largest city in Germany, Cologne has a lot to offer. Sometimes referred to as "Italy's northernmost city," Cologne is historically Catholic with beautiful cathedrals, a fun, relaxed atmosphere, and, of course, their famous Kölsch (or Koelsch) beer. What's more, Cologne has a lot of museums and on-going archaeological projects, which makes since given that Cologne is such an old city, nevertheless we were surprised by what we found. We walked along the Rhine, tagged along with a Danish tour group we bumped into, and explored all over the city. Take a look at the photos and see for yourself!

Until next time,

Jessica and Farrell

Mentor Group Picnic in the Park

Hello again!

When we first arrived, the International Office at Radboud University assigned each exchange student to a mentor group for the two weeks of orientation. But, as usually happens, friendships are made and it is no longer just a "mentor group," but the usual and anticipated meeting of friends. However, this afternoon picnic in Kronenburgerpark had a few unexpected surprises. Take a look at our afternoon spent relaxing, people watching, and listening to an impromptu performance from an interesting acquaintance with a borrowed hat and guitar. [photo set here]

Until next time,

Jessica

Amsterdam III: Farrell's Belated Birthday Trip

Greetings all!

Farrell's birthday was back in April and, as mentioned in the "Fast Forward" post, we took another trip to Amsterdam. We walked around our favorite parts of the city (along the canals) and explored Vondelpark, but we spent the majority of the day visiting the Stedelijk Museum and the Rijksmuseum. Unfortunately, neither of these museums allowed photography, so we do not have quite as many photos as usual. Nonetheless, feel free to take a tour of the sites on the way from the Central Station to the museum and back again. Enjoy!

Until next time,

Jessica

Saturday Travels Part II: Haarlem

Hello there!

We have finished sorting and Farrell has now finished labeling our pictures from Haarlem, Saturday's second trip following our visit to the Keukenhof Gardens, the largest flower gardens in the world. Described by locals as "a village in a city," Haarlem is a beautiful city filled with gorgeous old buildings, canals, looming cathedrals, windmills, and a rich history to accompany it all. Needless to say we had a great time, so we encourage you to take a look for yourself! Begin viewing the complete photo set here and see what it is like to walk the streets of Haarlem!

Until next time,

Jessica and Farrell

The Keukenhof Gardens

Hello there,

As mentioned in the last post, we took a trip to the famous Keukenhof Gardens, the largest flower garden in the world. Certainly, the gardens did not disappoint. Take a tour of "the Gardens of Europe," by looking at the finished photo set. Posted only two days after, consider this a belated Mother's Day post. Enjoy!

Until next time,

Jessica and Farrell

Queen's Day

Hello again!

Last Saturday was Queen's Day, which is a big holiday for the Netherlands, though some of its festivities seem a bit odd to outsiders. Everyone dresses in orange (an homage to the William of Orange family dynasty), participates in the open air market (the one day where anyone is allowed to sell anything), and enjoys classic Dutch food (oliebollen), all mixed in with concerts and the occasional samba band -- at least, that's what Nijmegen's celebrations were like. The biggest celebrations occur in the larger cities, which includes Amsterdam, of course. To read more about Queen's Day and its associated celebrations, you can read the Wikipedia page by clicking here. For images from our day in Nijmegen, take a look at the photoset here, or start a slideshow of large images here.

Until next time,

Jessica and Farrell

Edinburgh Concert Photos

Hello all!

I just finished sorting, uploading, describing, tagging and geotagging three new sets of photos. All three are from a concert Dad, Jessica and I attended together in Edinburgh, Scotland on New Year's Day. Although six bands played during the "One Day" (1.1.11) Hogmanay celebrations, I have only finished processing half of them so far (my three favorites).

If you are interested, take a look at the sets for the bands below. I was quite happy with the quality of some of these photos, and will be updating or supplementing the Wikipedia pages of all three bands with these (Creative Commons licensed) pictures.

Lau - A three-piece rockin' Scottish folk band. They have a great level of energy on stage, and are clearly passionate. In some regards, they remind me of the Avett Brothers, especially on stage. [set] [slideshow]

Julie Fowlis - Gaelic Singer Of The Year appointed "Scotland's Gaelic Ambassador" by the Scottish Parliament. [set] [slideshow]

Daniel Thorpe - 2010 BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year with a good sense of humor and a comfortable stage presence. [set] [slideshow]

Farrell

New Photos: The Hague

Since I finished my last exam Wednesday, my workload has been more reasonable. As a result, I have had time to get a set of pictures sorted, uploaded and described. I will be going through my photos chronologically, starting with this one in Den Haag, followed by Amsterdam, Manchester England, Edinburgh Scotland, St. Andrews Scotland, and Dublin Ireland. Check back regularly over the next week or two for more more photo sets!

You can find the my newest set of photos here, or start viewing a slideshow here.

Farrell

Fun in the Snow

Jessica, Dad and I walked to a local park in Nijmegen, which was wonderfully transformed by the snow. We saw zebra walking in the snow, found a football (soccer) stadium, watched hundreds of kids and kids-at-heart sled and make snowmen, had snowball fights, helped move stuck cars, and met a cross-country skier.

Fortunately, I brought my DSLR and both my long and walk-around lenses, so all of the above were photographed.

Find the set here or the slideshow here.

Farrell

To Arnhem, by Bike

So, we have a new photo set from our afternoon trip to Arnhem last week. We biked 26 km there and another 26 on the way back for a grand total of about 35 miles. Impressed? Well, you probably shouldn't be -- here, that's still considered a reasonable distance, just not one you would make on a rainy day. Anyway, take a look at the photos, which chronicle our journey from Nijmegen, through the countryside and smaller villages, to historic Arnhem. We will be heading back at some point in the next few weeks, so let us know if there is something in particular you would like to see. Enjoy!   

From the top, or view the set here.

Jessica and Farrell

Photos: The City of Nijmegen

Sorry for the longish gap without a post, our lives have been very academic-centric recently. Look for some details of the more interesting highlights of our academic escapades in the near future.

However, as you know by the title, this is not an apology post. I've just finished tagging and writing descriptions for a nice size set of new photos. Jessica and I took advantage of a rare warm, dry day to explore Nijmegen, documenting as we wandered. We biked from our flat to Nijmegen's central station, where we parked our bikes and, as we transitioned to foot travel, I was able to use my camera, so the set starts there. We walked North to Nijmegen's large train/bike bridge over the river Waal, from which some of the best views of the city can be found. Notice the other large bridge visible in may of my pictures? That is one of the critical bridges in WWII's Operation Market Garden. Perhaps you've seen the movie 'A Bridge too Far?' Well, it was one of the ones that was not too far. Also note that the barges visible in many of my bridge pictures seem to travel as fast as cars. They move from the large car bridge to the bike bridge we were on in what has to be less then 2 minutes. I would estimate no less then 20 of them passed in our 30 minutes on the bridge. After getting some nice photographs of the city from a distance, we walked the streets visible to us earlier, still photographing, to get the micro-perspective.

Start viewing large photos at the beginning of the set here (recommended) or view the set main-page.

Farrell