Category: Travels

A visit to Frederik Meijer Gardens

Posted on July 4, 2010 by ellen

Yesterday we drove out to Grand Rapids to see the sculpture garden at Frederik Meijer Gardens. I was blown away by the quality of the art and the beauty of the gardens. What made the visit even more exciting was the collection of Chihuly glass sculpture installations all over the grounds.

Beside the fantastic outdoor art and flower collection there’s an immense indoor botanical conservatory, with desert, carnivorous, tropical and Victorian garden sections. The enormous Tropical conservatory also features unusual tropical birds, along with many Chihuly pieces large and small which can be discovered among the palm leaves.

Virtual tour: Interesting places to visit in Google Earth

Posted on April 6, 2009 by ellen

To use the KML files, right click the “Download KML file” link and select “Save Target As”. Windows may try to add an “XML” extension onto the end of the file name. Change the extension back to “KML” if it does.

You must have Google Earth installed to use these files. Double click the KML file and it should open in Google Earth to the correct spot.

St. Peters, Rome

Virtual Colorado Tour – Part II: South to Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Posted on March 28, 2009 by ellen

Continuing with our travels in Colorado last September

After leaving Grand Junction we drove south on 50 toward Montrose on our way to Ouray, but decided to take a detour to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

The Canyon out to be one of the most dramatic sights on the whole trip. The Black Canyon is a massive gorge cut through PreCambrian rocks by the Gunnison River. It is vast enough so the far side is slightly hazy, contributing to the astonishing sense of depth from the edge.

Take a virtual world tour down the Canyon in Google Earth! Download this KML file
Double click to open in Google Earth, then click Play as shown:

Virtual Colorado Tour – Part I: West to Grand Junction

Posted on March 14, 2009 by ellen

Last fall we took a trip around Colorado which took us through nearly every type of landscape Colorado has to offer, including the town of Ouray, nestled in the Mountains, fantastic fall colors of the Kebler Pass area and the dry, dramatic Mesa Verde region in the Southwest.

The map below is an interactive Google map, showing all the main points of interest we hit, and photos along the way.

View Larger Map

A visit to the British Museum

Posted on June 15, 2008 by ellen

The British Museum, probably my favorite museum in the whole world, is a monument to curiosity, exploration and a refreshingly innocent nineteenth-century sense of national entitlement to the best the world has to offer.

The Great Court of the British Museum, transformed into a glass-covered public space in 2000 for the millennium. More…