Chris' Travel Photos http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/ 49 rows en-gb 60 France http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c1092748.html I went for a week's holiday with my parents to the Dordogne in southern France, and then drove home via Paris. Monday 28 August 2006: I went for a week's holiday with my parents to the Dordogne in southern France, and then drove home via Paris.

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]]> Mon Aug 28 2006 European roadtrip http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c1092687.html Photos from my friend Steve and my grand tour of 10 countries in 6 days! Monday 18 September 2006: Photos from my friend Steve and my grand tour of 10 countries in 6 days!

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]]> Mon Sep 18 2006 Camp ARKA 2006 http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c1060690.html Pictures from three more weeks of camps in Poland - some of these are not mine, but they're all good :) Sunday 2 July 2006: Pictures from three more weeks of camps in Poland - some of these are not mine, but they're all good :)

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]]> Sun Jul 2 2006 CU Lads' Trip to Milan http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c1039569.html A group of us flew to Bergamo, near Milan in Italy, and then travelled on to Como and down to Milan itself. Saturday 10 June 2006: A group of us flew to Bergamo, near Milan in Italy, and then travelled on to Como and down to Milan itself.

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]]> Sat Jun 10 2006 Other Midwest Photos http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c1039524.html A smattering of pictures from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Monday 15 May 2006: A smattering of pictures from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.

Tyler and I. On the lake... who's going in first? Tyler takes the plunge. In - - and out! Now my turn! Quick dip... ...that was quite enough! Taking the wheel of Tyler's boat. This is Lake Webster in Indiana. Tyler going water-skiing. I would have, but it was way too cold for a first-time run. He's a bit more experienced! A furniture store in Ohio, not the first place you'd expect to find one of these! Kathleen and her boyfriend, Amy and me. Now we're in Michigan. That's Lake Michigan, with Chicago sort-of nearly in view. It was pretty chilly! In the lake it was about 45º - very very cold. Big sand dunes which we ran up and down. The sun came out eventually. Nice scenery around here. Up the coast a bit in St. Joseph. We're standing on a pier, by the way...

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]]> Mon May 15 2006 Chicago http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c1039453.html This was my second trip to Chicago, so I didn't need to do the touristy sites... well, most of them anyway! Thursday 11 May 2006: This was my second trip to Chicago, so I didn't need to do the touristy sites... well, most of them anyway!

The Chicago River. Chicago never got around to burying these things... I can't see the attraction myself! Noisy and intrusive. At least they have nice parks near the centre though. This thing wasn't here last time I was. It's quite mesmerising... ...and photogenic, too! I took a brief trip to Chinatown. It sucked. I walked more around the north end of the CBD. Moody Church. (That's the church named after DL Moody, not an unhappy one!) A city beach. Lovely. Park + skyline. Beach + skyline. That's the John Hancock Center, by the way. I climbed in in 2004.

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]]> Thu May 11 2006 Twin Cities http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c1035242.html From Chicago, I popped up to Minneapolis/St. Paul to visit friends for a week. Wednesday 10 May 2006: From Chicago, I popped up to Minneapolis/St. Paul to visit friends for a week.

St. Paul's skyline from a small hill nearby. Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. A large cherry on a large spoon... interesting! I went to the Body Worlds exhibition, after missing it in Toronto - but wasn't allowed to take pictures inside. Could have fooled me... Inside St. Paul Cathedral (no, not that one!) The State Capitol. There it is again.

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]]> Wed May 10 2006 California Zephyr http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c1035110.html Did you know that the train from San Francisco to Chicago takes 57 hours? Well, now you do... Tuesday 2 May 2006: Did you know that the train from San Francisco to Chicago takes 57 hours? Well, now you do...

Here we go then. An hour after leaving Oakland, we cross the Sacramento river. Now east of Sacramento heading over the Sierra Nevada. That's I-80 also snaking through the mountains. I drove that the week before! A look up at the mountains. We're now in Nevada - state 2 of 7. More mountains in Nevada. Mmm... desert... Craggy desert. The train stopped somewhere in Colorado. Day 2! Running alongside a river in a canyon in Colorado. I forget exactly where... That's I-70 on the other side, blending seamlessly in... ...well, kind of. Sunrise - day 3! Nebraska. Iowa. The armpit of America.

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]]> Tue May 2 2006 Stanford http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c1035098.html I visited two friends at Stanford University, who I'd met in Poland in 2005. Nice place! Sunday 30 April 2006: I visited two friends at Stanford University, who I'd met in Poland in 2005. Nice place!

Stanford is a pretty loaded university. This is a stretch Hummer. The church at the centre of the campus. A Japanese tourist. Aimee and Lauren trying to steer a golf-cart around a stone pillar. Unsuccessfully. A view from the top of the Hoover Tower. That's President Hoover, if you were wondering... Just west of the campus is a nice range of hills. This walk is called It's really pretty. I love the clouds rolling in from the Pacific (just over the hills). A tree. Looking down to campus. Walking the campus. Pretty sweet, eh? Back in the main Quad. Palm trees are very much not in evidence at other universities I've been to... Statues of famous philosophers, or something. More tourists (like me, then). That's the Hoover Tower. Walking down Palm Drive. I wonder why they called it that? Enjoying the sun with Aimee and her SO Brice. Lazy Sunday afternoons in the park throwing frisbees around. Perfect!

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]]> Sun Apr 30 2006 San Francisco http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c1035085.html I drove through the city to return my hire-car, and went back for the day later on to sight-see. Friday 28 April 2006: I drove through the city to return my hire-car, and went back for the day later on to sight-see.

On my way to drop off the rental car, I drove down Lombard Street - it's pretty steep and twisty! The Bay Bridge striding eastwards. There used to be a double-decker freeway along the Embarcadero. Thankfully it's no longer there! In Chinatown. One of the ceremonial entrances to Chinatown. Mexicans march on Just what I was thinking... The TransAmerica Pyramid. A sign, in front of the real deal. This little tower was built in the 1930s in the shape of a fire-hose. The views over the Bay and the Golden Gate are very nice. There's the downtown skyline. The piers and Alcatraz. At the top of the tower. Looking down to the port. That limo is clearly too big to park there! One of the many steep streets. At Pier 39. Lots and lots of seals.

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]]> Fri Apr 28 2006 Lake Tahoe http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c955858.html Sun, sea, sand... and snow? Thursday 27 April 2006: Sun, sea, sand... and snow?

Sandy beach with snowy mountains. Rare. The lake is big enough to get around it on boats! Nice spot for a DV. Nice spot for some skiing, too! This is Kirkwood resort, 45 minutes from the lake. This is up at 9000ft. The lip was a lot steeper than it looks here, and somewhat beyond my ability level... I came down there! Not a bad Thursday, all things considered. A frozen lake on the way back to Tahoe.

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]]> Thu Apr 27 2006 Sierra Nevada http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c955846.html On my way back to San Francisco, I went the inland route through the mountains. Monday 24 April 2006: On my way back to San Francisco, I went the inland route through the mountains.

Driving inland through the Central Valley. The entrance to Sequoia Park. Nice driving road! Shame it's dark and cold... This is over 6000ft up. This is right next to the other one! Mmm... driving... This picture was on my blog in late April. I love the sunset! Entering King's Canyon (just next to Sequoia). It's still cold, but I got an early start this time. Big trees, Sequoias. This is the General Grant tree. The third largest living thing in the world, apparently! You could fit 150,000 basketballs in the General Grant tree if it was hollowed out, and there was a glut in basketball production. Driving back down. Later on, going to... Yosemite! This view's so good, it's here twice. The Bridalveil Falls' flow. This road is one-way, so I thought I'd drive on the left for a change. Nice scenery around here. Did I mention I like driving in California?

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]]> Mon Apr 24 2006 Los Angeles http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c955840.html I was in LA for a weekend, staying with a family I met in 2004. Saturday 22 April 2006: I was in LA for a weekend, staying with a family I met in 2004.

Michael the Malibu in the Malibu mountains. Malibu beach. Guess where I'm going... A roundabout! Worth the trip to see this. A nice spot for some lunch. Nice spot for some graffiti too. Preach it, brother! I escaped unharmed. Downtown from the freeway. Look at that... Hollywood. I quite like this picture. I went for a walk in the hills. Up we go! Nice view from up here. There's even a reservoir. Oops - I overshot the mark a little bit. Never mind, I'll just climb under the fence and shimmy down the slope. Uh oh! Better get out of here. Back to Hollywood Blvd. Preach it, brother! This is a big church.

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]]> Sat Apr 22 2006 CN Tower http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c955837.html Pictures from a daytrip to downtown Toronto with Ryan from C4C. Saturday 15 April 2006: Pictures from a daytrip to downtown Toronto with Ryan from C4C.

On the Gardiner Expressway heading downtown. Outside Union Station. Here's me! Looking west. New condos popping up everywhere. Glass floor - scary to start with. Almost as scary as this! Ryan and moi. There was a nice sunset that night. Some of the downtown skyscrapers at night. Yonge Street stretches off into the left. I like the sky. Still looking west. Here's an eastward look. So here's my CU branding. Here's my RFC branding! Here's Ryan's beaver-hat branding... Saturated picture of downtown.

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]]> Sat Apr 15 2006 Pacific Coast Highway http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c955830.html I flew to San Francisco, then hired a car and drove down the coast to LA. Friday 21 April 2006: I flew to San Francisco, then hired a car and drove down the coast to LA.

Michael the Malibu in a retail park before I left the Bay Area. Here we are south of Carmel. Need I say more? Just the sign you want to see at 1pm when you haven't driven at all for 4 months, never on the right and never in an automatic! I was there too... I had to keep stopping to take it in. Bridge near Big Sur. I missed the one that said Still a long way to go... I diverted away from the coast to pick up the freeway. Not bad scenery over here either... On US-101 near Santa Barbara.

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]]> Fri Apr 21 2006 New York City http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c955821.html The first leg of my post-Toronto travel in the USA. I took over 400 pictures in two days (!) so this is merely a selection. Tuesday 18 April 2006: The first leg of my post-Toronto travel in the USA. I took over 400 pictures in two days (!) so this is merely a selection.

The Flatiron Building. Who said New York was expensive? Concorde is hiding back there somewhere. I didn't want to spend $12 to see it again. Obligatory Times Square pictures. Chinatown (obviously!) Sunset in Brooklyn - that's the Empire State Building. I took a lot of pictures. Most of the pics didn't come out very well! I like this one though :) Obligatory ESB pictures. Castle Clinton in Battery Park. Obligatory Statue of Liberty picture! The Staten Island ferry - been there, done that. Wall Street. Gaudy nationalism at its worst... I think it's high time they started building the replacement for the WTC - this site had not changed AT ALL in two years! Just call me Monet. I tried to catch sunset in Central Park, but couldn't find a good spot to watch. So here we are in Venice...

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]]> Tue Apr 18 2006 Toronto http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c880073.html Pictures that I've taken while here in Toronto. Tuesday 3 January 2006: Pictures that I've taken while here in Toronto.

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]]> Tue Jan 3 2006 Ottowa http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c868636.html Reading week part 3: a day and a half in Ottowa, Canada's capital and not the world's most exciting city! Thursday 16 February 2006: Reading week part 3: a day and a half in Ottowa, Canada's capital and not the world's most exciting city!

The Parliament building at night. Dodgy pastiche of Westminster, if you ask me! Not loving the light pollution either. That colour is really what the sky looked like! Taken from the back. Looking at Parliament again, from a bridge over the Ottowa River. The Ottwa Ice-Rink! It was absolutely freezing outside. That bridge connects Quebec (where I'm standing) with Ontario (where the Parliament building is). The Canadian museum of Civilisation, where I spent most of Friday. I guess that's a totem pole... Three official languages! The Inuit one isn't official in most places, thankfully! Back outside. Are you detecting a repetitive streak in these photos? A different aspect of the skyline! The musem itself. The Ottowa youth hostel is a converted prison. Not quite converted enough for my liking! And that's it.

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]]> Thu Feb 16 2006 Montréal http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c868337.html Reading week trip part 2: two days in Montréal. You might notice another Montréal gallery further down this page, from when I was there in 2004. Compare and contrast! Tuesday 14 February 2006: Reading week trip part 2: two days in Montr_al. You might notice another Montr_al gallery further down this page, from when I was there in 2004. Compare and contrast!

A snowy street scene. A main through boulevard. A college on the main street. Another view of the main street at rush hour. Home sweet home! Steak sweet steak! Well, they did burgers too, which are cheaper... McGill University, just above the city centre. This icy path was more slippery than it looks! These stairs, while steep, were at least not icy. A view from the top of Mont Réal (Mount Royal). That's the hostel again, centre shot. The mysterious chalet at the top of the mountain, with nothing in! Downtown view. Tame squirrels. Very tame! Kids sledding down this slope. Hopefully not onto the lake... Zut alors! C'est Tintin! In a Belgian friterie. Chinatown. Mmm, nice. The old town. Nice enough, but no Québec! The random Biosphere. We never found out what was in it. I wonder... Kate. Jay. Arty night shot of the gloriously pointless ball. Smoky bar! The day I left, it started *really* snowing.

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]]> Tue Feb 14 2006 Québec City http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c868334.html Reading week trip part 1: three days in Québec. Saturday 11 February 2006: Reading week trip part 1: three days in Qu_bec.

The St. Laurent river. Frozen solid! An ice rink in the centre, also frozen solid. A gate of the city walls. Requisite ice sculptures for the winter festival. Old town! These streets seem pretty genuine. A view from the top of the walls down to the newer area of the port. Looking along thw walls. The big building in the background is apparently the most photographed hotel in the world! Those cannons aren't much use any more. In their day, they did good defensive work! I guess you could just smother any invaders in snow. Looking down on the old town. Plenty of churches, as you'd expect. That happy chap is the Carnaval mascot. Nat and Kate just after we arrived. Sitting on a cannon! Giddy up! A Christmas shop. In February... On three sides, the walls are mostly natural. They did build one or two roads up them, thankfully. The hills can be a bit slippery with ice. A roof poking above the wall. Very Gallic! More defensive cannons (these can also be spotted in Montréal and Ottowa). They certainly are ramparts. Buildings above and below the walls. Zoom of the previous shot. Down at the port. Snow, ice... what's the difference? This area is in part even older than the Old Town! That hotel again. Bohemian little market street. I found some steps back up, after a long walk. The citadel, still a military base. I went for a walk on the walls. Something wrong on the ice rink! That gate again. ...and the one next to it. Québec by night. The Basilica. Pretty ornate inside! Warmer than out here, too. The city university. The sun catches the end of this street. Those cannons again! I'm walking round in circles by now. Clever artwork: a 3D mural on the side of a building. This is the very oldest part of Québec, I understand.

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]]> Sat Feb 11 2006 Lauterbrunnen http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c868306.html Photos from a week's skiing with Oak Hall in Lauterbrunnen (just up the road from Interlaken!). Saturday 17 December 2005: Photos from a week's skiing with Oak Hall in Lauterbrunnen (just up the road from Interlaken!).

Father Christmas getting ready to ski. (Me in the background.) Sunset: 2.30pm! Not too busy, as you can see. Taking a rest. Wengen, the village perched on a clifftop. Gary, Jack, me and Catie. I think that's Stu. Takin' some turns. This is my brother Jon. Much better at skiing than I! These action photos are taken by Paul. Copyright and all that! Matt starting his run. Tada... Nice angles. Stu heading down. Now Paul's descent. Yeeha! Helen and Catie. Lookin' good! Henry: old-school skier. Keep those knees together! Is that a look of concentration or terror? Matt: he of the silly hat. But good enough to get away with it. At the top of one of the lifts. Paul getting ready to go. These pictures aren't in order... this is me on day 3 having had a fall! And this is Stu, eating chips. Jon bringing some snowfall in with him. Chalets on the hillside. A mountain... North face of the Eiger! It's pretty high. A layer of cloud, thankfully not right where we were. Jon and Matt below the Eiger. Wengen in the foreground. Lauterbrunnen in the background, and 500m below! From the top of Mannlichen, looking down towards Interlaken. Danger! All the runs are marked like this. In Grindelwald, looking back up towards the mountains. Grindelwald again. Farewell from Father Christmas! A run near Mürren. From the top of Schilthorn.

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]]> Sat Dec 17 2005 Camp ARKA 2005 http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c707110.html My second year of teaching English to kids in Poland. Saturday 2 July 2005: My second year of teaching English to kids in Poland.

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]]> Sat Jul 2 2005 Görlitz and Dresden http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c702358.html East is east, and eggs is eggs. Or something like that. Sunday 24 July 2005: East is east, and eggs is eggs. Or something like that.

The Bahnhof in Görlitz. The train to get here took AGES (and I had to queue to get my passport checked as well). This isn't the nicest part of the town! Getting to the main square. This is like English market squares in design: wide in the middle and narrow at the ends to stop cattle escaping! Heading into the narrower part now. It's pretty quiet - but then it was a rainy Monday morning. The massive church can be seen from a long way off. Görlitz is right on the Polish border - that's it! This footbridge was opened at the same time as Poland joined the EU. The Polish side has a little way to go to catch up... Cobbles a-plenty. Alleys a-plenty too. It's an up-and-coming tourist destination, apparently. It is very nice, I have to say. You saw it here first! I'm now heading back towards the town centre. Bizarrely, there aren't any actual shops around here. It took me ages to find something to eat and drink! But then I hopped on a train to Dresden. I just had two hours here between trains and had a quick look around. My mobility was restricted, as I had all my luggage and one arm in a sling. This is the centre of Dresden - annoyingly far from the Hauptbahnhof. Looking around... ...and heading back.

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]]> Sun Jul 24 2005 Prague http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c702328.html Now that's what I call Bohemian... Monday 25 July 2005: Now that's what I call Bohemian...

Here I am in Prague. This garden was near the Sokolska hostel I was staying in. Five minutes away was the National Museum. Looking back up what turned out to be the main street through the city. The Muzeum from the front. Skipping down to the Charles Bridge. It's quite narrow around here for the vehicles! Looking over the river. These apartments are right next to the Charles Bridge. Prague = tourists. Simple as that. Continuing over the bridge. This street was on the far (west) side. That style of architecture is quite common. A shopping street on the west side. I carried on... ...and on... ...past this fetching yellow house. Eventually, I made my way back to the city, via the river again. In the old town now, which is absolutely massive. That is two buildings! - the house in front and the church behind. The main square is quite a spectacle, especially in the evening. It's not without its tourists either... The castle on the far side of the river. The Charles Bridge in dusklight. The next day, this is close to the river, but further up than the Charles Bridge. Looking over the River Vltava. Nice.

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]]> Mon Jul 25 2005 Budapest http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c702307.html Hungary? Well, now that you mention it... Thursday 28 July 2005: Hungary? Well, now that you mention it...

The Blue Danube (for the first time of many!). Budapest came out of communism looking pretty good. It has statues... ...concrete... ...and this great cathedral. Great, because it's cool inside! 37º out here... where's the air conditioning? The old city centre. Parliament. These holes date from 1956... Parliament again. A view across the river. The old palace in Buda. The other side of the Parliament building. And again! Nice old streets on the other bank. A view down the hill. It's rather steep around here... I finally reached the top. This colonnade was nice and cool. Detail on the church at the top of the hill. The palace from closer up. Does this need a caption? Fountains at the palace. The palace's main courtyard. Out at the back of it. On the way back out, down the hill. This suspension bridge seems to be quite famous. Roar!

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]]> Thu Jul 28 2005 Vienna http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c702287.html Schnitzel-tastic! Saturday 30 July 2005: Schnitzel-tastic!

This palace was quite close to the hostel I was in. Not quite close enough though... Not a bad front garden. I thought Buckingham Palace was big... ...this must be at least as big. The zoo is that way. The sun was going down, so I didn't get any good shots of the back gardens. Nevertheless, pretty impressive. In the city centre itself, with more Imperial architecture than you can shake a stick at. The National Gallery? Maybe. A big statue? Definitely. I think this is a (or the) government building. 21st century transport, naturally. The sky was rather threatening - the thunderstorm did come later on. Who rides in these things, really? Big statue? Yes, again. Nothing like a grid system to be found around here. Quite like London, in some respects. Enormous church? Oh, yes. Pretty enormous, as you can see. This is one side of it. Cleaning up after the horses (no, really). I got away from the centre for a break from Imperialist domination. Bridging over the Danube. This is This is actually a Catholic church! Modern apartments. I prefer this part of the city, to be honest. A TV tower in the distance. Back in a less nice part of the city centre. Wien by night. That government building again. I like this picture. It's eerily quiet around most of the city. This is a crazy place! The medieval walls have been broken through and built around, sometimes leading to rather bizarre juxtapositions.

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]]> Sat Jul 30 2005 Bratislava http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c702216.html A day trip to Slovakia, of all places. Monday 1 August 2005: A day trip to Slovakia, of all places.

On the way from the station to the city, this is the President's House. Nice fountain out the front... Getting closer to the centre. The architecture is pretty nice. Not a Modern transport. A casino, I think... An upside-down cow. At least this one's the right way up! The main street just to the south of the old town. The old town itself is a web of narrow streets. Déja-vu? Looking up at the castle. Up, up and up again! The high walls must have been useful in the past. The Danube (again). The castle is pleasingly attractive. Looking back down at the old town. Churches abound, of course. It's not as refined as Prague or Vienna, but still very nice. That's about it!

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]]> Mon Aug 1 2005 Munich http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c702192.html Beer, bars and BMWs in Bavaria. Wednesday 3 August 2005: Beer, bars and BMWs in Bavaria.

This seems to be one of the main gates to the old city. On the main street - busy busy busy! Gothic architecture on the Rathaus (city hall). Picking out a detail. I'm not sure what the design here is. The blue Danube (greeny-blue). Gasp - German humour! Nice place, this. Statue of Max Someone. The posh shopping street (keep walking!) Futher along the same street. Out of town now - that's the BMW HQ next to the Autobahn. Once again, I stumbled across a big event that I didn't know about! The Olympic Stadium, where Bono and co. were performing. The On the other side of the city, this extremely long, straight canal led to... ...the Nymphenburg Palace. Nice.

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]]> Wed Aug 3 2005 Strasbourg http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c702180.html C'est bien, la France... Thursday 4 August 2005: C'est bien, la France...

The market square in the centre of town. Timber-clad buildings that are actually timber-clad, not just decorative! The oddly-named River Ill. That's the old customs house up there. Looking the other way - the flowers are just one facet of the well-maintained city. Strasbourg, of course, is a very international city, with the Parliament and the German border. And lots of flags... A church near where I was staying. Darkness falls... ...and the city gets even nicer! Looks like a postcard doesn't it? The cathedral by night. River reflections. Inside the cathedral, the next day. UPVC, do you think? Walking through The European Parliament. They don't let visitors in, it seems... Fortress Europe again.

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]]> Thu Aug 4 2005 Basel http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c692954.html I spent a morning in Basel while waiting for a flight out! Sunday 7 August 2005: I spent a morning in Basel while waiting for a flight out!

Big church - possibly even the cathedral... A typical street scene on a Sunday morning. Trams plying the streets looking for trade! This square was full of watery sculptures and stuff. The church again, from the other side. A few tourists and locals walking around here. People say that Basel is the nastiest Swiss city - if so I'd like to see the others! The town hall. The main market square just outside the town hall. This bridge over the Rhine has an international flavour... ...see? In the old town the streets are much narrower. Not much happening here!

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]]> Sun Aug 7 2005 Mallorca http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c692917.html Sun, sea and sand in southern Mallorca. Monday 8 August 2005: Sun, sea and sand in southern Mallorca.

Flying in over the northern tip of the island, courtesy of Stelios and co. The sea view from a local restaurant in Camp de Mar. Our apartment complex's swimming pool (one of them, that is!) An evening stroll in Port Andratx. Some of the boats moored up for the night. The sun sets behind the hills... ...and the sky turns orange! In Portals Nous, a very posh port village. Check out the size of the boats! Meanwhile, in Port Soller, this is how the other half lives! From the hills surrounding the port. Nice yacht, mate... A storm was brewing over the mountains. The villa where our friends were staying.

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]]> Mon Aug 8 2005 Interlaken http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c692907.html A daytrip to the Swiss town of Interlaken at the end of my holiday. Friday 12 August 2005: A daytrip to the Swiss town of Interlaken at the end of my holiday.

As the name suggests, it's located in between two lakes, and this is the canal/river (?) connecting them. Looking out to the eastern lake. The railway crossing the canal. Look at the colour of the water! Glacial outflow, you see. A hotel on the banks of the lake. Last time I was here there were several Ferraris parked outside... A dock for small pleasure boats. Not a bad place to spend a summer afternoon! The river coming down from the Jungfrau mountains.

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]]> Fri Aug 12 2005 London http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c543327.html An evening's sight-seeing in London after the Men's Convention at the Albert Hall. Saturday 14 May 2005: An evening's sight-seeing in London after the Men's Convention at the Albert Hall.

The Albert Memorial at the bottom of Kensington Gardens. As you can see, it's rather ornate... Here I am in Piccadilly Circus. One of the streets leading off. Down the road is Trafalgar Square. The fountains and base of Nelson's Column. Ever so slightly to the left... There's the Column in all its glory. Don't look at the lamp-post, look at St. Stephen's Tower in the background! That view might be slightly better! I've forgotten the name of this gateway, is it Horse Guards? Hustle and bustle... What can I say? The other side of the aforepictured gate. I stumbled on the beginning of the Gumball Rally 2005 - sports cars abounded in this whole area. I couldn't even get to the front! The London Eye poking up above the wall on the other side of The Mall. This guy looks a little lost... ...and out of place! These chaps executed a quick u-turn on the Mall - probably High Treason! Buck House. Suitably ornate to have in your driveway, isn't it? Sorry this is blurry, I was running across the road! How ridiculous - I'm standing 50m away and can't fit the whole thing into one shot! Green Park - I think... As you can see, it's right opposite Her Majesty's front gate. Nice fading light conditions... A short walk later, I'm in Whitehall. St James' Park station. Pleasant local street... ...concrete monstrosity! The Home Office, would you believe. Here's the Circle line. Via Westminster, I got to Canary Wharf on the Jubilee Line. Very impressive! Ascending out of the Tube station with skyscrapers overhead. The main Canary Wharf tower in the middle, flanked by others... ...left... ...and right! The Dome is just across the river. Quite atmospheric, isn't it? Like a pimple on the ground! From Waterloo, the view of the Eye is quite good. Battersea Power Station at sunset.

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]]> Sat May 14 2005 North Wales Fieldtrip http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c518452.html In the Easter holidays of my first year of Geography, we had a fieldtrip in Snowdonia. Here are some photos. Saturday 2 April 2005: In the Easter holidays of my first year of Geography, we had a fieldtrip in Snowdonia. Here are some photos.

The Menai Straits Bridge to Anglesea from Bangor. Before the trip started, I took the opportunity to climb Snowdon. I started in the village of Llanberis, down below. A long way to go... That's the easy way up! Also rather too expensive for my liking. At this point the going got steep, and gravelly. The views were worth the pain! The start of the steep section is in the centre of the photo, coming across to the right. A view out to the east. The Snowdon Horseshoe, which I returned to a few days later on a project. The summit's in sight. 2 hours 50 minutes of trudgery later, I reached the top :-) It was very windy, which is why I'm not standing up straight... The next day, the fieldtrip started in Cwm Idwal, a glacial corrie near Snowdon. A mountain pass on the way back. As human geographers, we drew the long straw by spending a day in Llandudno! Pretty arduous, eh? I couldn't resist taking a photo of this badgerific establishment. Hmm... the next day, it was back to Snowdon in the rain. What a miserable lot we are - but it was cold and wet and most of us were ill! I stand corrected: it was snowing as well. The first lake we reached, 15 minutes from the bottom. Long way to go... Looking over towards the pass pictured earlier. The main glacial lake in the Horseshoe. The Miner's Track is very well-surfaced and an easy walk. It's a pretty sizeable lake, and the wind pushed up some waves. Signs of glacial activity... More signs of glacial activity... And more! Erm - what on earth is that thing? A final sign of glacial activity. And finally... Owen was well prepared for all eventualities!

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]]> Sat Apr 2 2005 White Christmas http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c382937.html A week's family holiday in North Yorkshire over Christmas. Wednesday 22 December 2004: A week's family holiday in North Yorkshire over Christmas.

A view from the cottage we stayed in... ...and again. Slippery fun in the car park. T'moor over the valley. More bare-branched action on the A684! Snowy hills... ...snowy fields... ...snowy walls... ...sorry, these captions are lame. But it's quite samey, you have to admit. Can you spot the difference between this picture and the next...? Nope, me neither! There's a crazy sticky-up bit on that moor over there. (I should know what it's called really. Oh well.) Baa! A shame that the sheep don't fancy a spot of ice-skating. I'd like to see that. Not the most exciting existence, is it? Wow, it looks like someone's tried to run them over! Looking down the road we were driving along. Extreme or what? The wall rather spoils this shot, but at least the hills are high enough to see over it! Higher up, above the snowline, everything is (unsurprisingly) snowy. Hardy (or crazy) sheep still grazing up here. Pretty bleak, isn't it? Snowy hills again... This stream wasn't flowing much, but had snow sitting on it! The Buttertubs Pass we drove over. That stream again.

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]]> Wed Dec 22 2004 Camp ARKA 2004 http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c356769.html I spent 2 weeks teaching English to Polish kids in a village called Sosnowka, near the Czech border. Thursday 1 July 2004: I spent 2 weeks teaching English to Polish kids in a village called Sosnowka, near the Czech border.

The hostel where the camps were held, on the first day. Most of the other On a walk up a local hill. The view from the top! Jess looking butch... On the Polish Our room! I'm not always this untidy, I promise! Agnieska, sports supremo. Asia, camp leader. Lukasz, musician extraordinaire. Dominic, barman! During the first week, we went for a bit of a trek to climb Mt. Snieska, centre-shot. A lake about halfway up. Considering we're not that high, I'm surprised there's any snow here! Across the valley, a bit more snow. Another ridge forming the Poland/Czech border. Heading towards the summit. That's where we're headed! Erin standing in two countries! That'll be me on my way to the Czech Republic. Erin, Jess and Flat Stanley (!) on the border (we're not quite at the top of the mountain yet, by the way!). Look, it's the Czech Republic. Another climber admires the view while taking a rest. Finally we reached the summit, with its rather bizarre UFO visitor centre. That post office is in the Czech Republic - the border goes right across the top of the mountain. The view from the way down! A stream with a mini-waterfall en route. A campfire, back at the hostel. Marek's wearing a Newcastle shirt, for some reason. John, the other native speaker, who only arrived towards the end of week 1. Two of the kids singing with Lukasz's accompaniment. I think this was some kind of Four of the Polish leaders singing something! Toothpaste collection was necessary on the last night, when kids traditionally cause havoc and mayhem! Like a little village of toothpaste. Notice how some of them haven't been opened all week... Wo! Camp photo, end of week 1 (12-17 years old). Basia, the head English teacher, had to leave today too. In the local town of Karpacz, full of German tourists. Janusz and Asia, looking rather hairy... John playing with his monkey. Ah... group hug! Asia and Tomek, the nicest kid on week 2! Aw... The thriving metropolis where the camps were held (ahem). At the top of a local hill with the younger kids. The ones who made it up (not me, I have to say). The church at the top is apparently very old and famous nationally. Sports day back at the camp. I tried to teach them cricket, without a great deal of success.

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]]> Thu Jul 1 2004 Wroclaw http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c356373.html That's a city in Poland, if you weren't sure! Sunday 27 June 2004: That's a city in Poland, if you weren't sure!

One of the roads on the outskirts of the centre, complete with tram lines. There's better to come! Just coming into the nice part of the centre. All the buildings have been meticulously repainted. On a par with most other northern European cities, isn't it? That guy reckons so... Look at that tiny pink one! The town hall. One of the bigger buildings here. What you can't see are all the bars, cafés and shops around the square that make it so busy! Sadly, it's starting to get dark. Wroclaw by night? At least you can see a bar now! Spooky... The town hall, lit at night.

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]]> Sun Jun 27 2004 Auschwitz http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c356355.html Some disturbing pictures from a disturbing place. Wednesday 30 June 2004: Some disturbing pictures from a disturbing place.

The main gate at Auschwitz 1. The slogan says The electric barbed wire fences. There were dogs and machine-gunners patrolling this gap. If it weren't for the stench of death, this would be a pleasant enough spot. Nice of them to leave a warning sign... The far corner of Auschwitz 1. I couldn't bring myself to take any photos of the crematoria here, or the torture chambers, the original barracks or anything else. The main gate at Auschwitz 2. They extended the railway into the site to From the watchtower above the gate. Some of the few barracks left standing. Bizarrely, all the others have brick chimneys left standing, like a field of memorials. Anywhere else, those towers would be used to look for cattle. Here, they were manned with machine guns. The main fence. The road on the right is just a normal road, used by locals every day to go about their business. Through the wire to the barracks. More barracks. This is where the cattle trucks were unloaded, and the prisoners split between dead, to be killed, and to be worked to death. One of the checkpoints in the camp. The distance to the main gatehouse gives you an idea of scale - and I'm by no means at the edge. More barracks. One of the washing areas. Why did they bother with soap dishes, I wonder? More washing facilities. This is where the prisoners slept, 4 to a level. If they were lucky they had some straw to lay over the wood. This place actually smells of death. The bricks are all date-stamped like this. Those awating death were kept outside in a yard between two barracks. Here's one of those yards - obviously the walls have been broken down since. Ruins of a crematorium. Only the concrete frame remains. The Germans burnt as much as they could when they abandoned this place, to try and stop people finding out. In the memorial area. The fence posts continue straight through the memorial. The main plaque of remembrance. Looking back to the gatehouse.

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]]> Wed Jun 30 2004 Berlin http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c356344.html Pictures from a day in Berlin on my way home from Poland. Tuesday 20 July 2004: Pictures from a day in Berlin on my way home from Poland.

Unfortunately I can't remember a lot of the names of these places, but hey ho. Here's that famous statue along the road from the Brandenburg Gate! This being the road to the Brandenburg Gate. The Soviet WW2 Memorial. Rather odd as this was West Berlin! The Gate itself. Some of the nearby redevelopment. That statue again! One slab of the Wall still standing in Potsdamer Platz. Here's the Platz! Since being reunified the whole city's been madly rebuilding. The TV Tower in Alexanderplatz. From the top of the tower, a view of the Reichstag. The river Spree, also being redeveloped! The EU Embassy. Do we have one of those in London? The Reichstag, rebuilt by Foster & co. From the roof, one of the corners. You can climb inside the dome, and get views like this of the Brandenburg Gate. See it now? Checkpoint Charlie, devoid of its previous importance. Well, there you go. Nowadays of course, it's a tourist trap. A slab of the wall from the East side. The destroyed church near Zoo. Garten, for some reason never rebuilt.

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]]> Tue Jul 20 2004 Switzerland http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c355973.html A week's family holiday in and around Gstaad, Switzerland. Saturday 4 September 2004: A week's family holiday in and around Gstaad, Switzerland.

Typical Swiss chalet scene. One of the trains serving these valleys. I'm not sure why that mountain is so mis-shapen at its peak! A small plane takes off from Saanen Airfield. The main street in Gstaad. It's very chocolate-boxey... The railway viaduct at the edge of the village. The very snooty 5* hotel. We didn't stay here! Another train line, hugging the contours. View from a cable car down the valley. A glacial cirque (hollow) in the mountain. At the top of the cable-car, it's cold and foggy! The glacier stretches for miles in that direction. That's the real summit - but I couldn't be bothered to climb up there. One for the family album :-) Another shot of the glacier. This outcrop is quite convenient for the halfway point of the cable-car. That's a crazy rock formation! The edge of the glacier. Back to greenery in the valley below. Another of the mountain ranges. Hilltop chalet! More mountains. Another cable car photo: I'm not sure whether this looks nicer in white or green... A farmer's house on the hillside. Looking down towards Saanen and its airfield (pictured earlier). The local peak - the cable cars never quite reach the top. Jon goes off to burn some adrenaline! Yep, more beautiful mountains! Lakeside near Interlaken. Private boats and ferries sail up and down this lake. There it is - Interlaken's off to the right. A view across to the other side of the water. On the other side of Interlaken (and the other lake) - now the water has a glacial blue colour. Looking east along the lake. There are actually 3 Ferraris in this carpark, I couldn't get them all in one shot! Heading up the valley from Interlaken towards the Jungfrau, Eiger etc. The valley's very steep-sided, and streams like this have no choice but to take the quick way down! One of the streams has eroded through the rock, forming lots of spectacular cave waterfalls. This one has a corkscrew look to it. The green hue comes from the artificial lighting! One of the plungepools. A rainbow across the spray from a fall. Back out to the valley, more waterfalls! Those scrapes in the rock were caused by glaciers. Last but not least, a shot of the Eiger - this is the infamous North Face.

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]]> Sat Sep 4 2004 Lake District http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c355965.html A brief trip to the Lake District in a wet September! Wednesday 15 September 2004: A brief trip to the Lake District in a wet September!

The start of our walking route, attempting to climb Scafell Pike. The footpath bridges this small stream. Chris, my walking companion! Lots of rocks around here... It's rather cloudy I'm afraid, but this tarn is as high as we could get. You can just make out that hillside! It was very wet, and this tarn had flooded. Chris and I looking soggy! Baaa... The route down (there's a path there somewhere!). The rivers were all full. Two more sheep! Another shot of the valley. The exposed rocks along our route. A view across the valley. Through the trees to the main road and civilisation! The route we came down. We went up the valley on the left. On the way back, we drove alongside Derwent Water. A view from the car of some more hills. Helvellyn, one of the main peaks. Windermere, from the town of Ambleside.

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]]> Wed Sep 15 2004 USA/Canada http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c355795.html The last part of my RTW trip was 5 weeks from LAX to JFK, via the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, the Pacific Northwest, Chicago, New Orleans, DC and Montréal! Friday 2 April 2004: The last part of my RTW trip was 5 weeks from LAX to JFK, via the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, the Pacific Northwest, Chicago, New Orleans, DC and Montr_al!

Welcome to LA - 10-lane freeways all round! LA's Union Station. My first Amtrak train - of many. After an overnight trip, I ended up in Flagstaff, Arizona. Nowadays this road is fronted by gas stations and drive-thru ATMs. The reason I was there was to come here! The Grand Canyon: fantastic. Grasping the scale of it is really hard. If you're having difficulty, imagine fitting your hometown in that hole. Showing the different layers of rock. Incredible! Back at the Pacific coastline, around Santa Barbara. Further up, near San Luis Obispo. Recognise this prison? Lombard Street's rather twisty... ...the twistiest in the world, in fact! Yes, I'm in San Francisco. Here's the end of the Bay Bridge. The Coit Tower, illuminated at night. One of Frisco's many ridiculously steep streets. A famous bridge... can you guess what it is yet? That's right - I wasn't sure whether to be reassured or panicked reading this! Thick fog... A few days later, the fog finall cleared! Sadly I was on the other side of the Bay. Starbucks - that can only mean one thing. I'm in Seattle! Even at the top of the Space Needle there's a Starbucks. In the Pike Place Market there are lots of random shops and exhibits. This (I believe) was the original Starbucks! Seattle's I nipped over the border to Canada. Nice, isn't it? Anyway, back to the USA - this is the Columbia River on the OR/WA border. As you can see, there's quite a lot of spare capacity for the river! These are the Multnomah Falls. A slightly strange shot - I'm on the bridge pictured before, looking down. Portland, Oregon - not a terribly attractive picture, this one. That's better - Portland's quite a green city compared to many American ones! A taste of the Rocky Mountains. The first snow I saw for several continents. A mile-long freight train makes its way across the prairie. The Great Plains of Montana... boring! Running alongside the Mississippi River, near Minneapolis (I think). End of the line: Chicago. The John Hancock Center... ...the Sears Tower... ...and the skyline as a whole, from the defunct Meigs Field airstrip. At the base of the Sears Tower: tallest in the world? I'm not sure what these are called, but they're pretty cool! The base of the John Hancock Center: tallest in the world? The shore of Lake Michigan. Moody Church - congregation of 5,000 or so. Hillbilly country in Mississippi.

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]]> Fri Apr 2 2004 Japan http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c355773.html Some photos from a week in Tokyo. Friday 26 March 2004: Some photos from a week in Tokyo.

A view of Tokyo from Mt. Takao, just to the west of the city. Temple no. 1! Another temple (the whole mountain is some kind of shrine). Rather more modern Tokyo at Shibuya Crossing. Pretty busy on a Saturday night! You don't see many nice cars in Tokyo, mainly because there's nowhere to drive them. More crazy traffic and neon. A Sunday afternoon in the park. It's traditional to go and see the cherry blossom - this is Shinjuku-goen.oon in the park. Most people take pictures of the blossom. I took pictures of people taking pictures :-) Stunning photo, I'm sure you agree. The nearby towers of the Tokyo government, in Nishi-Shinjuku. Conveniently, they let you up to the top to have a look around. It's quite a good view too, except that all you can see is sprawl. My home for the week! Not quite a youth hostel is it? This crossroads is in Ginza... ...just outside the Sony showroom. Ginza is one of the few areas with straight streets - it was destroyed in a fire or earthquake or something. Nearby is the Imperial Palace, surrounded by moats. This is as close as I could get! You can just make out the guards in front of the main gate. Another moat. This gate is one people can walk through. Nearby is Hibiya-goen (garden) - I was going to say a green space, but it's not is it? Some famous dude - well, that family think so don't they? A parade of shops outside the temple at Asakusa. Pagodas are pretty rare, considering how many temples there are. A bit of green, at last! These guys seem pretty happy with it. Cherry blossom, temple... getting the idea? The main gate of the temple, with an enormous lantern in it. Across the city, the shrine to the Meiji emperor(s) in Yoyogi-goen. This one was much quieter, but I thought it was just as interesting. Another mini-temple, in Harajuku this time (I think). Merged to Tokyo is the city of Yokohama, an important port. That's the Landmark Tower - quite a landmark, isn't it? In the distance is the smog of Tokyo itself, with the Bay in the foreground. Yokohama's a pretty sizeable place itself too. Huggledy-piggledy neighbourhoods are de rigeur in Japan - did you spot the cherry blossom? I don't want you to miss out on the fun. The entrance to Chinatown in Yokohama. Sorry for another temple pic, but this one's Chinese! Hmm... it's all Greek to me. Finally, some homeless people's shelters in Yoyogi-goen.

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]]> Fri Mar 26 2004 New Zealand http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c355213.html After Australia, I did a bit of a circuit of New Zealand. Here's the lowdown. Tuesday 2 March 2004: After Australia, I did a bit of a circuit of New Zealand. Here's the lowdown.

My first stop in New Zealand was Christchurch. It's a nice city, best known for... ...its cathedral! That wasn't enough to keep me there, however, so I got on this train. The Tranz Scenic is quite a scenic trip! To start with it's quite flat... ...then we get some steep river valleys. The guy changing the points is the driver! Spooky clouds! Not so spooky here, for some reason. A big lake, most of the way across the island. Here's the river at Greymouth (I think that lake might flow through here). A crazy rock formation just outside Greymouth. Some farm sheds on the west coast highway. Moody clouds in this valley. The mountains either side of the Franz Josef Glacier reflect nicely in this pool! The end of the glacier. It used to come almost as far as the camera. Right at the end. Check out that supraglacial till! Cor, look at the ogives on that! Look at that... river... Moving swiftly on, here are some more moody mountains! Lake Wanaka, looking rather cloudy. The rising sun reflects off the clouds, with the Southern Alps in the background. Speaking of the Southern Alps, here's Mt. Cook - the tallest in New Zealand! The lake in the foreground is that colour because of the The top of Mt. Cook itself. Looking the other way, this valley used to be filled with a glacier! A mountain stream nearby. Lake Wakatipu at Queenstown. The cathedral in Dunedin (Gaelic for Edinburgh, donchaknow). Dunedin is also home to the steepest street in the world! The rocky coastline right at the bottom of New Zealand. The end-of-the-world feeling in Invercargill, nearby! Here's Lake Wakatipu again (love that name!). Mountains just above Lake Wakatipu. The hills surrounding Akaroa, on the Banks Peninsuala near Christchurch. A goat. The French tried to settle this place, but got stuck in a storm and we beat them to it... muahahahahaha! Quite a nice view, as you can see. The Pacific is just round to the left. Anyway, enough of this. I'm off... ...to Auckland! This is a view from the SkyTower, the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. It got dark almost straightaway after that previous short. So here's a night shot! There's the SkyTower in all its toweringness. Nearby, Waiheke Island is a nice escape. That is the Pacific, right there! Oh, and there too... ...not here though. Thanks for looking!

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]]> Tue Mar 2 2004 Australia http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c355145.html Brief coverage of my 5-week journey across Australia, from Perth to Melbourne, via Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra! Friday 23 January 2004: Brief coverage of my 5-week journey across Australia, from Perth to Melbourne, via Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra!

Sunny oceanside suburbs near Perth, in Western Australia. Speaking of the ocean... ...here's my first of the trip, the Indian Ocean! Mmm... ocean... Quite idyllic, isn't it? Just to make you jealous! The centre of Perth is rather busier... ...its train station is quite a nice entrance to the place. The city has lots of parkland around it. I like cities with a decent skyline - unlike, say, London! After a bit of a climb, this view is better, and includes the Swan River. An old sailing ship in Fremantle Harbour, outside Perth. The McDonalds closest to the ocean? It's a good contender! Driving along the oceanside road - quite Californian down here. The road into King's Park, just above the centre of Perth. Oi! Get those stars off our flag! Colonial architecture galore here in Fremantle. Pretty well-preserved, isn't it? At Perth station, the start of a long, long, LONG journey. This is the Indian Pacific train, heading 5000km from Perth to Sydney! There's farmland for a while out of Perth. The lounge car of the train - social mecca, as you can see! Last bit of farmland for a while. From now on it's desert! And more desert... this is the Nullarbor plain. The counterpart train, full of tired people going to Perth. See the train's in a straight line? The track doesn't curve at all for 500km! Thankfully, I reached Adelaide after only 42 hours. Adelaide is known as the Adelaide's also known for its wine production... ...including this place, which you may have heard of! Sorry to be stereotypical, but it had to be here didn't it? Back at the beach, in the suburb of Glenelg. These trams used to go all over the city, now this is the only route left. My second ocean - the Southern. This engine had just returned from its first ever trip to Darwin on the brand new railway through the centre of Australia! An aerial view of Adelaide from the plane out. Next stop, Brisbane! City Hall - I was there on election day, it would seem. Brisbane's in the Tropics, and the ambience is very tropical! What can I say? Pretty nice, I think you'll agree :-) My first sighting... sadly in a zoo! As Brisbane's so far from the sea (20km) they had to build a beach here! A few hundred km down the coast, in Coff's Harbour, a small seaside town. This is my third ocean... are you counting? In case your geography's struggiling, this is the Pacific - but it's not very peaceful. Here I am in Sydney Harbour. Oh, and here I am... in Syndey Harbour! I'm in... oh, you get the idea. I love this bridge, it looks good from every angle (just like me).

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]]> Fri Jan 23 2004 Singapore http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c355136.html A small smattering of photos from my short time in Singapore. Friday 16 January 2004: A small smattering of photos from my short time in Singapore.

The rather garish hostel room I slept in! Yes, the Burger King cup is mine... I stayed overnight in Chinatown - hence the Chinesey-ness of this building! Well, look at that... a Tube station. Tiger Beer, AKA Welcome to Asia! Crazy throngs of people in Singapore, even this late in the evening. The Singapore River, looking out towards its mouth. The skyscrapers of the modern CBD (Central Business District). The This is all most people see of Singapore! Shame, as it's a fascinating place.

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]]> Fri Jan 16 2004 Malaysia http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c355125.html A selection of photos from Malacca and Kuala Lumpur. Saturday 17 January 2004: A selection of photos from Malacca and Kuala Lumpur.

The harbour at Johru Bahor, over the border from Singapore. Lots of greenery on the road north. It took hours to drive past that small mountain! It's very jungly so close to the Equator. Some real rainforest here! Here's the city of Melaka, looking rather sleepy. I had this view from my window - a 24hr curry house! Great... A tall ship as a monument to the colonial past. This central part of the city has been restored to its original pride - I went to this church while I was there, it had recently celebrated its 250th anniversary! Outside, the hawkers lie in wait for the hapless tourists... The entrance to Melaka's Chinatown. Better known as Jonker Street, this is antique heaven. See? I didn't buy anything, not enough room in the ol' backpack. An ancient Chinese temple... ...and an ancient Catholic church! This was abandoned centuries ago. For a while it was a munitions store, but now it's pretty much empty! The old palace for the Sultan of these parts. The ancient fort on the hill (where that abandoned church is too). From the old to the new! Kuala Lumpur (KL) sports its famous Twin Towers. He doesn't seem too impressed! I almost fell over taking this photo. Thankfully, less craning of the neck is required from up here (though I searched for about half an hour to find the entrance!) Blue skies, skyscrapers, what more could you want? A mosque, perhaps? And there we go. I hope to go back for more another time!

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]]> Sat Jan 17 2004 Mugshots http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c354943.html Quite a rarity - pictures of me! Monday 29 November 2004: Quite a rarity - pictures of me!

Me and Asia in Karpacz, Poland. Spooky... Bondi, baby! Look - it's me! In Sydney! Looking rather pale and gormless after jumping off a cliff in New Zealand. Me with a cherry tree growing out of my head (Shinjuku-goen, Tokyo). Smashing, the Grand Canyon. Montréal, though it's hard to guess... Looking rather dark in New York Harbor. In Wroclaw market square, Poland. Eyyy! Running round a church 7 times with water in my mouth - not quite sure why... Me walking from Poland to the Czech Republic. Jumping into the Czech Republic! Me, Asia, Jess and Dominic in Poland. Wow... this scenery, like, blows me away (groan). Wet and cold in the Lake District! OAP Party! CU Hallgroup from uni... ...church friends... ...and Soton SABRE trio. The monkey's on the right. A rather unflattering shot of me in an Edinburgh café. At the top of Snowdon in windy Wales!

Published in Chris' Travel Photos

]]> Mon Nov 29 2004 RTW Highlights http://chris-rtw.fotopic.net/c322262.html A brief selection of 50 of my favourite photos from my round-the-world trip. Sunday 9 May 2004: A brief selection of 50 of my favourite photos from my round-the-world trip.

This is the causeway between Singapore and Malaysia. I was in Singapore for less than 24 hours total, and wasted no time in catching a bus to Malaysia. A Chinese temple in the city of Malacca/Melaka in Malaysia, a very interesting place with history from several different civilisations. Modern Malaysia is symbolised by the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, once the tallest buildings in the world. Relaxing on a beach near Bunbury, WA with friends. Fishing in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Pacific train works its way 5000km from Perth to Sydney, on the other side of Australia. Here it’s stopped in the township of Cook. The other end of the railway! Sydney’s Harbour Bridge is one of the most recognisable structures in the world. …along with its near neighbour, the Sydney Opera House, whose site used to be occupied by a tram depot! This photo shows how close the two are together, separated by a small portion of Sydney Harbour. Sydney’s skyline, dominated by the 250m tall Tower. A fountain at Sydney Olympic Park, home (oddly enough) of the 2000 Olympics. The Three Sisters – a limestone monument near Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are so called because of this blue shimmer given off. The edge of Sydney Harbour, with the Pacific Ocean crashing on the cliffs near Manly. A few weeks later, I’m in New Zealand, and catching a train out of Christchurch through farmland. The farmland soon gives way to mountains – the Southern Alps, which the train winds through for nearly 4 hours. The west coast of New Zealand features several glaciers, such as the Franz Josef Glacier, one of the few growing glaciers in the world today. In the centre of New Zealand’s South Island are many large lakes. This is Lake Wanaka. It’s not for no reason that the “Lord Of The Rings” movies were shot in this region! The highest mountain in New Zealand is Mt. Cook, here overseen by Sir Edmund Hillary, conqueror of Mt. Everest (and presumably this one too). Just over these mountains is the Tasman Sea off the west coast of the country. Clouds seem to fall over the ridge and into this valley. The valley leads to Lake Pukaki, the effluent from Mt. Cook’s glaciers. No, you’re not going mad – this is Baldwin Street in Dunedin, the steepest street in the world! Here I’m relaxing near Queenstown, adrenaline capital of the world and home of the bungy jump. The harbour at Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula near Christchurch. Akaroa is the site of the failed French attempt to colonise New Zealand. A view from the top of Settlers’ Hill. The Pacific is just round that corner! Auckland’s skyline, featuring the Sky Tower, the highest building in the Southern Hemisphere. The rocky coast of Waiheke Island, half an hour’s ferry ride from central Auckland. Flying above the clouds en route to Tokyo. Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, rivalling Las Vegas for neon intensity! Taking a look at the cherry blossom in Shinjuku-goen, a Tokyo park which is somewhat popular on Sunday afternoons. The commercial heart of Tokyo, this is Ginza. It’s usually rather busier than this, but then again it’s only 10am on Monday. The secluded Imperial Palace, completely impenetrable to the average tourist such as myself. The gate to a temple in Asakusa, where many people go to make offerings and sacrifices – and take photos! On the way to the Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi-goen, a major national monument. The peaceful surroundings don’t let on that this is in the middle of the biggest city in the world. A week later, I’m in the US of A, and specifically Arizona, where the Grand Canyon burrows through the landscape for hundreds of miles. From the near to the far: the rock at this top layer is still very weathered. Several thousand miles away, crossing the Rocky Mountains in Montana on the Empire Builder railway, 200 years after the famous Lewis and Clark expedition took roughly the same route. The Great Plains stretch out as far as the eye can see – “the breadbasket of America”. The Sears Tower in Chicago, once the tallest building in the world (yes, another one). The streetlights of freeways stretch out to the horizon as the sun sets over the sprawl of the Chicago suburbs. The US Capitol in Washington DC, a most imposing structure. Not quite so imposing from the outside is the White House, but nevertheless this is the home of the President. The Washington Monument on the Mall – as if a whole city named after him wasn’t enough! Abraham Lincoln’s Memorial sits beneath the flightpath to Reagan National Airport (are you detecting a running theme here?). The skyscrapers of Midtown Manhattan (including the Empire State Building) as viewed from the Brooklyn Bridge. The George Washington Bridge over the Hudson river is yet another monument to the first President. At the mouth of New York’s inner harbour is the Statue of Liberty, which can only really be seen from the water. A globe, somewhat akin to the one I have now circumnavigated! This one can be found in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Published in Chris' Travel Photos

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