Amsterdam, 2014

In Spring 2014, we visited the Netherlands and explored Amsterdam.

Highlights included:

There are more bicycles than people on the land in Amsterdam.
There are also more bicycles than people in the canals in Amsterdam.
An album of photos from our visit to Keukenhof garden
No chess playing on the waterways
NEMO science center looks like a ship
Library at Rijksmuseum
Another view from our boat cruise – a replica Dutch East Indiaman ship

Venice, 2017

Three years ago, for a short spring break we visited Venice.

It was amazing to explore the city that is accessible only by walking or boats.

Highlights included:

  • Glass blowing tour
  • Walking tour
  • Italian Pizza
  • Canal tour by gondola
  • Hop-on hop-off tour by ferry
Venice is famous for glass blowing.

We toured a glass shop and got to see how glass is made and shaped into amazing creations. Read more about this visit on the MuzGadgets Blog.

Clock tower in St Marks Square
St Mark’s Basilica
Looking out to sea from one of the many islands in the city.
Our walking tour included a view of the spiral staircase, Scala Contarini del Bovolo.
Gondoliers need a rest sometimes.
Rialto Bridge
The waterfront entrance of a fashion shop
Wine vessels

Athens 2015

Greek flag at the Acropolis

Five years ago we took a Spring Break to Athens.

Highlights included:

Turtles in the National Garden
The Acropolis Museum viewed from the Acropolis
The Acropolis
Scaffolding for archaeologists working on the Acropolis
Temple of Olympian Zeus as viewed from the Acropolis
Ancient theatre
Holy Trinity Church in Pireaus
We did some painting on white stones while waiting for our meal at a restaurant

Ankara, 2019

In the Winter Break at the end of 2019, we visited Ankara and experienced a White Christmas, arriving on December 25 with snow falling.

We visited a few museums and an art gallery during our three days there.

Museum of Natural History

Read about our visit to the Museum of Natural History on the MuzGadgets Blog.

Dinosaurs greeted us at the entrance

Science and Technology Museum

See more about our visit to METU (ODTÜ) Science and Technology Museum on the MuzGadgets Blog.

A Hittite era guitar
1975 Anadol Böcek (Anatolian Bug)

Museum of Anatolian Civilisations

The Museum of Anatolian Civilisations had some amazing artifacts.

Sun Disk, 2250BC – This symbol was used on the cover of the textbooks of the Turkish Language course we did.
Clay tablet letter inside clay tablet envelope
Hittite era stonework
Chimera, Hittite era
Hittite era stonework
Hittite era stonework

Ethnography Museum of Ankara

Ethnography Museum of Ankara – Ataturk, the hero and founder of modern Turkey was laid to rest here until his memorial Antikabır was built.

Are decorated guns more friendly?

cermodern Art Gallery

We saw three exhibits:

Göbeklitepe The Gathering

This was an experience of fabric and light. It was sometimes disorientating in the dark environment. We entered through a maze of fabric with video projections, then there was a space with projections on conical fabric forms like the Whirling Dervish dancers. Another wall of video and the exhibit culminated in a space with a 360º projected video.

The construction of a new city: Anakara 1923-1933

Lots of photographs as well as 3D printed models of the housing

Adnan Jetto – Gloomy Day… We Should Dance!

Some amazing abstract art.

Flying and Dancing in the Windy Evening

Istanbul / Dubai, 2010

During our Spring break in 2010, we visited Istanbul and Dubai. Here are some of the highlights of our trip.

Istanbul

Topkapı Palace – photographs were not allowed inside, but we were impressed by the architecture and exhibits including a huge diamond that had been found on a rubbish dump.

Grand Bazaar – similar to the covered bazaar near the maze of shops in Izmir’s Kemeraltı, but on a bigger scale.

Hagai Sophia –  the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum.

A stained glass window in Hagai Sophia

Great Palace Mosaics Museum – a large collection of Byzantie era mosaics.

Byzantine mosaic of leopards and a griffin with their prey
Byzantine mosaic of leopards and a griffin with their prey

Pera Museum – we saw a Picasso exhibit, Turkish ceramics, and old measuring instruments.

A folding ruler

Robot Zoo – one of the malls had an interactive science exhibit with robotic creatures.

Robot giraffe showing its respiratory system
Can you find Erin?
Tortise racing at the Robot Zoo

Dubai

Dubai is usually a place where we change planes on our long-distance trips. After flying with Emirates several times we had earned a free flight so we stayed a few days in an apartment hotel in Dubai. Peter was ill for most of the trip, but we enjoyed relaxing in the apartment which was bigger than our home, swimming in the rooftop pool and exploring the neighborhood.

More photos on Flickr

Germany, 2015

We spent 2 nights in Hamburg on our Denmark/Sweden/Germany holiday. During our full day there we visited Miniatur Wunderland.

Miniatur Wunderland
Miniatur Wunderland

That evening we ate hamburgers in Hamburg. The next day we took the train south through Hanover where we stopped for a few hours. One of Peter’s great-great-grandfathers came from there. We also stopped to change trains in Frankfurt where we ate frankfurters.

Hanover
A historic church in Hanover
A historic church in Hanover

We stayed for the remaining four nights of our holiday in Stuttgart. There we enjoyed visiting the gardens and the natural history museum and exploring the city.

Stuttgart Natural History Museum
Flamingo in the Stuttgart gardens
Tower in Stuttgart gardens
Looking down the tower in Stuttgart gardens
Panoramic view from the top of the tower in the Stuttgart gardens

We took a day trip to the Altensteig in the Black Forest and spent the afternoon with Peter’s business partner and his family.

Bürgerhaus, built in 1459
Bürgerhaus

Jordan, 2011

I went to Amman for a two-day business trip. The work finished early and so I got to enjoy a tour of the Jordan river where Jesus was baptized and the mountain where Moses viewed the promised land. 

There have been several Chapels of the Jordan River
The place where Jesus was baptized
There were some people on the Israeli side being baptized in the River Jordan
Mt Nebo
View from Mt Nebo
A sculpture of Moses’ serpent on the pole (Numbers 21:4-9)

Visiting New Zealand July 2016

We visited New Zealand from 1 to 26 July 2016.

Three adult fares and one almost adult fare halfway around the world and back again cost more than our rent for the year.

We landed in Auckland earlier than expected and went into the central city to do some admin stuff which took much longer than expected. We stayed a couple of nights in an apartment and did some more admin, exploring the city and meeting with friends.

Sky Tower
Yachts on Auckland Harbour

We then bused to Hamilton for a few days with Edria’s family.

Mini golfing in Hamilton
Waikato River

We took the train to Palmerston North for a weekend reunion with Peter’s family, picked up one of Peter’s parent’s campervans and then spent a few more days exploring the Manawatu.

View from the Northerner train

We spent a weekend in Hawkes Bay with Peter’s sister and her family, then traveled onto Taupo, Rotorua, and Tauranga. 

Napier coast
Tauranga

A short visit again to Auckland and Hamilton, then we flew home again.

Hobbiton
Auckland
Penguins at Kelly Tarlton’s

Prague, March 2019

Museums, galleries, museums.

Prague has hundreds of museums and galleries to visit. We spent four nights in a rooftop apartment that was easy walking distance to a lot of the old city. During the days, we enjoyed exploring the city’s sights and cuisine on our Spring Break holiday.  

Some of the highlights of our trip include:
Museums: Nostalgic Museum, Strahov Monastery Library, Lego, Alchemy and Ghosts, KGB, Apple, and a World of Franz Kafka experience
Art: Andy Warhol/Alfons Mucha/Salvator Dalí, Kampa, Gallerie Nova Sin
Street food: Berries, beer, hot dog, hot wine, trdelnik = cinnamon pastry with whipped cream, halušky = ham/potatoes/cabbage

Penguins lining up near the Kampa Gallery
Babies crawling up the Žižkov Television Tower
Prague Astronomical Clock
Havelské tržiště | Havelska Street Market, dating back to 1232.
Street performers in the Old Town Square
A canal boat on the Vltava River
A squirrel in Petřín Gardens
Many buildings had amazing facades
Bubbles in Old Town Square
A mix on old and modern architecture near the Vltava River
Cathedral of St. Lawrence.
Stations of the Cross in the Petřín Gardens

Pamukkale, New Years, 2019

We first visited Pamukkale in 2000 when we did a tour of the Seven Churches and stayed just one night. It was really interesting to return here with our children and see the restoration that has taken place since.

Pamukkale / Hierapolis

The travertines of Pamukkale are world famous. The rock formations that have been deposited from the hot springs over the centuries are amazing. We tried to translate the inscriptions at the theatre and spent most of the afternoon wandering around the large site. I don’t remember the ruins of the church and tomb of Philip and the large cathedral being on the tour in 2000.

Hot air balloon over travertines at Pamukkale
Hot air balloon over the travertines

Laodicea

In 2000, our tour just drove up to the site and there was not a lot to see. Now there is a paid entrance (15 ₺), cafe and gift shop. There were a couple of cranes and many workers uncovering ruins and restoring the city. A Byzantine church with mosaic floors was rediscovered here in 2010 and it has been preserved along with a temple, main streets, and houses.

Mosaic floor, Church, Laodicea
Mosaic floor of the church

Karahayıt city forest

Near our thermal hotel – relaxing in the hot pools was great – is a city forest. We enjoyed a climb into the mountains until the track got too muddy to go further.

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