A short train ride from Prague is the small town of Kutna Hora where you will find the Sedlec Ossuary, more commonly known as the Bone Chapel. Inside the church, bones and skulls have been made into all kinds of things, from chandeliers to coat of arms. These bones came from the victims of the Black Death who were buried, then later exhumed and stacked in the chapel.
The very first thing we noticed in Prague was the music, ringing from every corner. Everywhere you go, there are musicians playing their instruments or singing. Here you can see a circle of people congregating in Old Town Square listening and dancing to the troubadours playing festive traditional folk songs.
On our way to Prague, we made a pit stop in the quaint German city of Dresden. Even though the weather there was cold and windy, we were happy to be out exploring this absolutely beautiful town. Everywhere you turn, there is another elaborate building or another statue to feast your eyes on. One of the places we stopped in was the Katholische Hofkirche (Catholic church), where we found some reprieve from the cold while listening to the soothing organ music vibrating through the white halls.
Our last day in Berlin was overcast and dreary. Instead of letting it deter us, we grabbed an umbrella and headed out to the largest public park in Berlin. Walking through Tiergarten, we had a little fun with our umbrella trying to see who can have the best ‘swept away’ pose. Clearly Kim won.
There are a lot of memorials in Berlin, many commemorating the victims of Nazi Holocaust, but none as far reaching as these stolpersteine (stumbling stones). Created by Gunter Demnig, they are found all over Berlin as well as the rest of Europe. Each one is engraved with the name of the victim, the date of their deportation and death. All the blocks are about the size of a cobble stone, embedded into the street in front of the house of each person murdered. Many people may walk by and miss these small reminders, however they are there to let us know these people existed and the atrocities they have suffered.
On day 2, we finally made it to Berlin after a round-about flight. Our first stop was the East Side Gallery to check out the famous graffiti on the Berlin Wall, a memorial for freedom. Some of the art work were quite poignant, while others were just weird and wacky in a wonderful way.
After a week at the beach, we were ready to head into the outback, to see Australia’s most recognizable natural landmark. Ayer’s Rock (Aboriginal name: Uluru) is a large sandstone rock formation rising out of the central Australian desert in the Northern Territories. The monolith has been around for millions of years and is considered sacred to the Anangu, the Aboriginal people in the area. Looking out the window as our plane descended, I could see Uluru dominating the red landscape in the distance.
Coco Plum, Belize
This serene setting brings back many happy memories of our stay on Coco Plum – a small island off the coast of Belize. On one of our walks around the island, we took a picture of this small tree thriving over the calm water, juxtaposed against the vibrant sunset.
Every Monday of each week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.
Arabian Desert, Dubai, UAE
Recently sand surfing has become a popular sport in the Middle East, and while on our short trip to Dubai we had a chance to experience this adrenaline filled past-time in the Arabian desert. We took a 4×4 out to the middle of the desert, strapped on a board, and glided down the soft sand dunes. This picture was taken of my friend Nate as he crushed it, on his first time down the dune.
Every Monday of each week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.
Tokyo, Japan
We spent a morning in Tokyo walking through the Asakusa district. Along Nakamise-dori, you’ll find many stores selling all kinds of things; from traditional kimonos, to okashi (Japanese sweets), to souvenirs as pictured above. The streets are crowded with tourists and locals in their traditional fineries making their way to Sensoji Temple, the oldest temple in the city.
Every Monday of each week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home. Most of my photos have little or no post processing. If you would like to see more, please click the ‘Follow’ button.
life after 9to5 