Our first trip to see some of Beijing’s highlights took place surprisingly soon after with a bus turning up to take us all to the main site of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Those games had taken place in August 2008 and our visit was in early November.

The first stop for us was the Beijing National Aquatics Centre, known colloquially as the Water Cube. Our bus parked up and we walked towards the building where there was a short wait while our guide went ahead to pick up the pre-booked tickets to allow us inside. Looking around we could see signs of the recent Olympics everywhere and two buildings other than the Water Cube dominated the local landscape: the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium where we’d be heading next, of course, and a rather odd-looking building called the Pangu Plaza office complex which was described as representing both an olympic torch and a dragon but which to us seemed to resemble a rabbit more than anything else. We’d get more photos of this building following our next visit in the city.

We weren’t the only tourist group in the vicinity but we were the only non-Chinese tourist group around which made us as much a point of interest for the other visitors as the sights we’d all come to see but that was okay with me as I found them equally interesting too.

Our guide returned and we headed inside. It’s nice to say that we’ve stood in the venue of an Olympic Games but to be fair there wasn’t much else to do other than peer at the pool and the seating and other tourists. The 2022 Winter Olympics will also take place in Beijing and the Water Cube will be repurposed as the Ice Cube to host the curling event so we’ll be keen to see how it all looks although it has already undergone an internal redesign since we visited in 2008.

Our guide had given us all ten minutes to look around but we were done in less than half that so headed back outside the aquatics centre to the designated meeting point. This did at least give us the chance to look more at the building itself and its very distinctive bubble patterning. The building had been designed by a consortium of Chinese and Australian firms with the idea for the bubbles coming from the Australian architects; the base design of a cube shape was a traditional Chinese style choice and represented the Earth while the nearby circular shape of the Olympic Stadium represented Heaven. The bubble covering is a fluorine-based plastic with high resistance to corrosion and better efficiency at allowing in light and heat than glass, part of the Beijing’s attempt to create an ecologically-friendly event.

It wasn’t long until everyone had come out to join us and once the headcount was confirmed we walked the short distance to the next venue, the Beijing Olympic Stadium.

A little bit of history of the Summer Palace because everyone likes a little bit of history just before they see all the pretty pictures and get some good old-fashioned wanderlust coursing through their veins.

The Summer Palace can date its origins back to the middle of the twelfth century although at that time it was simply the site of some minor palaces and temples taking advantage of the natural springs and lakes nearby for pleasing views. It wasn’t until the Qing dynasty and late into the eighteenth century that serious expansion of the lakes to improve water supply to the city took place and the transformation of the area into a collection of imperial gardens, palaces, and temples as the Summer Palace was completed. The design of the palace grounds was grounded in Chinese mythology with dragons and mountains represented, but maintenance of the complex was high and it soon fell into disrepair.

In the latter half of the nineteenth century French and British forces looted the palace during the Second Opium War. The nearby Old Summer Palace was burned down at this time on the orders of Lord Elgin (son of the other Lord Elgin, famous (infamous if you’re Greek) for his appropriation of the Elgin Marbles for the British government) in retaliation for the Chinese torturing and murdering European and Indian prisoners. The twentieth century saw the Boxer Rebellion cause serious damage to the palace (although it was restored soon after) and, after the Last Emperor (you might have seen him in the movie of the same name) abdicated, the Summer Palace became first private property and then a public park. For a short period after the Second World War the Summer Palace housed the Central Party School for the Communist Party.

The history lesson is over.

We arrived on the eastern side of the Summer Palace and our visit of a few hours was only enough to take in a very small section of the area. You could easily spend over half a day here if you were staying in Beijing. We started off with a visit to the Renshoudian. Also known as the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity this was a collection of buildings – temple, palace, halls with ancient artifacts – around a courtyard garden area filled with bronze sculptures and large rocks called Taihu Stones.

The Taihu Stones and their distinctive shapes are formed by the action of pebbles constantly rubbing on larger rocks through rushing water action creating holes in the larger structure, and were considered lucky. Many were brought to the Summer Palace at great expense.

A prominent bronze sculpture caught many of the tourists’ attentions. This was a Qilin. Often translated as “unicorn” the Qilin clearly isn’t one because I’ve got the ability to count horns and can reach the number two with consummate ease.

You’d be hard-pressed to tour an ancient Chinese site and not see some motif or relief work representing dragons and we weren’t disappointed with some of the stone decorations on show in this first section of the Summer Palace that we visited.

From the Renshoudian we headed roughly southwest towards the lake that makes up most of the Summer Palace landscape. This took us through the Wenchang Pavilion, constructed like a huge city gate and with a nearby hall containing more artifacts.

We didn’t stop at the pavilion as Kunming Lake was our destination. It’s possible to hire boats for personal use, either pedal or electric-powered ones, but there are larger vessels that can take groups of tourists on circuits of the lake too and it was the latter option that our Princess Cruises-organised tour directed us to.

A quick apology here for the state of the photographs of Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace. Beijing is well-known for its smog, although our 2008 visit to China not long after the Olympics meant that pollution levels were pretty low during our three days there. However, with this being November and the sun setting reasonably early in the evening and there still being some smog, even if it wasn’t particularly noticeable to us at the time, a lot of the pictures taken before and during our boat ride around the lake ended up shooting into the low sun coming through smog and reflecting off water. The result is what you’ll see below for a lot of shots: washed-out colours heavily leaning towards the yellow and orange hues, and very little dark detail. As the saying goes, it is what it is.

We boarded a boat not far from Wenchang Pavilion on the east side of Kunming Lake. Looking to the north we could see a large buddhist temple. South there was a long bridge with numerous arches, and we would soon be sailing past both of them.

Our pleasant, gentle circuit of the shallow, artificial lake took place in an anti-clockwise direction so the first sight we passed was the towering complex on the northern shore. This was Foxiang Ge (Tower of Buddhist Incense, or Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha). This building was one of those burned down by Anglo-French forces but later rebuilt and presently comprises three, eight-sided storeys on a twenty-metre-deep stone base. The temple houses a statue of the thousand-handed Guanshiyin Buddha.

West of the buddhist temple was a very unusual sight. This was the Marble Boat (also known as the Boat of Purity and Ease). Serving as a tea house with fabulous views over Kunming Lake now, this was originally a wooden structure on a stone base but like much in the area was destroyed by arson during the Second Opium War. Its reconstruction took place under the instruction of Empress Dowager Cixi and was likely through funds originally earmarked for rebuilding the navy. Despite its appearance and name, the Marble Boat is still made from wood but is now painted convincingly to resemble stone. It incorporates clever drainage systems that funnel rainwater through hollow columns.

The lake with three islands is important symbology in China and as we continued our scenic boat ride around the lake we saw numerous bridges connecting those islands. Interestingly, each bridge was very different in design. Of the smaller bridges that we saw the one that stood out most was Yudai, known as the Jade Belt Bridge. Made from marble, its shape is designed to resemble the simple bridges of the southern Chinese countryside but its unusually high clearance was a deliberate feature to allow the Qianlong Emperor to pass under it on his dragon boat.

The largest of the bridges on Kunming Lake is visible from pretty much any point along the lake’s shoreline. Shiqi Kong Qiao gets its name from its design, the literal translation being Seventeen-Arch Bridge. The bridge is one hundred and fifty metres long, making it the longest bridge in any Chinese imperial garden, and it connects the mainland to Nanhu Island. The railings on the bridge incorporate five hundred stone lions in different poses. A variety of halls, temples, and towers dotted the small island, each filling a scenic location on the landmass in which to enjoy the views of the Summer Palace in every direction, and as we gently motored past Nanhu on its north side we passed Hanxu Hall which directly faces the Buddhist tower on the shore of the lake.

Stepping ashore we had time to see one more interesting item before departing. The Kunlun Stone Tablet is inscribed with a poem written by the Qianlong Emperor and describes how the shores of the lakes changed during his years of coming to the Summer Palace and especially enjoying his time on and around Kunming Lake.

And that brought our time visiting the Summer Palace in Beijing to a close with just a short wait outside the main entrance while we waited for our bus to find us. It was a short visit of only a couple of hours that really barely scratched the surface of what there is to see at this tourist spot. If I were returning now then I’d like to have spent more time in the buildings looking at the artifacts on display and a look inside the imposing Buddhist temple would be a must too, but as a taster of what to see and as part of a combination of historical trips in one day in the pre-cruise package hosted by Princess Cruises then this was a fantastic trip.

We would have just one more day in Beijing before our cruise on Diamond Princess but it would be a very full one indeed.

As it was November it was cold enough to give everything a sheen of ice so we were quite careful on our first evening there but had a reasonable walk along part of the Icelandic shoreline before heading inland. We had no plans to visit anything at that time, just take in the lay of the land, make a note of anything interesting, and grab some shots of the varied architecture.

Water featured heavily in the town with rivers, a lake, and a reservoir in addition to the Atlantic coast.

We noticed a few pieces of art and sculpture and there was obviously some sort of street art scene going on in the area too.

On the final day we would discover Hellisgerdi Park and its abundance of artwork.

By the ocean’s edge I was quite taken with a piece of brutal architecture but I couldn’t work out what its function was.

A processed image of something that may have been art or may have been functional or may have been both.

We happened to visit on one of the days when graduation was taking place which made for some nice people-watching.

The main draw of Bath, though, was its Roman Baths, built on what was an ancient shrine to the Goddess Sulis (hence Bath’s roman name of Aquæ Sulis).

It was grey at first but the sun did pop out for a bit as the day wore on. Ghent was architecturally stunning with much of it being medieval although the Dutch influence on the region was clear to see as well. St Bavo’s Cathedral was gorgeous inside; one of the most attractive cathedrals I’ve ever been in. Sadly, no photos were allowed and we abide by rules even if other visitors to the place ignored them completely. Gits.

After the cathedral we passed through Graffiti Street and made our way to Gravensteen Castle. After our climb to the top of that structure to look out over the rooftops of Ghent we felt in need of a beer so hit the one you can see pictured below. Pictures of the beer we had as well as the inside of the place can be found here.

As we met up with our guide and headed out of Ghent to find the coach that would take us back to Azura docked in Zeebrugge we passed a wedding photoshoot taking place making use of a drone. I couldn’t help but take a few shots of the happy couple too.

Our trip included a visit to a spy museum (I’d show you the pictures but then I’d have to kill you) and a meal before a little bit of a wander around the streets on the way to the main area of galleries and Smithsonian museums.

We like art and I’m drawn to more of the cubist, modernist trends rather than classical as a general rule so we weren’t disappointed with what Washington had to offer.

The science and aeronautical museums, though, were a great draw for us and a good number of visitors too. We tried to hit as many museums as we could, getting a feel for them rather than exclusively fixing on one or two but we still didn’t have time to visit every museum we wanted. Still, plenty more chances to hit America again.

At the waterfront area not far from our hotel we’d spotted a man standing at the edge of a jetty gesticulating and talking loudly. We sidled up nearby carefully before realising he was a preacher of some kind practicing his sermon to the water. At least that’s what we hope. For all we know his congregation were local Boston fish.

After wandering the waterfront area and stopping for some breakfast (eventually, after the person behind the counter couldn’t understand my accent and had to call for a manager) we crossed over the water via an old and photogenic pedestrian bridge.

Not wanting to get too far from our hotel and conscious that our travelling companion would possibly be awake by this time we looped back to our Boston hotel with me taking as many opportunities to snap a few photos of the city under the glorious sunshine as I could.

Our first stop was the most obvious landmark in Reykjavík, the Lutheran church Hallgrímskirkja. As we exited the impressive building we happened upon a wedding photo shoot taking place using the church as a backdrop. I made sure to take a few shots of the action as well.

After the church visit we walked the short distance down to the Reykjavík shoreline which provided some lovely views across the water to mountains around the Icelandic coast.

One of the features of the shoreline was the presence of a beautiful, stainless steel sculpture called The Sun Voyager. There were quite a few people hovering around, braving the bracing temperatures to take a photo or two and, unsurprisingly, I did the same. I also took a photo of an Icelandic man in front of the piece of art who drove up, hopped out of his car, and asked if I would. I’m nice like that.

Further along the water’s edge was the Harpa Concert Hall, an interesting piece of architecture that reminded me a little of the sand crawlers in Star Wars. We didn’t go in the building because there was a music festival taking place in Iceland in the week we were visiting and entrance was for ticket holders only.

We wandered around a little bit more after that taking more photos of Reykjavík’s streets and buildings as well as some of its street art while there was still light enough to do so before hunkering down in a few bars to grab some food and drink. Expensive, as you probably could guess with it being Iceland, but what we had was very good.

Lærdal Tunnel

To get to the church from where we were there were two options: either go over the mountains or go through the mountains. But with Princess Cruises we didn’t have to choose; there was no splitting of passengers into the group that wanted to go underground and the group that wanted to go over the top and the group that didn’t really care so long as a decision was made and they were back on the cruise ship in time for pre-dinner snacking at the buffet; no fights to the death or passionate arguments about the virtues of one route over another. We could do both. Our excursion would take us over the mountains on the way back but our journey to Borgund would go through them and that involved a trip through the Lærdal Tunnel, the longest road tunnel in the world. When we’re travelling we always like to try to do something that is the longest or highest or oldest or largest, etc. and this was it for us on this holiday. The tunnel was 24.51 kilometres long with occasional breaks in the monotony of the road for more open, blue-lit, cave sections. We were told that these were to simulate daylight and provide something to keep drivers alert. I took some video so you can see for yourself just how alert it makes you feel too.

Borgund Stave Church

We arrived at Borgund under deep, grey skies and torrential rain. That’s Norwegian weather for you. It didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for the structure and it lent the area around the church an air of menace as befits most religious buildings. That is their primary purpose and don’t argue with me otherwise. The drenched, black wood of the church’s exterior, however, caused a few problems with getting decent photographs against the sky but even in silhouette form the stave church looked fantastic.

We’d been told in the coach on the trip through the tunnel that we couldn’t use flash photography inside the stave church and again, as the coach arrived at Borgund and a dedicated church guide welcomed us, we were reminded that the use of flash photography was not permitted. She then took us around the building before letting us inside where, again, we were reminded that photography of the inside of the church was fine – she would illuminate areas of the pitch black interior with her torch – so long as we didn’t use flash photography. I think you probably know where I’m going with this but I’ll say it anyway. Despite three very clear instructions in English to our English-speaking group of British and American people some self-entitled arses (older American people, naturally) started taking flash photos inside the church. The guide was too polite to say anything and I wish that I had at the time but my wife and I satisfied ourselves somewhat by standing in front of those who had taken flash photos when they went to take others. All accidentally, like. The photographs of Borgund stave church that I took, naturally, didn’t use flash because when you’re told not to then that’s what you do. It’s called respect.

We finished off our visit to Borgund stave church with a walk around its graveyard and a quick look at the nearby museum which was small but with some interesting historical objects inside. Our next stop would be Lærdal village.

We popped into the Leeds Gallery next, mainly because one of us needed to pee. This gave us the opportunity for a bit of a look around (no photos though) and a quick stop to hydrate and grab a snack in the café. We were quite impressed with the tilework and general decorations of it.

We followed that up with a visit to the very good Leeds Museum (in a separate post) and with our cultural quotient filled we proceeded to explore the Yorkshire city on foot. As with a lot of big, old cities up north, away from much of the flattening that took place during World War 2, the architecture was fabulous and on a grand scale. Leeds city centre looked to be a quite well-to-do place, full of interesting shops and plenty of indoor shopping arcades.

One section of the pedestrianised shopping precinct in Leeds seemed to be popular with street entertainers including a Morris dancing side. We’ve got a soft spot for the traditions of the Morris so we stayed and watched for a little while, enjoying the interactions with other people.

Religious buildings were dotted around the city, as you’d expect.

Our walk back to the car park after we’d finished with nosing around some of the shops and stopping for a drink took us through more rundown, more modern streets and styles of architecture. There were still some gems among the bland buildings and even a few pieces of sculpture to punctuate that there was still some pride in these more industrialised areas.

A highlight of the trip was getting spotted with my camera by a local guy who then proceeded to pose and asked me to take a photo of him showing off his muscles. A little bit of street portraiture is absolutely fine with me so I was happy to oblige with a shot of this Leeds chap, whoever he was.