Huang Shan — Some Old Snapshots

Inspired by the photos of a blogger friend, I would like to share some of the old snapshots of my last visit to Huang Shan, China, 12 years ago. I “worked” very hard to make it to the top of the mountain, but not as hard as some of the locals who made their living by carrying people and goods up and down the mountain.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Satisfaction – Good Food

Good friends, good company, good food! Very satisfied dining with family and friends and, trying out different international cuisines: Cantonese, Mediterranean, Indian, French, Malaysian…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unusual — the King’s Day in Amsterdam

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unusual This is a special day for the people of the Netherlands:  the King’s Day, which is the King’s birthday on April 27.   It happened that we were in Amsterdam that day.  Besides lots of concerts, parties and events, there were lots of “free markets” everywhere in the street.  You can see from the…

Weekly Photo challenge: Collage–The beautiful Palais Garnier and Marc Chagall’s ceiling

This is a copy of my post on my other Blog: Falling in Love with Arts https://wordpress.com/post/speakingabouttravel.wordpress.com/1221   This post is in response to the  Weekly Photo Challenge. The Collage I want to highlight here is the Palais Garnier, the opera house in Paris.  The architect was Charles Garnier whose bold and decorative style had made…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge

What is a Bridge? What does it mean to you? What are the significant facts, histories, cultural heritage, and representation of the people in those places? To me, a bridge creates connection and communication.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Heritage — Dutch Clogs (Klompen)

This post is in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Heritage. During our recent trip to Amsterdam,  we visited a clogs workshop. Take a look at these beautiful clogs.  Don’t you want to bring a pair home? To wear or not to wear?  That’s the question! Although clogs are worn in many cultures around the world:  the Dutch,  Japanese, Chinese, Swedes…

Visit to the Keukenhof Gardens, Netherlands: a unique and beautiful experience.

It was a unique and beautiful experience visiting Keukenhof, the most beautiful spring garden in the world. It is located near to Amsterdam, Holland. Very often in spring time, there are day trips available from Amsterdam. Public transportation is also very easy and convenient.

Asian Art Museum new exhibition Tomb Treasures #2 : Dancer Figurine and Comment by Yuan Yuan Tan, #TombPleasures

Dancer Figurine This is my second post on the Asian Art Museum new exhibition.  This exhibition includes a creative approach which I personally appreciate very much.  It is the “Tomb Pleasure… Source: Asian Art Museum new exhibition Tomb Treasures #2 : Dancer Figurine and Comment by Yuan Yuan Tan, #TombPleasures

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco — Tomb Treasures, New Discoveries from the Han Dynasty

A new exhibition at Asian Art Museum in San Francisco: Tomb treasures newly discovered from the Han Dynasty of Ancient China, is a very interesting exhibition. If you travel to San Francisco between February and May 2017 do not miss this exhibition.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Rare (2)-Architecture Without Architects: Santorini, a Greek Island

  This post is my second response to Weekly Photo Challenge: Rare.  Please also see my first response: Weekly Photo Challenge: Rare –Architecture Without Architects: Telč, a City in Czech Republic, and my very old posts in another earlier Blog Exploring Turkey and Greece – Santorini. The four colorful pictures posted here were taken by my friend Link…

Weekly Photo Challenjnm mm ge: Rare –Architecture Without Architects: Telč, a City in Czech Republic cvs

This post is in response to Weekly Photo Challenge: Rare I just bought a book named   ” Architecture Without Architects.” By Bernard Rudofsky, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1965.   It is a very good book, providing a backdrop in understanding about Vernacular Architecture.   It is easy-to-read with lots of B&W pictures.  This youtube.com/@deniselau…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Pure

  This post is in response to the  Weekly Photo Challenge: Pure The SFMOMA has just reopened after three years of renovation.  As a member of SFMOMA for many years,  I am very excited of its new look and expansion. Due to work, I was only able to visit the museum twice on Thursday nights.  Both visits were…

Weekly Photo Challenge : “Spare”

“Spare” in Mother Nature, can be experienced during my travels in South America.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Now

This post is in responses to the Weekly Photo Challenge:  Now Now is the time to approach the end of the year. Now is the time to reflect what I did this year. Now is the time to think of new year resolution. Now is the time to look out for opportunities. Now is the time…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Gathering

Weekly Photo Challenge: Gathering. This is the theme of this week. I found two travel photos to share. One of them shows a gathering of the actors after a show in Yunnan, China. The other one shows  group of ladies all dressed up to celebrate a festival in Valencia, Spain. Both are pictures of fun…

Apsaras in the Art and Architecture of Cambodia

  This post is inspired by a blogger friend Michael Lai.  I had been hibernating and tonight I suddenly wanted to post something.  Having seen Michael’s recent post on apsaras in Cambodia, I went back to my earlier post on this topic and found these.  Angkor Wat is still one of my most favorite travel destinations….

Weekly Photo Challenge ” Vivid”: My trip to England, Wales and Scotland #1 The Rows!aqa

We are now traveling in Europe.  Today I learned something new.  In the Chester City of England,  we saw a number of buildings with a unique architectural design:  ” the Rows”. These are half-timbered buildings with rows of shops in the ground and upper floor built around the 13th century.  The patterns are vivid and sharp…

Diego Velazquez’s Las Meninas , a Masterpiece of Beauty and Puzzle–My Spain Trip #6

Originally posted on falling in love….with arts:
My dream to see this painting had finally come true!   This is one of my few “most desired to see” paintings.  My trip to Spain last year was one of my most satisfying one.  I did have the opportunity to visit three of the most famous…

2014 Blogging Review

Originally posted on Healthy and Happy:
Dear Readers: Happy New Year! Each year WordPress did a very impressive job of giving each active blog an annual report for the performance last year.  As I only posted on 4 of my 6 Blogs in 2014, I got 4 reports this time.  As the reports are quite…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Converge — My Spain Trip #5 Montserrat

This post is in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Converge. “Photos are visual spaces where shapes and lines, objects, and people come together.” ~ Ben Huberman~ I really like this topic.  To me, it is not only a photo challenge but a philosophical one.  Let us look at these pictures I took at Montserrat,  a multi-peaked…

Weekly Photo Challenge – Angular _My Spain Trip #4 -Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

This post is in response to the Weekly Photo Challenge- Angular.  The picture I posted here is the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which I visited last month.  The museum was designed by the American-Canadian architect Frank Gehry. From the Museum’s website: “Hailed as the most important structure of its time when it opened in 1997, Frank Gehry’s…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Cover Art (1): Santorini, to dream, to relax and explore.

This is in response to this Week’s Photo Challenge:  http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/cover-art/.  There are so many choices in my mind!  This is one of the pictures that came to my mind immediately:  The cute island Santorini, in Greece.   I did visit this beautiful island with family and friends, and published a book named Turkey and Greece Delights,…

My Spain Trip #3: Travel Theme Part IV – Market – Segovia. My picture framed for sale??

I was inspired by my blogger friend Michael Lai’s recent post on Dor Dor’s picture in the art gallery.  How can I do something similar with just my iPad since I am still traveling?  Well, here ‘s the result! My picture of the big flower sculpture “Puppy” by Jeff Koons, taken at the Guggenheim Museum…

Travel Theme: Market ( PART III) : Seafood Market in Bilbao, Spain. My Spain Trip # 2

We are now in Bilbao, a very interesting city to me primarily due to the Guggenheim Museum.  But I found something very special this morning: the seafood market which was a bonus , making this morning’s city tour even more interesting.  Take a look at all the fresh fish, shrimps, olives, herbs….and chicken feet!  What?…

Travel Theme: Market (part II) : Jamon (Spanish ham)

Traveling in Spain right now.  Hello from Barcelona !  Can’t help adding these to my MARKET collections!  Yum!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Endurance

This post is in response to the  Weekly Photo Challenge: Endurance It is not hard to find examples of “endurance” from my travel experience.  But I think this is the one that I really endured to the greatest extent up to my maximum limit. It was during my last trip to South America in December…

Travel Theme: Market

I was talking with another fellow blogger friend retireediary the other day about his self-created travel theme.  I then remember in my pre-blogging days, I did start a travel website which has different travel themes instead of categorizing my travel pictures by countries or destinations.  i wonder if anyone will respond to a travel theme I…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Humanity

This is in response to Thirdeyemom’s Photo Challenge: Humanity.  I have followed Thirdeyemom’s blog for a while, primarily of her “humanity” approach. I did not travel as much, but like Thirdeyemom, I love to study different cultures and connections with people.   For the purpose of this Challenge, I reviewed my travel websites and my blogs….

Weekly Photo Challenge- Dialogue

   In response to Frederic Biver’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Dialogue, this is my entry. Delightful desserts round in shape.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Extra, Extra

In response to the Weekly Photo Challenge:  Extra, Extra,  here are the two pictures I chose for the entries, The first picture was taken in front of the de young Museum in San Francisco.   A  young lady was walking towards the entrance of the museum. The poster is big, but she is small. The…