Agawa Bay At Dawn, Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Before making my way back to the states, I took one last moment to fully appreciate just how beautiful Agawa Bay truly is. The morning sun casting its light in the distance to the peaking maple belt was the cherry on top. There’s a raw natural beauty along the eastern shores of Lake Superior. A […]
Crystal Forest, Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, USA
My wife and I started off the new year doing what we love most – hiking in new locations. For this trip, we headed to Holbrook, AZ, to check out the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. Rain was in the forecast, but we managed to stay dry and went for a longer hike […]
Rice Fields, Maiorca, Figueira da Foz, Coimbra, Portugal
The Portuguese are very fond of rice; they consume 16 kilos per year per person, the highest value in Europe! The complete rice-growing cycle takes 5 to 7 months, depending on the variety. The seeds are buried in the spring in moist soil (or already germinated in flooded ground). When the plant reaches a certain […]
Aries Tor Pure Gold, Thredbo, New South Wales, Australia
Just after Christmas 2025, my wife and I hiked up to Aries Tor, a granite outcrop near the summit of Mount Kosciuszko in Australia. It has always been a bucket list adventure and photography location for us after a failed attempt to reach it about seven years ago. The Tor is a difficult spot to […]
Stone pines, Obidos, Leiria, Portugal
The stone pine is one of the most beautiful trees of the Portuguese flora. The species, distributed throughout the Mediterranean, occurs in almost all Portuguese provinces — except in the very dry interior — most notably near rivers and the ocean. The trees can reach 20 metres in height and live for many years. The […]
Petit Minou Lighthouse, Plouzan, Finistere, France
The lighthouse “du Petit Minou” is one of the most iconic lighthouses in Brittany. Located in the commune of Plouzané, just west of Brest, it stands sentinel at the entrance to the “Goulet de Brest” (the Brest Narrows). Built in 1848, its primary function is to guide vessels safely into the roadstead of Brest. The […]
Moon Rise, Baiao, Porto, Portugal
A few days ago, I was mesmerized by watching the moon rise behind the branches of a pedunculate oak tree I have in the backyard. The full moon was just a few days away, but she was already magnificent and seductive. I couldn’t help but think about Pliny’s description of the collection of mistletoe from […]
Noirmoutiers Pier, Vendee, France
The iconic Noirmoutiers Estacade was located on the island of Noirmoutier. An “estacade” (local name for a pier) was a kind of long, openwork jetty made of wood, stakes, and piles. At 06:00, I crossed the woods with my headlamp, in the dark of night, to reach the pier, which I had spotted the night […]
The Arctic Circle Totem, Tromso, Norway
Arriving at the Arctic Circle for the first time is undoubtedly a wonderful feeling. There’s practically nothing, and yet everything, depending on how you look at it. A windy, rocky landscape opens up, with snow-capped mountains to the left, the Okshornan, and then there it is, the monument that certifies where you are, the monolith […]
European Beach Grass, Obidos, Leiria, Portugal
Primary dunes are particularly sensitive to spoilage and degradation, as the vegetation is only herbaceous, and the sand is a substrate easily transported by the wind. The European beach-grass is the most important perennial herbaceous plant for fixing sand and maintaining primary dunes. Last summer, when visiting Óbidos lagoon, I was marvelled by a dune […]