City Trip: A day in Cleveland

Cleveland_17Industrial and industrious would be good words to describe the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1796 on the western frontier of the early United States, it became a center of heavy industry and transportation, before entering into a decline in the early 1980’s, followed by a slow revival from the late 1990’s. Perhaps not the most obvious US city trip destination, but Cleveland certainly has plenty to see and do to warrant a few days of your time. Especially for the space historian it has a lot of cool stuff, making Cleveland a must-see. Follow me on a virtual tour to Cleveland, Ohio: Continue reading

Instawalk through smalltown America – Athens, Ohio

Instawalk_Athens_Ohio_SSP15_14Thinking about the United States, most travelers will have images of skyscrapers in big cities, steep red mountains in endless desert plains, wonderful sunny beaches or lush national parks with deep canyons and luxurious mountain resorts. However, 80% of the United States consists of small towns, away from the big cities, totally off the tourist track. People live a simple, slow paced life, relatively secluded from the rest of the world, in tight-knit communities. These communities are often based around a particular industry or agriculture. Please follow me on a virtual trip to Smalltown USA: Continue reading

Rotterdam Citytrip: Manhattan on the Maas

A great place for urban photographers, under all angles!Locally referred to as ‘Manhattan on the Maas’, Rotterdam is a city in transition. Long known as a blue collar hard working port city, hosting the world’s largest port, it is rapidly evolving into the place to be in the Netherlands. Rotterdam is a city of modern architecture, modern shopping, modern food and the country’s best cityscapes. I guess there is a good reason that #instawalk010 is one of the most popular traveler hashtags of the Netherlands. Continue reading

City Trip: Two Days in Montreal

Montreal Quebec CanadaLooking for the top things to do in Montreal? Spending a few days on business and have some time to spare? Montreal is a great city for a city trip, with plenty to do for a day, and more than enough great sights for a week or longer, in any season! I visited Montreal in the height of summer, in July 2014. Or as they say in Montreal, in the height of the construction season. Like many of my readers I was in the area for business, but stayed a little longer to see the city. Continue reading

Washington DC with Kids

USA_Oct2014_0078sWashington DC is a great destination to visit with kids. With dozens of historic sights it is a perfect place for a citytrip, or to build into an East Coast itinerary. I visited the city several times over the past years, most recently (October 2014) as part of a father-son road trip. Please travel along with me and my 12 year old son to my very subjective top-5 family travel sights to visit in the US capital. Continue reading

Space City Baikonur – a travel guide

Baikonur_City_47There are a handful of places in the world that are on top of every space enthusiast’s bucket list. For the true space historian Baikonur has the top spot. This is the town where human’s voyage into space truly began, with the launch of the world’s first satellite, Sputnik 1 in 1957, quickly followed by the launch of the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin in 1961. If these two historic facts are not enough to make you want to visit, then the fact that this is the only place in the world (apart from China) where humans are being launched into space today, should convince you. Baikonur embodies the great past of spaceflight, but still counts as the most important space port in the world today, 59 years after construction began. Continue reading

Moscow Space Sights

Moscow_Space_Sights_33Moscow is a bucket list destination for space travellers. It is the starting point for all real travellers to space, but it is also a great starting point for travellers interested in the history of space flight. Moscow was home to one of the founding fathers of modern space exploration. It was here where Sergei Korolev experimented with rockets as early as the 1930’s. His amateur rocketry club evolved into a leading global space industry that launched the first ever satellite in 1957, followed by the first human into orbit in 1961. Continue reading

A day in Moscow

Moscow_Citytrip_03When thinking of Moscow, I always had images of military parades, long speeches by uniformed leaders and large statues of communist working class heroes. It took 43 years before I finally set foot in the largest city of Europe, over 25 years after the fall of communism. What I discovered was a city far from my stereotypical perception.  Russia’s capital city is a true international metropolis, offering everything from the most expensive to the poorest neighborhoods in Europe. A far cry from the old communist days. It converted into one of the most capitalist cities I have visited, but friendly to the traveler. A surprisingly inviting citytrip destination. Continue reading

Minneapolis: More Than the Mall of America

Minneapolis_Saint_Paul_2011_003Think of your top-10 bucket list cities in North America. Good chance that Minneapolis won’t be on it. It is one of those off-the-beaten-track places that you won’t visit until you accidentally end up there for work, a conference, visiting friends or a long layover. Like most travellers know, these places are often the most authentic and surprising. Minneapolis, and its twin city Saint Paul, are no exception to that rule. I ended up in the Twin Cities in Minnesota when visiting friends, with my daughter in 2011. Continue reading

New York City with kids

New_York_with_kids_2011_008Do you remember when you were 11 years old? For me it was a very special age. Still a kid, with all the kid’s perks, but also very aware of the world around. In a way it is the perfect age. No responsibilities, huge amounts of time and a long exciting road ahead. I have arrived at the point where my own kids have that same exciting age, time to make it equally special to them! Continue reading