Blooms in Butchart Gardens
Just a quick photo post today, this one from the famous Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia. I liked the droplets of water speckling this tulip surrounded by dainty white flowers.
Author: Annika / Real Scandinavia
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: The founder/editor of Real Scandinavia, Annika S. Hipple is a freelance writer and photographer who calls both the United States and Sweden home. Raised bilingual and bicultural, she has traveled extensively in Scandinavia, both independently and as a professional tour leader. Her writing and photography have appeared in a wide range of print and online publications. For more information, visit her website.
At the Edge of the Earth at Cape Horn
Few places are as lonely as Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America. This isolated headland on Hornos Island marks the northern edge of the Drake Passage, a treacherous body of water that was the bane of many a ship before the construction of the Panama Canal. “Rounding the Horn” meant battling strong Read More …
Bandits, Soldiers, and Señoritas with Flowers: Spain’s Ronda Romantica Festival
I decided to visit the hilltop town of Ronda, Spain, because I’d heard it was one of the most beautiful of Andalucía’s pueblos blancos, or white towns, and because it was fairly easy to access en route from Córdoba to Granada. But my choice turned out to be serendipitous in a way I hadn’t anticipated: My Read More …
Lion Encounter in Namibia’s Ongava Reserve
It was the first day of my Namibian safari to Etosha National Park and Damaraland with Wilderness Safaris. We had checked into our first camp, Andersson’s Camp in the private Ongava Game Reserve adjacent to Etosha, a few hours earlier and were out for our first game drive. Ongava is known for its resident populations Read More …
The Smallest Bird in the World
I just returned from leading a tour in Cuba, where my group had the opportunity to see the world’s smallest bird, the bee hummingbird. As its name suggests, this miniscule flier is scarcely bigger than a bumblebee. Its Spanish name, zunzuncito, captures something of the whirring of its tiny wings as it darts through the air Read More …
Misty Morning in the Abernethy Forest
On an October morning in the Scottish highlands, I joined a group of birdwatching enthusiasts for a day out in the forests of Speyside, on the western edge of the Cairngorms Mountains. The group was on a week-long tour with Speyside Wildlife, one of Scotland’s leading wildlife travel companies, and on this particular day they Read More …
Little Red Lighthouse on the St. Lawrence
The coastline of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula is dotted with lighthouses; in fact, it seems as though almost every town has one. On my recent trip to the region, we drove along the shore road that hugs the St. Lawrence River and stopped at one of the most distinctive lighthouses, a fire-engine-red beacon that stands on Read More …
Pied Piper with a Camera: Attracting a Following in Sauraha, Nepal
Here’s one from my film archives: A group shot of children in the village of Sauraha, in the lowland region of Nepal known as the Terai. Sauraha is the gateway to Chitwan National Park, which is home to the rare – and elusive – Bengal tiger (which I didn’t see), as well as rhinos (which Read More …
The View from Andersson’s Camp, Namibia
I think it was the zebras that showed up first. But it may have been a giraffe, or possibly a kudu. In any case, it didn’t take long after we arrived at Andersson’s Camp in Namibia’s Ongava Game Reserve before various species made an appearance at the waterhole just beyond the lounge area. As we Read More …
Cuban Romance: Wedding Photos in Trinidad
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’ve been thinking back over the romantic scenes I’ve encountered during my travels. One that comes to mind is from a tour I led to Cuba a couple of years ago. I was walking near the main plaza of Trinidad with some members of my group when we saw a Read More …