r/travel #April-2026

Shinkyō Bridge, Nikko

Kegon Waterfalls

Bandai-Azuma Skyline

Akiu Great Falls

Togakushi

Matsumoto Castle

Torii gates in Kyoto

Kyoto at night

Kanba Falls

Itsukushima Jinja

Hinoji Valley - Iya River Bend

Iya Valley Vine Bridge

Naruto Whirlpools

Deer in Nara Park

Shiraito Falls

View of Mt Fuji from Oishi Park

View of Mt. Fuji from Oshino hakkai

View of Mt Fuji from Lake Yamanaka

Sunset over Mt Fuji - view from the Izu Skyline

Overlooking the river and gorge

Japanese room

Indoor springs at hotel

Gorge walking path

River and hotel (my room faces this view)

Tea ceremony spot

End of the gorge

Restaurant menu (online translation is clutch)

Sashimi Salad ($5)

Oyster set lunch ($10)

Free drinks and snacks every afternoon

A fancier hotel in town

Saraku

Only 6 or 8 seats

Incredible fatty tuna

I crawled off to sleep in the bath....

Tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor

Tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor

Temple of Khnum in Esna

Thun Old Town. A quiet alley beside Obere Hauptgasse.

Thun Old Town. Obere Hauptgasse - the uniquely architected two-storey main street of the old town of Thun.

Thun Castle. The Aare river peeking through the buildings in the town as seen from the Thun Castle.

Aare River. A man surfing in the Aare River and also doing it insanely well might I add.

Mannlichen-Kleine Scheidegg. The summit of Jungfrau peeking from the clouds as seen along the Mannlichen-Kleine Scheidegg Panorama Trail.

Brandegg. A couple of unassuming cows munching away at the lush green grass.

Brandegg. Purple flowers, grazing cows, the soothing sound of their bells, tall conifers, a mighty peak rising in the backdrop - just breathtaking.

Grindelwald Grund. A vintage-looking mountain train running between Grindelwald and Kleine Scheidegg.

Spiez. Stumbled upon this view of the Spiez Castle with Lake Thun in the background on an overcast day as I was hurrying back from Migros after grabbing the night's dinner.

Oeschinensee. Just a dynamic duo chillin' on a hill overlooking the lake.

Oeschinensee. Breathtaking view of a snow capped peak with a near vertical face and the lake.

Stoos Ridge. Just some guy on an alpine meadow full of flowers enjoying pretty views of Lake Lucerne.

Stoos Ridge. Can you imagine how tiny those boats and their wakes look - insane. And thats a cliff with a town called Seelisberg that has a tiny lake of its own!

Stoos Ridge. A slope with white flowers as far down the hill as the eye could see with breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps.

Stoos Ridge. Clear skies, sunny day, Lake Lucerne, the Alps, green hills, wildflowers - couldn't ask for more.

Stoos. View of the mountains as we enjoyed our Aglio e Olio at Restaurant zum Gadä.

Part of the traditional Kurdish picnic (not pictured: yogurt dolma, shisha, homemade flat bread, and more)

Green valley between the border of Iran and Soran

Great Mosque in Aqrah (one of the oldest in the country)

Overlooking Aqrah, popular for their Kurdish New Years celebration

Traditional Kurdish attire (Aqrah)

Scenic alleyway in Aqrah

Overlooking Amedi, a very historical town in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The rugged mountain landscape observed next to Amedi.

This is what an almond looks like, which is native to Iraqi Kurdistan. Locals sometimes eat these as a snack before the almonds mature into the form that we commonly consume them.

Overlooking the scared temples in Lalish, homeplace for the Yazidi who went through a horrendous genocide by ISIS in the last decade or so.

Safari on Chobe river - sighting of lions under a tree, both for the boats and the cars

this is what everyone was looking at

sunset on Chobe river

meet the meerkats

I'm meerkat real-estate

swimming elephant in Chobe river

Elephant Sands

Elephant sunset

We are waiting! We saw over 200 vultures in a dozen trees on one game drive. Surely something really big must have died nearby.

Africa's most beautiful bird, the lilac-breasted roller

exploring the Okavango in a Mokoro

locals fishing in the Okavango

The elusive Wild Dogs, we saw them!

The Okavango from above

Old Town

Old Town

Old Town

Takayama, Japan - Two Days in July 2026

Takayama, Japan - Two Days in July 2026

Shiroyama Park

Yakitori

A5 Wagyu

Soup Curry with Duck

Showa Museum

Showa Museum

Retro Museum

Retro Museum

Shohei Otani

Street Ride

Thrift Store Haul

Morning View from Basecamp- Acatanengo

Reserva Cerro Tsankujil- San Marcos

San Juan Street art- Lake Atitlan

Sun rise Hike- Lake Atitlan

Mirador Semuc Champey

Sunset View Point- Flores

Tikal Ruins

Iglesia De la Merced- Antigua

San Pablo Semana Santa Preparation

Mysuru Palace arches

Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Mumbai Suburban Railway

Beach at Fort Kochi

Mayo Hall, Bengaluru

Fort Kochi

Government Botanical Gardens, Ooty

Hotel lobby balcony in Da'an District, Taipei

Chrysanthemum display in Da'an Park, Taipei

One of the many bowls of beef noodle soup we ate (劉山東小吃店, Taipei)

Dihua Street, Taipei

Ocarina shop on a side street in Jiufen

A-Mei Teahouse in Jiufen

View of part of Taipei from Taipei 101

View from Yao Yue Teahouse, Taipei

There are so many great, cute cafes all over Taiwan. This is in Tamsui, Taipei

View of Sun Moon Lake from the hotel room balcony

"European Gardens" in the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, near Sun Moon Lake

Going up the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway

Alley outside our rental house in West Central District, Tainan

Shennong Street, Tainan

Dome of Light in the Formosa Boulevard MRT Station, Kaoshiung

View from the top of the Dragon & Tiger Pagodas, Kaoshiung

Relaxing view of Cijin Beach from the Cijin Sunset Bar

Colorful buildings of Cijin and downtown Kaoshiung in the back, from the Kaoshiung Lighthouse

We loved Taiwan so much - Trip report March 2026

Harbour in the city centre

Arctic Cathedral

Love for liquorice

Sami Shop 69° North

Tromsø Cathedral

Lyon - Fourvière Hill. Where else can you see ancient Roman ruins, Renaissance rooftops, a 19th century cathedral, and modern skyscrapers all at once?

Annecy - Stopped here for a stroll and a picnic on our way to the Alps.

Chamonix - The unbelievably charming view from our hotel room.

Chamonix - We took the Aiguille du Midi cable car to the top for stunning views of Mont Blanc and the Alps.

Nice - View of Vieux Nice and the Côte d'Azur from Castle Hill.

Nice - Another viewpoint stop on our walk through the park at Castle Hill.

Nice - Another room with a view! We found a great rental overlooking the Cours Saleya.

Arles - View of the Rhône River and the characteristic red roofs of the Old Town as seen through a window of the city’s ancient Roman amphitheater.

Arles - Sunset outside of the Roman amphitheater.

Arles - Van Gogh painted many of his famous works in town so there are plaques marking the location with the painting for comparison. He stayed at this hospital after the👂incident.

Outside of Arles - the Pont du Gard is an exceptionally well-preserved Roman aqueduct and a great place for a picnic! Tip: no one will bat an eye if you open a whole bottle of Rosé

Outside of Arles - The beautiful countryside of Provence!

Carcassonne - We felt like we stepped back in time (or into a board game IYKYK) in this restored medieval fortress village.

Carcassonne - The best part of spending a night here was having the place to ourselves after dark!

Sarlat-la-Canéda - This is the market square of this charming medieval town. We got to stop by the market the next day for some local goodies to enjoy on a picnic.

Dordogne River - It was cold and rainy for our 16km canoe trip down river but that meant we had it all to ourselves! Loved stopping along the river to stroll the small villages.

Dordogne River - One of the canoe stops where we had a picnic of local treats from the market like duck prosciutto, rocamadour cheese, fresh bread and the most delicious apricots!

A fraction of my food pics: duck & potatoes sarladaise (Sarlat), mussels (Nice), bull stew & chocolate lava cake (Arles), foie gras (Carcassonne), escargot & bone marrow (Lyon)

Buddhist art at Matsuoka Museum

Budhhist art at Matsuoka Museum

Garden at Matsuoka Museum

Egyptian art at Matsuoka museum

Military yearbook at Jimbocho

Rare books in Jimbocho

Art Gallery Mitsukoshi Department store

Beatles exhibition Mitsukoshi Department store

Department store items

$100 melon at department story