Findan was an Irishman from Leinster. The Nordmanni took his sister. Findan’s father gave him a satchel of coins and instructions that he was to go the raiders and bring her back. Joined by some friends he set out to find the Nordmanni. Unfortunately, they found him first, slaughtered his companions, clapped him in irons [...]
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The Best Driving Roads in the UK
For goodness sake. I’ve STILL never been outside of Heathrow or the Manchester airport. It is kind of unbelievable really. With all the things to do and see in the UK I always arrive there just in time to be on to someplace else. What I’d really like to be able to do sometime is [...]
Whooper Swans Heading North – My Shot of the Day – March 5, 2013
My shot for today is actually a year old. One year old exactly in fact. These Whooper swans passed over the kids and I on March 5, 2012 while we played on the ice in the Gulf of Bothnia next to Vasa, Finland. The Whooper swans (the national bird of Finland) were heading north into [...]
Ya. Chamonix and All That.
Yesterday I was up in Taos Ski Valley with the kids. We were tubing with my daughter’s school. It was incredibly fun. My little boy, watching the skiers on the slopes around us asked if he could learn how. “Oh no,” was my first thought. I grew up in Colorado and skiing was always part [...]
La Bastida – Spain’s Most Unique Archaeological Park
Just last September (2012) archaeological excavations at La Bastida in Murcia, Spain revealed some astonishing discoveries. La Bastida Spain was perhaps the most powerful Bronze Age (~4000 years ago) city in Europe, and excavations turned up a unique and imposing construction and fortification system matched only by the Minoans. For travelers, these discoveries are now [...]
Dutch East India-Netherlands Monument in Amsterdam
Joannes Benedictus van Heutsz was one bad dude. As Military Governor of the Aceh Province in what was then known as the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), van Heutsz set out to crush the twenty-five year old rebellion against the brutal Dutch rule. He was wildly successful. Of course it is estimated that some 70,000 [...]
The Söderfjärden Meteor Crater – Finland
I visited the Söderfjärden on a warm, rainy August morning. The ten kilometers of road south from Vasa were perfectly clear except for two fearless foxes moving from one stand of Red Pine to the other. I had spent the previous several days in Finland’s Kvarken Archipelago and had heard about the 520-560 million year old meteorite impact crater to the [...]
Losing My Venetian Codega
The irritating little Spaniard followed me onto the traghetto near dawn and we crossed the Grand Canal to the markets at Rialto. “I’m like your codega, amigo!” He told me again. “You know, I really don’t want you following me around again today.” In Venice Italy the codega was a professional guide, an escort, protector, guide [...]
Walking the Cova de Montserrat
Hitler thought the Holy Grail was hidden somewhere inside a mountain in Catalonia. According to Wolfram von Eschenbach, Titurel safeguarded the Grail at Munsalvaesche. The Benedictine monks of Montserrat, however, always claimed the Grail was hidden in the caves and tunnels under the sanctuary northwest of Barcelona. Montserrat juts up from the edge of the [...]
On the Road with: Giuseppe Acerbi
On a chilly afternoon in early April 1799, a group of large horse drawn sledges appeared on the ice off the coast of Oulu in Finland. They had come all the way from Sweden and the horses were tired. Clouds of steam rose from the animal’s flanks. They blew and stomped on ice so clear [...]
Exploring the Island of Tenerife
Picture a place with swaying palm trees, sandy beaches, and high mountain peaks in the distance. You order tapas and sangria, recline in a chair facing the Atlantic, and let the sun warm you from head to toe. The office and stresses of life are miles away from you: all you need to do is [...]
Five Special Museums in London
Museums in London are famous. From the British Museum to the Tate. From the National Gallery to Madame Tussauds. London museums have everything you want – and more. It seems that a return to Finland is in store late next summer. On the way, I’ll be making a stopover in London – one of those [...]
Purchase Fine Art Prints and Books by Jim O’Donnell
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Twenty-One Beautiful Birds of Panama – Birdgasm!
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Spring Rainstorm Pictures – My Shot of the Day – April 1, 2013
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Seeking Some Sassy Ceviche at the Fish Market in Panama City
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Arabian Sea Sunset
