Category Archives: tourism

Wichita museums

The Wichita Art Museum and Botanica are neighbors, sitting across Museum Boulevard from Old Cowtown Museum (see the previous post) along the Arkansas River in Wichita, Kansas. These were two more stops on my first morning visiting Wichita last week and both were a feast for the eyes.

I hadn’t seen Botanica’s new Chinese Garden of Friendship yet, so that was a nice surprise. The Wichita Art Museum is undergoing construction as well, although it is limited to creating new outdoor spaces. The interior galleries can be still be visited as usual.

Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, KS

Last week I attended a meeting of the Central States Chapter of the Society of American Travel Writers. That’s not unusual for me — I attend a fair amount of SATW functions — but this time things were a bit different because we were meeting in my home state of Kansas. It was a lot of fun hanging out in places I have known since I was a kid with a bunch of people that I’m normally with in much more exotic locations like Fiji, Thailand, Iceland, Egypt, etc.

One stop during the tours that were a part of this gathering was the Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita. I’ve tread the wooden sidewalks here many, many times but it was different this time, seeing the familiar with others who had not seen it before.

I’ll follow this post up with more featuring other stops that our group made in Wichita and up through the Kansas Flint Hills to Manhattan, ending with a stunning final night at the Symphony in the Flint Hills near Strong City.

Stock photography report: Germany

I do my best to keep on top of all of my stock photography sales, but every agency reports a little differently. I recently received a quarterly report from one agency covering the period of November 2014 through January 2015. As I entered the images into my tracking report, I noticed a larger number than usual were shot in Germany. That same day, I spotted two sales of Germany images on my Alamy account — which I can check online daily.

You never know how much to read into these reports, but I do like to look for trends of which country’s images seem to be most in demand at any given time. These past few months have been the best for my Germany images by far. I look forward to seeing if the trend continues.

The images I’m featuring here are not necessarily the ones that were on this report, but it seemed like a good excuse to dig back into my files from Germany and share a few favorites. Above are two from Leipzig, and here are some teacups on display in the Grassi Museum — also in Leipzig:

And a couple from beautiful Dresden:

Biking and Hiking in Phoenix

One more series from last month’s shoot in Phoenix, Arizona. Here are a few hiking/biking shots. Special thanks to good folks at Arizona Outback Adventures and Visit Phoenix for pulling everything together and being such great travel companions. You all are the best!

150421azoutdoor03_sotc

150421azoutdoor06_sotc

The Grand Canyon

I consider myself to be fairly well-traveled — especially within the United States — but, even so, there are a few top-tier destinations that have eluded me for no good reason. The Grand Canyon has been one of those until last month. It had become almost embarrassing to admit that I had never seen it but now I can put those days behind me.

Statistics show that the average visitor spends very little time in the park — like as little as an hour, with maybe only a few minutes at an actual overlook. While I didn’t spend a huge amount of time there either, I did beat the average and actually got to see the canyon from the air, from the perspective a trail, and I photographed both a sunset and sunrise from the rim. Not bad for a first visit, but I’d happily return for much, much more. I feel I barely scratched the surface, and that is probably an overstatement.

Sunset:

Sunrise:

Chinchon, Spain, and another wonderful parador

Another town nearby to Madrid, Spain, and Barajas airport is Chinchon, and — yes — it, too, has a wonderful parador (the Parador de Chinchon, of course). Although maybe not quite as close to the airport as the parador in Alcala de Henares that I wrote about in my last post, it’s still close enough to make a great first night’s stop or last night before flying out of Barajas.

The parador in Chinchon is located in an Augustinian monastery that dates back to the 17th century:

The streets of Chinchon are a bit steeper and winding than those in Alcala de Henares and the town feels a bit more remote and rustic. The parador is also less modern in styling, but it is extremely comfortable and charming. There are gardens, an outdoor pool and the terrace where I had dinner was the perfect spot to spend a quiet evening. The two Madrid paradors offer very different experiences but I’m quite fond of each for just that reason. It really comes down to what experience you want out of your stay. Alcala de Henares is a perfect fit for those that prefer something very modern but with cultural attractions just steps away, and Chinchon gives more of the feel of having left the city and experiencing an historic Spanish village.

Unlike Alcala, I have only stayed in Chinchon once but would happily return to explore these winding streets further.

Alcala de Henares, Spain

As the holiday season gets into full swing and the year winds down, I want to share just a couple more Spanish cities that I visited in 2014 but that I haven’t mentioned yet because they weren’t the focus of the trip. On all of my 2013-2014 trips to Spain, I’ve flown Iberia and landed in Madrid-Barajas Airport. A great airport and a fantastic airline. While Madrid has never been my final destination, I have needed to stay a night after flying in, or before flying out, before catching my next flight. Twice I’ve stayed at the wonderful Parador de Alcala de Henares just outside of Madrid and not far from Barajas.

Alcala de Henares is the birthplace of author Miguel de Cervantes who wrote the classic Don Quixote. Both Cervantes and his characters are commemorated with bronze sculptures in the heart of this historic city (the core is a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

The parador itself is well located near the main plaza and, like many paradors, is based in an historic structure — in this case a 17th-century monastery and school. But this parador embraces the modern as well, and many of the rooms are situated in newly-built structures that are almost subterranean, with a garden deck located on the rooftop. It’s hard to describe but, trust me, the rooms are wonderful and well lit while feeling very private and secluded.

Within easy walking distance, you have all manner of historic architecture, restaurants, bars, shops, etc. I often had a couple of hours to kill after arriving or before my airport shuttle arrived to explore and aimlessly walking the streets never disappointed.

Keep the Parador de Alcala de Henares in mind if you ever find yourself needing a stopover on your way through Madrid. It’s a great spot to park your bags for a night and to enjoy your first taste of Spain, or to drink in a bit more Spanish hospitality before you depart.

Oh, yes. The storks that I first encountered in Extremadura are here as well. I’ve come to love the rhythmic clatter of their bills and their ever-present — and enormous — nests (although I’m happy to not have one on my own chimney!). Next post — another of my “layover stops” when coming and going from Madrid…

A visit to the Casino de Murcia in Spain

The Casino de Murcia — located in the city of Murcia, Spain — is an exclusive social club. I’ve always loved the idea of a “gentlemen’s club” like this. A place where you could sit in leather chairs all day, reading the newspaper and chatting with friends. To be honest, it’s the idea of being wealthy and idle that appeals to me the most, but the lavish decoration has its charms, too. This particular club is housed in an 1852 building that was modified throughout the years before undergoing a complete restoration/renovation and reopening in 2009. If I could ever join such a club, this would be it. While it is still an exclusive club, the building is open to the public during certain hours so that all can marvel over this ornate architectural jewel.

Upon entering, you find yourself in this multi-story, glass canopied foyer. For those of you that saw my post on the Alhambra, this is like seeing that building in all its multi-colored splendor. It’s truly incredible.

Continuing inside, the ornamentation becomes a tiny bit more restrained, but it is still extravagant. Sitting rooms, ballrooms, libraries, and sculpture galleries: all the things you need to survive in style.

Nearly life-sized paintings of women in traditional Murcian dress hang in one room, but my favorite space was the billiard hall:

The men here were gracious enough to take some time to explain the rules of this pocket-less pool. More complicated than it looks, it requires striking all the balls on the table in one shot, after banking off of a certain number of bumpers first. I think all-in-all, it’s easier to play the version with pockets.

I’m now — more than ever — longing to be able to say the words, “I’ll be at the club.”

On the streets of Murcia, Spain

We had arrived at the hotel in Murcia, Spain, after dark so I didn’t have a real sense of the view I had from my window until the sun started to rise the next morning. As it did, I began to question my location. In the distance I could see what appeared to be a scene more at home in Rio, but I soon learned that this was another Christ statue — this one built amidst the ruins of the 11th century Monteagudo Castle.

The day began with a walking tour of the streets of Murcia and more stunning architecture. We piled out of our cabs at the Casa Consistorial, or Town Hall, and began making our way on foot toward the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary — more often called the Cathedral of Murcia.

141124murcia02_sotc

Inside, the cathedral was pleasantly dark and full of ornate decoration.

Outside on the street, musicians created a wonderful soundtrack to a morning stroll.

Next stop, the market — full of fruits, vegetables and all manner of land and sea creatures.

More music on the street as we took a break for tapas. In my next post, I’ll take you inside a gentlemen’s club in Murcia that I would happily join, even though their billiard tables had no pockets…

A quick stop in Cartagena, Spain

Cartagena, Spain, joins my list of places that I need to return to and spend more time. I only made a brief stop — a portion of one day — last month, and it just wasn’t enough. There are architectural gems here, along with an amazing history and a bustling present. Here’s a glimpse:

First, you have to love a tour that starts with a giant glass elevator and cantilevered walkway. That circular tower is just such an elevator that takes you from the lower street level, up to the top of a hill in the center of town that overlooks the city and various Roman ruins like the amphitheatre (and former bullring) in the distance. A short walk along the top of this hill, leads to more spectacular views, and more Roman ruins.

In the lower part of the frame above is the recently “re-discovered” Roman theatre of Carthago Nova. The town had gradually grown over this structure for hundreds of years but it has now been excavated and museums are being built to house more of the artifacts that have been recovered.

There are open air sites where digs are still being undertaken that are open to the public as well:

But around all this history is a stunning, lively city with streets lined with restaurants and shops.

Should you find yourself in Cartagena (and are of age), be sure to pause long enough to order a Café Asiático, a coffee-based drink with condensed milk, brandy and a locally produced liquor, Licor 43:

Then, of course, continue exploring.

Michael C. Snell photography blog

travel+photography