Riding my bike from Koblenz to Cologne last Sunday. I never really realized (except seeing from the train) how much this stretch of the Rhine is really shaped by tourism. You see a lot of old grandeur, from the 19th century and the 1960s - hotels, restaurants, villas - some recently renovated, some in decay. And there’s always this element of industrial usage, the river and the railroad. A nice experience of a semi-urban landscape on a warm and sunny sunday.

Back from a 3-day visit to Wales. I was fascinated by so many things. First of all the landscape: it is so diverse, from seaside cliffs over extensive forests to treeless mountain ranges - and everything within 30 minutes driving. The built structures were also fascinating: the ubiquitous castles and the endless stone walls.

This photo of a slate mine was taken near Llanberis. Obviously the weather kept me from searching and finding for more quarries. Maybe on the next trip to Wales we’ll do a tour of quarries.

Yesterday I met up with Peter Shapely at the University of Bangor. It’s so good to exchange ideas in person and not through email. There might be some interesting projects coming up…

This is THE photo from our trip to Nottingham today. This house is boarded up so beautifully - I love the colors and textures.

Back from a two-week visit to Quito and Ecuador. My first trip to Latin America - extremely interesting.