Sunset & full moon hike - Mount Seymour

On a clear Sunday evening, we hiked up to the 1st pump on Mount Seymour to watch the sun set and the full moon rise. What a beautiful night!

View of Vancouver

The majestic Mt. Baker 

St. Marks Summit

The 2014/15 ski season ended before it really got started and by mid-February, all the snow was gone. The alternative was to switch the ski boots for the hiking boots and explore the mountains on foot. The first time I hiked St. Marks Summit, it was pouring rain and we had no view whatsoever. The second time I got lucky, the views of Howe Sound and the Sunshine Coast were spectacular.

Long Beach - Pacific Rim National Park

A walk on Long Beach near Tofino on a winter day in January.

Amsterdam Light Festival

During our recent visit to Europe we spent a few days in Amsterdam and got to enjoy the Amsterdam Light Festival one evening. We walked along the 'Illuminade', a walking route that took us past several light artworks in the Plantagebuurt.

Mirrorings

178 Bottles, 1 Message

Re(bi)cycle Dome

Constell.ation

Artis

Flawless

On the wings of freedom

On the wings of freedom

Nieuwe Heerengracht

Garibaldi Provincial Park

My first hike this summer with the Meetup hiking group was up in Garibaldi Lake. This hike has been on my bucket list for a while and it did not disappoint. On a sunny Wednesday, we hiked up to Taylor Meadows and then continued on to Garibaldi Lake, a total of about 20km roundtrip.
The scenery is just spectacular and I hope to go back next summer, spend a couple of nights up there and explore Panorama Ridge and the Black Tusk.

Taylor Meadows

Garibaldi Lake

Garibaldi Lake

Catching the Black Tusk

Galiano Island

Galiano Island is one of the Southern Gulf Islands between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. We rented a cabin for a long weekend in the middle of nowhere and explored the beautiful nature on the island. The mainly undeveloped island with its unique shoreline with artistically sculpture sandstone formations, tidal pools, sandy beaches and wildflowers make it a wonderful place to explore. Mount Galiano offers spectacular views of the surrounding islands as well as Active Pass, the narrowest passage for BC Ferries. Galiano Island is a perfect place to recharge your batteries.

View of Active Pass from Mount Galiano 

Dionisio Point Provincial Park

Dionisio Point Provincial Park

Purple starfish at low tide

Wild flowers

Retreat Cove

Tidal pools

Cuban Architecture

Havana is full of beautiful old buildings, although the majority of them is decaying and in desperate need of restoration. These old buildings are a photographer's paradise. 

Faces of Cuba

During our week in Cuba, we met some pretty interesting people along the way. Rachel looked after us in the Casa particular that we rented in Havana for 3 days. She lived next door in a tiny little place and earned a few pesos by looking after people. She is a widow in her 80's, her husband and herself used to run a small grocery store around the corner but it was taken away from them during the Revolution. One day, she showed us old photos and told us about her life, fascinating!

One day, we came across a dance school in an old derelict building. We ended up chatting with a few people from the dance school including the dancer below and learned about upcoming their projects. It was super interesting hearing people's stories. 

Rachel

Mother and daughter

Violinist 

Girl at the dance school

Dancer

Classic Cars - Havana

Cuba is full of classic cars that have been passed down from grandfather to son to grandson. These cars are over 50 years old and are on the road pretty much every day, some are really well maintained. The owner of this Ford 'Fairlane' buys original parts from Florida to keep his car in pristine condition. 

Havana by night

One evening, I got the chance to go out and do some night photography with a Cuban photographer. Although Havana has lots of great old buildings, the street lighting isn't very diverse so I played around with the white balance. The luck wasn't on our side either as quite a few buildings that are usually lit were surrounded by darkness. I am still pleased with the few shots I got.