Category:Travel
KSC is really an historic place: in the 60’s and 70’s NASA launched all Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions from here. And as a teenager, I used to sit in front of the TV and watch every Space Shuttle launch that would air. NASA has decided to retire their Space Shuttle fleet and they opened up a beautiful new Space Shuttle expo at the Cape.
I can not begin to describe how excited I was to meet Space Shuttle Atlantis. But let me say this: I did not say a word for 45 minutes… I just grinned. A big fat grin from ear to ear.
And I’m sure KSC’s role in history has not been played out yet. Their massive VAB building still stands and it’s being prepared for future missions to the moon and to Mars. As are the launch complexes 39, 40 and 41. They will be used by SpaceX, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and NASA’s own SLS. NASA’s Orion 1 was out on the launch pad when we visited last November. It was successfully launched later in the year and will keep NASA flying well into the 21st century.
No visit to KSC is complete without paying tribute to those astronauts that got killed while doing their job. I always go to the monument that honors the crews of Apollo 1, Space Shuttle Challenger and Space Shuttle Columbia to salute the brave men and women that perished in the line of duty.
Kennedy Space Center, … Cape Kennedy, … Cape Canaveral, … Space Coast, … It doesn’t how you call it, it’s NASA‘s biggest space port and this place is iconic. No trip to central Florida is complete without a visit to the Cape. As a little kid, I was fascinated with anything that had to do with space travel. 1 visit to KSC was not enough: this was my 4th visit. 1 day at KSC is never enough: we spent 2 whole days at on the Space Coast last November.
I still remember the 1st time I was out there. I was in tears when I saw the Saturn V for the very first time. And it was as impressive last year as it was the 1st time I saw it. It’s a piece of history… Can you imagine? It took us to the moon!
Last week, I promised you the real thing, didn’t I? It’s not gonna get more real than this. Or maybe, … Wait, … There is more! ‘Cause KSC is also home to Space Shuttle Atlantis. Check back next week.
Deep down, I’ve always stayed a little boy that likes Lego. There’s a Legoland in the Orlando area, so it should not come as a surprise that I went to visit while I was in Florida last November. And boy it was so much fun to see the Lego models of all those famous places in Florida like Miami Beach and Hemingway’s home and favorite bar in Key West.
It took me a little while to sort through my photos and retouch them. But there where so many and so my of my favorite places in the US. Here’s a few more: New York City–what else?–and The Capitol in Washington D.C.
Today, you’ll have to settle for this scale model of the Space Shuttle in Lego, next week I’ll have the real thing.
The US Navy Blue Angels are supported by a maintenance & support crew that is transported in a Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules affectionately known as Fat Albert. Fat Albert is flown by an all US Marines crew and is an integral part of the Blue Angels’ show. I’ve always liked the C-130, even had the opportunity to sit in it’s cockpit a couple of times. And Fat Albert is just awesome.
I just realized I have never posted my pics of my trip to Florida of last year. My best buddy Luc and I made a little trip to Pensacola, FL to go see the US Navy Blue Angels on their 2014 Homecoming Air Show. Last time we saw them, was 10 years or so ago at the air show of the Royal Dutch Air Force in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. Luc and I were talking to about taking a trip to the US for some time. Florida was as good as a place as any. And with the Blue Angels coming back to their home at NAS Pensacola, we just packed our photo gear and few out there.
I set myself a goal to get at least 1 awesome photo of the Blue Angels. I ended up with several great shots, but I think the pic of the 2 solo aircraft crossing each other at high speed and close range is my favorite.
I love to take holidays the 1st week of the year. Everyone returns to work, all puffed up from eating too much during the holiday season, still tired and lazy, nothing really works, all those daily “best wishes for the new year” message… And I take the time to do things for myself.
With my Fifty-Five Fifty project in mind, I hopped on the Eurostar for a quick day trip to London. It was a cold dark winter day, but I still managed to shoot this scene of St Paul’s Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge.
I’ve never done a photography project before. 2015 seems a good year to do something about that. One has to have some sort of new year’s resolution, right?
So I came up with this idea to shoot 5 iconic images in 5 different cities with my 50mm f/1.8 in 2015. And I’ll name the project Fifty-Five Fifty. It’ll combine my passion for photography and my love for traveling in something that–hopefully–be worthwhile looking at.
I haven’t done any daily blogging or travel blogging in a long time. With social media taking off like crazy in the last 10 years, blogging for me has changed a lot. My trip to Photoshop World in Atlanta is a perfect excuse to change that back and start using my blog a little more.
It’s been 18 years since I’ve been to Atlanta, Georgia. And I had to wait just a little longer then expected to get there. Left Amsterdam with a 5 hour delay due to a problem with the plane: the rudder had stuck and the KLM engineers to replace a part. Once the plane was fixed, I got there without further hassle.
It’s been 18 years… It really has been 18 years since I was down here. I love this city! Back in the days, I came out here for work so often, I called it my home away from home. Driving up to my hotel and crossing downtown… It still feels that way… It’s so good to be back here. And even the weather feels like home: Monday’s weather report calls for 2 to 6 inches of rain, thunderstorms and tornado watches.
It’s gonna be a lot of fun… I can feel it!
I’m not a big fan of Paris. I think almost everybody knows that. In fact: even though I know it has some nice restaurants, a couple of museums worth visiting, I hate going to Paris. In part, this has to do with a couple of bad experiences at concerts in Paris. For some strange reason, I was disappointed with every Bruce Springsteen concert I saw in Paris. And there was a few other thingies too. I have vowed never to go see a concert in Paris if the artist does not sing in French.
But when Mylene Farmer plays in Paris, I will head on over… Double time! Her shows are amazing, and whenever she plays in Paris, there is a kind of magic in the air. That’s when I love Paris. She’s playing a series of shows at the Bercy Palais Omnisport right now. I have just returned from a fun weekend in Paris: seeing some of the sites, enjoying the last few days of summer and a show of Mylene last Saturday.
The perks of traveling for the job: I had to go to Scotland for a Cisco training course. But I did take some time to do something nice in the evening. Edinburgh sure is a nice city. I’ll definitely go back there for a longer visit.
In the short time I was in the city, I got to see The Scotch Whisky Experience, much to my liking I must say.