History – Page 2 – ollibatical

Fortified

Meeting old and new friends on Vaxholm in the Stockholm archipelago.

Nip of Nafplio

Wrapping up our Peloponnesian weekend in Nafplio on the Argolic Gulf

…and an education in ouzo and tsipouro at Karonis Distilleries.

Walk with giants

Wrapping our Islay tour with an Atlantic ferry to Northern Ireland, and a stroll on the basalt hexagons of the Giant’s Causeway.

Humphrey the Camel

Grand Causeway

hexagon hollow

buttercups

Finn’s Organ (credit: Wendy Nacamu)

fly with giants

Finn’s Boot

spotted orchid

Andy

Tara

Ollie

Nick (credit: Wendy Nacamu)

causeway champions

We toasted our travels with a fitting final tasting at the quad-century Old Bushmills Distillery. Sláinte — we hope to be back someday!

Woolly wander

RSPB walk to the American Monument on the Oa Reserve — finding no eagles, but plenty of field friends.

Breton abundance

Break time in Brittany during a stimulating Jacques Monod Conference.

champs violets

Phare de l’île de Batz

délicatesse locale

biophysics on the beach

Église Notre-Dame de Croaz Batz

phare from afar

Église de l’île de Batz

mermaid bridge

mentee reunion

sunset on the Celtic Sea

Suntory times

In our continuing pursuit of regional distilleries, Osaka’s Yamazaki plant was not to be missed.

The guided tour (with audio translation) was well worth advance booking; but it was equally easy to lose oneself in the gardens, tasting room, and cavernous Whisky Library.

Philosopher’s friends

Post-conference afternoon on Kyoto’s Philosopher’s Walk, aka Cat Path, with fellow pharmacologist Angela and some largely uninterested furred and feathered locals.

Early-fall foliage was brilliant, from the Silver Pavilion Zen gardens —

this jokester broke the stillness with some (unsubstantiated) rake-attack threats

— to the towering gate-climb at Nanzen-ji Temple

…though for two biology enthusiasts, the highlight was animal-themed Otoyo Shrine.

Copenhagen origins

We were privileged to join Oliver’s parents, Dieter and Veronica, for a sunny, historic weekend in Denmark’s capital.

offshore sustainability

lakeside lunch

garden work

grayscale

summer harvest

iridescent

evening glow

Six decades back, young Dieter befriended a fellow traveller named Stanley Treanor, jointly eavesdropping a paid tour of Copenhagen City Hall. Stanley would later introduce his Dublin niece Veronica, who would wed Dieter in ’64. The couple relocated almost immediately to the States, where they raised Oliver and his siblings. This summer marked Veronica’s first Copenhagen trip of her own.