I had the opportunity to travel to Vienna during Thanksgiving break this year. I spent a semester in Vienna during my junior year in college and this was first chance to see the city again.
Vienna is such an amazing and beautiful city to photograph. I only wish I had more time…
Yes, it’s been far too long since I’ve updated this blog. My most recent adventure was a trip to Northern California to attend a NITLE (National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education) Summit in San Francisco. The organizers of the conference asked me to present on W&J’s possible move to using wikis as a course management tool. Two others (A faculty member and technologist) from Pomona College also shared my time slot. I had a great time at the conference catching up with old friends and seeing some great presentations. Of note was a keynote address by Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas. You may have seen his most famous work, “The Machine is Using Us” on YouTube. If not, I highly suggest you watch – it’s well worth the time.
Professor Wesch told the assembled group a little bit about his into courses (about 300 students) and how one of his classes did some research on today’s students. The result, “A Vision of Students Today” is posted below. Again, well worth the time to watch.
After the conference I had the opportunity to spend some extra time enjoying San Francisco and Northern California. San Francisco was very different than I expected it to be. In may ways it reminded me of Pittsburgh with its rolling hills and waterfronts. Click the image below to see some shots I took of the city.
My first trip outside the city was a visit to Muir Woods and Sonoma County to do some wine tasting. My tour visited three vineyards: Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, Cline Cellars and the Larson Family Winery Each has its own distinctive flavors. My favorites were the reds from Cline Cellars. Too bad Pennsylvania has such restrictive laws about purchasing wine over the internet… The Muir Woods were quite a site. The images below don’t really do justice to how large the Redwood trees are.
In the final days of my trip I drove south along the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur towards San Simeon. Wow, words can’t really describe the beauty of the Pacific and Big Sur. I’ll let the photos do the talking…
In San Simeon I had a chance to visit the over-the-top Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument commonly known as Hearst Castle. And to think William R. Hearst called this place his ranch! The photos below only give you a small glimpse of why the castle is such an amazing place to visit.
Matanuska Glacier
http://matt.gardzina.com/Matanuska
It’s taken a bit of time, but I’ve finally put up some pictures from my Thanksgiving trip to London.
http://matt.gardzina.com/london/
Wow, London was expensive! With the American dollar worth so little and prices in London always high it was hard not to spend and spend. The price of Krispy Kreme donuts had to take the cake though. Keep in mind that one Pound Sterling is worth about two US dollars. So that makes two dozen donuts and a coffee only $30!!!
The drive towards Glennallen
Today we drove Northeast towards Glennallen and took in some more amazing Alaskan scenery. The highlight of the trip was a visit to the Matanuska Glacier. Check out the video below for more details…
Wow, Alaska is absolutely amazing. The mountains are incredible. The combination of the mountains, water and trees really is breathtaking.
Yesterday Page took me on a drive South along the Seward highway, past Potter’s marsh, and Girdwood to the Portage and Byron Glaciers. Below are some video clips I took of the scenery. In this case I think the videos speak much more than words…
Molly Moose
On the way back to Anchorage Page drove me up to upper hillside where “the rich people live.” The views are amazing – both of the mountains and of the water. Lucky for me I spotted a moose chomping on a bush in a driveway. Here is the video:
Welcome to my blog. After spending several years reading blogs I’ve finally decided to dive in and start my own.