If the expression “a picture is worth a thousand words” is accurate, our travel photos should yield several novels worth of prose. Because between my husband and I, we usually arrive home with 3000+ photos from every trip. Which means sorting them can be a nightmare, not to mention where do you save them all, and under which categories?
While Henk is figuring out his version of the Dewey decimal system or equivalent for filing all our photos, I thought I would do something simpler, and actually share a few! So using the alphabet as my guide, here’s Part One of my personal ABC’s of travel memories. Enjoy:Â
A is for the ‘Ankh’ key in the hand of the caretaker who opened the door to Abu Simbel where I enjoyed 30 minutes of private time with Ramses II before the crowds arrived to admire his handiwork.
This was actually the key used to open the door at the base of the temple at Abu Simbel.
B is for an unexpected B&B in Pittsburg, whose decor was a quirky combination of Victoriana and the Bahamas. Affordable, too.
The Parador Inn in Pittsburgh serves up eclectic decor, and a decent breakfast, too.
C is for Coffee Shops in Amsterdam, which serve cannabis, not coffee.
Coffee Shops and Sex Shops are yours to enjoy in Amsterdam, but you’d better be of legal age…
D is for Dulce di Lecce that I first tasted in Barcelona, a sweet treat that should not be missed, and found in everything from desserts to ice cream.
Dulce de Lecce is the goopy stuff on the plate that’s a little like caramel.
E is for Elephants and getting up close and personal with them in Tanzania.
We had no trouble seeing eye-to-eye with these giants.
F is for Finca Rosa Blanca in Costa Rica, still one of my all-time fave boutique hotels. Splurge for a night and stay in the Tower suite.
The whimsical bathroom of the Tower Suite at Finca Rosa Blanca
G is for the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, where basalt formations extend out into the ocean pointing you towards sister rocks on the Scottish shore.
Cooling basalt formed unusual octagonal-shaped columns on the shore of Northern Ireland
H is for the Hadzabe people of Tanzania, who still live a hunter-gatherer existence like our ancestors did 10,000 years ago.
Young hunters showed off their prowess with bow and arrow while on a walk near their camp.
I is for Irish pubs that are older than Canada.
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J is for JamĂłn Serrano, Spain’s version of prosciuttio that is usually served from its own stand for easier slicing. (I did this quick sketch of one in my journal when I ordered some in a cafe in Madrid)
No, not my version of a musical instrument…this is a sketch in my journal of a serrano ham stand.
K is for Kilometre 104, the whistle stop where you get off the train for a one-day hike on the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu.
The start of our six hour hike after which we gazed down on Machu Picchu. Unforgettable.
L is for La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, where it seems Dr. Seuss lived a previous life as Anton Gaudi. (okay, I’m kind of cheating using the ‘L’ not the ‘S’ for this one, but I make the rules here.)
La Sagrada Familia is still incomplete, but work continues…
M is for Mesa Verde, Colorado’s national park where cliff-dwellers built entire villages on the sides of cliffs. Why? Because that’s where water seeped through the rock and provided a secure water supply.
Ancient cliff dwellings built into the sides of mesas in Mesa Verde National Park
N is for Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, a self-contained eco-system so filled with wildlife it might as well be a bowl of Zoodles.
Ngorongoro Crater is a natural zoo unique in the world.
O is for Oh No! You’re going to have to wait for Part Two to see the rest of the alphabet…. in the meantime, I’ll bet you can fill out your own A to Z pretty quickly if you give it a shot.
TIP: Even though you may be taking thousands more photos now that you are capturing them digitally and not with film, ‘bit rot’ and other forms of digital mishaps can threaten those files. It’s always a good idea to back up your most precious images so you don’t lose them. Personally, I like to make photo books with Shutterfly so I have a tangible record to flip through, and there are plenty of services where you can do the same.
Jane is an award-winning travel writer and photographer and an accredited member of the Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC). In their annual awards competition, TMAC named GrownupTravels.com as the Best Self-Published Travel Blog in 2025 .
She is also a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association, and a freelance travel writer contributing to both print and online publications.
The photos are beautiful and your idea to use them alphabetically for a post is a terrific one to beat the occasional writers block. I’m particularly taken by the photo of La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and can’t wait to do some reading on the story!
So glad you enjoyed it, Anita! Gaudi is definitely a fascinating artist and one that has intrigued me for years.
Great photos, thanks for sharing!
đ Thank you for reading it!
I love all of your photos and understand that it’s so hard to part with any! I love the photo of you and your husband and the bathroom in Costa Rica.
Thank you so much. And if you ever get a chance to stay in that hotel, it’s truly something else!
Great idea; great photography!!!
Thanks! Feel free to do it for yourself – it’s a great way to sort through all kinds of photos.
My fave is the elephant. Can’t wait to see the rest of the alphabet!
Thanks Carole! I’ll post the second half next week!
What a great way to show off some of the gazillion photos we now snap on every trip!
And I of course love the sketch of the Jamn Serrano – I’ll bet you you recall that moment in that Madrid caf better than many of the other moments ‘captured’ through your lens – using your eye for the aperture has been proven to be so much more effective when it comes to memories đ
You’re absolutely right Linda! (which is why you do what you do!) Taking the time to invest in an experience that requires more than just snapping an iphone shot is much more rewarding and memorable than just a bunch of photos you can’t attach any real significance to. Photos should support your memories, not substitute for them.
Aloha! Loved the coffee shop window lettering and the hunter photos. Great shots, all. đ
Thanks, Betsy!
Great travel photos. I’m looking forward to part 2.
I’ll be posting it tomorrow, Donna!
Very nice idea. I hope you don’t mind if I copy it on my blog sometime—with a shout – out, of course. We need to try a Shutterfly book sometime.
I would love that, Suzanne! And yes, Shutterfly takes a little time to figure out like any interface, but I’m impressed with the quality of the output and love having a tangible book.
Great photos and a very clever post!
Thanks, Irene. Everyone could probably do the whole thing a few times – there’s so much inspiration out there!