Unloxit 2026 | FindPenguins

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January 1, 2026
Unloxit 2026 Traveler
China, the Americas....and Peckham
January 1 in England ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C
New Year's Day in London is a great time for blowing away the cobwebs of 2025, with its annual parade. Last year was a washout but today the weather is bright (albeit cold) with an ideal chance to travel virtually. It's worth starting a couple of hours before the parade starts, to watch the performers getting ready, making up and so on. I start near Hyde Park Corner and avoiding the crush of the main parade, take it up near the Houses of Parliament.

There's a fleet of ancient vehicles, followed by a motley crew and then dancers from China, Ecuador, Bolivia, Poland and the USA. By now they must have got back to their day jobs but it's great to see them having their day of fun.Read more
Speak, WorldWhat a wonderful, huge posting! 25 pictures – – wow, that’s more like it! People really go all out with the costumes don’t they? It looks very festive and fun.
1/18/26Reply
TravelerYes, it's great that they've increased the capacity to 25 images. A great way to start the New Year as well. The Bolivian dancers are called caporales.
1/19/26Reply
TravelerIt also fascinates me that as in all major cities, expat communities frequent specific parts of London. The Elephant & Castle, near here, is home to many Ecuadoreans and Colombians---and maybe Bolivians as well. The Polish community is traditionally linked with Hammersmith.
1/19/26Reply
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Unloxit 2026 Traveler
Anyone for Venice?
February 9 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
Yes please---it's a unique city that that lends its name to other places---Venice of the north (Bruges and, er, Birmingham), Little Venice in London, and even Venezuela. For the ten days I'm there in February, I see it in all weathers and times of the day. The multitude of churches, especially the Renaissance ones, are best appreciated when the sun shines
But the Grand Canal is exceptional, rain or shine.

People often say that Venice is crowded, which it is around the hotspots like San Marco, but two or three streets away from them, lie oases of quietness and peace. And this being the run-up to Lent, people are gearing up for Carnival........Read more
Speak, WorldYou really outdid yourself with the photos in this post! So much beauty combined with so much, how should we call it? Commonness? Anyway, I greatly appreciated it because I know you meant what you put in every photograph!
3/3/26Reply
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Unloxit 2026 Traveler
Wet in Venice
February 10 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
I'm not here for the weather, that's for sure! This is the view from the window of my hotel room, which I've chosen not for its historical location but guaranteed comfort and easy access from the airport. But I soon get to know the excellent vaporetto (water bus) service, which glides around the waterways at 65 euros (about £60) for a seven-day pass. It's fascinating to see that commercial business from on-line deliveries to rubbish collection, can't be conducted by lorry or van, but by boat. The city still suffers from floods but less so since the large barrier was completed a few years ago and to help with maintenance costs, there's a daily tourist tax.

The first couple of days are spent ignoring the hotspots but exploring the quiet backwaters. Venice is divided into "sestiere" (comparable to boroughs), the nearest of which is Dorsoduro. One of its churches, San Nicolo, featured in the 1973 film "Don't Look Now" in which the Donald Sutherland character, an artwork restorer, has an accident and nearly falls off the scaffolding. These days it's more peaceful, although photography of the beautiful paintings inside is not allowed. Another impressive district is Cannaregio, site of the former ghetto (which gave its name to similar places around the world) with metal plaques commemorating those who were transported to the death camps in the 1940s.

Although the Rialto itself is beloved of selfie-takers, even within a few streets of it, quiet corners abound. Not all the residents are pleased, however....Read more
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Unloxit 2026 Traveler
Some Venetians, Scots, Argentines and Peruvians
February 13 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
After 3 days of bypassing the Carnival, it's impossible for me to ignore it any more. Venice's Carnival is like no other; the city's geography precludes the usual parades and processions, so revellers do their own thing---many of them probably visitors. The original Carnival reached its height in the 18th century, hence the profusion of period costumes, but was dormant until the 1970s. As you can see, they don't have to look Venetian; there's a group evidently from Scotland, another team dancing to tango, and a lady sporting the flag of Peru. Carne vale, indeed!Read more
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Unloxit 2026 Traveler
Venice
February 16 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
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Unloxit 2026 Traveler
Never forget Venice
February 16 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
While the carnival activity in historic Venice is unique, thanks to the excellent official website, I find out about more conventional displays in the environs. The island of Burano (not to be confused with the glass-blowing island of Murano) is a half-hour vaporetto ride from the Castello district. Even the houses seem to have joined in the carnival spirit. A couple of days later, in a typical Venice fog, I travel to the Lido for the beginning of the parade before bad light stops play. Finally, a short train ride to Mestre on the mainland leads to its carnival. It's a no-nonsense, unfussed place, totally the flip side of Venice, and could do with some lightening up---which it duly gets.

After 10 days in Venice, the carnival is over but it's been a thoroughly satisfying visit.Read more
Speak, WorldFabulous, beautiful, amazing photos and their subjects, with their usual addition of the common! I will never forget Venice. Add a note to you the photographer, never forget that you have a phone with video option in the photo app. If if you ever go to another festival and record it with photos, please at least add a few videos! Then we can add the sound to some of the pictures.
3/10/26Reply
TravelerThanks so much for your feedback! Being a "stills" man, I'm not used to taking videos but could try some time.
3/11/26Reply
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Unloxit 2026 Traveler
Valencia revisited
March 31 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
The second break of the year takes Russell, Alan and me back to Valencia, which we visited 4 years ago. Some things have changed; there are now only three of us and some haven't: our friend who lives an hour's Metro journey to the south is very hospitable. The socialising puts paid to much sightseeing but we get to see Valencia's coastal area, which is spaciously laid out and at the very beginning of April, still off season. And while we're there, we manage to get a taste of both Germany and Bolivia!

Things warm up when we're on the move north-west, on a train journey involving a change at Madrid and on to Salamanca. It saves trouble to book the tickets through an agency because like over here, the railways are run by more than one company. It's an energetic walk from the station to our hotel but we're in for some luck. If we had taken a taxi, we would have missed the wonderful Holy Week procession. Salamanca itself is an elegant, historic city, full of architectural quirks. The Plaza Mayor is one of the finest in the country.Read more
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Unloxit 2026 Traveler
Argentina and Belgium in Spain
April 7 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 16 °C
It's a straightforward train line to our next stop. Avila is another wonderful city surrounded by intact city walls. Our first and second port of call is the Buenos Aires; curiously, the beers are more in the earlier evening than later on. Could this be unhappy hour? Walking the back streets, we find an authentic Belgian bar; the strengths of the beers mean they must be treated with respect! And lastly, Easter has dawned and the banners in the old market square are being taken down.

In a straight line, we head for Madrid. It's not known for medieval sights but some of the later monuments are hugely impressive. The statues rest in a pantheon of 19th century historic heroes, and we see an Italianate university tower and an Arabic-style house of culture. Pride of place in history goes to the Plaza Mayor, even grander than its counterpart in Salamanca. Escaping the bustle, we spend our final afternoon in the Parque Retiro, almost on our doorstep and furnished with grandiose monuments of its own.

Time to leave after an excellent 10-day stay but not before sampling one of the many self-styled Irish bars in the country!Read more
Speak, WorldA nice collection of photos! There are some beautiful shop windows and store fronts, bars, and, very curiously, people seeming to want to escape from their graves to escape from or meet another person. There must be some great stories behind those. Lovely shots of buildings too. There’s nothing like traveling for history on the spot that gets absorbed so easily. Don’t you think?
6dReply
TravelerAbsolutely. And all the places from which I brought back tickets were good, apart from a Mexican-style restaurant. When I was in the lavatory, a cockroach fell on my head so we didn't stay to try their delicacies!
2dReply
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