Photo of the Day – Matryoshka dolls

by Jeremy Kressmann on

For travelers, Russia is a country that is at once fascinating and baffling. An oft-cited metaphor for Russia’s many charms and mysteries is the Matryoshka doll, a typical wooden figurine pictured in today’s photo. At first glance, the Matryoshka appears to be a single doll, but when opened, reveals a series of ever-smaller figures inside. Adding to the mystery of today’s photo, taken by Flickr user Christian Carollo Photography, is the fact the photo wasn’t taken in Russia at all – the shot is actually from Philadelphia.

Have any great travel photos you’ve taken recently? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.

Photo of the day- Bath time in Rwanda

by Chris Owen on
Today’s Photo of the Day is of a family of Gorillas in Rwanda. JD Andrews has traveled to 76 countries on six continents searching for and capturing nature and the beauty of earths creatures on film. The Emmy award winning video producer, photographer, MacGEEK, dog lover and dad brings us this photo of bath time in the jungle. In his words…

“To see animals in a zoo is one thing but when you are a mere 5 feet away from some of the most amazing creatures on earth and you realize they know your there, it’s magical!

On a Gorilla trek in Rwanda, I came across a family of gorillas, the mother, two babies and a Silverback. In this picture you see the mother keeping a close eye on us as the “Dad” Silverback cleans the kids. We were told by the guide that this behavior by the Silverback was very rare as they usually, like all dads, just eat and grunt.

This was my first time to Africa and by no means my last. Like anyone that has been to this amazing continent, you get “hooked” and need to see more and more. I hope to go on many safaris and lots more adventures to observe and capture the beauty of earths creatures”


Photo of the day – Philadelphia skyline

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Today’s Photo of the Day is of a piece of the Philadelphia skyline, anchored by the 1930 PNB Building. It was taken by Christian Carollo Photography.

A few years ago, Philadelphia suddenly started cropping up in the travel media as a bypassed destination, as a place that was finally getting the attention it had deserved all along. This development accompanied a spate of stories about the evolution of Philadelphia as the “new” or “next” Brooklyn.

Philadelphia is just one of many North American cities that has fallen by the wayside in the public imagination. Cleveland, Detroit, Cincinnati, Winnipeg, and Indianapolis are right up there with Philadelphia, each for different, contextually specific reasons.

Got an image of a secondary North American city that doesn’t get the press it deserves? Upload it to the Gadling group pool on Flickr. If we like it, we might very well choose it as a future Photo of the Day.

Photo of the day – Speedy ride in Barbados

by Meg Nesterov on


Today’s Photo of the Day is called “Speedy”, taken in Bridgetown, Barbados by Flickr user EagleClaw. I can only assume he means the name to be ironic, as this is the most laid-back driver I’ve seen in awhile, and it looks to be anything but a speedy ride. Perhaps I’m too used to the mean streets of New York and Istanbul, where taxi drivers can and will mow you down if you aren’t careful when you cross the street. However, looking at this photo instantly relaxes me; even without seeing a beach or water, I’m suddenly on island time.

Have any photos of ultra-relaxed (or homicidal) taxi drivers from around the world? Add them to the Gadling Flickr pool and we may use it for a future Photo of the Day.

Video of the Day: Smuggling marijuana from Amersterdam

by Mike Barish on

Mr. Show with Bob and David is, arguably, the greatest sketch comedy show ever. When they took on the nerve-wracking experience of trying to smuggle marijuana back from Amsterdam, it was hilarious. While the TSA has made the airport experience stressful even if you aren’t doing anything illegal, this scene hysterically captures what happens when backpackers try their hand at something that professional drug smugglers struggle to do: act natural.

Of course, we at Gadling neither condone nor recommend drug smuggling. Furthermore, there is certainly more to do in Amsterdam than just smoking pot (not to mention that, pretty soon, tourists might not even have access to weed in Holland). However, this clip had us laughing as hard as we did when it first aired years ago. Travel safely and always be sure to remember where you packed your shampoo!

If you have a great travel video that you think we might enjoy, share the link in a comment below. We could feature it as our next Video of the Day!