Road trip

Inside the Eiffel Tower's 'secret' bunker

PARIS--If the Eiffel Tower makes you think of a direction, I'm willing to bet it's up. But for some people, the iconic French landmark can also mean down.

Down, as into a "secret" military bunker that has an entrance just feet from the south pillar, or leg, of the tower, and which then goes underground and which is full of Eiffel Tower history and even legend.

Secret of course, is a marketing term when it comes to this bunker, since it is open for a small number of weekly public visits. But because it belonged to … Read more

Road Trip Pic of the Day, 6/25: What is this?

Update (Sunday, 12:25 a.m. PDT): The answer to Saturday's challenge--which 130 people got--is the Magere Brug, otherwise known as the "Skinny Bridge," in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Thanks to everyone who played, and to all, please come back for Sunday's challenge.

Welcome to the Road Trip Picture of the Day contest. This is your chance to win some cool prizes as you test your skills at recognizing pictures.

Each day, I'll be posting a new photograph from my various travels, and your job is to try to correctly identify it using any means at … Read more

Road Trip Pic of the Day, 6/24: What is this?

Update (Saturday, 12:18 a.m. PDT): The answer to Friday's challenge--which 114 people got--is the Champ de Mars, in Paris, France, as seen from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Thanks to all who played, and to everyone, please come back for this weekend's challenges.

Welcome to the Road Trip Picture of the Day contest. This is your chance to win some cool prizes as you test your skills at recognizing pictures.

Each day, I'll be posting a new photograph from my various travels, and your job is to try to correctly identify it using any … Read more

A visit to the heart of European space research

NOORDWIJK, The Netherlands--I'm inside Columbus, one of the modules of the International Space Station, trying to decide whether I'm more interested in the glovebox that allows scientists to work on experiments in a vacuum or in the exercise bike.

Actually, I'm not really in space--I'm about an hour south of Amsterdam. But I am inside Columbus, at least a full-size mockup of it that's located here, inside ESTEC--the European Space Research and Technology Center--part of the European Space Agency (ESA).

I've come as part of Road Trip 2011, and as someone interested in the … Read more

Road Trip Pic of the Day, 6/23: What is this?

Update (Friday, 3:03 a.m. PDT): The answer to Thursday's challenge--which 80 people got--is the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The original house that Anne Frank and her family lived in is to the left, out of the frame. Thanks to all who played, and to everyone, please come back for Friday's challenge.

Welcome to the Road Trip Picture of the Day contest. This is your chance to win some cool prizes as you test your skills at recognizing pictures.

Each day, I'll be posting a new photograph from my various travels, and … Read more

Road Trip Pic of the Day, 6/22: What is this?

Update (Thursday, 3:00 a.m. PT): The answer to Wednesday's challenge--which 46 people got--is the Theatre im Hafen, otherwise known as the Lion King Theater, in Hamburg, Germany. Thanks to all who played, and to everyone, please come back for Thursday's challenge.

Welcome to the Road Trip Picture of the Day contest. This is your chance to win some cool prizes as you test your skills at recognizing pictures.

Each day, I'll be posting a new photograph from my various travels, and your job is to try to correctly identify it using any means at your … Read more

In Paris, Raytheon sells high-tech situational awareness

PARIS--As a major contractor to the U.S. Department of Defense, giving American soldiers a competitive advantage is a big part of what Raytheon does.

At the Paris Air Show here this week, the giant company is demonstrating a number of its newly developed technologies, including several intended to give the U.S. military that competitive edge. Among them is an overarching system that provides what's known as Global ISR--intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance--and a technology that's a key part of that known as Distributed Common Ground System, or DCGS.

I got a chance to see this technology demonstrated … Read more

Road Trip Pic of the Day, 6/21: What is this?

Update at Wednesday, 8:07 a.m. PT: The answer to Tuesday's challenge--which 31 people got--is construction on the Elbe Philharmonic Hall (Elbphilharmonie Hamburg), in Hamburg, Germany. Thanks to everyone who played, and, to all, please come back for today's challenge

Welcome to the Road Trip Picture of the Day contest. This is your chance to win some cool prizes as you test your skills at recognizing pictures.

Each day, I'll be posting a new photograph from my various travels, and your job is to try to correctly identify it using any means at your disposal. Throughout … Read more

In Paris, the 747-8 Intercontinental paints the town orange

PARIS--As he neared the end of the nearly 10-hour flight from Everett, Wash., to the French capital and the Paris Air Show here, Boeing chief pilot Mark Feuerstein got some unexpected gratification.

"It was a real quiet flight over," Feuerstein said of the trip that began just an hour north of Seattle, where Boeing builds many of its biggest passenger planes. "But as we approached Paris, it became a big deal. People knew who we were, on the radio. It was exciting. A lot of the pilots in the area saw us and were commenting, asking, 'Is … Read more

Road Trip Pic of the Day, 6/20: What is this?

Update (Tuesday, 4:15 a.m. PDT): The answer to Monday's challenge--which 104 people got--is the Palm House at the University of Copenhagen's Botanical Garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. Thanks to all who played, and to everyone, please come back for Tuesday's challenge.

Welcome to the Road Trip Picture of the Day contest. This is your chance to win some cool prizes as you test your skills at recognizing pictures.

Each day, I'll be posting a new photograph from my various travels, and your job is to try to correctly identify it using any means at your … Read more