Over the course of ten years, I’ve written 275 articles. Some are long reads, others are quick photo albums with minimal text. I think 275 articles is not too bad: it’s almost one article every two weeks. However, as you can guess, I had some more productive and less productive periods, influenced by my workload, personal life, and political events such as the start of the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, after which I couldn’t write anything for more than a year.

I don’t know exactly how many reads in total my blog has gotten over ten years, but it’s probably close to 100,000. Two of my most popular articles account for over half of those reads: 5 Must-See Stops Along I-70 in Colorado and Ghent, Gent, or Gand? So far, they have 42,000 and 20,000 reads, respectively. Honestly, they are far from my best articles, but somehow I figured out the right combination of words in their search descriptions, so Google picked them up. 

You might have noticed two recent changes to the content of my blog. First, I do much more research now before I start writing. That includes reading books and magazines, watching documentaries, and talking to people who actually know the subject matter. This has helped me improve the quality of my content. It’s not yet true journalism, but I’m getting there. Second, I focus more and more on trains and metro systems. It has always been my passion since my early childhood, but I’ve only become open about it when I met my wife and she encouraged me to talk about it. For some reason, I thought it was a bit weird to like trains, but apparently there are many people like me and my wife, so why not? Riding and taking pictures of trains brings me as much excitement and joy as going on a hike or visiting a museum. 

So what’s next with my blog? I’m not oblivious to the fact that the readership of my blog is quite low, hence most of my articles are never found by those who would want to read them. A few folks have hinted to me over the years that most people don’t have the attention span to consume a long read any more, thanks to social media and how they display content to their users. I tried to make posts on Facebook, Instagram, and X, and I honestly don't think this is my format - quick, bite-sized posts and occasional pictures. I believe there are still quite a few people, myself included, who would be willing to spend more than 5-10 seconds reading an interesting article with some good quality pictures. Would you agree with me? 

I think it's time to make some changes to my blog: not in terms of gaming search engine algorithms or hacking parametres of large language models, but perhaps by finding another platform that will help connect me with like-minded people. As my wife, who has been my biggest fan and critic, suggested, my blog may be like a shark on the grass. It’s still a shark, with sharp teeth and strong muscles, but it’s virtually powerless. On the contrary, the very same shark in the water is a fearless predator that can hunt any fish in no time. I guess I'm willing to try something new, so stay tuned for updates.

But in the meantime, enjoy my favourite 25 pictures of 2025.