Guide to Europe’s Microstates
I’ve always been fascinated with the microstates of Europe: Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City, Malta, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and Andorra, all of them tiny independent countries that somehow managed to survive the wave of unifications which swept over Europe in past centuries. While the historical perspective itself is intriguing, there’s much more to discover in each […]
Microstates, Enclaves and First Time in Africa
The main goal of my most recent trip to South-Western Europe was completing my tour of European microstates by visiting Andorra, a deligtful little country located in a mountainous region between Spain and France. Andorra presents breathtaking winding roads in its mountains, a nice little capital and a range of cool attractions. Check it out […]
Published Guide to Seeing the Northern Lights
Published a guide to seeing and photographing the northern lights – nature’s fantastic light display. While the aurora borealis is a continuous phenomenon, you are not guaranteed to see it. Certain conditions need to be met: location, lighting, moon phase, time of year, time of day, weather, duration of stay and others. Photographing the lights […]
The Night Sky Comes Alive in Northern Norway
Visited Tromso in Northern Norway for the Northern Lights, one of the most intriguing and beautiful natural phenomena on this planet Earth. Tromso is a charmning city in its own right, bathed in cool twilight light all (short) day long and full of cool attractions. After this second visit, Norway has climbed in my ranking […]
Istanbul – the Meeting of Two Continents (and Lots of Cats)
Short city break to Istanbul – a remarkable city with a very unique vibe, spectacular sights, great food and lots of cats. And you get to visit two Continents as a bonus. Check out the pictures and a brief review in the updated Turkey album:
More European microstates: Luxembourg and Liechtenstein
Continued my quest to see all European microstates with brief visits to Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. Luxembourg is larger than other microstates and feels like Switzerland or Belgium at times. But the capital of Luxembourg City has a distinct personality and a beautiful old town that’s like a magnet for the camera. Then there are the […]
Cheese and Aliens in Gruyeres
Visited Gruyeres, a scenic medieval Swiss town famous for a number of wildly different things. First, there’s the eponymous Gruyere cheese that’s used for some great fondue and raclette. Second, there’s the Gruyeres castle that’s delightful to visit. But the real attraction is the museum of Swiss surrealist artist H R Giger of Alien fame, […]
Microstates of Southern Europe: San Marino, Vatican City and Malta
After enjoying Monaco earlier this year, I decided to do a tour of three other microstates in Southern Europe: San Marino, Vatican City and Malta. I enjoyed all three of them a lot. San Marino is a delightful little country. The capital, also called San Marino, is a well preserved medieval city located on a […]
Ancient History and Good Food in Rome
Updated the Italy album following a brief visit to Rome. I loved the food (nothing beats Italian food from Italy) and the ancient monuments. Rome is a beautiful city, full of monuments, art and delightful foutains and squares. The Collosseum was the highlight of this trip – impressive what ancient people did for fun & […]
Romania: The Danube, Timisoara and Sibiu
Drove along the Danube River from Orsova to Moldova Noua – a scenic and relaxing trip. Hadn’t known the Danube looked so nice. Five pictures added to the Wallachia album: A 40-metre high statue of Dacian King Decebalus, the tallest rock sculpture in Europe, can be found between the villages of Eselnita and Dubova: The […]