Photography & travel

SEMANA SANTA

Easter, 2 weeks of procession floats and brotherhoods. During our stay we got daily treated. What a timing! What a vibe. The parishioners of Garachico also took to the streets almost daily with their float. The Holy Week of San Cristobal de La Laguna is the most important of the Canary Islands. Popularly known as Semana santa lagunera, it is also the oldest, with more than five centuries of history. So we decided to have a look and experience the walks of thrones of wheels through the main streets of the city. The image of the Santísimo Cristo de La …

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TENERIFE

Island in the sun.And a popular one too. Every car rental company was completely sold out. The main reason was that numerous rental cars were sold during the pandemic to reduce cost. Luckily for us we made our reservation weeks upfront. Landed at Tenerife Airport South our next stop is Garachico for the next 7 days. Garachico is a charming quiet town located at the west coast trapped between a mountain and the Atlantic , far away from the crowded touristic South coast. Garachico got nearly completely destroyed in 1706 by an eruption of volcano Montaña Negra. Traces of lava …

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ISOLA DEL GIGLIO

One of the advantages of travelling off-season is peace of mind.And freedom to quickly adjust your itinerary. In our case ‘sailing schedule’We decided to cruise to Giglio island. Actually found by accident while Karen was surfing the internet in search for our next hotel, she bumped into this location. We left the car on the mainland in Porto Santo Stefano in a secured car park and took the boat. Wind in our hair, salt on our skin, sun rays itching and lungs full of iodine.What a treat. About 1 hour later, Giglio came into view. The La Guardia hotel was …

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LA BANDITA

In the Tuscan country side of Val d’Orcia hidden on a hillside lies a piece of heaven on earth. La Bandita. A small 8 bedroom villa with a pool. A perfect place to unwind and enjoy nature and silence after the hustle and bustle of a busy city.UPDATE 02AUG23: La bandita was sold and became a private place. It’s actually our second stay. Karen discovered this little gem back in 2017 and we cherish warm memories. Since we didn’t planned this year a lot in advance, post covid remember, we decided to give them a call. BINGO! Luck was on …

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GENOVA LA SUPERBA

‘It’s an inspiring city’ was our response to a Genovesi asking how we liked it. “But a little dirty, right?” she added spontaneously. True. It could be cleaner. ‘You notice the difference immediately when you get to Belgium,’ she continued. Turns out she had already been to Antwerp and that creates a bond.We baptise the city as ‘Genu’A’. Now it’s a little bit our city too!A veil of mysticism hangs over the city. Probably because the houses are so close together so the sunlight cannot penetrate everywhere. Often the Caruggi, or alleys, are no wider than 1.80 meters. Fortunately, the …

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CHETZERON & KANDERSTEG

May, a month were you expect birds to nest, rays of sunshine, lush alpine meadows but no snow fall. However this is exactly what we got during our long weekend. In retrospect it was not bad at all and sort of a special moment with heavenly blue skies and 50 shades of grey. Starting in Crans Montana we will hike to Chetzeron. Because of Corona we decided not to take the gondola nor the jeep offered by the hotel that would drive us. We did accept the offer of the driver to take our luggage. We said good-bye to the …

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DERBORENCE #1

Squeezed in between les Diablerets, Haut de Cry and Mont Gond in canton of Valais (Suisse) you find the beautiful valley of Derborence. A protected nature reserve by Pro Natura. On a Sunday morning early March we wanted to hike around the lake of Derborence. Driving on the road from Conthey we were forced to leave the car on a small parking along the road. Driving to Derborance was not possible due to landslides and snow. So we decided to put on our hiking boots and walk the longer stretch.  Little did we know that we would not be able …

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FLOWERS FOR CONCRETE

Sometimes a creative moment presents itself. Walking to the bakery on a Sunday morning i suddenly realise that an old garage building in my neighbourhood is getting demolished.Nothing special planned i grab my camera gear, vase of lilies and my safety shoes. It remains, of course, a building under construction, albeit in reverse. The original garage activities were already long stopped. I only knew the building as a storage room for fruit and vegetables owned by a small entrepreneur.However, I never knew that people also lived in dingy flats with little or no comfort. Looking at the gas and electricity …

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Viroinval

After weeks of semi-lockdown you start longing to escape. If only for a weekend with the kids, nature and some culture.Brain food modus: ‘ON’Family time: ‘CHECK’Escape to nature: ‘STARTED’But before we explore the woods of Viroinval a culture stop at the ‘Musée de La Photography’ in Charleroi is planned. What did you expect from a ‘photo addict’ ? We stayed the weekend at FOREST-CUBE. An ecolodge in the middle of trees where you can breathe naturally.The cubes are nearly energy passive with straw insulation, heat pump and heat-recovery ventilation. We like!Not even 10 mins down the road in Oignies-En-Thiérache you …

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RüGEN

Leaving Hamburg behind and heading for some fresh air, nature and salt on our skin. We stranded at Rügen. An island just off the Pomeranian coast of the Baltic Sea, and the largest island in Germany covering over 900 square km. I honestly didn’t knew Germany actually had an island. But what i do know now: ‘we have to plan a second visit’. Although the weather was rather cloudy the atmosphere on the island was beyond mystique. The horizon blended very well with the grey sky thanks to the soft tone day light. Especially when you walk at the end …

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Koenraad