Photography & travel

HIKING

If you like walking then Tenerife is the right place for you. Kilometers of hiking trails of varying difficulty and beautiful views. Just like in every mountain country you have to go prepared. The weather on the West Coast can be volatile.At dawn you will have sunshine and brilliant blue skies, and in the afternoon you will walk under a greyish cloud blanket. Which is actually a good thing, because the island does not have natural water sources. Nor rivers or lakes.All water precipitates by condensation, rain showers are rare, with the help of cloud forests. humidity is absorbed by …

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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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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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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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NEGEV Desert

Leaving Jerusalem & Bethlehem behind with a lot of thoughts and questions seated in one of the busses of the Egged company. Heading for Mitspe Ramon, a small town in the midst of the Negev desert. Founded in 1951 as a camp for the construction workers of highway 40 to Eilat it is not the most attractive place to visit. But there’s a secret. Makhtesh Ramon, or also known as the worlds greatest ‘Ramon Crater’. The crater is breathtaking. And you may also take that literally. When you start your hike everyone advises you to bring enough water with you. …

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Sary-Chelek

In the midst of a nature reserve, recognised by UNESCO as a World Biosphere reserve, sits Sary-Chelek at 2000m altitude. We entered the park from Arkit, where you have a gated entrance. You have to pay a small fee to enter the park, for your car and to camp. It’s a beautiful & peaceful piece of nature. A perfect place to stay the night with the reflection of the stars twinkling in the silver lake. Together with 3 other travellers, a local guide and 2 sweet German travellers Karin & Christian, we enjoyed an improvised meal and a couple shots …

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Are you nuts?

Nestled in a lush valley in the shadow of Gora Babash-Alta mountains lies the village of Arslanbob, home of the world’s largest natural walnut forest. It’s difficult to describe the atmosphere of the walnut forrest, not spooky, nor fairytale-like but the omnipresent green color is at least special. A bit unearths. Arslanbob is a bit on the shabby side. A feeling which is magnified by the high number of antique cars. Robust Soviet material which keeps on rolling. It’s like looking in your rear view mirror and get kicked back 60 years.The whole village is involved in the harvest of …

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