Photography & travel

ALENTEJO

After a 3 days stay in the sparkling Lisbon we drove south to enjoy the countryside of Alentejo. A rural area with cork trees, rolling hills, sleepy villages and deserted beaches. But its biggest asset, tranquillity and hardly any, if any, tourists.During our drive, it became very clear that not a drop of rain had fallen in the last few weeks. Everything looked dry and barren, no lush green fields as far as the eye can see.Climate change not real? Think again. Not so far away from Vila Nova de Milfontes lies, somewhat remote, a cosy guesthouse Três Marias. Our …

Read more

NIEUWPOORT

Newport, Nieuport. A small town at the estuarium of the Yser river at the Belgium West coast. Once the battleground during WWI where the war was settled, but today a beautiful coastal town and home of Jan Fabre’s statue ‘searching for Utopia’. Just before we left to spend the weekend, I impulsively grabbed a bunch of artificial roses. I don’t know why but i felt they would be part of something. The sky was heavy, rainy and grey. And those roses proved to be a colourful detail. The equestrian statue ‘Men’ on the breakwater is an artwork of Nina Beier. …

Read more

EL TEIDE

The highest mountain of Spain lies in the center of Teide National Park with rough volcanic landscapes. Remember that it’s still an active volcano, with its most recent eruption in 1909.It is difficult not to be impressed by the rough landscapes. In 2007 it got named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. And they were right to do so. Maybe you think: ‘what is so special about volcanic rock, it’s just some monotonous rough terrain, maybe a bit dull’ But then you’re wrong. After every turn, you want to stop for the next photo. There is an incredible amount of …

Read more

HIKING on Tenerife

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 …

Read more

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 …

Read more

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 …

Read more

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 …

Read more

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 …

Read more

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 …

Read more

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 …

Read more

Category Archives

Nature