It's brandnew and size does matter: The newest exhibition in Reykjavík features 23 life-size mammals, that are (or once were) found around the North Atlantic island. "Whales of Iceland" opened with the beginning of March 2015 and the pure largeness of its exhibits - the biggest whale is 23 meters long - is worth the visit! All the animals on display are replicas, sculptured by a local artist. But have a look by yourself!
Colourful and cold: Round about 120.000 of Island's total population of 325.000 people live in or around Reykjavík, Island's capital. Downtown is packed with bars and cafes, where Islanders and tourists spend their time. No wonder; what else would YOU do during a winternight, that lasts two full month?
It's the classical tour for visitors of Iceland: The so-called Golden Circle, which allows you to visit three mayor places of interest within one day. It comprises Gullfoss Waterfall, Thingvellir National Park and hot spring area around Haukadalur with the famous natural phenomena: geysers.
Gulfoss Waterfall: a most impressive glacial runoff, noisy, deathly cold and in winter partly frozen.
Thingvellir National Park: a world heritage site of historical and geological importance: location of the ancient viking's annual parliament and also a place, where the Eurasian and the Norther American plates are visually drift apart - by means of 2 centimeters or 0,8 inch per year.
Geyser in Haukadalur: site of the Great Geysir, which actually is THE one geyser, that gave name to all other geysers and, furthermore, is the only Icelandic word, that was
adopted by other languages in the world.
To travel Iceland, the northernmost state of Europe, has always been on my bucket list of places to see before I die - as well as New Zealand (haven'n been there yet), South Africa (haven'n been there yet) or Tierra del Fuego (haven'n been there yet either). But when my office offered me to visit the land of the Vikings for a short business trip, I took my chance. I didn't regret it at all, despite the cold in February: geyser landscapes, vulcanoe beaches, frozen waterfalls... here are some impressions of what I saw (more to come soon!).
Did you know, that the city Barcelona in Spain is home for hundreds of dragons? In fact, some locals call their home town even "Drakcelona"...! We didn't know all that - but Johannes does. The German author and historian, who lives and works in Barcelona since 2000, guided us through the old streets of the Catalonian capital to explain us where and why the dragons hide (his homepage: Barcelona Dragon Tours). It was thrilling!
Rain! Heavy rain: Wet shoes, soaked clothes, flooded highways! No, we’re not getting used to rain during our city-trips. Surprisingly, the Turkish megacity of Istanbul – formely known as Constantinople – presented itself in fog, rain, wind and grey, when we were there end of October. Predicted were sun and around 20° Celcius (~ 68° Fahrenheit). But nevertheless, we made the best out of it:
"Like Barcelona, but with rain", that's what I thought when I arrived in Amsterdam, Netherlands. I didn't have much time to explore the city, but when the German train personal went on strike, I gained an unexspected extra day of my business trip. So I strolled throught the streets and along the canals of the old commercial city, enyoing the beautiful house facades, some great tasting beer and the craziness of the Dutch, who ride their bikes without helmets, but with an umbrella in one hand - and an iphone in the other!
Deep relaxation: Using the long weekend in the beginning of October, we drove eight hours to the Slowene border, towards a small Austrian community named Leutschach. There, at the winery of the Pronegg family, our lovely hosts I first met back in 2010, we spent two days in perfect leisure time. We collected sweet cheastnuts in the woods and roasted them above a campfire; we ate pumpkin cream soup every day because it was so yummy; I saw (and touched!) my very first fire salamander; the kids enjoyed to play with the even-aged daughters of Sandra and Karl, the hospitable vintners. And we, the parents, savored their pinot gris, which is extraordinary good! Actually, the only stress for us was where to get our next wine bottle from...
Back on Crete, back in the village of Kokkino Chorio, where we already went last autumn to marvel at an old Peugeot 203, rusting in the courtyard of a glass manufacturer. This year, same location, we found another object of admire and desire: a lovely BMW motorbike. According to Google, it should be an old BMW R 12. With its sidecar, the R 12 was the standard combination of the Wehrmacht in World War II. Between 1935 and 1942, BMW built 36.000 units of that motorcycle (source). This one (serial number 284133) is one of it!
The best thing about this holiday was that we could sit outside actually every night in shorts and t-shirt. The best thing next to the turquoise sea, of course. And the hospitality of the Cretans. And all our friends. And the laughter, we shared. And the delicate scent of Jasmine. And the wine. And the sun. And being barefooted, all day long. And the panorama. And the pool. And the fresh fish on the plates. And the stifado. And the grilled lamb. And the garlic paste. And the lemon chicken. And the zucchini croquettes. And the stuffed wineleaves. And the octopus, cooked in red wine. And the raki. And the flowers. And the pine scent in the air. And the sandy beaches. And the shells. And the mountains. And the sunsets. And the sound of the ocean waves at night. And the relaxation. And the Mythos. And everything else.
