Thursday 30 December 2010

Reserve Cousteau, des merveilles sous-marines/ The underwater paradise called Reserve Cousteau, Guadeloupe

One year after I have discovered the underwater paradise called Reserve Cousteau in Guadeloupe, I had the pleasure to dive back in the colourful gardens and meet the enormous amount of local inhabitants and beauties....
On the picture of the brain coral below look for the tiny blue-grey fish with the yellow eyes....
Sponges in different colours decorate the underwater world at different depths.

Tuesday 28 December 2010

Le Parc des Roches Gravées a Trois Rivières/ Archeological Gardens of engraved rocks, Guadeloupe








When last year i saw for first time a picture of the engraved rocks („Roches Gravées"), i knew i have to visit "Le Parc des Roches Gravées" in Trois Rivières. The Guadeloupean archeological Gardens of engraved rocks are listed since 1981 as a monument of historical interest. Covering an area of about one hectare the park faces the archipelago of les Saintes. Here, between volcanic rocks and luxuriant vegetation one may find stone testimonies left by the Arawak Indians, the islands inhabitants before the Caribbean.









Guadeloupe is proud to be the West Indies island with the biggest number of hieroglyphics found: over 800. Those from Trois Rivières have been dated back at about 300-400 a. c. Most of the drawings depict people or animals (like turtles). There is something really funny and catchy in them. Some are just a head with eyes and mouths, some do represent the whole body. A part of the rock known as „The captains" is kept the in the Museum of Natural history in New York.

One may visit the Park only as a part of a guided tour, but this is an experience not to be missed at all. The guides are friendly and impassioned locals, who explain every single tree and flower! ...And made us also taste some fresh cocoa beans and other exotic plants....

Tuesday 7 December 2010

Paradise for "Weihnachtsmarkt"-lovers: Munich in December!!!!

Munich does not have only one, two or three Christmas markets...There are over 20 different "Weihnachtsmärkte" spread over the Bavarian capital every december....
This year I decided to do a weekend-tour and managed to visit some of them. The "Weihnachtsmarkt am Chinesichem Turm" is lost in the middle of the white Englischen Garten, a nice way to mix nature and city life while sipping on a warm cup smelling like cinnamon and ginger . Afterwards I paid also a visit to the "Middle-Age-ChristmasMarket" in the center of the city. This one takes you some hundred of years away. Here one could not only see people dressed as in the Middle Age/"Mittelalter" but also try some delicious specialties from this time!
The huge hand-made Middle-age-snowballs (sweets) were a nice eye-catcher....
If you like Christmas markets or if you have never visit one, go to Munich...But before this pack nicely, warmely and thick!!!Not only head, hands, but also your legs...because your toes are the part that all warm drinks do not really warm up;-)

Monday 29 November 2010

The National museum of history in Sofia/ Национален исторически музей - София

This museum located in the feet of the Vitosha mountain has an impressive collection of over 650 000 items... Even nowadays i do remember going there from school with the whole class to admire some of the most unique treasures ever found in Europe. The Images of the shining and incredible rythons and amphoras of the famous Panagyurishte golden treasure are still in my head.


On the 8th of December 1949 three brothers – Pavel, Petko and Michail Deikovi worked together at the region of "Merul" tile factory near Panagyurishte. When processing a new layer of clay they came across unusual glossy objects. What they uncovered was the Panagyuriste treasure, a spectacular perfectly made Thracian treasure, one of the most famous treasures in the world. It consists of a phial, an amphora and seven rhytons with total weight of 6,164 kg of pure gold. All of the objects are richly decorated with scenes of the Thracian myths, customs and life. It is dated from the 4th-3th centuries BC.

I even found this treasure listed nr 2 in the "Top 10 incredible treasures troves"-list.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Stare miasto, Warshaw...

Let me take you to the colourful and cozy part of Warshaw...the old town known as "Stare Miasto"(the old place) charmes one straight away, also when the temperatures outside are pretty low. Last weekend there were already two Christmas markets, decorated Christmas tree and .... it was also freezing cold;

Sunday morning it was sunny, so we repeated the round by sunshine...It is impressive to walk around here, when one consider that 90% of the city was completely distroyed and what now is standing there is an excellent restauration work!

Sunday 21 November 2010

Warshaw at a first glance...

Today I would like to you meet the symbol of Warshaw, the Palace of culture and science, as well as the monument of the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. The Polish capital is a pretty interesting mix of architecture. The city shocks with its giant beton buildings and impresses with the colourful and warm ambiente of the old town. Huge advertisements make some parts of the center looks like an enormous bilboard, while on a cold November day the grey buildings from the 20th century do not help you feel any warmer....

However, a lot of art-deco details may be encountered all over the center, as the lamp i have added here. Of course not to be missed is the Polish cuisine. I just loved my forest mushroom soup...yummy!



Another nice experience are the muscial benches, which play for you some pieces of Chopin, another famous Polish...My next entry will take you on a stroll through the cozy Stare Miasto, the cozy old town.

Monday 15 November 2010

Mushroom time in HogeVeluwe, Gelderland

With the start of the autumn season and the humid weather, the kingdom of mushrooms appears in the low lands...For example, in the Nationalpark of HogeVeluwe in the region Gelderland, an incredible collection of different mushrooms is on display as of September. Different species and colours awaits to be photographed...Sometimes there was even a queue from photography-addicts.

Of course, the more beautiful they are, the more dangerous too...And as a bonus I have spotted this tiny and curious baby frog...

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Just a Dutch autumn Sunday in AWD...


Last Sunday, after the rain stopped, i decided to discover the famous AWD, Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen. This dune area south of Amsterdam is nature reserve. Every year the water clearing stations filtrate drinking water for the city of Amsterdam...







On one of the last autumn days of the year the walk was very pleasant and some treasure waited to be discovered...

Friday 5 November 2010

Brandhorst Museum in München

One of the the newest museum in the Munich "Museumareal" is the Brandhorst Museum. Its doors opened in July 2009. The building is really impressive with its colourful fassade. It contains 36 000 ceramic bars in 23 different colours...With the autumn sun shining on them, it was a masterpiece on it own!

The museum hosts a modern art collection including paintings, sculptures and even a huge display window with....pills:-)

Sunday 31 October 2010

Italian food in Roma...











Italian food is an inseparable part of the travel experience....It is not only the pizzas and pasta that turns every visit to Italy into a real gourment-experience...Its is all around it: the fresh products, the simple but extremely delicious dishes, the way and the love with which they are prepared.

I entered for lunch a small family restaurant in Trastevere, and stayed like glued for 5 minutes on to so yummy-looking the antipasti-buffet. A paradise for all veggie-lovers: grilled eggplants, cooked broccoli, fresh mozzarella, fried courgettes, and, and...And of course dont forget the sweets for the end...

Friday 29 October 2010

Trastevere...a hidden gem in Roma!

On the west bank of the river Tiber, south of Vatican city, one can enjoy the charming and cozy flair of the district Trastevere. The name means literally "beyond the Tiber". Here one may just take a breath from the busy city center of Rome and discover a Roman area, which eleoved from the workers quarter to the most international district of Rome through the years.

Yummy restaurants, old bakeries for sweets and pizzas, small shops turn the walk though the narrow streets and colourful buildings of Trastevereinto a great time....

Two of the most ancient churches in Rome, the Basilica di Santa Maria , and the Santa Cecilia, are located here: