Some more from Bremen...

And just to show you that Bremen is not only about the famous "Bremer
Stadtsmusikanten" I show some more pictures from there!
The building of the main rail station is really impressive. Inside one can see
some beautiful mosaic works depicting the most famous places of
interests in the city.

Next to the city musicians also the pig statues are known as a
must-take-in-to-picture...

There is a lovely wind mill (which works as a
two-floor-brasserie) and is located on an island in the river Weser. A
cute and colourful scarecrow is guarding it:)

Another lovely place for a walk, a drink or a dinner is the old
quarter "Schnoor"-the picture above. Its name comes from the old German word
"Schnur"(=eng. "lace").

Freie Hansestadt Bremen

The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (Freie Hansestadt Bremen) is a very
charming place to see, located on the river Weser in Northern Germany.
The well preserved Altstadt (=old town) displays an impressive
collection of majestic buildings like the Gothic-Renaissance-style
town hall (last picture).

By sunshine the golden shield with an eagle of the
city-protector Roland sparkles. Once you are at the feet of his
statue, which dates back to 1404, one feel really tiny...and
protected:-)

Next to the town hall are also the most famous locals:"Die Bremer
Stadtsmusikanten" (Town Musicians), which portrays the donkey, dog, cat
and rooster of the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale. There is almost always
a queue to take pictures and to stroke the mouth of the donkey....

South of the Markplatz and Rathaus, is the 110 m Böttcherstraße. It
was transformed in 1923–1931 by the coffee magnate Ludwig Roselius,
who commissioned local artists to convert the narrow street (in
medieval time, the street of the barrel makers) into an inspired
mixture of Gothic and Art Nouveau. Today, the street is one of
Bremen's most popular attractions. Three times a day, the pedestrians
can enjoy its melodic "Glockenspiel" (carillon) .

(the) unknown fruit: nespole/ loquats/ neffle du Japon/ japonische Wollmispel

It is never too late to learn/try something new...in Calabria i
saw/tried a new (at least for me and the rest of people with me)
fruit! It looks like an apricot, its juicy like a watermelon and
tastes like .....hmmmm... a mixture of melon, peach and orange?!:-)

This (unknown) to me tree, the fruit junkie, is home in southern parts

of Mediterranean Europe. Mostly like Calabria, Spain and Greece. It
originates from Southeastern China. Sometimes (and in some languages)
the loquat is called also Japanese medlar (for all Bulgarian readers
name should be "японска мушмула"). Japan is also the leading producer
of loquats (from January till June) and has been cultivating this
fruit for more than 1000 years!!! A distant relative of his is the
apple.The loquat is low in saturated fat and sodium, and is high in
vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, and manganese.

The loquat is an evergreen shrub or small tree and grows easily in

tropical till mild temperate climate. A big thanks goes to Michelle
for her picture of the loquat-tree above!

The castle "le Castella"...

A magnificent fortress was more or less the last thing i was prepared
to encounter in Calabria...may be thats why my visit to "Le Castella"
was really special.

The view from the tower to the little town is to be enjoyed below:

On a small half-island and surrounded by turquoise
water the castle just takes your breath away when you first see it.
Situated on the island Capo Rizzuto "Le Castella" has been there for
quiet some time. The fortification has been used by Aragonese soldiers
who decided to take refuge in it in order to defend themselves from
Turkish attacks. The cylindrical tower dates back to the 12th-13th
century. But there is wall discovered which construction style dates
back to the fourth and third century B.C!

The name (plural form of castello=castle) sgves us some hints that
there should have been (most probably) several fortified islands in
the bay...

Nowadays the castle is surrounded by a marine reserve of about 13,500
hectares of sea and 50km of protected coast.

At the "toe" of Italia: Calabria...

What should you imagine when you hear Calabria...hmmmm, actually
plenty of things:-) First of all the famous red onions ("cipolla rossa")! They are
literally everywhere (in the area around Tropea), on every corner at
the streets and in every frutta-verdura-shop. One of the local
specialties is a jam made ... of these same red onions. Right now
strawberries fields as well as orange and lemon trees seems to be all
over, this Italian region looks like "the" Mecca of fresh fruits and
veggies...

While driving through Calabria it is impossible to miss the huge olive
trees plantations. The olive tree is the main cultivation here. After
a cold-pressed-olive-oil tasting I can confirm that it tastes just
delicious. The 2 most known red and white Calabrian wine sorts are
"greco" and "gaglioppo".

Above you can see the blossom of an olive tree!

Next to agriculture this region is famous also for tourism. Once you
see the sea and the lovely beaches (and add the Calabrian cuisine)
noone will wonder why some hundred thousands come yearly to the "toe"
of Italy.

A stroll though Sofia/София...

Sofia, my home town, was known in the old times under different names...Funny enough all starts with "S": Serdica, Sredetz, Sofia...

Nowadays the capital of Bulgaria has some 1,3 million inhabitants. Today I will take you on a stroll through Sofia. First we pass in front one of the most beautiful building of the city: the National Theater. Then we will admire the Russian church, a real piece of art and colours.

Afterwards we will pass in front of the big department store ZUM and see the Sainte Sofia-sculpture.

The cathedral Alexander Nevsky is without any doubt THE symbol of Sofia. It was built as a expression of the Bulgarian gratitude to the Russian king Alexander (and all Russian soldiers) who had helped liberating my country from the Ottoman rule (1887-1888). The basilica has 12 bells with total weight of 23 tons.

Above: a detail of an outside wall of the cathedral.

Ducks and ducklings in Holland...

When the spring arrives the canals in Holland are again full with life: a bunch of fluffy and cute looking little duckies:-)

Last week i saw a mum with her 11 little ones, a friend made a joke that she has a real football team...Yesterday I have filmed another family on water. In their first days they are so afraid and stay really close to their mum...Have a look and a good new week!