Category Archives: Europe

Winter Wonder-Iceland

Iceland in winter! Ridiculous, right? Not at all! Iceland is very charming in winter and offers a unique scenery. And a very long night just in case you want to be a northern lights spectator! The low sun also sets the perfect canvas for every photographer: golden hour all day long!

High Noon at Þingvallavatn
High Noon at Þingvallavatn

Since we’ve only been for few days and due to the road conditions in combination with our car we stayed in the Reykjavík area. You can easily spend a day at the Blue Lagoon, especially if you care for some relaxation time. With a much tighter schedule you could still do Þingvellir (including Almannagjá), Geysir and Gullfoss (a.k.a. the golden circle) even on a short winter’s day. One easy day in Reykjavík and another one driving around Hvalfjörður completed our brief Iceland endeavor:

Svartsengi Geothermal Power Plant
Svartsengi Geothermal Power Plant

The Blue Lagoon is a popular destination for arriving or departing guests because of its proximity to the airport. Undoubtedly a mandatory item on your itinerary but be prepared for an exorbitant charge. Whereas the water itself, heated up by a lava stream and rich in minerals is a natural wonder, the Blue Lagoon is not–it’s manmade.

Akrafjall and Esja
Akrafjall and Esja

Reykjavík is a lovely little northern city with tons of bars and cafés that serve excellent freshly brewed coffee. The major landmarks are Akrafjall and Esja, two mountains north of the city that paint a wonderful panorama, especially when covered with snow. Other must-sees are the Lutheran church Hallgrimskirkja and the little bit over four year old concert hall Harpa, home of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. Unfortunately the church was closed though otherwise announced.

Icelandic Coffee
Icelandic Coffee

Watching northern lights can be as convenient as looking out of the window or walking in front of your hotel. We were lucky two times and got an easy view! It pretty much comes down to sun activity and  whether or not the sky is overcast but of course there is a more scientific approach to that as well. The good thing is you easily find out both: I’m sure you have a trusted weather site or app and concerning sun activity I point you towards aurora-service.eu. We sighted impressive northern lights every single clear night! Besides the easy view we also went for the classy experience and got out in the dark for the spectacular! Dress really warm and bring a blanket.

Iceland's Winter Roads
Iceland’s Winter Roads

We only saw relatively little of the island but I still would say that the golden circle represents Iceland in a nutshell. Within a day you will easily be able to enjoy three highlights: Þingvellir national park is a place of historical, cultural and geological relevance; due to the shortness of daylight hours we focused solely on the geological aspect and walked through Almannagjá, the rift valley where Europe and North America part with a celerity of 2.5 centimeters per year.

Gullfoss
Gullfoss

Secondly, we went to see a few eruptions of Strokkur, a smaller geyser which is located right next to its eponym Geysir. Whereas Geysir is active only every now and then, Strokkur erupts approximately every ten minutes. Iceland is also known for its waterfalls so lastly we drove to the nearby Gullfoss. We only stayed for a few minutes because of the biting cold.

Route 47 through Hvalfjörður
Route 47 through Hvalfjörður

On our last day we were looking for an unhurried short trip and just decided to drive around Hvalfjörður, a fjord right north of Reykjavík. In Akranes, which we reached on scenic route 47, we wanted to hang out at a café for a while but even on the second day of Christmas everything was closed but a gas station. Going back to our hotel was a quick drive below the sea through Hvalfjörður tunnel.

If you plan a once in your lifetime trip, early October and late March are probably the best choices because you have an ample amount of dark hours for observing the aurora borealis and enough daylight to enjoy the land. Also the weather is supposed to be quite stable and it’s not that crowded. Plus driving is a lot easier on ice-free roads. Anyway, experiencing long nights and days is an experience on its own. So if you have the chance, go twice!

Check out the photo stream!

The cover photo shows the aurora borealis, the bright spot on the bottom left is Reykjavík’s light pollution and the Image Peace Tower which is the light beam escaping the city glow.

Barcelona

I just came back from my first trip to Spain. The journey started with a train ride to Vienna, the city I lived for the last year. Vienna’s West Train Station was reopened recently after two years of reconstruction–and it looked beautiful: lots of space in the waiting area and comfortable places to stay. But I don’t understand why there is no free wireless. Anyway, my flight was late-evening from VIE and I arrived shortly before midnight at Plaza de Cataluña after taking the Aerobus. After walking down La Rambla, I met my friend at the hostel in Carrer de la Unió. We walked around the nearby neighborhood and the harbor.

Barcelona Harbor with L’Aquarium de Barcelona (red) and W Barcelona

Next day, early morning we took the metro to Vallcara and walked up to Parc Güell (actually escalatored up :)). Parc Güell is famous for the architectural elements designed by Antoni Gaudi. We continued to walk down to Sagrada Família. Later that day we had a short walk along the beach.

Sagrada Família

On Sunday, on my way to the airport, I stopped by at Plaça d’Espanya, to see the Venetian Towers and enjoy a last view over the city, right next to the Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña. Please have a look at the photography section for more photos of Barcelona; I’ll post them soon!

Prague, The First Day

Our first sightseeing day in Prague started at 9 am at Wenceslas Square next to the museum. We walked across the sqare and then to more streets to get to the Estates Theater, where once the debut performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni took place. Our next stop was at the Old Town Square where we watched to the hourly play of the astronomical clock. Then we walked through the old town to Charles Bridge. Before we went up the tower, Eugen showed us the oldest part of the bridge.

After passing the bridge we walked along the river Vltava to the bridge Most Legií where we got back to the old town at the National Theatre. Now it was time for lunch. We had it in the Beerhouse of the restaurant “U medvídkù” (www.umedvidku.cz). After our break we walked again through the old town and through the Lesser Town, where we visited St. Nicholas Church, up to the Prague Castle. There, we viewed St. Vitus’s Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St. George’s Basilica and the Golden Lane with the Daliborka Tower. Still, we haven’t finished the tour! We took the tram and funicular up to Petřín, where we enjoyed the excellent view over Prague at the lookout tower. Afterwards we visited the mirror labyrinth. After this exhausting – but awesome – day, we had a grate dinner at Šárka’s place.

Berlin IV – Potsdam

Sanssouci (© Peter Holler)

We spent the last day of our Berlin trip in Potsdam at the Palace Sanssouci, where we had quite a few guided tours. We’ve seen the kitchen, the wine cellar, the main castle and the orangery. The orangery probably was the most impressive one.

Orangerie (© Peter Holler)
Berlin Victory Column (© Peter Holler)
Berlin Victory Column (© Peter Holler)

After all the guided tours we walked around in the lovely gardens. At about four o’clock we went back to Berlin, where the girls went shopping at the famous Kurfürstendamm and Peter and I went to see the Berlin Victory Column and had dinner. For departure, we met at 7.45pm in the hostel and went together to the train station Berlin Zoologischer Garten. We left Berlin at 8.56pm with the train EN 429 Spree-Donau-Kurier. Good night!