Kåseberga
Sweden
August 1, 2015
Hello,
In the south of Sweden, on the bus from Ysad, I met a young man who told me to get off at Kåseberga, three more stops. From there I would be able to walk to Ales Stener.
The young man said he was also going to see Ales Stener so I was puzzled when he got off the bus well before the stop he suggested to me. When I asked him why, he said, “I am flying there.”
Flying there? It’s only a few kilometers!
Longyearbyen
Svalbard (Spitsbergen)
August 7, 2015
Sawatdee krop,
I arrive at the airport in Longyearbyen.
It’s 10:00pm.
The evening sky is overcast. The clouds are bright.
A young guide greets me at the airport.
“When does it get dark?” I ask him.
He smiles and responds, “This is as dark as it gets.”
“Wow! I know my geography. I am above the Arctic Circle!”
On Board
MS Nordstjernen
The Greenland Sea
August 9, 2015
Hello,
Even the experienced guides had never seen such a sight!
A dead walrus? Sure. They had seen one before. They had seen a polar bear feasting on the carcass. They had seen a polar bear and her cub feasting at the scene.
But never before had they seen such a sight!
Split
Croatia
May 30 2015
I adopt three distinct strategies to avoid the teeming hordes streaming through the streets of the Old City of Split.
The first strategy is to avoid them altogether by wandering towards the port and then up the cobbled streets and stairways to the hills above the city. Great scenery…well worth the climb....
Plitvice Lakes National Park
Zadar Region
Croatia
May 27, 2015
Plitvice Lakes lies midway between Zagreb and Zadar.
A pocket guide published by the Zagreb Tourist Board, Zagreb and Surroundings posts this description of the Park:
The Plitvice Lakes National Park, a magical world of lakes, forests, waterfalls, moss, water and sunlight is a true natural monument, a unique phenomenon under the protection of UNESCO.
My guidebook has more detail:
Shkodra (pop 135,612)
Republic of Albania
Republika e Shqipërisë
May 11, 2015
Buongiorno,
Pizza. Pizza. Pizza!
Isn't there anything else to eat here in Northern Albania?
Apparently not.
My driver, Mr. Edmond * and I search and search and search for some local or traditional Albanian fare along the main pedestrian promenade here in Shkodra (Shkodër). Finally we find an outdoor café and order, you guessed it, pizza. We also order a salad and a meatball dish that passes for “local” food.
