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!
78°55’30”N 11°55’20”E
Svalbard
The Arctic
So, can you name the northernmost civilian settlement in the world?
Here’s a hint:
A research town in Oscar II Land on the island of Spitsbergen in Svalbard, Norway. It is situated on the Brøgger peninsula (Brøggerhalvøya) and on the shore of the bay of Kongsfjorden.
Hvar Island
(pop 11,200)
Adriatic Sea
Republic of Croatia
June 2, 2015
Hello,
On Hvar, the hills are alive with the sound of motor scooters. Automobiles are impractical given the steep and narrow cobbled lanes,
I stroll down the floral-forested path from my hilltop guest house to the shoreline and the pebbled beach.
Luxury hotels replete with lagoon-sized swimming pools and spas face west to the gleaming sea. (Thai Massage anyone?)
Tallinn
Estonia
August 17, 2014
My fellow phographers,
My friend and professional phographer and guide, Ralph Velasco offered this advice, "Find the human touch."
So after indulging my own proclivity for architecture and landscape, I follow Ralph's suggestion.
As per my typical routine, I find a quiet spot and try (unobtrusively) to shoot the natives.
If I am “busted” I give them a peek at the screen.
Luckily, here in Estonia, the natives are mostly cheerful, and anxious to strike a glamorous pose.
