Going south…

We travelled from 58° north to 34° south.

The sounds of birds and insects, smell of the dusty earth, intense heat resting on your skin and taste of tender beef fillet fresh off the braai…now that’s home. That is South Arica.

Aurora Borealis

Dancing light...

Ice Hotel, Jukkasjärvi

En entire hotel built completely from snow and ice… imagine! During the winter season ice blocks are harvested from the frozen Thorne River. They are then stored at - 5° Celsius during the summer months and used in the following winter to construct the Ice Hotel. Every year the hotel is constructed in a new design with the assistance of various artists. Then, when summer comes the hotel melts and flows back into the river.

However, do not think that you’ll spend a cozy night. The temperatures inside the hotel are kept at a constant - 5° Celsius to prevent to furniture from melting. Even inside a warm sleeping bag, a bed of ice remains a cold and hard. The whole experience is worth while when you wake up to wander around a hallway sculpted out of ice.

We had to sneak a peak into the artist rooms. Each room is designed and sculpted individually by a different artist. Then the Ice Bar brings a whole new dimension and serves drinks in glasses made entirely of ice. Now that’s how you serve Vodka cocktails.

68° North, - 25° Celsius

We traveled into the Arctic Circle to visit the Ice Hotel, see the northern lights and explore unspoiled landscapes with sled dogs.

This photo was captured at Sweden’s Esrange Space Center. It is around 10am and the sky is finally light enough for photography. But, the pastel light doesn’t last. At 2pm the sky darkens and the long night begins, awakening the prospects of the Aurora Borealis.

Font Magica, Barcelona

Take water, add some light and spectacular music and mix it all up to generate an awe-inspiring show!

The life of trees

Concrete cityscape

Fabulous city images are silk screen printed on the concrete floor of the Fünf Höfe centre in Munich. The centre was designed by architects Herzog and de Meuron.

The silk screening is an interesting process. Acidic gel is applied to the concrete and reacts with the top layer of mortar. The acid is then washed off with water leaving behind a relief pattern on the concrete surface. The required image is obtained by using stencils.

Let them eat cake…

5 Euros may be a bit pricy for one little cake…but have a look at these mouthwatering delights! They are made by a deli called Dallmayr and they taste even better than they look. Your taste buds send little sparks through your body as the divine chocolate melts in your mouth.

Dancing light

Sporadic rays of light dance across the interior of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. The colours are generated by the early evening sun shining through Alfons Mucha’s stained glass windows.

U-Bahnhof Westfriedhof, Auer+Weber

These giant lamps were designed by Ingo Maurer. They really have extremely creative lighting concepts. Have a look at their website: http://www.ingo-maurer.com/

Free theater!

Ever wondered why Europeans are so cultured? Well, this is the outside of the National Opera in Vienna. They are projecting Mozart’s Magic Flute live on the building façade, complete with sound. So…if you cannot afford theater tickets you can simply watch the show from the courtyard for free. Crowds are gathered around the façade either seated or standing around casually.

If you want an authentic inside experience instead, you can buy standing tickets for the top balcony for only 3 €. Let’s skip coffee tonight and rather go to the opera. What do you think?

Graffiti art

I’ve always admired good graffiti. Even though it is vandalism 99% of the time, they get really creative.

This is a street performer painting incredibly vivid images with spray paint. He uses a piece of paper to manipulate the wet paint into multi-coloured waves.

What happened to summer?

Believe it or not, this field of poppies bloomed on a small empty building site in the middle of the city.

Squirrel café

Ok, that’s not its real name. I renamed Prince Coffee Club in Vienna due to their incredibly cute squirrel logo. It’s just a chic little place to relax on a couch with a cup of coffee. Highly recommendable for tired legs or eager people watchers.

Isolated

This little church rests snugly in the shadow of its neighbor, the Zugspitze. At an altitude of 2962m the Zugspitze is the highest point in Germany.