Travels with Zenaida

Iceland: Drangey Island, a puffin paradise

zda — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:02:30 +0000

Even the islands around Iceland are volcanic in origin. So, too, Drangey, a 180 meter high steep-cliffed, tuff-stone blob of about 20 hectares in diameter, that is the remnant of a 700,000 year old volcano dominating the Skagafjoerdur fjord in the north of Iceland. Now uninhabited (except for a small cottage for bird catchers), it [...] Related posts:

Iceland: Hotpooling with heroes

zda — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:13:42 +0000

Although the north west region of Iceland was only permanently settled by Norwegians in the mid 19th century, a natural hot pool located about 18 km north of the town of Saudhakrokur was already mentioned as being enjoyed by the great outlaw hero Grettir, protagonist of Grettis Saga, one of the famous Icelandic sagas from [...] Related posts:

Iceland: Surprising Sauðárkrókur

zda — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 20:32:52 +0000

Pronounced Saudhárkrókur or Sauthárkrókur it literally means sheep-river-hook and refers to the place where the river Sauðá meets the ocean. The sand on the river banks is of the finest quality, super fine as any sand found in the Caribbean, only it demonstrates its volcanic heritage by being dark grey in color. Nowadays Sauðárkrókur is [...] Related posts:

Iceland: Akureyri Botanical Garden

zda — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:03:21 +0000

Just 100 km south of the Arctic Circle, Iceland’s second largest town Akureyri (pop. approx. 20,000) boasts a mostly ice-free port and one of the most charming Botanical Gardens I have visited so far. My visit at the beginning of August coincided with the explosive bloom of thousands of delphiniums in a rainbow of blue [...] Related posts:

Berlin: Fashion Week walks

zda — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:36:45 +0000

Tokyo? No! Berlin! It is Fashion Week and there is fashion on and off catwalks all over town. This is a pop-up art installation in a grafitti-covered storefront on spunky Tor Strasse in the Mitte district by the cult sneaker label “Asics”. Featured is the Onitsuka Tiger directional collection and, shown here, two models from [...] Related posts:

Berlin: Cherry blossoms replace barbed wire

England: Chelsea Flower Show 2010

zda — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:33:42 +0000

Imaginative display of one of the nurseries Related posts:A night out in Buenos Aires Where did the day go? The world of cruises Related posts:

The world of cruises

zda — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:34:50 +0000

After my recently completed 257 day around the world trip, there was only one mode of transportation that I had not used: cruise ships. Simply the idea of not packing/unpacking and to be taken to a destination is utterly appealing! I think I have saved the best for last and who knows, may become a [...] Related posts:

Auckland: City of Views

Japan: Kyoto fleamarket around a temple

zda — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 20:35:45 +0000

Voices hushed, feet in socks shuffling softly on tatami mats, sandalwood smoke from incense sticks, heads bowed in ancestral prayer ... not so at the Kyoto temple fleamarket: a cacophony of voices, from shrill to shriller, boom to bass, everyone trying to overtrump the other and all with the same message: “buy me”. Hundreds of [...] No related posts.

France: Château de la Barre

zda — Sun, 30 May 2010 15:50:29 +0000

The Loire region of France is world famous for its castles. Château de la Barre has that something extra: from the minute you turn into the park and its curving road, past the gate-keeper’s lodge, past the sheep grazing under the centuries-old cedar of Lebanon, the imposing plane and walnut trees, and arriving at the [...] Related posts:

Santiago: Palacio Cousiño – grand living for a grand family

Berlin: Cherry blossoms replace barbed wire

zda — Sun, 16 May 2010 21:08:47 +0000

The death trail that once marked the Berlin Wall is alive and well ... with cherry blossoms. Every year around the beginning of May, over 1400 cherry trees burst into bloom along this stretch of the erstwhile mined no-man’s land. Now it fills visitors with joy instead of dread. This wonderful display of blooms got [...] Related posts: