Israel and Palestine

map of Israel Palestine

Map of Israel

Israel was for a long time on my list and finally I went there in 2019. It was a pleasant and relaxing visit. It´s easy to get aroung using public transportation, train and bus. I stayed in Tel Aviv and in Jersualem and from there visited Akko (Acre), Haifa, Jericho, Masada and took a short trip to Bethlehem in Palestine.Israel and Palestine

Mali

map of Mali

Mali 2007/2008

Mali

At the end of 2007 into the new year 2008 I went on this trip to Mali. At that time it still was a very common destination to go. Today many parts of Mali are very risky for touristic visits. Mali is a fantastic touristic destination, however, learning about the political and cultural diversities and conflicts must be part of any tour through the country.

This trip included places like the capital Bamako, cities of San, Ségou, Djenné, Mopti, Niafunke, Timbuktu, the Hombori mountains, the Dogon country, and the river Niger.

At that time I always took slides, therefore all pictures shown here are scans from those slides.

 

South Caucasus

South Caucasus Armenia Georgia AzerbaijanSouth Caucasus: Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan

The season was August, a perfect time to visit these countries in the South Caucasus. The year was 2019, there was no Corona, no need to worry about local rules, no need to avoid being close to people – pretty hard to imagine now. I went first to Armenia, then Georgia and finally Azerbaijan. This order was not arbitrarily, some borders were and are more difficult to cross for political reasons. Besides this, traveling was and is very easy and very exciting. You can experience an mixture of culture, lively nightlife, historical sites and modern architecture.map of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia, the Omo Valley and the Danakil Depression among other places

South and North Ethiopia, the Omo Valley and the Danakil Depression

First the Southmap of Ethiopia

In 2006 I went to Addis Ababa and from there to the Omo Valley. It wasn´t easy to go there. Roads were difficult to pass, bridges broken, it was wet, muddy and very slippery, you had to improvise a lot. Meeting the ethnic groups there is an amazing experience, however, it makes you think about what you are doing there. The pictures shown here are scans from slides.

Then the North

In 2017/2018 I went from Addis Ababa to the northen parts of the country. I also went to Djibouti, but pictures from there are not included here. As Ethiopia is one of the most diverse countries you can find, the North es extremely different from the South, but as amazing as anywhere there. If you love colors and heat, you have to visit the Danakil Depression around Dallol and the volcano of Erta Ale.

Australia

map of AustraliaGoing to Eastern Australia and to the Center

This was a trip long time ago, over Christmas and New Year 1993/1994 to Eastern Australia and then shortly to the center. Therfore all pictures shown here are scans from slides.

That trip started in Cairns and then we went by car all the way down along the west cost to Melbourne.We visited, among others, the Great Barrier Rief, still healthy then, Daintree National Park, Fraser Island, Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, the Blue Mountains. And when go to Sydney don´t miss the Sydney Rock Oysters.

From Melbourne we went to Tasmania, arriving there on Christmas Eve. It wasn´t easy to find a car and accomodation and an open restaurant. And it was a pretty cold summer there, around 5°C. After going back to Melbourne I flew to Ayers Rock. I don´t remember that climbing Ayers Rock was under discussion then, but I won´t trust my memories too much. So I went to the top on New Year´s Day for the sunrise. You can see another picture here: Landscape.