Mykines | Beakful of fish | Getting there on a little ferry tossed around on the surging Atlantic Ocean needs courage. As the boat uses all her resour

wonderful - Fernwayer Travel Stories & Experiences

Faroe Islands

Getting there on a little ferry tossed around on the surging Atlantic Ocean needs courage. As the boat uses all her resources to maneuver into a tight, rocky harbor, I wonder if the captain, who does this twice a day, is either extremely brave or completely suicidal. We step on to what looks like the sets of a Disney fantasy movie. Twenty colorful grass-roofed homes, one little schoolhouse - which has one child - and a bridge over the Atlantic.

I meet my guide Harald - a septuagenarian with poise to rival the curious sheep we see hanging precariously over the cliffs. Harald leads our little group on a 4-hour hike across the island to the lighthouse at the westernmost point of the Faroes.

Birds are everywhere - puffins, fulmars, kittiwakes, gannets - on the green hills, riding the ocean waves, occupying every inch of cliff space, filling the air with their calls, and circling the sky.

Beakful of fish

United States

Georgia

Incredible Botanical garden in Batumi and it's absolutely worth visiting. 
It has bamboo plantations, wonderful sea view on one side and mountains view on the other!

Botanical Garden

Juta Valley is a wonderful area in Georgia near the
 Stepantsminda town. 
This picture was taken on the way to the mountain lake and it's absolutely breathtaking! I had a feeling that Iam in the movie "The lord of rings".
Must visit if you are in this area.
By the way my hobby is Film photography and this picture was made by olimpus om10, Kodak Portra 160

Juta Valley

Greenland

Disko Bay is the Iceberg Factory for 10% of Greenland's icebergs. Sadly, production has increased in recent years, with Spring melts as early as April.

Nothing prepares you for the disorientation - and wonderment - of the brilliance of a midnight Sun. Especially when surrounded by massive icebergs that reflect and mirror the sky and the sea.

I don't remember seeing this yesterday, I tell the boat captain, is this a new work of art? He laughs, and tells me that everyday is  a bit different. 

The midnight boat trip in end-July - as the sun sets just for a few minutes - is the best time to see the sky’s amazing colors reflected on the icebergs.

Iceberg Factory

Guatemala

The spectacular Mayan ruins of Tikal overrun by miles of  unspoiled jungle are extraordinarily rich in wildlife incl. the elusive jaguar. 🐆 

It’s one of the few UNESCO World Heritage sites that combines both cultural and natural richness and the 500+ sq km contains numerous remains of the Mayan civilization scattered across wetlands, savannah and tropical jungles teaming with birds and monkeys.

It was a thrilling experience to wander in a place that was one of the great cities of the world around 700 AD and wonder how people lived at that time. 

We went late afternoon to take advantage of the magical light falling on the structures and our guide, Daveed, was very helpful in highlighting the important sites and the life at that time. We enjoyed watching the sunset from the top of Temple IV. A perfect filming location for Yavin 4 in Star Wars.

After the sunset, we walked in the fading light to the spectacular Grand Plaza, relieved in Daveed’s assurance that the 🐆 is shy of humans.

Pyramids of Tikal

Morocco

In Marrakech, explore the labyrinth of the medina, lined with market stalls and craftspeople, and full of secret places and contradictions. 

Anonymous, windowless, fortress-like walls enclose luxurious riads built around tiled courtyards, complete with fountains and gardens.

Happily, my wonderful guide Khadija of Morocco Private Experience, encourages my curiosity. She leads the way across the medieval labyrinth of chaotic alleyways - to the souks where centuries-old skills continue to flourish. 

I am intrigued about how all the craftspeople are clustered together by trade. We watch a metal craftsman shape a pair of gnawa cymbals. A leatherworker allows me inside his workshop for a better view. There is an entire street of ornate lantern sellers - the bronze-latticed lanterns competing with the palm-leafed roofs of the souks in throwing light-and-shadow patterns all around.

Heart and Souk

This is the view of The Red City, Marrakech’s medina from the panoramic terrace of Maison de la Photographie.

The museum of photographs is fascinating in how it came about – two famous photographers, Patrick Menac’h and Hamid Mergani, brought together their common passion for vintage Moroccan photography, and pooled their photos for the public to admire. Here I realize how black-and-white photos can dramatize the light-and-shadow effects in the medina.

From the terrace, you can have a glass of mint tea, and wonder about the thousands of satellite dishes that dominate the view. 

It’s peaceful here. On a clear day, you can see the snow-clad High Atlas Mountains. But you can’t see the chaos of Djemaa el-Fna, or hear shouts of ‘Balek!’ whenever donkey-carts come through laden with heavy goods. You can’t see the ‘hand of Fatima’ good-luck symbols painted on the carts after they have ambled past you. Or count the number of chickens being transported on the back of a groaning Vespa.

Pausing in the Frenzy

The riad sends a donkey called Couscous to meet us and pick up the luggage; the taxi will only go so far into the medina. 

As our merry procession winds through the narrow, confusing alleyways, we panic slightly. No problem, says a djelleba-clad staff member, you’ll have a map and cell phone to call if you’re lost. But he graciously accompanies us to our dinner booking and explains how we should get back to the riad. We leave invisible bread crumbs along the way – kebab shop, sweets stall, bakery etc. 

After a long meal, at 11:30 pm, the souks have closed, the streets look very different, and our bread crumbs have obviously gone to bed. It takes two wrong turns and much poring over the map before we find our way back. Our sense of adventure is fully piqued. 

Inside, the restored riad is palatial, with courtyards, heated pool, tiled terraces and stylish artwork. Breakfast is whenever you want, and wherever, says the charming Afaf. 

Shall we move in permanently, we wonder.

Riad Living

Forty-five minutes from Palm Springs – or a slightly longer, two hours from Los Angeles - in California’s southernmost Joshua Tree National Park, I’m waiting at the Visitor Center to buy my park pass, and it’s clear that the most commonly asked question of the rangers in this Park is - “Why is it called a Joshua Tree?"

Turns out the giant, branching yucca’s shape reminded early Mormon settlers of a story in which the Prophet Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky. “A good Joshua Tree will be really thick, with arms sticking out like they’re wearing furry sleeves.” – From The Bulletin, in a 1987 article, 7 years before the trees got themselves their own National Park. 

No two Joshua Trees are alike – for that would be too boring. Instead, they defiantly withstand the desert conditions and stretch out in weird and wonderful ways. 

Great hikes, photography, star-gazing. 

[🌵]

Weird and Wonderful

Antelope Canyon may be the most famous of Utah’s slot canyons,  but if you want to avoid the large crowds, go to Buckskin Gulch - harder to reach but possibly, more enjoyable.

Wire Pass, a gorge carved through the Cockscomb by Coyote Wash, is the most popular entry route into Buckskin Gulch. It takes 1.7 miles to get to the slot canyon from the trailhead. Wire Pass is short, less than half a mile, but its slot canyon is even more confined than Buckskin, and makes for spectacular photos.

Buckskin Gulch twists its way for another 13 surreal miles, but we turn back after a couple of miles to head back to the trailhead. We’ve stopped every few feet to capture various angles of the rock and light - and literally run out of time. You could certainly do a wonderful all-day hike here.

Faroe Islands

Mykines

Beakful of fish

Georgia

Adjara

Botanical Garden

Mtskheta-Mtianeti

Juta Valley

Greenland

Qaasuitsup Municipality

Iceberg Factory

Guatemala

Petén Department

Pyramids of Tikal

Morocco

Marrakesh-Safi

Heart and Souk

Pausing in the Frenzy

Riad Living

United States

California

Weird and Wonderful

Utah

Through the Wire