Row after row of vines basking in the sun. At first glance, wineries appear the same the world over. But stare a little closer and differences in winery character become apparent – accompanying castle-like chateaus in St. Emilion, laidback estates in Waipara, rustic farmhouses in Malta. But look even closer, and that’s when the character…
Tag: science travel
Multicoloured beaches around the world
If you’re daydreaming about a beach, chances are that in your vision the sun is shining, the blue sea is twinkling and the golden yellow sand beckons for you to stretch out on it. But what if that sand isn’t gold? Could it be purple, black, pink instead? The colour of a beach’s sand tells…
Striking gold in New Zealand
At first glance the rock seemed like any other. But when I turned it round, I could see that it was dripping with gold. Running through the rock’s veins, the gold shimmered in the light, whispering “Look at me, hold me, want me.” It was hard to pull myself away and pass it on to…
Oamaru’s blue penguins
Everyone sits still in the dusk light – the spot lit up only with an amber glow, that blue penguins can’t see. The sole sound is that of the sea crashing onto the rocks below. We’ve been told not to move or speak, to allow the penguins to easily find their way back home. We’re…
Three weeks in New Zealand – One awesome road trip
Can a country be worth 48 hours of flight time? That’s what I kept asking myself before finally hitting ‘Enter’ and booking flights to New Zealand. Three weeks later, I can say that the answer is oh most definitely yes. Volcanoes, glaciers, glow worms, dolphins, rainforests – there are so many awesome locations that…
Sink into Dune du Pilat
Golden, powdery sand as far as the eye can see. In front of me, behind, above, and below. There’s good reason why Dune du Pilat is officially Europe’s tallest sand dune. In fact, I’m going to let the dune show off a little: Dune du Pilat isn’t stationary. It’s actually moving slowly inwards, eating up…
Mont-Saint-Michel, and why it’s no longer an island at high tide
Mont-Saint-Michel can be seen rising out of the sea from miles away – a Gothic apparition, pulling visitors off the highway to a time gone by. The mount has been beckoning pilgrims since the 8th century – calling them to cross a treacherous bay, with some of the fastest rising tides in the world. But…
China’s Avatar Mountains -Awesome Zhangjiajie
It’s not every day that you can step into an animated film. But Zhangjiajie was the inspiration for the floating mountains in Avatar, and David Cameron lifted them so exactly that its easy to expect my very own flying mountain banshee to be waiting at the top. Being there is kind of like being Mike…
Mývatn – No Other Place Like it on Earth
Mývatn is a place that’s like no other in the world. And that’s not my opinion – it’s a UNESCO fact. Only two locations are considered somewhat similar – oceanside Hawaii and Mars! So what makes it so special? Lake Mývatn is full of islands that formed in a very unique way. About 2000 years…
Namafjall Hverir – a Trip to Mars
One thousand rotting eggs – that’s what Námafjall Hverir smells like. The smell seeps into the car with the windows still up, whilst we’re still about half a kilometre away. Námafjall Hverir is a hotspot of geothermal activity, and its smell comes from hydrogen sulfide gas that’s constantly being released from its hot springs and…
Iceland’s Best Waterfalls
‘Foss’ was the first word I learnt in Icelandic. Thanks to my waterfall-loving husband, it was dotted all over the map for our Iceland road trip before we even set foot in the country. Iceland is heaven for waterfall fans: it literally overflows with them, thanks to a happy combination of climate, geology and…
Rafting the Li River, Guilin
Rafts to my left, rafts to my right, and countless stretch ahead and behind me. I’m setting off as part of a pirate armada, or at least that’s what it feels like. Though here on the Li River, it’s less Jack Sparrow and more Ching Shih. I may be floating on top of the…
Beijng’s Forbidden City
A hundred years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to set foot in this place. Only royalty, concubines and eunuchs could wander about the Forbidden City. It’s from here that China’s emperors ruled, set law, and lived for 500 years until the abdication of the last emperor, Puyi. He was forcefully evicted from his…
Guilin’s Reed Flute Cave
I know nature is the world’s best artist, but sometimes I need a little reminder. Guilin had reminders dripping from the sky, and nowhere was this more literal than at its Reed Flute Cave. Formed over millions of years, the stalactites and stalagmites here could make Michelangelo green with envy, as they show off…
Beijing’s Cherry Blossoms
A man’s rice noodles dribble out of his mouth as I walk past. His mouth remains agape – my appearance has made him forget that he’s eating. He’s not the only one. A few metres away, a group of girls giggle and point in my direction. Two middle-aged women angle their mobiles to take…
One day in Heimaey
Heimaey is off the typical tourist track in Iceland, but well worth the detour. It’s an island that forms part of Vestmannaeyjar (the Westman Islands), about an hour ferry ride off the mainland. The island is only 13.4km² so its main sights can be easily seen in a day, which makes it a perfect spot…
Discovering baby dragons in Postojna
Each time I watch a horror movie, scenes tend to remain trapped in my mind for ages, resurfacing when I least expect them. So upon visting Postojna in Slovenia, I couldn’t help but picture The Descent. The film follows six unsuspecting cave explorers who get trapped in an unmapped cave system, where they’re pursued by…
Time travelling into Einstein’s house in Bern
Today, a red plaque on the building’s facade proudly announces ‘Einstein-haus’. But, in 1905, there would have been nothing to distinguish this tiny flat from all the other similar blocks along Kamgrasse in Bern. Yet, behind the curtains, no ordinary home life was going on. This is the home in which Einstein came up with his theory…
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Glacier hiking in Norway
I’m holding an ice pick, sharp crampons, and a jumble of loops that will somehow turn into a climbing harness; staring up at a wall of ice. I don’t need to formulate the thought as my travel partner turns to me, “What on earth did you sign us up for?” Most people come up with…