Unfortunately the Arvika festival started without me this year, but that's ok since I spent the weekend in Brussels. Even though it's used as a curse in Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Belgium can be a nice place in the summertime. But my arrival was less than graceful, since I...
So I am back in Spain, the land of tapas. Currently staying with a friend here in Madrid who has an amazing roof terrace outside his apartment, where we've spent long evenings with great tapas and cold drinks. However, as this is my 4th visit to the country and 3rd...
So here I am in Yazd, an ancient desert city in Iran. I arrived a few days ago coming by bus from Esfahan, a magnificient modern city. The contrast is enormous, since the old town of Yazd mostly consists of sundried mud bricks. But I must confess that the ice...
After arriving in Tehran a few days back I discovered that Facebook, Twitter and other fun sites are thoroughly blocked, just as suspected. So I had a coffee and took the next flight to Shiraz, the lovely city in the south of Iran, on a holy quest to find the...
Ever dreamed of going on the Trans-Siberian railroad? Google has cooperated with Russian Railways to create a video of the entire trip. If you're having trouble sleeping, check out the massive 150 hour footage of birch forests, train stations and more birch forests! It was quite entertaining to revisit the...
Many of you probably remember Matt Harding and his dancing journey across the globe. But you might have missed German traveller Christoph Rehage. In the documentary The Longest Way, he snapshots himself on a walking journey across China. But since he stays away from shaving, it's a one year transform...
A few days ago Sweden's first Starbucks opened in Terminal 5 at Arlanda airport, Stockholm. I guess it was just a matter of time. The reason why it took such a long time is likely the fact that Sweden often offers excellent coffee. Even classic brewed coffee is decently black,...
The year is about to end and I'm spending the last days of it in Prague, the beautiful gothic capital of Czech Republic. Since it's also the last day of the decade, we might as well go out with a bang. And what better way than the herbal bitter Becherovka,...
I'm back in Amsterdam where they celebrate the Saint Nicholas' eve today. This guy is the basis for the more familiar Santa Claus, but originally this eve was the celebration of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. Sinterklaas differ from Santa Claus in several ways. Instead of a deer-driven carriage...
...also known as the Tales of a Godzilla Gaijin. About one year ago, it felt like a good idea at the time to cross a third of the world in 37 days. A 12000 kilometer journey by train, ferry, horse, bus, Shinkansen, tram, subway, taxi, foot and swan boat. Going...
Twenty years ago, the Berlin Wall was opened and Germany was reunited about a year later. I remember reading about it on 9th of November 1989, maybe a bit too young to fully understand the impact of this monumental event. Construction of the wall started in 1961 and a decade...
I just got back from a trip to the French Riviera where we had an entire house in the countryside at our disposal, complete with private pool and large kitchen. It was situated at 500 meters above sea level, so we could see all the way to the cities of...
A few days ago I was driving around in Denmark with friends. We discovered an unusually large dune by the horizon and drove there. At sunset we climbed the dune with sand flowing into our eyes and throats. As we reached the summit we discovered the old lighthouse Rubjerg Knude,...
I recently got back from a roadtrip in Denmark where the main topic was German bunkers from World War II. I believe we saw almost a hundred of them and entered several dozen. For some it may seem like a weird vacation but it's a very real part of history...
If you want maximum travel experience in minimum time, a classic roadtrip is the way to go. The freedom of roaming with a car is simply unparalleled. You are free to choose between the packed freeways and the lonely dirt roads, and wherever you end up it cannot be stated...
For some reason, I often tend to end up in large cities during my travels. While nature is bold and beautiful, there is something alluring about old man-made cities where people have lived for generations and every corner has a history. These are my favourite ones. New York - for...
I love to spend time in cities, immersed by the creative chaos of mankind. This year I've seen a fair share of them: Tokyo, Marrakech, Ulaan Baator, Novosibirsk, Seoul, Amsterdam, Beijing, Inverness, Irkutsk, Kyoto, Moscow, Oban, Perm, Incheon, Omsk, Zhangjiakou, Riga, Ballachulish, Qingdao, Krasnoyarsk, Ulan Ude, Stirling, Helsinki, Balabinsk, Edinburgh,...
Some people might call me a movie buff, but today was one of those days when I deserve that. I have walked alone in the streets of Kyoto, visiting temples and shrines at a leisurely pace, just like Scarlett Johansson's character in Lost In Translation. I even listened to the...
I am currently sitting in a dark room at a hostel in Seoul, South Korea. Trying my best to recover from an exhausting day of warfare study. Or should I call it a study of humankind? Earlier this morning I looked into North Korea with binoculars, seeing their flag shaking...
Yesterday I had a drink at a small place discretely hidden inside on of the old hutons (traditional narrow alleys). The owner was a friendly chap and recommended a club in town called the Banana Club. I was quite sceptical due to the corny name, but he wrote down the...
I am currently back in Ulaan Baatar after sleeping three nights in a traditional ger tent at the Mongolian plains. After five days on the Trans-Siberian train, that freezing tent felt like pure luxury but right now I'm glad to be back in civilization (sort of) with an internet connection....
I got off the Trans-Siberian express at 7 am after four nights of irregular sleep, placing my dusty shoes on the pavement of the Ulaan Bataar railway station. When tired and hungry, you are an easy target for the shadowy existences walking around here. Luckily it was sunday morning and...
I shared cabin with a Russian couple on a night train from Helsiki to Moskow earlier this week. They told me that a plane had crashed near Perm with 80 dead and some damage done to the Trans-Siberian railway. Since I was about to embark on the Trans-Siberian a few...
I just got back from a trip to Riga, the capital of Latvia. Apart from delicious Laima chocolate and lots of cobblestones, the city is home to a lethal brew with the somewhat mysterious name Black Balsam (or Melnais Balzams in Latvian). It's a traditional herbal liqueur composed of 24...
The revered Bagpipe Bastards have just finished the Scotland branch of our tour. We came, we saw and we had a fistful of haggis. The road was long and we covered like 1500 miles in a week with visits to uncountable cities, towns and villages. Tour itenary We attended a...
The Isle of Skye is one of the most remote areas of Scotland, with the Hebrides archipelago around the corner. Despite narrow roads on hillsides with sharp turns and sheeps on the road, it's very nice to explore the island by car. The countryside is charming and some places even...
At the Pancake Bakery. I know that I should stay away from pancakes after my sturdy Moroccoan breakfasts a few weeks ago, but I happen to be in Amsterdam and it would be close to illegal to miss the infamous Pancake Bakery at Prinsengracht, just a few blocks from...
What would you do if hundreds of people around you simply froze in their steps? This inspiring idea was explored by Improve Elsewhere in one of the busiest places in New York. Grand Central Station is one of my favourite places in The City with people everywhere, and I would...
A decade has passed since my last coffee in a north African country, so I figured it was about time. I'm in the busy town of Marrakech, Morocco. Around here they drink ridiculous amounts of green tea with tons of sugar, but the country is also renowned for their strong,...
I just got back to civilization (sort of) after a dry bus ride through the Atlas mountain range. As the bus winded up the narrow roads along the mountain side, I caught myself thinking of the scene in Babel where the woman got shot through the window. She was a...
A newsflash tonight caught my eye more than usual. There was a big fire going on in Camden. From what I heard the Canal Market is gone, but Lock Market and Stables Market seems to be ok. I've heard contradictory numbers but some claim up to a third of the...
Most people have had their fair share of trouble with airport schedules. The Association of European Airlines recently came up with a list of the airports with worst delays: London Heathrow Madrid Barajas (I am not surprised) London Gatwick Paris CDG (still not surprised) Barcelona On a side notice, Heathrow...
New Year's Eve is one of the most hyped times of the year, but still a great time to meet friends and have fun. There is celebration all over the world but the news often show images from the same old places. The giant ball hovering above Times Square in...
I'm currently sitting in a train travelling northeast. It is a sunday evening in November, the month when this part of the world is covered by a cold blanket of gloom. I lift my eyes and have a look at my fellow passengers. People are travelling around the globe more...
Is it just me and my imagination, or is airline security becoming more irrational every day? For instance, consider the security check before boarding. It is adamant and removes all nail scissors regardless of size, but as soon as you board the aircraft, the steward gives you a glass bottle...
Every summer SKYTRAX compile information from 14 million surveys taken by over 90 nationalities. The result of these surveys leads to the World Airline Awards. The results for 2007 are: Airline of the Year: Singapore Airlines Best Cabin Staff: Malaysia Airlines Best Catering: Gulf Air Best In-Flight-Entertainment: Emirates Best Lounges...
I am haunted by the airlines of service past, to paraphrase Dickens. There is a certain scandinavian airline which has a questionable reputation. Henceforth it will be known as "The airline that must not be mentioned", or "you-know-who" for short (pun intended). Some years ago, that airline screwed up. Again....
I just came back from the Catalonia region of eastern Spain, where we rented a car and roamed through beautiful Mediterranean villages. In Barcelona, I noticed some people riding red bikes. This is actually called Bicing, a big thing right now. During 2007, over 100 bike stations has been constructed...
In the digital society of 2007, I suppose that plain notebooks are on the decline. However, there are times when you don't want to bring a laptop. This is where the classic Moleskine notebooks enter the scene. Due to the quality and portable format, I find them very useful and...
About 2300 years ago, a list of seven wonders were compiled. The so called wonders of the world were spectacular manmade constructions located around the Mediterranean. They were the Khufu pyramid of Giza, hanging gardens of Babylon, colossus of Rhodes, lighthouse of Alexandria, temple of Artemis, statue of Zeus in...
I am currently sitting in a hotel room in Oslo, restoring mind and body after interesting lectures during daytime and a lot of urban walking in the evenings. One of my favourite things to do is to explore large cities by foot. Marvel at the shifting architecture, discover interesting people,...
Matt Harding was a game designer at ActiVision who got tired of his work. Four years ago he decided to do what many of us dream of but never get around to: He simply quit his job and travelled around the world. Somewhere along the itinery, Hanoi to be more...
I recently wrote a post about free subway maps. As we all know, good subway maps are a visual guide to the system and not by any means an accurate map of the real city. What seems close on a tube map could very likely be a large distance in...
Did you ever wanted to bring a subway map in your pocket without ripping a page from your Lonely Planet? Now you can. Travel site Amadeus.net has put together a site with hundreds of metro maps. The coverage is impressive: All major American cities are there as well as subway...
I'm currently in Wellington, New Zealand. At latitude 41°S, it's the southernmost national capital city in the world. This is about as far south as you can be without hiking through Patagonia.. Being south of the equator once again, this time I actually remembered to personally debunk an old myth:...
The year is about to get wrapped up, so me and Emelie are on our way to Mrs Macquarie's Point in the Botanic Gardens. It is the best view in the city, where the Opera House is seen in front of the massive fireworks in the harbour area, celebrating the...
During the weekend, we revisited Madrid to say hello to a friend and have some tapas. That was the good part. The bad part was the flight home. Me and Emelie got up at 4 AM and catched a cab outside the Atocha station. That trip presented no problem and...
For all of you who share my love for both Manhattan and digital maps, I want direct your attention to Jason Kottke's latest project: Manhattan Elsewhere....
Even though nature is beautiful, very few things inspire me more than large cities, sprawling with buildings in all directions. I love to walk along the streets, synchronize my heartbeat with the city's unique pulse and feel its energy while immersed by the creative chaos of mankind. Luigi Di Serio...
The hurricane Katrina has finally arrived at the mainland of Lousiana and hit Mississippi like a ton of bricks. Many streets in New Orleans are flooded by two meters with reports of sharks, aligators and snakes swimming around. Debris everywhere, boats are floating up the streets and about ten thousand...
I remember a morning couple of years back when I sat on Patong beach in Thailand, sipping a soft drink while my toes were the only thing that obstructed the view of the Andaman sea, ranging into the Indian ocean. Even though the main activities for foreigners felt like humanity...
This would be a night to remember. We arrived at Guarulhos, the international airport of Sao Paulo, in the afternoon. To our surprise the aircraft had already left. The Air France office was already closed at 5 pm so we had a look at the Air France web site, that...
I used to place Egypt quite high on the paradox list, as they have a lot of signs reading "Egypt - the land of peace" while a guard carrying an automatic weapon stands firmly posing in front of the very sign. However, there's a new kid on the block. In...
I'm currently sitting in Terminal 2 at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, reading Terminal man, the tale about Merhan Karimi Nasseri who has been living in Terminal 1 of CDG for 16 years. That's right. Terminal 1, the horrible concrete saucer. "Passengers are reminded to keep their personal baggage...
As the large tunnel project Götatunneln is taking form in Gothenburg, there are discussions on what to do with the large space along the water which will be rid of heavy traffic. The waterfront area will most likely prosper as the road removal provides space for cafés, restaurants and the...
Reine Larsson is a web developer located in Gothenburg, Sweden. More about Reine
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