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Nice Winter Atmosphere at Bergenhus Castle

2011-12-09T15:10:00.003+01:00

Earlier this week I visited the old Bergenhus Castle in the Bergen-Norway. These buildings were just lovely in the nice winter light:

New Camera? Nikon or Canon - A Hard Question

2011-11-15T22:19:00.002+01:00

Every time I meet a new person, I hear a new experience and opinion about either Nikon or Canon. There is no doubt that both companies produces great cameras, but are there any difference? I guess there is, but I not sure. As mentioned earlier I am very satisfied with my Canon 500D camera, but I do not have that much experience with comparable Nikon cameras. In the video below Canon seems to be the best choice, but I am not sure:

Nice Price Professional Camera - Canon 600D

2011-11-15T22:05:00.005+01:00

At the moment I am using my Canon 500D camera when I am on the fly, but I am seriously considering to replace it with a new Canon 600D or a more professional model. I love mye 500D camera, and I am not not sure witch model to choose. I have got a good impression of the 600D model. Take a look at this video to experience the great video function that impresses me a bit on the latest release from Canon:

Nice stay at Golsfjellet

2011-11-14T20:31:00.004+01:00

In the end of October I had a great trip to Golsfjellet, close to Jotunheimen in southern part of Norway. This is small mountain plateau about 1000 meters above sea-level with 2K-peaks surrounding. I had nice walk to the one of the peaks where I took some photos I hope you like:

Me on the way upwards.

Nice, almost blue, light in the mountain in October.

Beautiful view to the surrounding peaks with white powder snow.

Amazing sky this day.

Me on the top.

Me enjoying the nice view. The early snow has arrived this year.

If you have the opportunity bring a nice and warm lunch - you should bring it along.

Lovely view on our descent.

Climbing Mount Uranos (Uranostinden) and Mount Slingsby (Slingsbytinden)

2011-11-07T11:37:00.000+01:00

I had a look trough my pictures from 2010 this weekend, and one of the memories I still feel is almost like yesterday, is my trip to Mount Uranostiden in Jotunheimen - Norway. The peak we headed for in august i the easily visible peak in the picture below:

Uranostinden seen from lake Tyin.

Uranostinden is the highest mountain along many 2K peaks in the area. We drove National road E16 from Bergen, further on national road 53 to lake Tyin, where we headed right in the intersection. We drove further on a country road towards Tyinholmen (sand road), where we turn left towards the Kolde walley and Lake Kolde.

Lake Kolde, where we parked our cars and started our trip. The mountains in this area is just magnificent.

Me at the carpark in the Kolde walley (Photo: Jørn Eriksson)

After a rough drive along the Kolde walley we parked our cars close to lake Kolde where we started our trip towards basecamp at Lake Uradal (Uradalsvannet). This was a 3 km walk, or about one hour walk.

Mount Uranos (Uranostinden) is a nice mountain to observe on our way towards basecamp.

We finally found basecamp this evening:

Our basecamp on the south side of Lake Uradal(Uradalsvatnet).

Nice view towards our goal the next morning.

Jørn Eriksson is preparing for the ascent.

The next morning the weather conditions were terrible until about 11 in the morning. It was very windy and a lot heavy showers. Suddenly the sky turned blue and we decided to head towards our destination.

Me on the way around lake Ura (Uravatnet).

Jørn Eriksson having a break.

In the end of Lake Ura (Uravatnet) you have to head along the mountain for about 3 hours. This is heavy crawling, and you better be wearing a helmet. This is a steep part with a lot of loose stones.

Jørn Eriksson in the first part of our climb.

Me in the first part of the mountain.

Still hard climbing, but the view towards Lake Ura is magnificent.

When you get higher you get a nice view of the Ura walley and towards mount Falketind.

Nice and untouched nature in the Ura Walley.

View towards Mount Falketind.

After about 3 hours walk/climb along the mountain, you can head upwards again towards the peak and our summit for the day.

Jørn Eriksson having a break before the last climb.

A look back towards the walk we had along the mountain before we could keep on walk upwards towards the top of Uranostinden.

Nice view of the Ura Walley and the Horungane in Jotunheimen.

Jørn Eriksson on the last stage towards Uranostinden.

The last 200 meters are steep and quite heavy to walk, and in the end the mountain wall transforms into a tiny edge with steep hillsides on both sides. Nice view towards the glacier of Uranos and Mount Slingsby.

Nice view towards south east and the Uranos Glacier.

Tiny edge on the top.

Me on the top of Mount Uranos (Uranostinden).

Jørn Eriksson at our summit.

When we where at the top we had to head towards Mount Slingsby (Slingsbytinden). This peak is about 30 min. walk from the Uranostinden. Mount Slingsby is famous for its very tiny edge. Its about 50 centimeters on some parts.

Me on our ascent towards Slingsbytiden with Uranostiden in the background.

Jorn climbing the Slingsbytinden.

Nice view from the Slingsbytind:

Nice view from Slingsbytinden.

Uranostiden in fog seen from Slingsbytinden.

The Uranos Glacier and the Langeskavlstinden seen from Slingsbytiden.

Watch the video to see the nice view from the top:

After a couple of minutes on the top of the Slingsbytindenwe started our descent towards basecamp:

Jørn climbing down towards Lake Ura (Uravatnet).

We had a great trip towards Uranostinden, but the trekking trip is hard, and could be difficult if you are not fit for mountain trekking. You can reach the top of Uranostinden by using the track passing the glacier aswell. This an alternative and shorter trip. I would guess its about 2 hours walk from the south side of Lake Ura, where we had our basecamp.

Nice stay in Oslo and attending the Oslo Marathon 2011

2011-11-05T17:38:00.006+01:00

In the end of September I was visiting the capital of Norway - Oslo, and attending the Oslo half marathon 2011. This is a annual street race in the city center of Oslo. I had a very nice stay and took some photos I hope you like:

Oslo marathon 2011.

Me in the Oslo marathon almost crossing the finish line.

Akershus fortress in Oslo.

Gard at Akershus fortress in Oslo.

Cozy atmosphere at the fortress.

Entrance to the main castle at the fortress.

Nice alley at the fortress.

View of the Oslo fjord from the Akershus fortress.

The white opera house in Oslo.

Me walking at the public roof of the Opera in Oslo.

If you like to read more about Oslo and Norway visit the Official Guide to Norway here.

Nice Sunset This Evening

2011-10-24T21:42:00.002+02:00

This evening the weather have just been lovely and when I had my night walk to get some fresh air I catched some nice pics of the sunset:

Hamar - A Sleepy Town by Lake Mjoesa

2011-10-23T12:45:00.004+02:00

Earlier this month I had a short trip to the small and sleepy town of Mjoesa. I had a walk at the promenade where I to some photos of the nice sunset and the local flooding stone:

Lovely sunset in Hamar, with the Lake Mjosa in front.

Nice sunset.

The local historic flooding stone.

Nice Flowers

2011-10-22T22:29:00.006+02:00

This summer I was visiting a alternative cafe with own grown herbs and lovely flowers. Hope you like them as well:

Nice City Walk in Bergen - Norway

2011-10-22T17:22:00.004+02:00

In September I had a nice walk in the center of Bergen. I took som pics I hope you like:

Torgalmenningen in Bergen.

Nice poems on the pavement in Bergen.

The famous Bryggen in Bergen.

Nice historic atmosphere.

Cozy buildings on Bryggen.

Up and coming Norwegian artists! Lars Vaular, Fjorden Baby and John O.N. And the Gang

2011-10-13T23:13:00.005+02:00

There is a lot of going on in Norwegian music, but there is maybe a couple characters that are not the typical A4-commercial artists. The bands I think would be up and coming, especially in Norway, are these three bands from Bergen: Lars Vaular, Fjorden Baby and John O. Nilsen and the gang. Enjoy some of their tunes below:

Nice trip to Lofthus and trekking the Opo Waterfall in Hardanger

2011-10-10T21:05:00.005+02:00

In the end of September was I visiting the romantic place Lofthus in the Hardangerfjord. The Hardangerfjord is in the county of Hordaland in Norway, and is the third largest fjord in the world, and the second largest in Norway. The surrounding district is called Hardanger.

Lovely view over the Hardangerfjord.

As part of the stay in Lofthus did we have a riverwalk in the river Opo and the waterfall Skrikjo. This is one of the highest waterfalls in Norway.

Nice and lovely fruit in Lofthus on our way up to the waterfalls of Opo.

Fruit field in Hardanger.

The waterfall Skrikjo seen from Lofthus.

We are getting closer.

It is spectacular - over 200 meters free waterfall.

The river Opo is a magnificent river.

Hill Walk at Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh

2011-10-10T20:32:00.003+02:00

One of the nicest experiences I had in Edinburgh in May 2010 was a nice hill walk at Arthur's seat in Edinburgh. Arthur's Seat is the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park.

The weather was lovely this day, and we had a magnificent view all over Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.

I am ready to start the "climb" of Arthur's seat.

Our first view - this looks promising.

The Scottish parliament.

Nice yellow bushes grows all over the hill.

Hollyrood park with our destination in the background.

The peak is getting closer.

Nice view down towards Edinburgh city center.

The hillside is quite steep and edgy.

Me at the top with a nice view of Edinburgh in the background.

The view from the top is amazing.

Nice Stay in Stavanger - Norway

2011-10-10T00:18:00.004+02:00

This week I have stayed in the cozy town of Stavanger in the southern part of Norway. Stavanger is a small town, but is a diverse town because of the central position the town has in the Norwegian petroleum industry. I also visited Stavanger during my holiday in 2010. Last time I visited this town I took some photos on my walk around in the town center.

The Breia lake .

In the center of Stavanger is the small lake of Breia (Breiavannet). This is a calm place where you can relax and just feel the vibrations of the town and the wildlife living in and close to the pond.

Nice walk at the east side of Breiavannet.

Breiavannet when you look towards the central station.

Close to Breiavannet is the cathedral of Stavanger. This is a nice and historic church located on a small hill above the town center and Breiavannet.

The Cathedral seen from east.

I had a walk towards the fishmarket and further north on the promenade on the eastside of the harbor. This is maybe the hot spot of Stavanger with a lot of nice dinning place and clubs if you like nightlife.

Pulsing atmosphere in the town center of Stavanger.

Stavaner is famous of its classic white townhouses. Parts of the center is is very authentic and worth a visit.

Nice historic houses in the center of Stavanger.

The greatest attraction of Stavanger is the Valberg tower which is located on the highest point of the town center. From the tower there is a nice view over most of the town and surrounding areas.

The Valberg tower is worth a visit.

My last stop at my walk in Stavanger was the statue of Alexander Kielland statuen som ligger på torget. Alexander Kielland is one of the most famous persons from Stavanger.

The Alexander Kielland statue at the fish market in Stavanger.

More nice experiences in the City of Edinburgh

2011-10-09T00:06:00.002+02:00

Our stay in Edinburgh gave us a lot of nice experiences and some of them are unforgettable. If your planning to visit the UK you should definitely visit Edinburgh, you will not be disappointed. I took some pictures I hope you like:

Calton Hill, Edinburgh.

Me at Calton Hill.

Calton Hill.

Edinburgh Castle, Princess park

Me in front of Edinburgh Castle

Nice water sculpture in the Central park.

A Great trip to the Capital of Scotland, Edinburgh

2011-10-07T21:08:00.005+02:00

This spring I had a lovely trip to the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh. The first couple of days we had to visit some of the greatest attractions such as: the nice Edinburgh castle and the crowded High street in the Old Town. Edinburgh is a lovely city with fantastic scenery and a lot of lovely buildings and sites. I took some pictures from some the lovely places I visited.

Entrance to Edinburgh Castle.

Gauard at the Castle.

At Edinburgh Castle.

Inner barrier at Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle by night.

St. Giles Cathedral.

St. Giles Cathedral seen at the frontside.

St. Giles by night.

Nice View at Mount Fana (Fanafjellet)

2011-09-10T00:47:00.003+02:00

The Autumn is getting closer and I am trying to enjoy the last part of the summer. Even though this is a weekend in the city, I was ready for a nice and short walk towards the Mount Fana (Fanafjellet).

Old farm building we passed on our way up.

Mount Fana (Fanafjellet) is the highest mountain in the southern part of Bergen. The trip starts from a carpark located about 2 km from the top.

Nice track to the top.

The path going towards the viewpoint and the top of the Fana Mountain is easy to walk, and accessible for any one. It is a short walk for a nice view towards Bergen, Sotra and if you have a clear sight almost England.

View towards Bergen.

Mount Ulriken in Bergen.

Nice view from the top.

Nice view towards the Island of Sotra.

Me at the top.

After a nice walk to the top, and a lovely rest with a fantastic view did we walk slowly back to our car.

Time to enjoy the view and have a drink at the top.

Mount Fana (Fanafjellet) is perfect for a short walk, if you like a easy access to a nice view. If you like, you can walk further on towards the west for about 2 hours. If you are visiting Bergen this is a place I recommend you to visit.

Haugesund - The Center of Norwegian Movies

2011-09-07T22:21:00.003+02:00

I had some lovely days in Haugesund - Norway in September 2010. Haugesund is located along the mainroad between Bergen and Stavanger.

The port of Haugesund, with bars and restaurants.

Haugesund is famous of being the Norwegian "capital of herring" and hosts the Norwegian film festival "Amanda". Except during the buzzing weeks of the film festival Haugesund is a charming and sleepy town.

The Smeasund bridge in the center of Haugesund.

I had a walk along the promenade close to Smeasundet in the city center, where I catched some glimpses of the city.

The Amanda statue in the city center of Haugesund.

Pulsing life and shopping in the main street Haraldsgata in Haugesund.

Haugesund has a lot to offer if you like shopping or if you are cultural interested. After a nice walk in the city center I ended up at a nice and crowed bar called CafeMoody (Strandgata 152). They serve nice drinks and lovely food at this place.

Warm atmosphere at the promenade.

Calm nightlife in the City looking towards Karmoy in the south.

If you planning to visit the West coast of Norway, Haugesund is worth a visit. Take a 50 km detour from the main road E39 and you will be surprised of how much this small town has to offer.

Lovely trip to the Lofoten in Nothern Norway

2011-09-02T20:03:00.013+02:00

The Nothern parts of Norway is famous of being in the land of the midnight sun, having a spectacular nature, impressive mountains and most of all the northern light.

One of the really hot spots of Northern Norway is Lofoten, which is located in the County of Nordland. Lofoten is streching in to the Norwegian sea and the Atlantic ocean. Lofoten is popular among tourists, and during the summer months this area is visited by many caravans.

The Cozy fisher town Reine south west in Lofoten.

Being a Norwegian I have heard of this part of Norway since my days in school, and growing up I have several times been recommended to visit this remote part of Norway. Lofoten is one spots that you have to visit if you live in Norway or are visiting Norway. I had the chance to visit the Lofoten the autum 2010 where I had a nice stay and took some nice pics I hope you enjoy.

The Island of Sandtorg (Sandtorgholmen) in The County of Troms.

We started our exotic road trip in the southern part of the County Troms where we stayed the first night. There are quite a lot of nice hostels and hotels in the area, and we stay at a nice hotel at Sandtorgholmen, which is a old trading community and trading place.

You can feel the historic atmosphere at Sandtorgholmen.

There are many historic and nice houses at Sandtorgholmen.

Towards the Ocean - Nice figurative installation at Sandtorgholmen.

After a lovely stay at Sandtorgholmen headed we south towards Lofoten. Lofoten is a chain of Islands streching south west from the main land and out into the Atlantic ocean. On our first stage we meet a social seabird.

The seabird loving the camera flash.

We drove further on the main road E10 through out Lofoten. We had lovely weather on our way south, with clear blue sky, sun and calm wind conditions. The cold clear artic air and the overwhelming nature were just so impressive, and most views along the trip could easily have been taken from a post card.

The lovely Indrefjord and Oeksfjord.

Lofotoen is a National tourist route in Norway, and has a lot of nice viewpoint. Some of the views are just a amazing and unforgetable.

The Austnesfjord.

Nice view in Austnesfjord.

Me in the Austnesfjord with impressive mountain in the background.

After lovely sightseeing in the Northern parts of Lofoten, we were ready for a detour to the famous fisher town Henningsvaer, where we had a nice lunch at Henningsvaer hotel and enjoyed the small town. The lunch and the food was great, and could highly be recommended. The fisher town was also a stunning experience.

Nice and charming port in Henningsvaer.

Almost as a post card in Henningsvaer with clear blue sky and no wind (quite rare in Lofoten).

Nice fishermen houses in Henningsvaer.

After a lunch and a Lazy walk in Henningsvaer headed we further south towards Eggum. This place is famous for its stony beaches where actually the Atlantic ocean is hitting the shores.

Nice beach at Eggum.

The impressive ocean is hitting the shores at Eggum.

Nice valley at Eggum.

At the southern part of the Eggum beach is a sculpture and art installation of the famus artist Markus Ratez called "Head". If you sometime visit The Lofoten you should definitely check out the cool installation. The sculpture changes character as you walk around it.

Head - Markus Reatz at Eggum.

After a nice walk at the Eggum beach were we heading towards the Viking museum at Borg, which is locate about 20 minutes drive from the Eggum beach.

Traditional viking soup was served when we visited the museum at Borg.

When we entered Borg we had driven about 100 miles/150 kilometers, and had have a lovely day with a lot of impressions. Just a short detour towards the very small and cozy fisher town Nusfjord, where we stay for the night, was nothing else than just perfect.

Evening atmoshpere in Nusfjord at the Island of Flakstad.

Nusfjord is a charming place.

The next morning did we head for Aa, the southern part of Lofoten.

South on the island of Moskenes.

Lofoten streches furhter south in to the ocean.

The View from Aa is amazing.

At the "end" of Lofoten is the small communicty Aa located. Aa is a small historic place.

Nice small street in the center of Aa.

Nice Town house in Aa.

After we had been as fare south as you able to go by car, we drove towards Reine, which is famous for its authentic scenery and being a popular tourist destination.

Reine in Lofoten.

Impressive view in Reine.

Our last goal for the trip were the lovely beach of Ramberg, locally known as Copa Caramba! This is a nice beach with clear blue water and white sand. The shame is that the water deadly cold.

Feel free to take swim, but it might kill you!

You can have a nice walk at the Ramberg beach.

Looking Forward to IFA in Berlin Tomorrow? I Am!

2011-08-31T22:24:00.005+02:00

IFA in Berlin is the world's largest trade show for consumer electronics with most producers at stage. Tomorrow we hopefully get some nice surprises from Samsung, SonyEricsson and many of the other electronics providers at this trade show.

I am a bit excited to see what Samsung and other great mobile and tablet producers are going to present at this show. Samsung has introduced the Galaxy tab 10.1 to the market, and I am a bit curious of what they come up with tomorrow.

Samsung is streaming live from their product release at Samsungs Facebook page. The streaming starts at 11 o'clock CET. Take a look at their teaser in front of tomorrows event.

Other Exhibtors are Nikon, Dell and many more. There are more information about the trade show available at the IFA - Berlin homepage.

Perfect Day in the city of Catania at Sicily's East Coast

2011-08-31T20:40:00.006+02:00

It is incredible how fast two weeks can go when your are having a good time and the sun is shining. After a couple of days with city slicking and beach life in Palermo and Mondello we were ready to explore a new part of Sicily.

Lovely church in the old town of Catania.

This time we were heading for the city of Catania at Sicily's east coast. Catania is an Italian city facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse (wikipedia).

Me at the Elephant square in the city center.

Catania is maybe the most know city after Palermo in Sicily. Catania is located at the foot of Mount Etna, about 15-20 km/10 miles from the mountain it self. Catania is much more tourist orientated and are a great tourist destination for both Italians and foreign people. Even though it has a lot of tourists it has kept its charm.

There is a lot of nice sculptures and fountains in Catania.

Catania is Capital of the province Catania, and the second largest. The city has about 300.000 inhabitants, and the greater Catania area has about 800.000 inhabitants (wikipedia.org)

Gateway from the port of Catania to the city.

We took the intercity expressbus from Palermo to Catania. This bus leaves every hour during weekdays and it costs around €30 for return-ticket. The bus terminates at the central bus station were started our city walk this day. We had a nice walk towards the historic city center where we visited the Elephant Square, The traditional fruit, meat and seafood-market.

Me at the main street of Catanina Via Etnea.

After a walk around the Elephant square and the market we walked at the main street Via Etnea. This street has a lot to offer, and if you are in to shopping, this is the place to be.

At Piazza Stecicorro, which is Crossing Via Etnea, you can visit the famous Roman amphitheater. This is an authentic theater from the period of the Roman empire. At events back in that period this amphitheater could host more than 20.000 people.

The amphitheater built in lava stone.

After heavy city walking we were ready for a lunch break, and this day as many others we end up at a cozy Trattoria - restaurant for the locals. Pizza is basic food in Italy, and I had to order that this day! Pizza with french fries tasted lovely.

You should try the lovely pizza the have in Sicily.

After lunch we had a few more hours in the historic part of Catania before we headed towards the central bus station and our way back home to Palermo.

There are many nice churches in Catania.

I highly recommend a visit to the city of Catania. Being a city of this size it is a busy town, but not comparable to Palermo. I really like this city, and if I am going back to Sicily, I am definitely staying in this place. The traffic is less busy and people are more friendly than in the capital Palermo.

The Worst Tourist Traps around the Globe

2011-08-30T16:31:00.004+02:00

If your visiting a site or a city, there is not anything more annoying than ending up in a tourist trap. In such a place you are in a way stuck, and have to spend all of your money on overpriced products.I just hate it, and get in a really bad mood. The trap feeling could make a lovely day to a disaster in just a few seconds.

There are tourist traps all over the globe, but in some countries a quick escape is easier. CNN has picked up a some of them and are conducting a poll over the World's 12 worst tourist traps.

In their poll their listing up 12 sites or city attractions, which some of them I totally agree with:

1. Dunn’s River Falls, Ocho Rios, Jamaica - waterfalls with aggressive guides.

2. Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong - commercial place built for mainland Chinese.

3. Times Square, New York City, United States - Advertising quater with no easy escape.

4. Nanjing Dong Lu, Shanghai, China - Avertising great shopping, but it is far from that.

5. Winston Churchill’s Britain at War Experience, London, United Kingdom - Not authentic, and a bad offer.

6. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, Bangkok, Thailand - There are many floating markets in Bangkok, but everyone is heading for Damnoen Saduak, that is not a great choice.

7. All of central Tokyo, Japan - This is just concrete, steel, traffic and trains. The Tokyo Tower centerpiece is an ugly, unoriginal time eater.

8. Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy - Not very exiting, except that it is leaning.

9. Bandra’s Bollywood homes, Mumbai, India - No interesting content.

10. Sydney Fish Market, Sydney, Australia - This place is fatal, and it sticks in the heat.

11. Patpong, Bangkok, Thailand - Looking for high quality entertainment, try another place.

12. Benoa, Bali, Indonesia - Dirty snorkeling.

Read more about the ongoing poll here.

Grieg Cultural Scene - Oseana, Faeringen Restaurant

2011-08-28T01:50:00.006+02:00

It is the end of August and I was ready to check out my local high end restaurant Faeringen at Oseana, The Grieg Cultural Scene in Os.

The nice view from our table.

Me at the restaurant Faeringen at Oseana.

The Grieg cultural center is located in the small town Os, which is located just 25 minutes drive from the city center of Bergen Norway. This is a national and regional venue for both national and international performances.

There a lot of ongoing attractions and concerts at Oseana which is worth a visit. I have not visit the venue yet, but we were ready to try the restaurant at Oseana.

We had booked a table in front of our visit, to be sure to get at good seat at the restaurant. Faeringen is located in the ground floor of Oseana, and we had a warm welcoming when we arrived.

We started our meal with a lovely prosecco, spakling wine.

Lovely Italian prosecco - sparkling wine.

My first course was sugar/salted salmon and sea shells. This first course was just lovely.

The sea-shells tasted delicious.

For main course a chosed the lamb filet. This was perfect cooked and just melting on my tongue.

The lamb filet at this time of the year was just great.

Lovely sea salted potatos.

After the lovely main course I finished the meal with a lovely chocolate cake with raspberry. As the main course, the dessert was just lovely.

Try this chocolate cake with cheese icecream at Oseana.

We had the nice red wine Wongraven to this meal.

Wongraven was a nice match to the lamb filet.

I highly recommend the restaurant Faeringen at Oseana. The venue is also worth a visit if you are in the area close to Bergen Norway.

Hurricane Irene is coming!!

2011-08-24T21:19:00.004+02:00

The Category 3 storm Irine is getting closer to the American coastline. The storm passed over Cuba earlier to day and had at this stage speed up to 140 mhp in the wind gusts. At this moment parts of North Carolina is beeing evacuated BBC.

Tropic storms in the Mexico gulf is normal at the of the year, but as a Norwegian this is a bit amazing to observe from a distance. The Norwegian weather and nature forces rearely get this agressive. A tropic storm is therefore a bit impressive. Its almost unbelivable that the storm can reach this speed levels, which probably is faster than most people have driven their cars.

The storm is predicted to get closer to the coastline before it turns north and follow the eastern part of the U.S towards New York. If the storm do not get upgraded, it hopefully do not make major damages this time. I guess most people have bad memories in their head, rembering the tragic storm Cathrina hitting New Orleans.

Taormina - a Charming Town at Sicilys East Coast

2011-08-23T21:36:00.004+02:00

After couple of nice days in Palermo we were ready to explore other parts of Sicily, Italy. There are a lot of nice hot spots to visit if you are traveling to Sicily, but one destination that I had heard of before I left Norway was the small coast town Taormina.

The gateway to Taormina.

Taormina is located on the eastside of Sicily, close to both the city of Messina and the city of Catania. Taormina is also close to the Italian mainland, as the coastline of Italy is easily visible from the town Centre.

Me at the main street.

Charming and narrow streets in Taormina.

Taormina has been a very popular tourist destination since the 19th century. It has popular beaches which is remarkably warm and has a high salt content. Taormina can be reached via highways (autostrada) from Messina from the north and Catania from the south Wikipedia.org.

Castle at the top of Taormina.

Me in a busy street with a lot of restaurants and small shops.

One of main streets leading the famous historic theater in Taormina.

Narrow street in the town centre.

If you like charming and historic cities, Taormina is the place to visit. With its narrow and curing streets this town is just lovely. If you visit this town you will only bring good memories back home.