Recovery

Let it go
The day after pride, Sven his friend Tsjerk wanted to take the bikes and ride around town and over to Jaffa. I was too tired for that. I sent them on their way and took up residence at the Hilton Hotel pool, until the boys were back. I am really tired, and the little sleep […] Read More

Bookings, beaches, box-office

Let it go
The last days have been perfect, I only spent time at the beach, booking stuff for my trip, and getting tix for the Film festival. By now I have a pretty good tan, just about managing to avoid a sunburn. I’m either at Banana Beach, where the waves were so enormous the other day that I […] Read More

Asia

Let it go
It was sunny, and so I took the ferry from Kabatas to Üsküdar on the Asian side of Istanbul, following the last mail from my sister with stuff we didn’t do. The ferry system is great to cross over, you can use your Istanbulkart that works on Metro’s, Trams and buses, to hop on pretty much […] Read More

Up

Let it go
Every guide book we had told us not to do the trip to Princes Islands on a weekend. But we had our own mind an planning, and thought it can’t be that bad, as we’re still off season. Well. Ok, the boat was full, but not as crowded as the other ferry next to us. […] Read More

To the Black Sea

Let it go
Sabine and I got up early today, skipped breakfast and headed for the ferries, to get on the boat along the Bosphorus. We had to be there early to score a seat with a view… However, we were a bit lost with all the ferries on offer, and all the guys trying to sell us their […] Read More

Under ground

Let it go
Back into the old town for the third day in a row, we went to the Archeological Museum today, maxing out our Museum card, then had a stroll downhill to the little Hagia Sophia mosque, and through a small bazaar. However, the highlight of the day surely was underground: we visited the ancient Basilika cistern […] Read More

Old town

Let it go
I feel like we did it all in one day. We walked through Beyoglu and down to a little local fish market, where they sold fresh catch, sometime still alive and wriggling… Sabine had a spicy fish sandwich, and the birds enjoyed a snack, too. Over the bridge, and after the last drops of rain, […] Read More

Miyajima Island

Let it go
After the sad first day in Hiroshima, I needed something uplifting. A trip to nearby Miyajima Island, best known for its floating torii gate at the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine. The torii is the traditional Japanese gate usually found at the entrance of a Shinto shrine This one is special though, and it might easily be one of the most […] Read More

Thermal

Let it go
It was a long day in the car. I underestimated the time it would all take, even if I only drove about 225 kilometers. Most of it was on tiny, windy beach-mountain-beach roads that took forever. I also did not factor in how much time I would actually like to spend in various spots, so […] Read More

Coromandel Peninsula

Let it go
I got my car at 10 in the morning, then packed up my stuff, got a coffee for the way and my repaired bag, and ran into Clint and a friend. Final hugs, and off I go. My first stop tonight is Hot Water Beach, however I took quite a detour via the Coromandel Peninsula. Separated by […] Read More

Waitemata sunset

Let it go
Still feeling a bit beat up by my cold, I did a stroll on Monday evening down to the harbor to some of the small beaches that are located along Waitemata Harbor, Home Bay and Herne Bay reserves. I saw so many people jogging. that seems to be the thing to keep Kiwis fit… Two guys came […] Read More

Last day at the beach

Let it go
I had not given up hope yet to see Rio from above, the famous Cristo Retendor on top of Corcovado mountain, so I hopped on a bus, even though the statue was still hidden in the clouds. Once at the Cosmo Velho train station, I realized that the next available train was in 2h40. Ok, […] Read More