This trip came about out of practical reasons, but road trips are fun regardless. This is somewhere couple of hours west of Barcelona. If I had to be more precise, I’d guess somewhere around Zaragoza. You’d think I’d be able to be more precise with the mountains but I can’t tell more than the fact that it’s the Iberian mountain chain (Sistema Ibérico). Whatever the mountains are, it’s a beautiful view. One of those curves where paying attention to the road takes an extra effort.
This is from my last summer’s visit to Germany. I’ve quite enjoyed my time in Cologne. It’s not a city with lots of obvious historic architectural beauty of similar european cities. But it doesn’t take anything away from it as Cologne has things up its sleeve to offer. It’s a lively city with nice people and lots of culture. At the end of the day maybe it’s these things that leave a more memorable impression.
Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom), on the left of the photo, is one of the oldest standing buildings (maybe the oldest) in the city and has been spared by the allied forces during the second world war bombings. Sadly, as the story stands the reason for that isn’t its aesthetic beauty. Its twin spires were easily recognizable and were kept as a navigational mark by the advancing allied forces.
I came across this blog by a russian photographer who travels around the world climbing up local landmarks for unique perspectives. Needless to say it’s illegal but it does lead to some interesting shots. Here’s a link describing his latest european adventure. It’s all in russian, even if you don’t understand some photos are worth checking out. Pictures of Cologne start from photo #23. According to his blog, the Cologne Cathedral was the top place to climb in europe. Click here for the blog.
Today, I feel like taking a break from the photos of China and move to Spain. This is on the way up to the Montserrat monastery, outside of Barcelona. The monastery is in the mountains and is a short hike up. We were lucky to catch the afternoon sun behind the peaks as we were approaching the town.
This is once again the Gobi desert. This time across the border on the Chinese side. I’ve mentioned in one of my earlier posts how much of a difference that border makes. Sand dunes on the Mongolian side are a challenge to get to and when you do you’re completely alone for what seems like miles and miles. These particular dunes in Dunhuang are a tourist attraction. There’s a bus that takes you to the spot and once you’re there, believe it or not, you pay an entrance fee. I found it completely ridiculous but have folded given the time constraint. Later on my trip I’ve met a number of people who just walked far enough from the “tourist area” and went around the wall/fence to get to the dunes.
Once inside the gates there’s a little oasis with a wealth of activities for tourists to pay for: camels, ATVs etc. You can even rent “sand proof” boots. I felt like the entrance fee had already left a big enough mark on my pocket so I opted for my legs to carry me around. I wanted to get away from the gates as far as possible and see where it’d take me. The dunes were high and even if I thought I knew what was behind each dune I had an idiotic curiosity and urge to see which dune’s higher and what’s behind. En route to the dunes I’ve met 2 Chinese students, and a 70+ year old Dutch traveler on a mission to cover the silk route. The old man was quite a character. He carried his LIDL supermarket plastic bags all over Asia, which he justified as a safety precaution. He thought nobody would rob an old man with a plastic bag. The 2 students gave up quite early but the old man kept following me around the dunes dragging hit plastic bag. He looked exhausted, very out of place but kept going. I tried to convince him to stop but it’s like he was trying to prove something to himself. At some point I thought I should stop before the man collapses, but luckily he went back by himself.
As usual. Click the pic to enlarge, share and like 🙂
Same dune with the guys on top. 
I took this in one of Beijing’s hutongs, They are sort of alleys or backstreets of modern day Beijing. In my experience not too many foreigners seem to be interested in them, I personally loved spending my time there. Some are usually empty and residential but some are full with different activities, a lot of which include delicious food. As usual, click on the photo to enlarge and press like 🙂
I’m going to stick to my photos from Beijing for now. There is a bunch of shots that I like and would like to share. I shot this man getting a haircut on my way back to the hostel.
