Country Notices
Germany
We started our journey around the world in Germany during
the winter. We crossed several mountainous landscapes.
It was a good exercise for the mind, the still weak muscules
and the regulation of the body temperature.
We travelled through Germany in March 2004 and published 238 pictures
und 16 reports
of this country.
Czechia
Czechia gains its charm by its plenty of old and magic forests.
Some treasures of Czechia are shining all over the land,
Karlove Vary and the "Eternal Prague".
Here the people like to eat solid food such as dumplings,
cabbage and roasted meat. As in Germany the national drink
of the Czechs is beer. And concerning the quality it defies
the German beer.
We have visited Czechia in March, April 2004 and published 157 pictures
und 7 reports
of this country.
Austria
We crossed Austria over its plains in the East.
The Lake Neusiedler reminded me in a way of some
places at the German coast in the North.
Apart of this the country is covered by endless
green fields. In the middle of them you find
small villages and towns which are very neat and
orderly.
We have visited Austria in April 2004 and published 13 pictures
und 2 reports
of this country.
Slovakia
In Slovakia we especially visited Bratislava.
It is a sleepy town with an artistic charm.
There are a lot of theaters, museums and a
beautiful, old opera. In the inner city
stylish sculptures mix with the pedestrians
which you don't recognize as artist work until you
reach very near.
We have visited Slovakia in April 2004 and published 13 pictures
und 1 report
of this country.
Hungary
The spring is the right season to visit Hungary.
Then the tulips and narzisses florish in the gardens
in front of the neat houses. The inhabitants like
to drink their local wine and they go by bicycle
everywhere, even to the church on Sunday wearing
fine clothes.
We have visited Hungary in April 2004 and published 55 pictures
und 3 reports
of this country.
Croatia
Croatia impresses by its beautiful and diverse landscape.
There is the Dalmatian coast with its islands, the lakes
of Plitvice with its plenty of waterfalls and the inundation
land of the Sava.
Along the coastline you find a lot of historially interesting
places from the very small villages up to the biggest towns
as Split and Dubrovnik. But crossing the inner country you
will be aware of many signposts that warn from mines.
In some areas house ruins remind you of the former war, too.
We have visited Croatia from April to May 2004 and published 232 pictures
und 9 reports
of this country.
Bosnia and Hercegovina
In Bosnia we especially went along the river Una.
The wild current full of cataracts flews through a
green mountainous landscape. Bosnia and Herzegovina
is mainly a moslemic country. Still today after the
war long time ago a lot of people of different origin
and religion continue to live in Bosnia and Herzegovina
in a friendly way.
We have visited Bosnia in April 2004 and published 18 pictures
und 1 report
of this country.
Italy
Italy is a food paradise. But every day from one to five o'clock
it could be exactly the opposite if you did not take any
precautions. Then nearly all restaurants and shops are closed
because of the heat. The South of Italy has beautiful
beaches. On top of the Sicilian mountains the old
towns full of romantic charm look like illuminated crowns.
A carpet of green covers the whole island.
We have visited Italy from May to July 2004 and published 633 pictures
und 9 reports
of this country.
Tunisia
Beside the mass tourism at the beaches a large area
of the country is part of the big white desert.
Some stage directors found Tunisan landscapes
nice as movie scences. Salt plains and date plantations
of several kilometers cover the South of the country.
On the other hand the mountainous North of Tunisia
seasonly is covered by green. And the amphitheater
of Carthago today is a cultural meeting point that
attracts many artists from all over the world.
We have visited Tunisia from July to November 2004 and published 750 pictures
und 33 reports
of this country.
Mediterranean Sea
Life on a cargo ship consists mainly of exercises,
meals and the daily workings. Everyone is happy
about some changes. We experienced our transfer from
Tunis to Haifa as a short cruise.
We have crossed the Mediteranean in November 2004, in December
and in January 2005 and published 80 pictures
und 1 report
of this country.
Israel
Controls at the border, controls at the shopping malls and the
banks, this is life in Israel. The standard of life is similar
to Europe. Here you find a lot of traces of christianity,
the lake Genezareth, the Jordan river and Nazareth.
But Israel is not a unified country. As a religion based nation
it enforces the separation between people of different belief,
mainly Arabs and Jews, who suffer by this in their everyday life.
We have visited in November, December 2004 and published 145 pictures
und 11 reports
of this country.
Palestine
Palestine is rich in places of religion and historical value.
Because of the political problems in the country the tourism
has decreased drastically the last years. Today ugly walls
surround and separate places of common interest such as Bethlehem
or Jerusalem. By a lot of regulations and the perpetual presence of
Israeli soldiers in the roads Palestinans are troubled in there daily
life.
We have visited Palestine in November, December 2004 and published 313 pictures
und 14 reports
of this country.
Cyprus
A mild climate and beautiful mountains are the
characteristics of Cyprus. It is the island of
oranges, citrons, where the fruits are regarded
not only as good food but also as nice decoration
of streets and gardens.
But for decades of years the country
is divided into the rich and busy South and the
neglected North.
We have visited Cyprus in December 2004 and in January 2005 and published 218 pictures
und 5 reports
of this country.
Turkey
According to its size Turkey offers a lot of different
landscapes, the bizarrely formed tuff rocks of Kappadokkia,
the Mediterranean coast with its mild climate and the
Anatolian highlands.
The mentality of the Turks is similar partly to Germans
partly to Arabs. Often you see elegant people in the towns,
that's because Turkey is a paradise for clothes shopping.
We have visited Turkey in January, February 2005 and published 82 pictures
und 3 reports
of this country.
Syria
By our experience the Syrians are one of the most
hospitable people of the world. In the towns, on the
countryside everywhere you get nice invitations to
drink tea.
In the Baida, the Syrian desert the people still
live in their traditional way as beduins. Syria
has a tradition of 7000 years of history.
Remnants of earlier milleniums you find in Palmyra,
Bosra and Damascus. In the capital the former houses
of merchants today are among the most beautiful cafes
and restaurants in the world.
We have visited Syria in February, March 2005 and published 417 pictures
und 17 reports
of this country.
Jordan
Jordan fascinates especially by its natural highlights:
the Dead Sea, the mountains along the Wadi Araba and
the pink desert of Wadi Rum. But Petra, the stone carved
Nabataen town gives a matchless impression.
Beside you can follow many traces of the old testament in
Jordan. By this a lot of tourists visit the country which
population mainly consists of some native Haschemits and
a lot of Palestinians. Some Egyptians come here for work.
We have visited Jordan in March, April 2005 and published 581 pictures
und 22 reports
of this country.
Egypt
Desert covers most of the dry and hot country which is traversed by
one abundant green strip of some kilometers width formed by Nile.
In this area Egyptian kingdoms started to grow 5000 years ago. Until
today a lot of antique artefacts have kept their shape astonishly well.
Although repeated terroristic attacks the country is still flooded by
culture and leisure tourists. The habits of the visitors often do not
match with the radical islamic perception of several locals.
We have visited Egypt from May to August 2005 and published 651 pictures
und 29 reports
of this country.
Sudan
Half of Sudan is part of the desert. It is plain,
of endless view and sandy. In the South the country
is green. According to its size Sudan is a multinational
country. There are different black races,
Arabs, Nubians and single white people.
The Sudanese are very hospital and friendly to foreigners
but among themselves they have a lot of difficulties.
We have visited Sudan in August, September 2005 and published 419 pictures
und 29 reports
of this country.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a country of contrasts. Here you find
poverty and starvation in a natural abundance.
It has an unique tradition of music and dance.
The coptic church organizes spectacular ceremonies
several times a year. Ethiopians mentality is light
heartedness and very similar to this of children.
Many aid organizations try to support the country.
We have visited Ethiopia from September 2005 to July 2006
with a break of two months in December and January and published 1901 pictures
und 68 reports
of this country.
Djibouti
Djibouti is one of the hottest places in the world.
It is formed by volcanic activity of the East African
Rift Valley. A large number of the people living here
are from the Afar tribe. Still today many of them live
in traditional way as nomads.
In the capital stay a lot of people who immigrated from Somalia
and Arab countries. Even some white people live here, especially
French. Every day there are some new ships that come from all
over the world to the port of this small country.
We have visited in December 2005 and in January, February 2006 and published 254 pictures
und 6 reports
of this country.
Red Sea
Pakistani have built dhaus of above 30 meters go more or less regulary
between Djibouti and Mokha. They transport cattle from Ethiopia into
the Arab countries and return loaden with mixed merchandise
to the port of Djibouti. By the way they take passengers, too.
We crossed the Red Sea in Mai, December 2005 and January 2006 and published 25 pictures
und 1 report
of this country.
Yemen
The Yemenite culture is singulary in the world.
The here practised architecture has a very long tradition.
The terrasses cultivation in rough mountainous areas
can not be that easily adapted. The Arabian markets,
the view and the clothes of the people seem as a dream
of Thousand and One Nights. Not by chance Yemen is
known in the world under the name of Arabia Felix.
We have visited Yemen in December 2005 and in January 2006 and published 673 pictures
und 16 reports
of this country.
Kenya
Colorful tribes and an exotic fauna
are the main characteristics of Kenya.
Beside there are extremly different
landscapes as semi desert and white beaches
along of mountain areas looking like taken out of Central Europe.
At the coast and in the capital the Arab-Asian influence in the
cultural and economic life of the country
is very strong still today.
We have visited Kenya from July to November 2006 with a break
of three weeks in October. and published 1058 pictures
und 37 reports
of this country.
Indian Ocean
There are no passenger ships between Mombasa and
Zanzibar but cargo ships circulate regularly
in this area. A dhau built in Singapore arrives
weekly at the legendary island.
The crew members are mainly moslemic. We experienced
the crossing in the month of Ramadan.
We have crossed the Indian Ozean in October 2006 and published 27 pictures
und 3 reports
of this country.
Tanzania
The administrative junction of Tanganika and Zanzibar did not
provoke any significant mixture of the people nor their cultures.
Zanzibar remained the island of moslemic Arabs while
numerically black people dominate the continent.
The most impressive part of Tanzania is maybe its rich and
diverse wildlife. Numerous national parks cover the whole
country, but the North attracts most of its visitors although
its high and steadily increasing prices.
We have visited East Tanzania in October 2006 and West Tanzania in March, April 2007 and published 745 pictures
und 23 reports
of this country.
Uganda
Uganda the pearl of Africa got this name because of its
extremly multifaceted and exuberant nature. Real famine was never
there in this country. To have food is taken for granted by
everyone. On these basics it is not surprising that today Uganda
notes down the highest economic growth in all Africa.
We have visited Uganda from November 2006 to March 2007 and published 696 pictures
und 20 reports
of this country.
Rwanda
Rwanda one of the smallest countries in Africa has widely
solved the problem of corruption opposite to many other
countries of the continent.
A lot of things are different in Rwanda, the European like roads,
the disciplined way of driving and the somewhat formal friendliness
of the people.
We have visited Rwanda in March 2007 and published 204 pictures
und 9 reports
of this country.
Zambia
Although situated near the equator the climat of the
country is very peasent and not too hot. The forests of
the highlands which are similar to South European
vegetation the same as the few population are inviting
for visitors to put on the tent somewhere.
In the North of Zambia the people on the countryside value
nice living environnement. Their houses often are nicely
decorated by ornaments, plants and flowers.
We have visited Zambia in April, May and June 2007 and published 893 pictures
und 23 reports
of this country.
Botswana
Opposite to many other African countries Botswana still
has a lot of animals. But also here the construction of
new roads and the growing of new cattle farms push them
back to a steadily decreasing space to live. Soon wild
animals will even here not be seen except inside the borders
of the nationalparks.
We have visited Botswana from July to October 2007 and published 650 pictures
und 18 reports
of this country.
Namibia
Today 2/3 of the Caprivi a former German colony is a nationalpark,
which is known for its high density of elephants. Nowadays the
bush people live there, in the remote North of Namibia. But they
have not kept their traditional way of living as hunter and
collector.
We have visited Namibia in July and from Oktober to December 2007 and published 1104 pictures
und 14 reports
of this country.
South Africa
South Africa captivates by its beautiful and varied landscapes.
The diversity of the nature also is seen in its population.
Blacks, whites, coloreds,bush people and Asians live in the
country. But the humans of differend races avoid each other.
They largely back out off.
We have visited South Africa from December 2008 to February 2009 and published 546 pictures
und 0 reports
of this country.
