Click on pictures to enlarge them.
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Turkey
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Turkey, Cappadocia. A thick layer of volcanic ashes has been carved by rain and running water.
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Turkey, Cappadocia. From the lava flows which used to cover such soft tuf, only remain today those funny stone caps protecting tuf formations from further erosion caused by the rain. They are poetically called "fairy chimneys".
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Turkey, Cappadocia. An example of the famous troglodyte dwellings carved in cliffs or even in fairy chimneys.
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Turkey, Anatolia. Lake Meke is a crater lake in the middle of which a huge volcanic cone and several smaller ones have developed.
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Turkey. Lake Beysehir, possibly the most deeply turquoise lake in Anatolia.
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Turkey. Izmir or Smyrna is mainly a modern city, after having gone through earthquakes and fires. It looks oddly similar to the Greek city of Tessaloniki, with which exchange of populations were orchestrated in 1922 by the Greek and Turkish administrations.
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Southwestern Turkey, Bergama. An antique city built on high ground, its spectacularly steep theater can be spotted from far away.
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Turkey, Safranbolu. This charming little town in the north of the country is famous for its "konagi", its traditional Ottoman houses. Its name derives from "saffron" a spice still used today to flavor lukums, sweets in a delicate shade of yellow.
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Turkey, Istanbul. When night falls upon the roofs of the Suleyman mosque and the Golden Horn. Its deep bay leads many ships to the Bosphorus.
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Bulgaria
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Bulgaria. First on-site experience with the Cyrillic alphabet...
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Roumania
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Roumania. In the southwest of the country, a few fortified churches built by the Habsburg are still standing. In this intermediate area beween the German and Ottoman empires, there still remains nowadays a German-speaking minority.
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Roumania. Sighisoara, climbing the citadel of this medieval city mentioned on the Unesco Heritage List.
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Roumania, Sighisoara. The local legend has it that in the citadel quarter, a so called Count Dracul lived in the 15th century...
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Rural northern Roumania.
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Roumania. In the northwest of the Carpathian mountains, in a region called Maramures, the local tradition of wood carving applied to farm and house gates is still vivid today.
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Roumania. Rural landscape in the northwestern part of the country.
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Hungary
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Hungary. Sarospatak, a peaceful town famous for fluids - its bath waters and Tokay wine.
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Hungary. Sarospatak.
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Poland
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Poland. The fervent religious feeling of the Poles is obvious in the numerous churches as well as in their impressive size, whether Catholic or Orthodox, as here in Byalistok.
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Lithuania
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Southern Lithuania. The locals have acquired a great reputation for their wood carving skills, which can be enjoyed when driving in the countryside, where "totem poles" are often placed at crossroads.
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Lithuania. Since its recovered independence, its capital Vilnius has been undergoing a major restoration campaign to enhance its considerable architectural assets.
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Lithuania. Its medieval capital Trakai is famous for its castle but also for its "kibinai", a delicious bun stuffed with meat. "Kibinai" are part of the heritage left by Turkish janissaries who, from the 14th century, were the king's personal guards. Today the Karaite community has less than 200 souls but still maintains its traditions, whether religious or culinary, for the visitors' greatest pleasure.
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Lithuania, Kaunas. The architect of the Pazailis monastery designed a baroque, perfectly symmetrical facade.
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Latvia
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Latvia, Riga. It is lucky that the Soviets, due to a chronic lack of finances, did not destroy "old" buildings to build "modern" ones in their own style... Thus the Latvian capital kept its architectural riches, such as the extraordinary Jugendstil district.
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Estonia
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Estonia. The Estonian coastline facing the northern side of the Baltic Sea enjoys long, Nordic sunsets in the summertime. Hardly crowded, its beaches offer quiet pleasurable moments to nature lovers.
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Estonia. In October, a quiet early morning stroll along the cliffs of the Baltic Sea can offer a wonderful surprise: down under, hundreds of swans gather at night in the shallow water, protected from the wind by the high cliffs.
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Estonia, Tallin. The Estonian Parliament building was built in 1922, during its first independent period.
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Finland
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Helsinki, Finland. The sea is ever present in this city, as here on the shores of Siltasaari.
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Helsinki, Finland. The railway station was built by the famous architect Eliel Saarinen in Finnish Jugendstil style, celebrating the recent independence of Finland. It is said that Lenin having lived in Helsinki when he was just a dissident may have weighed on Russia's decision to grant independence to Finland in 1917.
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Helsinki, Finland. This building on Erottajankuja is typical of 19th century architecture present throughout Europe.
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Helsinki, Finland. The presidential palace of this republic of 5.5 million inhabitants flies its flag only when its female president is in residence.
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Helsinki, Finland. Senate Square, with Tuomiokirkko Cathedral.
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Helsinki, Finland. Hakaniemi district, with its brick market hall in the foreground, where gourmets can find anything, Finnish and foreign produce.
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Kultaranta, Finland. At the end of August, nature is particularly magical. Here, a golden light shed on birch trees near the summer presidential residence accounts for its name, meaning "golden shore".
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Turku, Finland, fortified castle. Turku is one of the oldest cities in the country and hosted its first bishopric in the 13th century. Turku was the previous capital of Finland.
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Turku, Finland. On the shores of the Aura river, lies the superb Jugendstil city hall.
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Rauma, Finland. Small street in the historic district composed of 600 wooden houses, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Although a few houses date from the 18th century most of them are from the 1820's and 1830's. Yet the district is a harmonious neo-renaissance showcase, a style which was fashionable in the 1880's and 1890's, period of great prosperity and renovation in Rauma.
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Rauma, Finland. Market square, on Sunday morning.
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Kristiinankaupunki, Finland. A remarkable historic landmark, with its district of wooden housing, one of the oldest in the country. In the foreground a 17th century wooden building, next to the 18th century city hall. The narrowest street in Finland, located on the village outskirts, has a very exotic name; "Kissanpiiskaajankuja", or "Cat whipper lane".
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Central Western Finland. Landscape of rural Finland in the harvest season.
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Wasa, Finland. Fine example of Jugendstil architecture in this Swedish-speaking town in Western Finland.
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South of Gulf of Botnia, Finland. Thumbs up for the architect and client who came up with this gas station, near the harbor of Kalajoki, or "fish river" in Finnish.
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65th parallel, Finland. North from the Baltic sea, the gulf of Botnia spreads its sandy beaches under the sunniest skies in Northern Europe.
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Rovaniemi, Finland. Santa Claus village, called "Napapiiri" in Finnish, from napa, "navel", and piiri, "circle".
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Sàpmi, Finland
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Sàpmi, Finland. The term "Sàpmi" refers to Sami country, which encompasses the northern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland, plus the Kola peninsula in Russia. At the end of summer, seeds fallen from high grasses make a pink carpet among the man-managed forests.
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Sàpmi, Finland. The dirt road running parallel to the border with Norway leads through the small town of Angeli to Inari to the Northwest. Most dirt roads we took in Norway, Sweden or Finland are easy drives such as this one.
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Sápmi. Walking through Arctic forests is virtually impossible. Rocks, water holes, thick mosses, dead trees... it is best to wait for the snow and put skis on.
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Sápmi. Magical Arctic skies.
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Sápmi. Lakes are often framed with rushes which disappear in the fall. The roots will produce shoots in the spring, around May.
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Sàpmi. In the tundra plains, the lakes are related by waterways, wide and shallow, sometimes turning into rapids when meeting rock formations.
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Sápmi. The ground here is like a sponge full of water, marshlands on which cloudberries bushes develop. They are lovingly picked in August, an end of summer tradition still very present today.
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Sápmi. In July, past the polar circle, nights are not totally dark, as the sun remains just under the horizon. When the skies are clear, its rays light the skies during a magical show which can last for several hours.
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Sápmi, Sweden
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Sápmi, Sweden. A kota, the traditional Sami housing. It is a truncated pyramidal single room made of logs and covered with moss for insulation purposes.
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Sápmi, Sweden. For the Sami nowadays, kotas are often summer cabins in the mountains.
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Sápmi, Sweden. For over 10 000 years, the Sami have been living in the Arctic regions of Europe. Managing their partly domesticated herds of reindeer has allowed them to survive through centuries of polar winters.
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Sápmi, Sweden. Church in Jokkmokk, on the Polar circle. The Sami were christianized by Swedish missionaries.
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Sweden
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Sweden. 66°30' North, going through the Polar Circle.
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Sweden. Encountering a solitary male reindeer. In the summertime, its fur comes off in patches, and grows back in the fall, in preparation for a harsh winter.
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Sweden
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Norway
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Norway. On our way towards Sweden, 65th parallel North.
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Norway. There were over 1000 of these wooden churches in the Middle Ages, but only about 30 are still standing today. Their Norwegian name "stavkirke" refers to churches whose structure rests on vertical logs as columns. Their roofs are covered with scale-looking wooden tiles and are decorated at angles with beautifully carved dragons underlined by Norwegian skies.
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Norway. Typical fjord of Western Norway, east of Bergen. In the background, Vassfjora Peak, at 1600 meters. On the left, a 800 meter high plateau still covered with snow in early July. The clear slightly salted waters of the fjords are generously fed by melted snow, often through spectacular waterfalls several hundred meters high.
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Norway. A good insulation system against dampness, here in southern Norway: this raised barn building rests on stone pillars.
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Norway. By the end of June, at 900 meters altitude, these lakes are still frozen. Surrounded by mountains eroded by glaciers into round shapes, lakes are a staple of Norwegian Hardangervidda. It is the largest high plateau in Europe measuring 70 by 110 km with an average elevation of 1300 meters.
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Here in the Nordics too, dogs have been men's best friends for the longest times, whether to play, herd, guard, or as a hunting companion. During the stone age, sacred red ochre powder was strewn in graves over the body of a beloved dog. This carving dates from the bronze age
(-1800 to 500 BC), just as many others on the Tanum site, representing drakkars, hunting scenes, couples embracing, and animals such as whales! Tanum, located in the south west of Sweden, is on the UNESCO list of world treasures.
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Morocco
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Morocco. Dades gorges and original clay buildings similar to ancient forts.
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Morocco. Leaving the town of Rissani through its western door. Green varnished tiles are typical of the area
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Morocco. Last minutes of sunlight on Erg Chebbi. Soon after that, the stars will appear and the light will turn from orange-pink to bluish... the breeze will stop and a deep, peaceful silence will come upon us. Listen!
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Atlantic coast north of Imsouane, Agadir Province, Morocco
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Limestone slabs tumbled down. Some are still capping clay cliffs, giving the tooth-shape formations seen in the background. Piskerra area, Bardenas, north of Spain
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Limestone protects underlayers of clay from rain erosion, thus forming chimney rocks, in central Bardenas
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Northern Bardenas
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Reminding us of a giant dinosaur backbone, this stone "spine" stretches out for tens of km in South Morocco, surrounded only by sand or reg
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"Ksar", fortified village made of pisé (puddled clay). These "ksour" were built by populations from the South High Atlas mountains for protection against nomad tribes' attacks. Does it remind you of New Mexico or Arizona? South- eastern Morocco
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Setting up camp at sunset, Sahara, south-eastern Morocco
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What a wonderful way to illustrate contours! In the background, the whitish strip is an "Oued" or wash. Watch for the wash in case of a storm and never sleep in a washbed!
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Ireland
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Enjoying breakfast after bivying in green Ireland
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