Best of Wallis (1/2): MATTERHORN

Just a bunch of picture of the most famous mountain of Switzerland:

Norway – The Lofoten (Part 2)

With lots of sunshine the Lofoten was pure bliss.

Pure? Almost, if there wasn’t those dirty people using the bushes as camping toilet. It makes me angry to see how some tourists pollute the nature, while posting about the their passion for outdoor activities. I guess there will be consequences for other tourists and traveler sooner or later. I wonder how much longer wild camping will be tolerated.

Back on the road i noticed wooden frames with left overs of dry fishes. Stockfish is an important good in Norway and its export was recorded back to the medieval times. Although it’s originally not salted, i found some salt on the bottom of these frames.

There are quite a few villages. Most are suited themselves best for tourism. They’re pretty, some have also museums and other information centre. Probably most important are the restaurants and cafes settled on beautiful places.

After a couple beautiful days on the archipelagos i reached the village of Å , where i had a last hike before boarding the ferry to south at midnight.

Dusty Streets Of Punta Do Ouro/Mozambique

The heat struck me when i arrived at that small villlage at the beach. After a few rainy and chilly days I was looking for it, but didn’t expected that big change just a few hours after border crossing to Mozambique. 

First thing; to get on the street and get some local currency and buy some water, And a local SIM card. Along the street are colorful fabrics, towels and clothes displayed. Local dealer show their handicrafts, carved wooden figures and small funny cars made of wood. 

Young guys passing me with their roaring quads, raising lots of dust and certainly having fun. For little money, they rent out their vehicles on tourists. But it’s not allowed anymore to drive them on the beach, they warn me. I didn’t suppose to rent anyway, although it comes handy to go for and back with those conveniently. Many tourists from South Africa, just bring their own quad or strand buggy, going for shopping with, or to a near beaches outside town,

In front of the ATM is a queue, waiting patiently to get cashed out their money. Not fancy to wait in the heat, I asked the street seller for changing some cash US Dollars in Meticai, the local currency. Really old fashion, I know, but indeed I found somebody who was happy to get dollars in cash.

Now I was able to buy myself a nice coffee. No better place for that than the ‚Love Café‘ at the end of the street. Friendly staff, strong coffee and street view to entertain myself. As I noticed on the street already, the people are open and friendly, and not too shy to get photographed. In the opposite, some staff from the café was asking me to take pictures of them. 

Back on my camp, next to the beach, I was leaning back with a cold local beer, overlooking the beautiful bay of Punta Do Ouro and feeling I’m arrived here.

OST-EUROPA-MOTORRADTOUR #62: San Marino

Zum Abschluss meiner Motorradtour nochmals ein sprichwörtliches Highlight. Auf dem dreigipfeligen Berg Titano und steht die mittelalterliche Stadt San Marino, Hauptstadt der gleichnamigen Republik. Während an der adriatischen Küste noch Nebel über den leeren Strand zieht, erheben sich hier die Türme der Sonne entgegen. Der Ausblick über die steilen Felswände ins umliegende Land ist grandios. Die engen Gassen beherbergen viele Cafés, Restaurants und Souvenirläden, um die Touristen zufrieden zu stellen. Mich zieht’s zu den Zinnen der Burgen, die erstaunlich wenig besucht sind. Wie ein Schleier des Vergessens verbirgt der Nebel die Küste von Rimini, das Adriatische Meer, den Balkan dahinter und die ganze osteuropäische Landmasse, die ich bereist hatte. Nach 9 Wochen und 10’000 Kilometer ist San Marino das 24. Land meiner Motorradtour. Ein kühler Wind aus dem Norden erinnert mich, dass es Zeit wäre, die Heimfahrt anzutreten.

Visitors from India

A few years back i met that nice lady in Bangalore who invited me to her family stay. Now she’s on a trip trough Europe and i had the honor to meet her again in Zurich for one day. There was a lot to catch up, so we had coffee and chat with her friends who accompany her. Between all the luxurious shops on the famous Bahnhofstrasse we bumped in a guy offering „free hugs“. Big fun and bright smiles guaranteed.

Despite the cool temperature and overcast we had a stroll trough the inner city, seen some ancient spots and cultural highlights. The weekly flea market caught the attention of the visitors. Just before the rain started we made it back to the main train station, where the local „Oktoberfest“-party started…