Travelling is a favourite way to Enjoy Good Life! To explore new places, meet new people, understand new cultures, try new food, learn a few words in a foreign language...
I want reasonably comfortable travel and reasonably comfortable adventures. That gives me an enjoyable Good Life travelling. I certainly enjoy an adventure but I do not enjoy "suffering". I prefer to use local facilities like bus, railways, guides... that I arrange on site. That is far better than going on a pre-paid all-inclusive internationally organized tour. I want room for improvisation when I travel, so I can stay an extra day or two if I find a special place. I want nice and clean accomodation but no need for "luxury" or five star hotels.
I like to see big cities as well as beautiful nature. I am particularly fond of mountains and deep sea.
I have always liked to travel, ever since I was a little kid. My family went for vacation by car. 4 persons with luggage and camping equipment travelling in a small Volkswagen Beetle! My nine years older sister soon got other interests so at least I got more room in the backseat :) Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands... my role was the map reader!
One very good effect of traveling is that it forces me out of my comfort zone in a relaxed and fun way! Being in a new environment makes me stay alert and open, because I want to learn as much as possible. And everything is more or less different from the familiar home environment.
A travel also gives some fun while planning it, and it leaves memories, photograps and new friends that stay for a long-lasting positive effect.
Below you will find some pictures and texts from some of my favourites. I hope you enjoy them, and that you feel inspired to go there yourself!
My first travel after university, and also my first intercontinental travel, was to California. Wow, what an experience! So much to see! The nice climate and the friendly laid-back atmosphere! Sweden suddenly seemed very very small and in a remote corner of the world  After that I have returned several times, and California is one of many favourite places to go.
South of France is another favourite of mine! I love sea and mountains, and both of them are available there A morning swim in the Mediterranean see and then an hour by car and two hours by foot and it is time for a swim in a small, ice cold lake at 2000m elevation! The Alps are very comfortable to hike; small villages with lodging and restaurants are everywhere. And the view is spectacular! There are high altitude ski resorts quite close to the coast, some of them open to beginning of June! To the left is the fireworks on le Quatorze juillet (14th July), the French National day! A HUGE celebration! Antibes Fire Fighters drove through centre ville at midnight: bluelights flashing and sirens whailing! I went to New Zealand in January 2000 and spent a month cruising the country on a Flying Kiwi bus tour. It was a great experience and super fun! Tour members took turns to cook, and we camped the nights at beautiful sites. Days were spent on the bus, bicycle or hiking. We also made occasional stops to use the kayaks and see lots and lots of interesting sights. Most of the tour participators were from Northern Europe.
I went to Tibet on a 9-day group tour with a Chinese group from ShangHai in September 2003. It was a magic experience! The HUGE mountains, the altitude, the strong sunlight, the breath-taking nature... The air so lean on oxygen that several people got altitude sickness the first few days. Hardly anything but rocks and moss; yet people living in Yak-skin tents in the middle of nowhere! How on earth could they make a living?
Two pictures from Baltimore, Maryland, USA. I spent a week there for an interesting course, and really enjoyed the inner harbour and the restaurants there!
And I learned that Baltimore is the home town of the baseball legend Babe Ruth!
Wintertime = snowboard time! Or ski time if you prefer. Bad Gastein, Austria, is a favourite place! Especially if you are lucky enough to stay at the Salzburger Hof. A delicious 7 course meal served by kind and skilled staff after a full day outdoors... Yeah, that is indeed to Enjoy the Good Life
Flying a small plane is a very exciting form of travelling! It is a feeling of ultimate freedom, to fly above ground unlimited by roads. I am lucky to have a brother-in-law who owns a small sea-plane of a type very suitable for the wilderness where there is plenty of water to land on. This particular flight is from Boden to Jokkmokk. Jokkmokk is situated in the north of Sweden, above the Arctic Circle. The picture to the left is a water power station with genuine samojedic folklore art painted on the dam gates.
I have had the privilige to work for the Chinese Telecom vendor Huawei and made several business and leisure trips to Shanghai. I have also lived for some months in the city of Shenzhen. Exciting cities, and a big adventure to explore!
There is so much to see in China and the country is HUGE! It is a very interesting experience because things are different from home - language and writing just to mention two examples!
Three pictures from the beautiful island of Cyprus! I have spent relaxing weeks there with my kids. Nice food, comfortable living and great sights!
The two top pictures show the same palm tree; daytime and nighttime views! To travel the Rhein valley between Frankfurt and Köln (Cologne) is like travelling into history and fairy tales! Old Castles, small picturesque villages, the vineyards along the river... it is a magic experience. Best experienced on a motorcycle and - of course - in warm sunny weather conditions
Two pictures from the ski resort "Åre" in the north of Sweden. Lots of snow and - on this particular day - a temperature of 20 degrees below zero (-4 Fahrenheit). Cold but BEAUTIFUL!
On the picture to the right there is a paraglider, 1/5th from right centre height, but hardly visible in this resolution Pictures from London in July 2005. London had a number of serious suicide bomb attacks this very day so the entire city centre was closed down... Quite scary, and a very unusual, unreal tension in the air.
The beautiful little old town of Trier in Germany. Oldest buildings are from the Roman empire!
Rotterdam was bombed flat during WW2, so most of the city is newly constructed. Amazing architecture! One of the highlights is the Erasmus bridge with it's famous one-pillar structure. Note the angle of the facade of the building to the right of the bridge!
Rotterdam is the 3rd largest port in the world so the entire city is inspired by sea and ships.
Visby is a picturesque old town on the island of Gotland. Winding streets, old ruins, big part of city wall still standing... Crowded with tourists in summer.
The little island Macau, about one hour boat ride from HongKong, is filled with extravagantly architectured casinos and exclusive hotels. This is the Las Vegas of Asia!
Note the unique architecture of the tall casino-hotel in the centre picture above! And the ginormous casino-hotel "the Venetian" to the left.
And mixed with old portuguese style buildings and churches.
I was there early January 2009 and saw a live performance by Cirque the Soleil. Music, circus, show, colors - an awesome Good Life experience! Canary Islands with my kids
- Whale watching, beach, sunset - 3 essentials of a Good Life
The absolutely spectacular Kölner dom in Cologne, Germany. |
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