This blew our minds in 2012

It’s the 31st of December, and time to glance back at the highlights. So here goes. A top five list from some of our travels carried out in 2012.

We wish you all a happy new year, and lots of happy travels in the year to come!

 

MEXICO – deserted islands and tequila hangovers.

I dare to say that Mexico is one of the world’s best countries to holiday in. There’s wonderful food, beer to die for, beaches that promise extremely fine sand, warm, crystal clear waters and of course, sunshine galore! And it’s cheap. And the people are really friendly. And did I mention the guacamole!!!

High – Isla de Holbox came as a huge surprise. Located just north of the Yucatan, it’s one of those islands that still very much feels like an island. No cars, just golf buggies and bikes. Streets of sand and so safe you can leave your bicycle unlocked while you stop for a drink. Go now! Before the masses smell the coffee.

Low - ok, so my tequila hangover was self inflicted, and therefore I cannot complain… just be aware... this hurts pretty bad the next day.

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CAPE VERDE – Atlantic  gem

Most people associate winter sun in the Atlantic with the infamous Canary Islands. However, just two hours south, you’ll come across another archipelago which consists of ten islands. They are very diverse in nature, and I had the chance to vistit the islands of Boa Vista and the volcano island Fogo. Both stunningly beautiful, and full of surprises!

High - Getting to the top of Fogo, and realising that people live inside the crater of the volcano. There’s a village where you can grab a bite to eat, and even buy a bottle of wine, made from the vines that grow in the mineral rich volcanic soil. 

Low - To be honest, Cape Verde didn’t disappoint in any way. Honestly! It was all highs, so let me share another favourite. It’s a hotel. Or, it’s more than a hotel, it’s a place where you are bound to find inner peace. Spinguera is run by the lovely Larissa, who admits that: ‘After a few days here, guests tend to speak in a lower voice‘. I felt the effect too, and reckon it’s got to do with the mild breeze, the clean design of the airy rooms, the fact that you are so far removed from the outside world that the island magic gets to you. Either way, I highly recommend Spinguera where you eat well, sleep well, dream sweetly and charge your batteries.

 

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ISRAEL - land of conflict and beauty

We all know Israel from the headlines. But what lies behind the news? Who are the people who feel so strongly about religion, roots and tradition?

High - Seeing what they are feeling. Touching the wailing wall. Spending hours there while observing how they pray and have a unique presence in the way they communicate with God.

 

Low - Feeling the tension between the jews and the muslims. And gaining a slight understanding of how profound the conflict is.

 

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STROMBOLI – island paradise with an upset tummy

Stromboli is one of the Aeolian islands which are located an hour’s ferry ride north of Sicily. It’s difficult to describe the beauty of these islands, but if you can picture this, you’ll have a fair image: Few tourists, the cutest little shops, a laid back life style, deep blue waters and beaches with space to move. Stromboli was my favourite. Why? Because it’s alive and kickin’!

High - The desertedness, the people, the lush landscapes, the hidden, rocky coves, the fresh seafood, the unorderliness of the place…. I could go on and on and on. But truth is, I felt that Stromboli spoke to me, in a very intuitive way, this volcanic island sort of tells you to let your guard down. It’s a place to be happy and let fate take over.

Low - Five minutes upon arriving at the pier, Stromboli decided to shake up its new visitors. Seriously. I can swear the ground moved when the volcano let out a burp so deep and disturbing that it seemed the end of the world was near. Little did we know that this is quite normal. The locals continued sipping their cappuccinos as if nothing had happened, and sure thing – 17 minutes later, another burp. And 20 minutes after that, another one. They say it’s a good thing, and compare Stromboli with a man who lets out constant steam. Etna, on neighbouring Sicily, on the other hand, is referred to as a woman. She doesn’t say anything for a looong time, then suddenly she’ll explode and all hell breaks loose.

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ANDALUSIA’S TOP PICK – CABO DE GATA

We live in the south of Spain, and are therefore spoilt when it comes to spectacular beaches and white washed village life. However, there’s nothing quite like Cabo de Gata,  a nature reserve located to the east of Almeria. Why do we like it so much? Well, it’s got no high buildings for starters. It’s a place where you are close to the elements, and far removed from commercialism. It’s a place to soak up the very best of Spain!

High - There are too many highs to boil it down to one. But Playa de los Muertos pretty much sums up what Cabo de Gata is all about. First you go through the village called Agua Amargas. It’s a good place to stock up on drinks and a picnic, as there are no beach bars on the virgin beaches. Then you follow the winding road north for approx 5 kilomters until you see a sign to the beach. There’s a long hike down to the bottom, so don’t come in flip flops, it’ll hurt. But this is what awaits:

 

Low - I am sure you’ve heard of Spanish flies, and belive me, they are persistant little devils. Depending on the time of year, Cabo de Gata has its fair share of flies, and they annoyed the living daylight out of us. Here’s a picture of us trying to BBQ. Believe me, we did not invite the ten zillion flies that came along for the party!

 

 

Pancakes for Palestine

These days there’s no escaping the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The war has escalated to  headline level once again, and I must admit that I am taking it all in with a great mixture of fear, sadness and – I am ashamed to say – immunity. Because we have seen and heard it all before.

It’s like a fight between kids who are eager to place blame, but not so good at looking for a permanent solution. Part of me is sick and tired of it all, but then again, who am I to be sick and tired of something that people are clearly willing to die for?

However, while I am still struggling to understand why the situation has to be so inflamed, my thoughts are going to the people who live on both sides of that much debated, criss cross border. A great majority of them is also sick and tired of living in a war zone. My thoughts go to the people who we met during a recent trip to the holy land:

- the young Palestinian boy living in Aida Camp

- the young, Palestinian mother and her newly born baby

 

 

- the Palestinian girl walking through an area of town where the Israeli have closed down local businesses and painted the star of David on the closed down shop fronts

- the young, Israeli soldier girl

- the little, Jewish boy celebrating purim with a cigar

And finally, the Israeli pancake flipper. After all, some things are international…

 

Cape Verde, life’s a beach

Cape Verde took me by surprise. You see, I had imagined a kind of Canary Island light. But there were no British newspapers in the shops, no Scandinavian cheeses on the menus, and most importantly – no neon colored beach toys or beach towels for sale. In other words, this is no Canary Island.

You may not even have heard of Cape Verde before, and I don’t blame you. It is an archipelago consisting of ten islands, situated off the coast of Senegal. It used to belong to Portugal, but gained independence in 1975. Find out more facts over at wikipedia.

So what’s the allure? What makes Cape Verde worth your time, rather than spending your holiday somewhere more predictable? Well, did I mention there are no British newspapers around, or weird Scandinavian cheese to be found? I believe I did, and if that has a nice ring to it in your ears, you should keep reading. Or rather, keep looking at these pictures. After all, a picture says more than a thousand words, and there’s no way I am about to cough up a thousand words about this place. Not now anyway.

These shots are taken at the island called Boa Vista. It is a flat island surrounded by wonderful beaches. However, remember that this is the Atlantic, so expect waves. When I visited (march 2012), there were only two major hotels on the island – the Riu Touareg and the Riu Karamboa. These are perfect if you don’t mind queuing up in the dining room, lying side by side with other tourists by the pool and of course, appreciate a bit of 5 star luxury. The rest of the island remains pretty much unchanged, including the road system which is only paved and prepared between the airport and the before mentioned top end hotels.

Here’s our compulsory FIVE THINGS TO DO list:

1 – JUMP IN THE VIANA SAND DUNES

Not far from the airport in Boa Vista, you’ll find some pretty amazing natural sand dunes which pretty much offers everything you’d expect to see in the Sahara itself, apart from camels. Good fun for kids of all ages!

2 – PIG OUT ON LOBSTER

I am sure I am not the only traveler out there who is a self declared lover of lobster… however, whenever you order lobster at a restaurant, more often than not, I end up a little bit disappointed at the small size of the portion. I mean, if I order lobster, I want to eat lobster, not a whole lot of side dishes like salad or potatoes with sauce. It just doesn’t do it for me. And trust me, once you’ve had lobster Cape Verde style, it won’t do it for you either. It comes by the bucket load! Honestly, our supper at the very modest hole-in-the-wall restaurant ‘Naida’ in the capital Sal Rei turned out to be a massive feast. So much so that we couldn’t finish the delicious white meat, and had to leave a lobster tail or two behind. Shame on us, I know!

3 – JUST DANCE

Boa Vista is a cultural island where traditional dancing is still very popular. But forget boring, old traditional dances which I at least associate with the word traditional dancing. Fanuna is more like tuning into a sizzling hot MTV video where the participants wiggle in ways that are unknown to me. As a tourist you’ll get plenty of opportunities to join in. Either as a true tourist in one of the hotel complexes, or in the container come night club called Masurka just out of Sal Rei. Either way – just dance!

4 – SPOT THE WHALE!

Whale watching is exciting business, especially when you go out on fancy catamarans where you can enjoy a truly spectacular day at sea.

We saw several humpback whales, and loved every second!

5 – GET AN OVERVIEW

You can see the whole of Boa Vista in less than a day, and if you take part in an organized tour, you’ll be taken to the famous ship wreck Santa Maria, then whizzed off by a 4×4 to the Santa Monica beach which is the island’s most spectacular stretch of sand. Along the way you’ll stop off in some remote villages where life just seems to be going by without anybody taking notice. You will also be shown around the capital Sal Rei which has a lovely bay for kiting and sunbathing. Oh, and you’ll see plenty of flat, hard moon like landscapes which is what this island is all about.

 

Shalom Mea Shearim!

Grey, dilapidated buildings along narrow streets devoid of any signs other than temporary pieces of paper announcing religious events. Bearded men in black hats and long coats. The occasional woman dragging her long skirt along the ground while tugging a bunch of kids along.

You could be forgiven for thinking you have just walked into a Jewish neighbourhood of pre war Eastern Europe. However, it’s present day business as usual in Mea Shaerim, a short walk from Damascus gate in the old, walled city of Jerusalem. This is home to the Hasedim people (ultra orthodox Jews).

This is where I decided to celebrate the holy festival of Purim. What I discovered was a very conservative religious group of people who’s passion allows them to leave their inhibitions aside once a year, and celebrate in a manner that could easily be misinterpreted by outsiders.

As a photo journalist I was able to join them in their celebrations, but it was made abundantly clear to me that other journalists in the past have sensationalized their behaviour. Yes, they are drunk. Yes, there were under age kids smoking. Yes, there were grown men doing summer saults down the middle of the road. However, they insisted that this was all part and parcel of their religious belief.

As a token of my appreciation for allowing me in, I would like to take this opportunity to invite all the Hasedim people out there to contribute in creating my picture texts. My collection of images from Mea Shearim can be found here.

Feel free to make comments below by indicating which picture you are referring to. Or drop me a line at spencer@photito.com

Your help will be much appreciated!

A final thank you to all the residents of Mea Shearim for making my visit so special.

 

Iced coffee to die for

There’s coffee, and then there’s café con leche! And every morning when I order my cup of liquid gold, I thank the coffee Gods that I live in Spain where every single order of ‘café con leche’ returns a wonderfully brewed masterpiece.

There’s a funny anecdote to this coffe story. You see, my parents have travelled abroad since they were in their early twenties. And being from Norway, travelling abroad inevitably means searching for the sun (more about this weird way of travel in this post). 

However, they never left home without a glass of instant Nescafé. They simply didn’t trust the gun powdery Greek espresso shots, or the jet black Spanish café solos. Instead they put their trust in Max Morgenthaler who once upon a time created that granulated version of coffee which deprived my parents of the real thing for so many years.

Thankfully, now things have changed. Well into their sixties, my parents have now discovered the beauty of café con leche. In fact, they are now hooked on the stuff. You should see them… as soon as they land in Malaga, they’re off to the nearest cafeteria to get their fix. And every morning they order one, two and sometimes even three cups of coffee at their local caf. That’s what fourty years of drinking Nescafé can do to you!

Yet, there’s one barrier left. This summer I will introduce them to ‘café con leche con hielo‘. (Introducing them to it in this case means teaching them how to pronounce it – we live in an area of Spain where waiters still speak Spanish, not English).

As you can see in the photograph above, iced coffee in Spain comes in its purest – and TASTIEST form. You get two glasses, one with piping hot café con leche and one full of ice cubes.

The procedure goes like this:

Add desired amount of sugar/sweetener to your coffee

Stir

Pour coffee content over the ice

Stir

ENJOY!

 

From Syden with love

We have the strangest concept in Norway. It’s called ‘Syden’, and basically refers to all places offering the wholy trinity of Sun+Beach+Bar. Preferably in unlimited amounts.

San Francisco on tap... just the way we like it in 'syden'.

Loosely translated Syden means South, and geographically speaking it can be Greece, Mallorca or the Canary Islands. Even Thailand seems to count as Syden these days… The concept tends to include a charter flight, an all inclusive meal plan and a kiddies club.

Disco for kids is as 'syden' as it gets.

I don’t know why, but this weird concept fascinates me. I have been on several trips to ‘Syden’ as a kid, and whereas I thought I was discovering the world, little did I know that I didn’t actually see Mallorca all those years ago. Or Crete, or Gran Canaria. I was simply placed in a holiday atmosphere in order to soak up sunshine with a passion that only summer deprived Scandinavians can relate to.

 

Taurito valley beach. Sunshine guaranteed.

Three small surfer souls enjoy the Atlantic waves.

Recently I travelled to Gran Canaria to write a piece about a child friendly hotel in the Taurito Valley. And to be quite honest, I was shocked to be back on ‘Syden’ turf. There was cocktail on tap. There was sizzling skin. There was a dining hall which echoed and transformed every single child’s cry into daggers aimed at my ear drums. But nevermind. One doesn’t go to Syden to enjoy the silence. One goes there to come back with a tan and to be able to tell everybody about the endless hours spent by the pool.

This is what Syden is all about @ Taurito Paradise Lago Hotel.

 

 

Malaga in a flash

Malaga is one of those places. It’s definitely not Spain’s most beautiful city, nor can it claim to have great sights that will blow your mind. Still, it has something that makes me return; time and time again.

Nope... it's not the beaches

You may have guessed it, Malaga has an international airport! And I, like most other people living in the south of Spain, are all too familiar with the Pablo Ruiz Picasso air terminal which in recent years has been seriously re-vamped. (Yes, it has been chaotic finding a place to park – let alone finding your way around an airport which changes entrances every couple of weeks).  However, Terminal Three opened its doors last year, and things are gradually falling into place. Oh, and Malaga has its own IKEA. So when my friends say they are going to Malaga, nine times out of ten, it’s either to catch a flight, pick up newly arrived loved ones, or to buy themselves a brand new kitchen unit.

But there is of course much more to Malaga than furniture shopping and flying. Once you’ve made your way into the old city centre, there’s actually a whole lot going on! Malaga is Spain’s sixth largest city, and the birthplace of Pablo Picasso.

Shopping for a Picasso

Fancy some art? There’s the renowned Picasso museum which we’ve written about in this previous post. And there’s the Museo Carmen Thyssen museum of modern art which opened its doors last summer. Both museums are located in old, charming buildings in the old part of town, and offer an insight into a side of Malaga’s history most people don’t even know existed.

Our man in Plaza de la Merced, in front of his Malaga home.

However, what really makes Malaga worth while (in my humble opinion at least) is the authenticity of the place. Very few tourists and some truly unique shops and restaurants make this Spanish hub a great place for a long weekend. You are guaranteed a very special taste of Andalucia, one that cannot be found elsewhere on this coast.

Here are some photographs to prove my point:

The Malagueta beach is a favourite among locals!

Calle Larios is the Malaga's main shopping street. Pick up some comfy campers!

The Oasis youth hostel opened last summer. We fell in love with its fabuloso view from the roof terrace!

Not the most spectacular beach in the world, but it will still make do on a hot summer's day!

Malaga's only vintage shop Find de Lux is located on Calle Palma 9

Las Garrafas is a great place for lunch! This is 'quita penas' (remove sorrows) sweet wine and 'lagrimas de pollo' (chicken tears) with a very potent alioli.

 

A little dress treasure found in a shop called Upupa, Calle Comañia 27.

And of course, a compulsory visit to the Gibralfaro castle dating back to the 10th century.

All along the Paseo Maritimo de Pablo Ruiz Picasso, you'll find a place to cool off. The further east you go, the nicer the beaches!