Start Blog
Sonnenstrahlen brechen durch die Krone des Wasserbeeren-Baums. Perlhühner flitzen über Pisten, die hier aus Sand und nicht aus roter Erde bestehen, wie sonst in Afrika. Einzigartig ist die Kombination von Safari und Strand im Süden Mosambiks. Das 678 Quadratkilometer große Meeresreservat von Ponta do Ouro und das tausend Quadratkilometer große Maputo Special Reserve Naturschutzgebiet bilden eine Einheit.
Die Atmosphäre auf den Seychellen ist intensiv - heiß, windig und mit hohen Wellen. Eine Überfahrt mit der Cat Cocos-Fähre von Praslin nach Mahé kann für einige Gäste zur Herausforderung werden. Während fröhliche Einheimische ihr kühles Bier genießen, sind andere mit bleichen Gesichtern und bereitgehaltenen Spucktüten zu sehen. Ich hingegen lasse mich vom spritzenden Seewasser erfrischen und atme tief die salzige Luft ein; das Meerwasser prickelt auf meiner Haut.
Mein Schlaf wird durch ein leichtes Ruckeln beim Anflug auf Prince Edward Island gestört. Diese Insel an Kanadas Ostküste, gelegen im Golf von St. Lawrence, nimmt aus der Vogelperspektive die Form eines Halbmondes an. Die kleinen schwarz-weißen Punkte, die auf den grünen Wiesen zu sehen sind, scheinen Kühe zu sein.
The sun slowly tilted toward the horizon, bathing the French countryside in a golden light. The whispering waves of the river announced the beginning of a cozy evening on our houseboat. As we glided gently through the mirror-smooth water, the picturesque scenery passed us by: idyllic villages framed by rapeseed fields and numerous anglers trying their luck in the dusk.
As the last rays of sunlight disappear on the horizon of the Baltic Sea, the AIDAsol gives the signal for the start of its short voyage. It is a special moment: The opening of the cruise season in Rostock is imminent, and the colorful hustle and bustle at the harbor testifies to the acceptance of the cruisers. At the same time, the sister ship AIDAmar is also setting sail, and it seems as if the two ships are moving through the falling night in an elegant pas de deux. "Something very special for us, too," emphasizes the captain of the AIDAsol, Moritz Pankau, several times in the days that follow.
An island with two mountains and the deep, wide sea... This, or something similar, is what the three inhabitants of the island of Comino near Malta must sing every day as they stroll across the three-square-kilometer island. After all, Comino houses a hotel and has probably the smallest sandy beach in the world - at least from my point of view.
Budapest, the magnificent capital of Hungary, has a fascinating past that dates back to the time of the Hungarian tribes. Two contrasting landscapes stretch along the majestic banks of the Danube, which have developed into today's districts of "Buda" and "Pest". A visit to Budapest takes the traveler on an exciting journey through the history and culture of this impressive metropolis.
With typical April weather, Koblenz, the city at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle, welcomed me. The "VIVA TWO", the new ship of Viva Cruises, was already waiting at the famous Deutsches Eck for the passengers of this short trip. The river cruise ship had been ceremoniously christened just a week earlier and is one of the most modern ships currently operating on the Rhine.
Very slowly, the hands of the huge clock move forward and hundreds of onlookers gaze spellbound at the twelve. Every hour on the hour, some figures dance around on the head of the astronomical clock. I stand in front of Prague City Hall and, like all the other tourists around me, fall almost into ecstasy when the chimes begin.
Look to the left, look to the right - everything my eye catches is in yellow-blue. In front of me is the imposing Rocky Mountaineer at Vancouver's Special Station. Soon, over 750 passengers in more than 50 wagons, pulled by two powerful diesel locomotives, will be on their way to the Rocky Mountains. I am sitting in car number 6 in seat 2 and am full of curiosity about what awaits me in the coming days. My destination is the train station in Banff, Alberta. The journey takes me by train through the impressive landscape of the Rocky Mountains.