Munich, the Toy Town

Munich, ‘…or should I say Muenchen’, is one of the obvious reasons of The Bavarian Pride. In fact, there are three locations in Bavaria known as ‘Munich’. But we are now focusing on the capital of Bavaria.
Survey conducted by the Society’s Centre for Sustainable Destinations for a National Geographic Traveller chose over one-hundred historical places all over the world. In this list Munich was ranked as the thirtieth.
The third largest city of Germany owes its name to the Monks living here in the 12th century. The monk depicted on the city’s coat of arms, therefore, carries the memory of the first inhabitants of the place.

Neuschwanstein, Bavaria, Germany

Neuschwanstein castle is a sort of a hallmark of Germany. When one is looking at the tour guide brochures, the castle stands as the most popular celebrity on every cover. Besides, I think every girl has it already well packed in their sub-consciousness through the Walt Disney’s ’Sleeping Beauty’, where Neuschwanstein inspired the creators of the cartoon.

So you can imagine how glorious this place must be!

That’s why we were very surprised when told by a friend of ours that castle is a bluff, not really a castle and not even worth visiting.

We still decided to go as we knew that at least the view of the Alps would not disappoint us and our cameras.

Gullfoss, the golden waterfall of Iceland

One of the climaxes of our trip to Iceland was visiting the famous Gullfoss waterfall attracting landscape and travel photographers from all over the world every year. It happened so that we were extremely lucky and had much fun capturing the superstar destination.

This is how it all happened:
On one sunny Icelandic morning we drove to the west from Reykjavik. Due to the inexperienced navigator, or the happy chance of her inexperience, the chosen route was not a touristic one, as it later appeared. It lead us through the golden, green, red fields of total desertion our eyes had never seen before and glorious snowy mountains that never left our view! The deeper we went into the island, the more we felt the freezing wind. It was +2 degrees, but the wind made it feel like -10.
Between the golden and red fields we came across a power plant on sulphur springs, a remote farm with friendly furry horses and a lake. Majestic half frozen, but yet alive lake, with the pebble shore and the voice from the past, from ancestors who enjoyed its views and bore its freeze.

Reykjavik, Iceland

In the Atlantic Ocean between Norway and Greenland, touching the Arctic Circle with its northern edge, there lies a land that cherishes the memories of the Viking Age, where our journey in Travel Photography has taken us for the first time. The land of Volcanoes and Geysers and yet the land of ice.

The ‘far far away’ Iceland, with its population of only over 300,000 people, earned the status of the most developed country of the world and the fourth most productive per capita by the United Nations’ Human Development Index in 2008.
Situated to the southwest of the island, the highly modernized capital Reykjavik is home for 60% of the total population of the country. Here is one of the warmest places of Iceland not only because of its numerous spa centres and night life, but also due to the warm waters of the Gulf stream that moderate the climate. The temperature in winter hardly ever drops below -10 degrees. In summer, however, it rarely goes above +15 degrees.

Fasching Carnival in Frankfurt am Main - February, 2010

If you are an elegant respectful gentleman who happened to be on a business trip in Germany at the end of January until the mid-February, do not be surprised if on one ice-cold snowy Thursday a strangely dressed woman of a ‘Balzac Age’ runs up at you screaming. Beware! Even though you might manage to read out a jolly smile through her heavily smeared make-up, check if she is holding a pair of sharp scissors in her hand. And if she is… run!

‘Die Wieberfastnacht’ or the ‘Women’s Carnival Day’ is a Thursday a week before the long Christian Lent. On this day ladies become untamed and demonstrate the disobedience by cutting off neckties from men (tie is then a symbol) and giving kisses to the scared male.
The Women’s Carnival Day marks the beginning of the 6-day climax period of the ‘Karneval’ season which starts on 11th November at 11.11 a.m. every year.

International Pillow Fight Day, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

April 17, 2010. The following took place between 4 pm and 5 pm. A crowd of young German and international citizens silently gather in Hauptwache square in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Among the calmly here and there wandering youth, one notices a certain degree of similarity: the same weapon, of different dimensions, colours and level of hardness. But it is one and the same with each and every of them. The smiles and looks they throw each other and the passers by without uttering a single word should not be underestimated.