Simone is my name; born in The Netherlands but since many years living in wonderful Sweden. My passion is travelling, and I have photography as a hobby. This means I am taking a lot of photos during my trips. On these travel pages I am compiling some of my photos and also write about the different destinations I've been to. One of my main passions is nature and you can find lots about that on these pages. So if you are a nature lover, you are at the right place!
But enjoying nature is not all I do. I also like to visit small out of the way places, go off the beaten path, visit historic places, picturesque villages, meet people, absorb different cultures and explore a city once in a while.
So why am I writing all these pages? The answer is simple: I love writing about my travels and share my stories and photos with others. It is also a great way for me to show my family and friends where I've been and what I've seen. But I also write these pages just for myself. It is my way to keep a sort of diary about all my trips around the world and relive my travels again and again :-))
Simone
Countries visited.... so far :-)
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Update 2020-07-10: Strange isn't it how long it sometimes takes before you visit a place, especially when it is 'just around the corner'. I pass the Vallby Open Air Museum almost daily while commuting to work. All I need to do is take a few exits earlier from the main road to get here. But, now don't laugh, it has taken me over 15 years before my first visit! But it certainly will not be the last :-)
It is one of Swedish biggest Open Air Museums and there are around 40 historical buildings here. It all started in 1921 when the museum was founded to present a picture of how life was like in the county of Västmanland in Sweden.
Update 2020-06-29:Ready to put your hiking shoes on? Ok, then let's go! Today we are off to an area a bit to the north of where I live in Sweden, in the country of Västmanland. It is a nature reserve called Stingsmossen, close to the town of Surahammar (about 25 km northwest of the city of Västerås). A spontaneous trip that turned out inte a gorgeous 12 km hike through an area with 200 year old pines, and passing two large marsh areas: Rövallsmossen and Stingsmossen.
Update 2020-06-20:The Häljesta Rock Carvings are less than an hours drive from my home, but I had actually never heard of them before, until this sunny day in June 2020. But I am glad I stumbled upon them, as they are rather special!
Häljesta is the largest known rock carving area in Västmanland and also one of the largest in the Mälaren area. On these two rocks you can see around 550 figures, including ships, human figures, ring figures, animal figures, grids and 239 cup and ring mark. The rock carvings originate from the Bronze Age (1500 - 500 Before Christ).
Update 2020-02-01: It has been a long time since I wrote my latest travel blog. But finally another one done! :-)
And it was such a pleasure to write about my Ballooning trip over Bagan in Myanmar. While I was selecting the photos, memories of this day returned more and more vivid. And while writing and remeniscing, it was almost like I was up there in that hot air balloon one more time, enjoying these amazing views over the plains of Bagan, dotted with temples and pagodas of a 1000 year old, all arround us, and as far as the eyes could see. Hearing the sounds of daily life below slowly echoing to us above, breathing in the early morning air, the sound of the burners of the hot air balloon and feeling the warmth coming from the first sunbeams at sunrise..... they are truely memories for life for me.
Update 2019-12-23: I do love to hike, and when researching for hikes on the South Island, the Hooker Valley Trail is often mentioned as one of the top short hikes to do. So, without hesitating, I put it on our travel itinerary! And wow, I am so happy that I did. The return journey to the Hooker Lake is mind bogglingly beautiful! The hike took us through a landscape with glaciers, glacial lakes, lush valley meadows, and flowing rivers crossed by suspension bridges.
Update 2019-11-17: By accident really, I stumbled upon a photo of the Clay Cliffs of Omarama on South Island in New Zealand, while researching for my New Zealand trip. And as I do like my out-of-the-way places, this instantly intriged me. And although out of the way, it wasn't difficult to fit it into my itinerary, as it didn't require such a long detour to 'squeeze' in a visit to here. And the detour was so worth it! During this early morning, the sunlight is shining into the amphitheatre of the Clay Cliffs, lighting up its walls. Fog flaring around the rugged peaks; the walls of the cliffs shining up in hues of orange and golden. It is such a mesmerizing sight to see!
Update 2019-10-26: At White House, in the Vermilion Cliffs, Utah, USA, I was literally living in between the most amazing rock formations! Rocks flowing and curving in bands of colours ranging from pink, to yellow, to orange, to red. The flow of the colourful stripes over the huge rocks is so breathtaking and unreal. Weather, wind and water have shaped these rock to a smooth surface, in shapes and colours that are beyond belief, and impossible to describe with words. And as sometimes photos speak louder than words, I will in this blog mainly let the photos do the talking. Although I did manage to squeeze in some words ;-)
Update 2019-10-10:Museum of Ethnography, Stockholm. Although sometimes a bit chaotic in their displays, with not that many descriptions with each item, they have some wonderful objects in their exhibitions. This is especially the case if you like masks and statues like I do. On this page you will find a photo impression taken during some of my visits to the Etnografiska museum. It never bores me to go here though, as there is always something that captures my attention and fascination!
Update 2019-08-10: Some of my favourite memories of visiting National Parks are from Glacier National Park. And on this day we did the Hike to Grinnell Lake, Glacier NP, USA. A gorgeous short day hike with a 'bear surprise', a not-so-shy deer passing by, and wonderful views over turquoise-coloured waters of the glacial lakes.
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:-) Simone
