sim1's VirtualTourist Home Page
| Page Views: 166,575 | Pictures of the world and some words by sim1 - last update: Sep 20, 2009 |
| Gotska Sandön, 22nd August 2009 |
August 24th: We just returned from a magical long weekend to Gotska Sandön. This little island, which is the most isolated spot in the Baltic Sea, is a National Park and a haven for those who love peace and quiet, nature, long sandy beaches and of course sunshine!
The boat trip from the mainland in Sweden takes about 3 to 4 hours, but then you arrive on the most wonderful island! There is no harbour however, so the boat lands directly on the beach, weather permitting. With bad weather you might be stuck on the island for some additional days, or not be able to travel here in the first place. And you have not alternatives, the only way on and off the island is by this one boat. But when you are one of the lucky ones to stay on the island, it will take your breath away. The beaches look like you are on a tropical island, with powdery white sand and blue skies above. But believe it or not, this is really part of Sweden!
As it is a National Park the amount of people allowed on the island is very limited, only 164 at a time. And with the size of the island (8 kilometres long and 5 kilometres wide) it is almost like you have it all to yourself. The island is covered with a gentle forest of pine, and the ground is covered with a lilac coloured sea of flowering heather, so a visit to the island wouldn't be complete without a long walk in the forest. The trails through the forest are of sand, like everything on the island is sand, sand and even more sand. I guess that is why the island is called Sandön, which literally translated means Sandy Island (sand = Sand and ön = island).
After our long walk through the forest it was great getting back to the shore, where the blue sea greeted us with gentle waves and empty beaches, just begging to be explored with a long walk on the beach and some lazy relaxing and sunbathing on one of the sand dunes. No people to see, only some drift wood in the sand. For me the island was an absolute paradise, and I'll certainly will try to return here again some day.
The summer may have almost come to an end, but our travel year certainly has not. The plan is to explore a bit of South East Asia in the autumn (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand). Besides all that.... who knows where my future travels will bring me? There is no shortage of dreams and ideas, more than enough to keep me busy for the upcoming years :-)
Happy travels to everyone!
:-) Simone
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NEW PAGES :
7 September 2008:
- Käringön (Sweden) -
This page is about a tiny little island and village on the West-Coast of Sweden. This island is not about things that you 'must-see', it is more a sort of 'must-be'. An island that is not about any highlights or must do's. It all boils down to the feeling you have when walking around on the island while enjoying some good food, the beautiful views and above all feeling relaxed. On this page you'll find a few tips, a bit of the islands history, and of course some personal impressions and images. I hope you will enjoy reading it and maybe even be convinced to take a detour and go here! I promise you won't regret it!
You can read more about this beautiful little island on my Käringön page
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| Madinat al-Zahra, Cordoba, March 2008 |
6th April 2008:
-Medina Azahàra (Spain) -
On the foothills of the Morena Sierra, only 8 kilometres outside of the city of Cordoba you can find the remains of what once was one of the most beautiful cities in the world and also the capital of al-Andalus: the Madinat al-Zahra (or in English also referred to as Medina Azahara). On a gorgeous sunny afternoon in March 2008 I visited this archeological site and enjoyed it enormously. If you are in Andalucía, and especially if you are in the area of Cordoba, a visit to Madinat al-Zahra is something you shouldn't miss. Especially if you have an interest in history, archaeology and/or architecture you will without a doubt be fascinated by Madinat al-Zahra.
You can read more about this historical place on my Medina Azahàra page
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| The island and village of Marstrand |
7th October 2007:
-Marstrand (Sweden) -
Split over two islands the little town of Marstrand is a place that seems to attract the crowds and especially the ones that love sailing. But there is much more to Marstrand then only its harbour and of course amazing amount of sailing boats. The most attractive part of the divided town of Marstrand is without a doubt the part that is on the island of Marstrandsön. It is a lovely little island on the West coast of Sweden, just north of the city of Gothenburg. It is really picturesque and makes for a great day out, especially on a warm summers day.
You can read more about this little island and village on my Marstrand page.
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| The city of Saint Paul, USA, August 2007 |
16 September 2007:
- Saint Paul (USA) -
Saint Paul is the older and smaller of the twin cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It is also the capitol of the state of Minnesota and has around 275.000 citizens. Well, sounds all good doesn't it? Sure there must be plenty to do in a city like that. Upon arrival I picked up a brochure about Saint Paul in order to get some more information and ideas what to do in the city. As I like architecture, the Historic Walking Path through downtown Saint Paul sounded like an excellent idea. The clash in architecture between the older buildings and the modern glass skyscrapers has always fascinated me, and I hoped that Saint Paul could give me some of that...........
You can read more about this city on my Saint Paul page
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| Hälleviksstrand, Sweden, June 2008 |
TRAVELS :
I've only written about a part of all the places I've been. Hahaha, I have so many pages that I want to write that it is impossible to write it all at once.... although I have a feeling that I am trying to do that on a regular basis, lol.
All together you can find 250+ locations, 29 countries, over 4700 tips and around 7000 photos on my pages, hahaha, enough to keep you busy for a while. And there will be lots more in the future! Because I love to write my pages.
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| Hiking in the north of Sweden |
A bit about me...
Simone is my name. I am Dutch but now living in wonderful Sweden. One hobby of mine is photography and I really like to travel. This means I am taking a lot of pictures during my trips. On these travel pages I am compiling the best pictures 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 going into 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 :-))
The picture you see here is taken during a hiking trip in the north of Sweden, from Abiskojaure to Alesjaure. This photo makes me dream about more hiking trips I am currently planning to Lapland.
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- Quotes -
Some of my favourites and even after reading them so many times, they still make me laugh, think and/or wonder.....
Nothing travels faster than the speed of light
with the possible exception of bad news,
which obeys its own special laws.
Douglas Adams
If you try and take a cat apart to see how it works,
the first thing you have on your hands is a non-working cat.
Douglas Adams
Time is the worst place,
so to speak, to get lost in...
Douglas Adams
In heaven all the interesting people are missing.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Don't believe anything you read on the net.
Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.
Douglas Adams
The advantage of a bad memory is
that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time.
Friedrich Nietzsche
A common mistake people make
when trying to design something completely foolproof
is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
Douglas Adams
I may not have gone where I intended to go,
but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.
Douglas Adams
You always have to see other person as more intelligent than you.
Dalai Lama
Tell a man that there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he will believe you.
Tell him a park bench has wet paint on it and he will have to touch it to be certain.
Pablo Picasso
Time is an illusion, and lunchtime doubly so.
Douglas Adams
It is the characteristic of the most stringent censorships
that they give credibility to the opinions they attack
Voltaire
Inspired by recent trip to the USA:
If this is coffee, please bring me some tea;
but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee
Abraham Lincoln American president
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I hope you will enjoy reading my page!
Please leave me a message when you have visited my page.
I'm curious what you think of it!
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 Comments for sim1 | | | | |
richiecdisc Wed Nov 4, 2009 02:05 UTC
Very envious, Simone. Have an amazing time and remember you can always sleep in the afternoon. :) | Opondili01 Mon Nov 2, 2009 07:18 UTC
Thanks for adding me in your friends list Greetings from Namibia Grace | scottishvisitor Sat Oct 24, 2009 22:44 UTC
Time to change the clock & step into winter :) ah bliss heating & foul weather! | Trekki Fri Oct 23, 2009 20:52 UTC
:-))) good evening good evening sweet Simone :-)) oops... the chaotic non-Andersson in me made a mistake, lol... It is 2 nights... But nevertheless, no office for the next 2 weeks and.. juchhu... you are also counting :-)) |
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