First stop: Iceland

I looked out to see the setting sun over the sea of clouds, and I discovered clouds of a texture that I did not recognise from anywhere. It was beautiful, and I thought to myself: this is what clouds look like when they are freezing.
The fact that the stewardess not just once, but twice addressed me in Icelandic proves to me that she was convinced of my Icelandic nationality. She looked rather surprised when I later asked for a cup of tea - in English. So I could not help trying myself to facespot the Icelanders at the airport. My clothes and the shape of my face could go for Icelandic, but I think my nose would have given away my non-Icelandic heritage if she would have had a closer look at my profile.
Imagine being Icelandic. Imagine having these amazing landscapes as your home. Would you cease to see the beauty of it and leave in search of greener pastures? Or would you be bound in your heart and soul to love the views of your homeland under the forces of nature. To me it looks magical, and I want to look closer. Iceland: I will be back!

Mountainscapes

Lately I have been dreaming a lot about driving and travelling. Always going somewhere with some friends or family, and the setting is always somewhere away from home; a small village, narrow mountain roads, a glacier, or an open field at high altitude - sometimes with snow.
A few days ago I had a particular beautiful memory from my dreams. I was (with friends/family?) in a sort of tram in the shadow of the mountain, and when I looked around I saw the most marvelous mountainscape of yellow-green mountainsides, bathed in the last rays of the setting sun, against a clear (autumn?) sky.

I googled mountainscape and found this photo that reminds me of my dreamview.
Photo courtesy: http://fotofoobar.shankraft.com/

Travel light

Maybe you should consider packing in only one small bag this time. I think this site is worth more than 5 minutes browsing: www.onebag.com
It has all the tips and guidelines you need to minimize your luggage for any trip. Check it out!

Asian crusts

If nothing else would entice me to visit Asia at least once in a lifetime, it might be to try out the new craze: exquisitely filled pizza crusts. Take for instance the shrimp-filled crust by Pizza Hut in Japan shown above, is that not something you would travel half the world to try?

Illustration by slice.seriousthreats.com

First stop Copenhagen

Schiphol has changed one of the fruit bars in the shopping area to a Starbucks Coffee - reminded me of a cold afternoon in New York sipping a steaming hot Starbucks Chai Latte. In the plane from Schiphol to Copenhagen I sat next to two blond young women, twins, wearing exactly the same outfit and makeup. I asked them politely to take their photo and they accepted, so I got a few shots at the last-minute-taxfree shop in Copenhagen. During the shot I realised that these two women were far more different than you would think by first glance. You cannot tell everything by appearance alone.

Saturday morning in Duisburg

As an intermediate stop on my way to Hamburg, I have a look around Duisburg. Here, like in Denmark, you do not cross the road until you get a green light. Makes me feel a bit silly, since I am 100% used to the Dutch custom now: cross the road anytime at your own risk.

I also noticed that the mix of people here is different than in Holland. It gave me a strange familiar and homebound feeling to hear someone chat in Arabic.

Photo courtesy: KievDailyPhoto

Tips for NY

I registered for the conference, I booked my ticket, found a place to stay and now I am getting really excited about my trip to New York March 28 to April 8. If you have ever been to New York I could use some firsthand tips on what to see and where (not) to go, what to try while I am there etc.
If you answer that it depends on my interests, I can tell you that my main interests for this trip are: arts of all kinds, photography, meeting people and salsa dancing. Any good ideas? :)

Illustration courtesy: olucas.wordpress.com

Re-sealable plastic bags

Remember to bring some re-sealable plastic bags for your next flight if you want to carry any liquids on board. "The bag must be transparent, re-sealable and of a capacity not exceeding one litre. "

Read the press release from the EU about the new rules for liquids in your hand baggage.

Photo courtesy: The Bag N Box Man ltd