La Rumba de Barcelona

Now that we’ve got yet another Christmas and New Year in the back mirror and out our systems I’d like to continue where I left off. Where were we though? Oh yeah right, we’d just left Lofoten and were headed to Barcelona the day after.
 
You know, maybe I’m biased in this matter, but Barcelona is a great freakin’ city. I’d even venture saying that it’s one of Europe’s best ones, like in any comparison..EVER. It depends on your preferences of course but we’re not here to talk about you now are we??

I said I’m biased before because Spain is kinda my third home – with Iran and Sweden being number uno and dos in hat little reference there. Anyhoot, I lived in Spain for about 3 years, of which I spent over a year in Barcelona. But it’s not for nothin’ that this city top’s at least one list of “The best European destinations” or some such ever year, every year people, on a lot of lists of a lot of magazines and tourist guides.

I mean what there not to like!? You’ve got the mild Mediterranean climate, great shopping, amazing club scene, outstanding restaurants and taperías, awesome ice cream, hell of an arts and culture scene, a world leading football team, kilometer-long beaches close to the city center, aaand the list goes on…

As my man Donnie Brasco would say “Fucking forget about it!!”.

"Forget about it" is like, if you agree with someone, you know, like "Raquel Welch is one great piece of ass, forget about it." But then, if you disagree, like "A Lincoln is better than a Cadillac? Forget about it!" you know? But then, it's also like if something's the greatest thing in the world, like minga those peppers, "forget about it." But it's also like saying "Go to hell!" too. Like, you know, like "Hey Paulie, you got a one inch pecker!" and Paulie says "Forget about it!" And then, sometimes it just means forget about it."  
– Donnie Brasco

Speaking of all good things, if I had only one day in this marvelous city, I’d do as my wife and I do every time we’re in town and make sure to visit our favourite neighborhood Born and go have dinner at our favourite restaurant Casa Lolea.

This place isn’t like any other restaurant we’ve been to, and trust me we’ve been to a lot of “restaurantes”. The staff is AMAZING, the food AMAZEBALLS and their own produced sangría is out of this world. If you’re ever in town, you HAVE to go there and try it. You’ll come out happier that you’ve been in a long time, I guaranty that and many laughs!

"Spain has always been a country with a passion for joyful conversations and encounters. Combine this story with our simple locale and a lot of ambiance where many small plates of amazing food and sangría serve to invite your senses to a nightlong fiesta. Welcome to Casa Lolea!"
– casalolea.com

¡Hasta la proxima!


Introducing My Homie Carl | Riga Wknd Trip

I’ve done a couple of posts about my buddy Sebastian & his baby sister Stella before. Now it’s time to introduce their equally cute dad Carl, or as we would say in my neck of the woods “Baba Carl”.

Carl is married to to my wife’s sister Lara, so that makes him my brother in law. In addition to being in-laws, Carl & I share a lot of common interests. As with Sebastian, eating ice cream is definitely on top of that list!
 
Since we’d never travelled together we decided to go to Riga for a couple of days. We did some sightseeing, took some photos, had some nice food & pasteries and partied 2 nights in a row. Then came the third day…aaand so did the hangover, so we went to the movies instead.

Here are some my favourite shots from the trip.
Always a pleasure Carl!!





The City of Roses & Ruins’ | Gotland Photo Trip

In preparation of this year’s first photo trip I started going through my shooting-locations-bucket-list. After extensive research - what would I do without you google? - and considering the 4 days I had to spare the decision came to be Gotland.

Except for being a beautiful island and I do love to shoot areas around water, Gotland gets the most hours of sunlight in Sweden. Also I could fly to Visby in under an hour hence maximize my shutter-pressing-time!

The first 2 days I spent exploring the charming city of Visby on foot and on bike. Having literarily the worst sense of orientation in the history of orientation I gladly found myself lost in all the small adorable alleys. Thanks to this ability I stumbled upon GlassmagasinetEurope’s biggest ice cream bar (Say Whaaaaat!?!?). So if you’re a sucker for ice cream as I am it’s well worth a visit. 

If wining & dining is your thang then you’ll find yourself overwhelmed by all the top tier restaurants that are offered. My favorite place was definitely Surfers. Here you get Sichuan inspired cuisine delivered tapas stile and beautiful cocktails served up by super friendly waiters in a chill locale. Check them out at surfersvisby.se.

During my third day I made plans to visit the neighboring island of Fårö. After a bus ride of 1.5h, I rented a bike before crossing over on the ferry. I then biked up to and back from the Digerhuvud nature reserve. This location is known for the rock formations called “Rauk” or sea stacks. These formations are a result of erosion during the Ice age and are unique to Gotland and Fårö.

To summarize, I think the perfect way to describe Gotland & Visby is a quote I found while researching: 

Visby is the city of roses & ruins’, mythic and embodied with a romantic historic aura.
An idyllic small town and yet Gotland’s largest habitation.
— gotland.net

Here are my favorite photos from the trip.


Visby



Fårö


Lost in the alleys of time | Istanbul Wknd Trip

Istanbul has been on our places-to-visit-list for a while now. It gradually climbed higher up on that list since I got more and more hooked on photography. You always see such beautiful views shared from this city. So as you can imagine I was very enthused about this trip.

I gotta say that Istanbul, which is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural and historical heart, did definitely not disappoint!

The biggest draw remains its historic center, and it’s no wonder that it’s partially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Everywhere you go, especially in the Old Town, there are reminders of great empires & people long gone. If open for it, you can even feel the passage of time and presence of great history inviting you for a glimpse into the old days. Back to the city known as Byzantium founded by the ancient Greeks.

In case you’re interested in the short history version; Istanbul has served as the capital of four empires: the Roman Empire (330–395), the Byzantine Empire (395–1204 and 1261–1453), the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922).

After having strolled around this part for most of the first two days, eventually the CRAZY tourists taking selfies EVERYWHRE annoyed the heck out of us. So we decided to explore other parts.

We crossed the Golden Horn through the Galata Brige and up to the Galata tower which is a medieval Genoese citadel. Not far from here we found ourselves in the cultural and entertainment hub of the Beyoğlu district. This part of town with its quaint design shops, cozy cafés and cute art galleries was very much our cup of tea. Here we mostly hung out during the last two days.

In short; Istanbul is a melting pot of different cultures, home to the friendliest locals I’ve ever met on a trip, with the highest rate of kebap-erías you can ever imagine and with crazy amount of tourists, shops, boutiques & bazars selling all kinds of products. Last but not least it provides wonderful scenes for any travel photographer. So I would highly recommend a visit to this beautiful city!

Here are my favorite photos from the trip.


Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya in Turkish) constructed in 537 is a former Greek Orthodox Church, later an imperial mosque, and now a museum. 

The Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi in Turkish) — called Christea Turris (the Tower of Christ) by the Genoese — is a medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karaköy quarter. It’s one of the city's most striking landmarks, dominates the skyline and offers a panoramic vista of the city.

My beautiful wife Shams strolling around in the Beyoğlu district.

My beautiful wife Shams strolling around in the Beyoğlu district.

The Maiden's Tower (Kız Kulesi in Turkish), is also known as Leander's Tower since the medieval Byzantine period. It’s located on a small islet 200m from the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul.

In search of Scotland's finest | Edinburgh Wknd Trip

The past weekend I was on a trip to Scotland with my brother Radin and his friends Dima & Alosha. 

On the occasion of Radin’s 30th birthday earlier this year we'd chipped in and surprised him with this weekend getaway.

The idea for our 3 day journey was simple; visit a Whiskey distillery, spend one day in the countryside and do some sightseeing in Edinburgh.

 

So how was it? Well I got to say that I liked the part of Scotland we had time to explore very much.

The distillery that we ended up visiting, Glengoyne, comes highly recommended. Edinburgh or Dùn Èideann in Scottish Gaelic is a charming city and rich in associations with the past. It has many historic buildings such as the Edinburgh Castle and an extensive Georgian New Town built in the 18th century. 

My favorite part of the trip though was the Scottish countryside. The Highland with its misty, vast and green scenery is incredibly beautiful and photogenic. Think Game of Thrones but without the civil war for the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms. It’s definitely on my list of photo locations to return to in the future.

As for my travelling companions, or should I call them "The Golden Terzetto of Gothenburg", it was a blast hanging out with you guys!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.


Radin, Dima & Alosha aka The Golden Terzetto of Gothenburg.

Radin, Dima & Alosha aka The Golden Terzetto of Gothenburg.

Glengoyne Distillery is located in a wooded glen, just a few miles outside of Glasgow and a few miles from the beautiful shores of Loch Lomond.

Glengoyne Distillery is located in a wooded glen, just a few miles outside of Glasgow and a few miles from the beautiful shores of Loch Lomond.

The place where it all happens. Slowly. A picture postcard distillery with the most informative, entertaining visits in the Scotch whisky industry.
— glengoyne.com
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Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of the city from its position on the Castle Rock.

Edinburgh's Old- & New Town are jointly listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.