This video is from a drive from Osh and Bishkek, two low-lying towns in Kyrgyzstan. To get from one to the other involves driving through narrow as...
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VIDEO – Uzbekistan – Khiva
This is a video from Khiva. The ancient city on the Silk Road is still alive, welcoming anyone who has crossed the desert to get here. This...
Pictures from Kyrgyzstan
This is a collection of pictures from Kyrgyzstan, the result of a trip in 2014 around the country and the capital. If you look up my articles from...
Bishkek and the valley of Ala Archa
Even a poor country has its proud monuments, and being the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek has a fair number of them. In addition, there is mighty...
Nomadic life on the mountain passes of Kyrgyzstan
Driving over the string of mountain passes of Kyrgyzstan from the fertile Fergana valley in the south we emerged on the plains in the north after a...
Pictures from Uzbekistan
This is a collection of pictures from Uzbekistan, the result of a trip in 2014 around the country to ancient cities on the Silk Road. If you look up...
The fertile Fergana Valley
The Fergana valley is one of the world's most fertile valleys and always has been. In addition Stalin drew a map making it one of the most complex...
The magnificent oasis of Khiva
Squeezed in between the Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts we find Khiva, or Itchan Kala as it was known when slaves were traded and silk passed by on...
World Heritage #0543 – Itchan Kala
Let us us all go back to the old caravan routes of the Silk Roads, and to Itchan Kala in the oasis of Khiva. The UNESCO World Heritage List includes...
The Emir of Bukhara and the lost camels
The man on the image from 1911 was the last Emir of Bukhara. Join me for a look into days long lost, and read what happened to him and his...
World Heritage #0602 – Bukhara
The madrassas and mosques in the Historic Centre of Bukhara are impressive. They provide a sense of what the days of the Silk Road were like. The...
World Heritage #0885 – Shakhrisyabz
The Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz is the birthplace of the Great Tamerlane, the king and conqueror of a vast empire in Central Asia in the 14th...
Shakhrisabz and the birth of a nation
A nation was born in Shakhrisabz. This is rule number 1 in nation building: Go back in history and find an epic figure, mythical or real, and gather...
World Heritage #0603 – Samarkand
Samarkand was at the centre of the famous Silk Road. It passed through present-day Uzbekistan and was of vital importance to the trade between east...
The road to Samarkand
Three of history's greatest warlords found reason to conquer and ravage the city of Samarkand. Time and again the city rose from the ashes to regain...
The monumentalism of Tashkent
Being the capital of Uzbekistan and the largest city in Central Asia, Tashkent has every reason to show off, and it does. This is clearly evident in...
VIDEO – Uzbekistan – Tashkent
Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, is the largest city of Central Asia. This video brings you the sights of Old Tashkent, as well as squares and...
In search of the ancient Silk Road
This is about a trip on the Silk Road in the Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Marco Polo was here before me. The article is...
Imagine standing on top of the world’s most famous ski jump – Holmenkollen
The view from the tower on the Holmenkollen hill is tremendous. Behind us is the huge forest of Nordmarka, ahead is Oslo and the wide fjord. Below...
Celebrating Norway’s Constitution Day
In 2014 Norway's Constitution Day celebrations were more spectacular than ever before. It was the 200th anniversary of the constitution. Apart from...
Hardanger Road Trip (6) Sørfjorden, Odda and Røldal
On our Hardanger road trip we had reached the southern part, Odda. The ingredients are fjord, snow, fruit trees, industrial plants, a waterfall and...
Hardanger Road Trip (5) Agatunet
Heading south on the Sørfjord on our Hardanger road trip we visited the unique hamlet of Agatunet, one of the very original farm villages of Norway....
Hardanger Road Trip (4) Utne
There is more to Utne in Hardanger than we imagined. The evening we spent was perfect and the next morning offered an insight into Norwegian...
Hardanger Road Trip (3) Rosendal to Utne
On the road trip in beautiful, sunny Hardanger from Rosendal to Utne, we had blossoming fruit trees and a surprise visit to a glacial lake. We also...
Hardanger Road Trip (2) Rosendal
The second part of our Hardanger road trip covers our impressions from Rosendal. It was a beautiful morning in Rosendal, on the second day of our...
Hardanger Road Trip (1) Stavanger to Rosendal
The first leg of our Hardanger road trip covers the road from Stavanger to Rosendal. Read about two and a half days on the road in picturesque...
Førde in the crossroads
Førde was previously rated the ugliest town in Norway. There are unfortunately many contenders for this unfavourable title and I sincerely doubt...
VIDEO – Norway – Førde
This is a video from Førde, a medium-sized town in Western Norway. It is set at the end of Sunnfjord, amidst high mountains. Førde is now...
Defensive Structures (1) The huge ones
There are some historically significant and physically huge defensive structures around the world. They built them to protect entire countries...
Pictures from Estonia
This is a collection of pictures from Estonia, the result of a trip to Tallinn, the capital. I discovered a wonderful old town. If you look up my...