The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who seek them
Places
Travel to Namib Desert
Feb 25th
In the local dialect the word Namib means vastness. But the openness which confronts you here makes the word ‘vast’ seem small and insignificant. Endless miles seem to stretch on and on covered with the orange sand dunes prevalent here. The perception that people get from this place ranges from that of plain disbelief at the emptiness to the stillness and quietness. The Namib Desert seems to convey a sense of solitude and timelessness which cannot be expressed in words. More >
Greatest Driving Road – Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road
Feb 19th
Jebel Hafeet is a mountain primarily in the United Arab Emirates on the outskirts of Al Ain. The mountain actually straddles part of the border with Oman. The mountain rises 1240 meters and offers an impressive view over the city. Jebel Hafeet was a well-known landmark throughout the area’s history and is a contemporary tourist attraction. An extensive natural cave system winds through Jebel Hafeet. More >
Rome to Catania
Dec 21st
by ezioman
You may well puzzle over the idea of a irain running all the way from Rome, inland Italy, to Catania in Sicily, but this is a rare journey where the train boards a ship to cross the sea. It nay be faster to fly, but you would Tiiss watching the landscape changing from a European aspect to a harsher, almost North African one as it slips by.
Leaving Rome’s main station in the morning, the suburbs finally give way plots of well cultivated land interspersed with small houses, many wiry half-built, multi-coloured washing riapping on lines in the sunshine. Yellow and white flowers brighten the fields and the trees begin to appear – aller and more gnarled. More >
Jungfraujoch Cog Railway – Switzerland
Dec 16th
The Jungfrau Railway leads to the highest railway station in Europe, at 3,454 m (11,333 ft). It is literally the zenith of a circular route from Interlaken round the heart of the Bernese Oberland, connecting its most famous resorts and providing access to the very best of the region’s incomparable scenery and topographical splendour.
The train engages its sturdy cog-wheels at Lauterbrannen, ready to climb parallel to the fabled Lauberhorn Downhill World Cup course past pretty Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg, 2,061 m (6,762 ft) up at the foot of the fateful North Wall of the Eiger. Then it doglegs up to Eigergletscher, famous for its polar dog kennels (it is also the start of a difficult ski run called ‘Oh, Hell!’), before hauling through the 7.3-km (4.6-mi) Eiger Tunnel to Eigerwand and Eismeer Stations. More >
Golden Pass Panoramic Express
Dec 11th
Officially, the Golden Pass links Zurich and Geneva, but its real purpose is to offer travellers a means of exploring the heart, of Central Switzerland between Lucerne and Montreux without doubling their tracks. Each of the stops (LucerneTnterlaken-Zweisimmen-Montreux) is a gateway to a choice of extraordinary excursions and activities in the area. More >
