Undredal is a small village situated at the majestic Nærøyfjord in Western Norway. Up until 1988, the remote settlement was accessible solely by water. Nonetheless, people lived here for centuries, cultivating the rich soil and living off sheep herding. It is famous for a delicious kind of cheese named Geinost, consisting of goat milk. Also, in Undredal, you can find the smallest Viking church in Norway; it has only forty seats (picture 6).
Coimbra is a city situated in the center of Portugal, halfway between Porto and Lisboa. For many centuries, it was the sole University town of the country and hence renowned as a cultural and scientific center of Portugal. Being home to 140k inhabitants, Coimbra today is undoubtedly larger than the college campus it once was. While wandering the narrow streets and discovering the beautiful architecture, Coimbra never feels like a big city preserving the urban image like it was seen by the many generations of students who lived and studied here. Take a look for yourself.
Months passed since I left Lisbon and life is moving on. The place, though, stayed dear to my heart. Also, there are still pictures left to show. While this one is not the last series from Portugal, it is the last one with the general theme of Lisbon – or Lisboa in Portuguese.
Amid the Atlantic Ocean, between the land masses of North America and Europe, there are some sprinkled islands of volcanic origin called the Azores. If you want to find them on a map, you probably need a pair of glasses. While they seem to disappear in the vast blue surrounding them, the inhabitants have withstood the forces of the ocean for many hundreds of years already, mainly living off agriculture carried out on the island’s rich volcanic soil. Products from the Azores, like milk and cheese, are well known for their quality in mainland Portugal, where the nine islands belong politically. Also, there is some tourism. Since 2015, Ryan Air has been operating flights to the islands from Lisbon and Porto. We seized the opportunity with a friend and took a flight to the main island of São Miguel. We traveled the island primarily by bike and public busses. Cruising through green landscapes, passing by cattle, visiting small villages, and meeting friendly people. Always on the canvas of a vast, endless ocean.
The last time Cyprus was featured was about a divided island. Though the political situation is complicated, I recommend visiting both parts of the island. So, I won’t differentiate between the Turkish and the Greek parts in the following gallery. Pictures 5, 6, and 7 need some background: After the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, former Gothic Cathedrals were converted into Mosques. Interestingly, some were not destroyed, and only minor changes were made (like the destruction of angel figures due to the ban on images in Islam). The altar was displaced within the church so the believers could pray in the direction of Mekka. According to Ottoman traditions, the former Cathedrals had carpets, and the inner church was painted white. Though inside as well as outside, you still see the Christian heritage. The clean and bright style of Islamic religious decoration combined with the dark and gothic severe style makes for a thoroughly fascinating combination.
Situated both on the European and Asian continents, Istanbul is the entry gate to the Orient, yet at the same time, it is also the last major European city in the southeast. Istanbul, or Constantinople, as it was called before the Ottoman conquest, has always been a metropole. Today, roughly 15 Million people call it their home. The vast sea of houses is divided by the Bosporus, a waterway connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. It is one of the busiest waterways in the world. Not far away – on the European site – grand mosques arise, built over the centuries by Ottoman rulers to show their power. They are majestic indeed, richly decorated with Islamic ornaments and beautiful interiors. Between the mosques, you will find the Grand Bazar, a covered bazaar consisting of 61 streets and many thousand shops. In Istanbul, everything seems grander than usual.
Michael Hoffman Photography 