Avacha, Kamchatka’s Red Riding Hood

Avachinskaya Sopka – colloquially also known as Avachinsky or Avacha – is the backyard volcano of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital of Far East Russia’s volcano peninsula. It is a ~4000 years old Somma-type volcano, meaning it is growing and prospering inside the caldera of a historic fire mountain. The magma rising up inside the Avacha contains more iron ore than usual.… Read More

Rock Giants and Caribbean Blue – The Mountains and Lakes of the Southern Alps

One of New Zealand’s most impressive and stunning landscapes are the Southern Alps, a range of giant mountains and large lakes. Coming from Christchurch in the east, Lake Tekapo and its backyard mountain Mount John plus its astronomical observatory already give a first impression how wonderfully scenic the southern Kiwi land can look like.… Read More

xflo:w Photo Calendar 2014

Thanks a lot for the success of the Kamchatka calendar released last year. Also for 2014 I will publish a photo calendar, even two calendars again, to be precise as photogenic New Zealand’s varity leaves me no choice. You can choose between a mountain and volcano edition or a calendar featuring coasts and wildlife.… Read More

Ice in the Rain Forest – Exploring the Fox Glacier

New Zealand’s West Coast region is unique. It is leader of the list of the rainiest regions on our planet and offers the possibility of getting in very close touch with the remarkable combination of a glacier gliding down amidst an environment of alpine mountains having rain forests on its slopes.… Read More

From Pankow to Ruhleben – The U2 line

Berlin’s underground line U2 heads straight through the entire city, from Pankow to Ruhleben, making stops at the current eastern as well as city centres, that is Alexanderplatz and Zoologischer Garten, but also passing by the actual historic but also new city centres, that is Klosterstraße and Potsdamer Platz. Today this orange-red metro line is one of Berlin’s most trafficked one.… Read More

Mount Ruapehu – Above the Clouds of North New Zealand

Mount Ruapehu marks the southern end of the Taupo volcanic zone. Together with stunning Tongariro national park it stands for a region that shapes and defines the character of New Zealand’s north island. With an elevation of impressive 2797 metres it is also North New Zealand’s lighthouse, its highest spot; a place easily seen from the far away.… Read More

Abel Tasman National Park – Seal Puppy Playground with Dutch Roots

When it comes to discovering New Zealand there is no question that James Cook played the most important role, but it was the sailor Abel Tasman from Dutch East India Company who spotted the archipelago being located in South Pacific Ocean as first European ever and even some 100 years earlier than the Brit did.… Read More

Simpson Harbour – Panorama of the Rabaul Caldera

The Simpson Harbour is one of the world’s largest and most beautiful natural harbours. It measures impressive 14×9 kilometres and was once, in World War II an important battle field of the Japanese and Allies. While their fight for supremacy in Oceania and the whole war is over already, a different battle still happens.… Read More

Berlin’s Olympia Stadium in Black and White

Many of Berlin’s places of interest, no matter if built for “perpetuity” or perpetually not being accomplished, are often hard-wired to a single name. Ulbricht has his TV Tower, Wowereit his BBI airport desaster and Honecker dreamed of a 100 years lasting wall. In the 1930’s such dreams year-lasting-wise even had one more zero in the end and threw Germany as well as the rest of the world into turmoil.… Read More