Sharm el SheikhThe 25th October Mickey and I returned to Jolie Ville Maritim Golf Hotel & Resort, where we stayed 2012. The resort is still nice but the reef has been a bit worn out coz of some of the tourists. The number of restaurants that serves a la carte has also decreased and the resort cater mainly for the “all inclusive” guests – buffet and drinks.
The daily routine was a couple of laps in the 300 m. long Lazy River and some snorkeling along the local reef. Tuesday and Thursday we went on a boat trip, snorkeling at different reefs at sea. Fantastic experience where we saw a vast variety of fish. Close encounter with a Murray eel and a Napoleon fish. We also saw Lion fish and Sting rays among a lot of other kind.
Wednesday we went on quad bike ride in the dessert. At the end of the tour Mickey and I was asked to leave the rest of the group -” we go faster” the guide said. And we went FASTER!! FUNNY!!
10 sunny days (26 June – 7 july) of the summer vacation was spent in southern Spain, in and around the town Benalmádenawhere we (Mickey and me) stayed in a very nice flat overlooking the sea and mountains.
The town is located 12 km west of Malaga, approx. ½ hour drive from the airport. It is divided into three separate parts:
Benalmadena Costa – the coastal strip that contains most of the resorts hotels and some apartment blocks.
Arroyo de la Miel (Honey stream)- originally a separate village and is where you will find shops, most of the resorts apartment blocks, and many Spanish bars and restaurants. The towns train station is here, it is home to Tivoli World and the cable car.
Benalmadena Pueblo – the original village located about 3 km inland and at 200 m. above sea level. The Pueblo is like the many Spanish “white villages” found in southern Spain. Narrow cobbled streets with white painted houses and many beautiful flowers on the walls. You find Copenhagen municipal hospital, Montebello, here and hear quite a lot of danish in the streets. There is a bar called Dansk bar and a restaurant Rottehullet (the rat hole)…
1. Accommodation | 2. Cable car start | 3. Eagle rock | 4. Bil-Bil Castle |
5. Parque de la Paloma | 6. Mini golf | 7. Puerto de la Marina
The accommodation was located next to a golf course. Fantastic view of sea and mountain.
A 12 min. and 2,6 km long cable car ride start from Arroyo de la Miel. It takes you to the summit of Monte Calamorro, 769 m. Fantastic views over the area. A bird show is included in the ticket. Two falconers showed some tricks with eagles and vultures. After the show we decided to hike down. According to the guide it should take approx. 2,5 hours and “the trail start 100 m. down the road to the right”. After followed the trail for some time it suddenly ended and we looked for something that looked like a trail. Ended up at a VERY steep cliff where we agreed to turn back and try descending somewhere else. Found a not so steep and high spot where we managed to climb down. Mickey tried some “pebble surfing” on the hill side :-). With lunch break and the “detour”, it took us 2 hours and 20 min. to return to the start.
Benalmadena Costa has almost 10 kilometers of beach. From quiet cove, to the family focused beaches with plenty of activities. The beaches are a mixture of man-made, golden sand and shingle. Sales men and women like to sell you sun glasses, football T-shirts, hats, watches, hair extensions, massage etc. We liked the beach at Castillia Bil-Bil. For some reason, less crowded and one day with nice waves. Paseo Maritimo, the beach walk with lot’s of bars, cafes and restaurants to the Puerto Marina, an Arabian style marina that has over one thousand moorings and also with many places to eat and drink.
Parque de la Paloma with it’s large lake, water plume, wild life running free, beautiful trees and landscaped gardens with a large cactus garden with species from all over the world.
Mini golf at Playa Mini Golf Espana where we tried to play mini golf with “normal” golf balls for, what I know, the first time.
Road trip sightseeing:
We learned that it’s a good idea to take the train from Arroyo de la Miel to visit Malaga. One objective was to visit the Museo Picasso, it turned out to be closed on Mondays. Instead we semi followed a recommended “Trail-of-sights” from the tourist office (Malaga in 8 hours): Calle Larios – Plaza de la Constitucion – the Cathedral – the Roman Theatre – the Alcazaba – HC Andersen – Plaza de la Marina – the Lighthouse…
A nice drive south west along the coast way N-340 a few km. takes you to Fuengirola that is a major tourist resort. We visited the Bioparc, a quite small and different zoo. It’s divided into four exhibition areas built to simulate the animals’ natural surroundings.
Near the Castillio Sohail one could rent a boat on the beach filled with sand for 5 euro. This is used for bbq and the very popular grilled sardines.
Inland, a bit up the mountain, 450 m.above sea level, is the small white village Mijas located. Parked the car at the entrance of the village in a big parking house for 1 euro for a day. You can take a donkey taxi or walk around the narrow, cobbled and some times steep streets. Looked at a flamenco show at the town square. Wednesdays at noon. Don’t know if it’s on every day. Other sights we checked out was the El Compas view point and the chapel with small electric “candels”, Plaza de Toros, Calle San Sebastian and the fun (and little strange) Carromato de Max – a miniature museum with a collection of paintings on pin-heads, rice corns and hair, wood carvings on tooth picks etc. E.g. a picture of Abraham Lincoln painted on a pin-head (no photography was allowed).
Further down the coast, after about 2 hour drive from Benalamádena, on the Mediterranean Motorway A-7, is Gibraltar. This 6 km2 piece of land is still Brittish tertitory with about 30.000 inhabitants. The Rock, made of limestone, raises 426 above sea level.
After driving around the very narrow streets of La Linea, looking for the border, we finally found a parking place near the frontier. “Quite a few” people preferred to drive across, loooong que. At the frontier we bought tickets to the cable car that included bus transport.
The cable car is from 1966 and takes you to the top in about 6 min. After looking at the stunning views from the top and the many monkeys we walked down, this time on a proper road.
Back in the center we walked along Main Street checking prices on electronics that we heard should be tax free and much cheaper. We didn’t think that was the case. At the coffee break, I was surprised that the staff had limited knowledge of the English language.
March 15-22 I spent in Sestriere, Italy, together with Patrik, Jesper, Casper, Bo and Martin – Team Holst. Thanks to Casper that arranged the trip through Slopetrotter.
We flew Air Berlin to Torino and SAS home from Milano. 1,5 hours transfer from Torino to Sestriere and 3 hours the other way. A “memorable” moment on Air Berlin was the free “sandwich”…
Sestriere is located at 2035 m. above sea level, 17 km from the French border. It is a part of the ski area Via Lattea (milky way) that has around 145 skiable pistes, that adds up to approx. 400 km.
Landmarks in town are the two round hotel towers that was built in the 1930’s by the FIAT family for the employees at the car factory in Torino to spend their winter holidays. It is still a popular winter resort and the population goes from the 800 inhabitants to approx 20.000 during the winter holidays. In 2006 Sestriere was a part of the winter Olympics.
We had 6 days with sun, blue sky and warm weather. First couple of hours during the day the piste was hard, “wash boardish”. The next couple of hours it was nice and soft, sometimes a bit of spring snow. Some slopes turned a bit too slushy in the afternoon.
We stayed at the Palace Residence 2 located a bit uphill on the opposite side of the ski lifts. There was local bus transport every 20 min. in the morning and afternoon.
Great after ski at GFC, Wednesday (after pic-nic :-O ).
Station/Refuge Alpette was until 1986 a middle station for the cable car to the summit. It has a large sun deck and is a great place for a rest and one or two drinks…
Soleil Boeuf is another great place to rest your legs. Large sun deck with fat boys and sofas.
Piste #duemila (2000), one of the favorite piste with great snow, through the forest and not many people.
“The hidden restaurant” Ciao Pais. Even if it’s “hidden” you need to book for lunch…
A windy and cold Sunday in Januar, my colleague Carl visited Malmö together with his wife. I used the earlier post with sightseeing in Malmö as “template”. This is an updated version with Sibbarp Beach (9), Ribban Kallbadhus (12) and Malmö Central Station (16). You are welcome to use it for inspiration when visiting Malmö.
Point Hyllie– a new developed site close to Malmö City and Kastrup Airport. It consists of four main buildings comprising approximately 45,000 square metres. They are allocated for housing, offices and shops. The tallest building is about 95 metres high.
Malmö Arena– the latest addition to northern Europe’s growing number of modern multi-purpose concert and event venues. Malmö Arena is a premier venue in the Öresund Region for world-class sporting events, concerts, family shows, full-scale conferences and smaller meetings, wining and dining or a quick snack. It can seat a maximum of 15.000 guests. It measure 22.5 m. up to the inner ceiling.
Hyllie water tower is white and has the form as mushroom (at the moment getting some make up due to the Euro vision song contest and coz its need it). The light on the tower changes on different occasions. At Christmas it’s red and when there isn’t a special event the light is blue. It’s 62 m tall and contains 10 200 cubic meter water. It was ready 1973. Architect was Kjessler & Mannerstråle through Karl Ivar Stål. A water park is being built close to the tower.
Emporia is one of the biggest shopping center in Scandinavia with a total size of 93 000 m2 for shopping, food, culture and pleasure in approx. 200 shops, restaurants and cafés on 3 stories and a unique roof park. The two main entrances are spectacular, one is amber theme that symbolized in the logo type. The other is water theme.
The Glass House– “House of brands for good living”. A shop with exclusive scandinavian interior design.
Ikea has built a 44 000 square meter store at Svågertorp. It’s the second largest in the world and was inaugurated 20 October 2009.
Limhamns Kalkbrott is approximately 1.300 meters long, 800 meters wide and 65 meters deep. The walk around the quarry is 4 km.
The mining of the began in 1866 and lasted until 1994. The last explosion was in the late 1980’s. The explosives have shaped the quarry, so it consists of plateaus, called pallets, about 20 meters high and vertical walls. At every blasting, a ton of dynamite was used. There was a loud bang as many locals felt.
The lime in Limhamns quarry has been formed in a warm sea of between 65-55 million years ago (during the early Tertiary). It consists mainly of deposits from microscopic cuisine liters (algae), bryozoans (moss animals) and corals. In some limestone layers there are plenty of shark teeth. A remnant from a relative of the great white shark, which for millions of years swimming around here along with other now extinct species. Fossils of two crocodiles have also been found in the quarry.
There are over 1.400 different animals and plants in the limestone quarry. Several species are rare or special in some way. Most notable is the presence of the endangered green spotted toad and “Kalkkrassingen”.
Öresund bridge was inaugurated on 1 July 2000. The link between Denmark and Sweden is 15.4 km long and consists of the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge for both rail and motor vehicle traffic, at nearly 8 km. The main span is suspended from four pylons that measure 204 m above the sea level. The best viewing point over the Öresund Bridge is from Lernacken at the Luftkastellet restaurant.
The Øresund Bridge offers a 4-lane road carrying more than 60,000 travelers daily, 6 million vehicles per year, and two train tracks (another 8 million people each year) e carries . Building the Øresund bridge included construction of a bridge, a tunnel 4 km and a new island where travelers go from tunnel-level (on the Danish side) to the level of the bridge.
Sibbarp beach is popular diverse recreational area with beach, camping with snack bar, mini golf, barbecue stones, open-air swimming bath with sauna. There are also large grassed areas with several jetties from which you can jump in the sea. Not far from Sibbarp’s beach is a small skatepark. From here you have a brilliant view of the Öresund Bridge.
Limhamns Småbåtshamn has room for around 1.000 boats and is the biggest of it’s kind in Malmö.
Ön (The Island) is situated in Limhamn-Bunkeflo in the southwestern municipality of Malmö. Today there is a land connection between the island and Limhamn, so technically the island is today a peninsula. It used to a harbour for the ferry connection with Dragør in Denmark.
While limestone mined for cement production in Limhamn’s Kalkbrott (Limestone quarry) the area was used for dumping of waste products, and thereby laid the foundation for an artificial island.
In the first half of the 1900’s, various industrial activities has been carried out here: Shipyard and aircraft production. Two of the office buildings and a factory building still stands today and house the school on the island, a convenience store and an aerobics (Friskis & Svettis).
The island is divided into a northern and a southern part by Övägen. The northern part of the island began to plot in the early 1990’s, with apartment buildings and construction is still in progress. The southern part was settled in the late 1990’s.
Ribbersborg Kallbadhus (“Open-air-bath”) also known as Ribban by the older and Kallis by the younger generation, is an open-air public bath on the Ribersborg beach . The bathhouse is open for a skinny dip all the year around and has separate areas for men and women and each area is equipped with two saunas. There is also one mixed sauna between the ladies and gentlemen’s area. There is a cafe and a restaurant. The bath was inaugurated in June 1898 with initiative by C.A. Richter, who bought the old bathhouse at Nyhamn port, which was being sold because of the port’s expansion. Four years later a storm damaged the new bath during Christmas and it was rebuilt. During the refurbishment a diving tower was added to the men’s department, with a view of the strait and the women’s department. During the 1930s it was modernised with nude bathing and confidentiality was added between the departments. In 1966, the City of Malmö purchased the baths. It was again damaged by a storm in 1988 and in 1995 it was declared a historic building.
Västra Hamnen (Western Harbour) is Malmö’s new city district attracts people with its exciting architecture, lovely beach promenades and green spaces and a fabulous view over Öresund. An award-winning ecological housing area finished in 2001 for the major European Housing Expo Bo01 is found here. The buildings were designed by several internationally renowned architects including Gert Wingårdh, Ralph Erskine and Mario Campi.
The neighbourhood is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Water is also a vital element of the environment, expressed in canals, ponds, small craft marinas and swimming beaches.
The Western Harbour was once an industrial area where Kockum’s world-famous shipyard operated, now replaced by Malmö University and companies in the IT and telecommunications industries. The dance company Skånes Dansteater is based in one of the vaulted halls, Båghallarna, and an exciting, specially designed concrete skateboarding arena, Stapelbäddsparken has been constructed around one of the old ship ramps.
Turning Torso. Architect Santiago Calatrava’s spectacular apartment building in the Western Harbour. At 190 metres, Turning Torso is the tallest building in Sweden. The building was inspired by a sculpture “Turning Torso” by Calatrava himself. Turning Torso consists of nine cubes with a total of 54 stories, with a 90° twist from base to top. The top two floors boast the exclusive meeting rooms of Turning Torso Meetings.
Stapelbäddsparken is one of Europe’s largest outdoor skate parks with a surface of 2.000 m2 and is located at Kockums shipyard’s old factory area in the Western Harbour. The old slipway was transformed in 2006 into a modern and important meeting place open to all skateboarding enthusiasts and everyone else too. Here takes the prestigious international skateboarding competitions like The Quicksilver Bowlriders place periodically.
The park is open 24/7, 365 days a year and it costs nothing to visit or use it. All activity in and around the skate park is operated by Bryggeriet which is also responsible for the cafe in the park.
Malmö Central Station opened in 1876. It serves approximately 17 million passengers per year, making it the third busiest in Sweden behind Stockholm Central Station and Gothenburg Central Station. The opening of the City Tunnel in December 2010 made it possible for passenger trains to travel through the station, which had previously been a terminus, and most traffic shifted to the new lower level. All passenger traffic to Denmark now uses the tunnel, and most local trains continue to the new Triangeln and Hyllie stations even if they are not going beyond Malmö.
Malmö St. Petri Church was founded in the early 1300’s. When the church first mentioned in writing in 1346, it had already been consecrated for worship-service. Tradition says that the high altar was consecrated 1319. The church is dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul.
Stortorget (Big square) The equestrian statue of King Karl X Gustav, who took Skåne from the Danes through the Roskilde Treaty of 1658, stands in the midst of the largest square in Malmö. Stortorget was built in 1536 at the initiative of Jörgen Kock, Malmö’s powerful mayor and master of the mint. Stortorget became Malmö’s new marketplace and was the largest city square in Northern Europe for a very long time. The city well was located in Stortorget, with the site now marked by a bronze water sculpture. Jörgen Kock built a new and stately city hall as well as a home for himself, Kockska huset next to Stortorget.
Max hamburgerrestaurant started 1968 and is the oldest and most popular hamburger restaurant in Sweden.
Lilla torg (Little Square) Malmö’s most charming square and one of the most popular meeting places in the city was built in 1592 as a market square. There are several interesting buildings dating from the 16th century and later around Lilla Torg. Hedmanska Gården is an enclosed courtyard where the oldest half-timbered house dates from the 16th century and the youngest building, a warehouse, is from the late 19th century and is now home to Form/Design Centre, which mounts exhibitions related to design and architecture. Outdoor concerts are held at Hedmanska Gården in July. From March to October Lilla Torg is filled with outdoor restaurants and cafés and the atmosphere is enchanting.
Kungsparken (Kings Park) was created 1869-1870 and is Malmö’s oldest park. It was built on land that was formerly part of Malmöhus Castle fortification and was designed by the Danish landscape architect Ove Høegh Hansen. When it opened 1872 the park was originally called Slotsparken (Castle Park).
The park has a romantic character with examples from the continent’s parks. Here you can enjoy leisure walks, beautiful artwork and exotic trees. The heart of the the park is a cast iron fountain built in 1882.
Stadsbiblioteket (Town Library) Sweden’s largest town library, has over 1 million different media, about 1,500 different journals, approximately 10,000 DVD and 33,500 music CDs and was Sweden’s first library to lend video games.
It’s one of the most intriguing buildings in Malmö situated in Slottsparken. The library consists of two buildings, one older and one newer, that are linked to each other. The new part, which is called the “Calendar of Light” was designed by the notable Danish architect Henning Larsen and opened in 1997. The older section of the library dates from 1899 and was designed by architects John Smedberg and Fredrik Sundbärg.
Slottsparken (Castle Park) This wonderful organic garden is situated just behind Malmöhus Castle adjacent to Kungsparken. Fresh-picked vegetables and flowers and exciting plants are available for purchase – and you may get a bit of wise advice from the head gardener. One of Malmö’s smallest and most charming cafés is also found here. The garden and the café are open year round. Concerts, film evenings and other events are held in the summer.
A “Dutch Mill” from 1851 – is situated next to Slottsträdgården. The area also features a well-preserved miller’s house and garden. This site is a popular place for outdoor concerts and other summertime events.
Malmöhus Castle was originally a minor citadel whose construction was ordered in 1434 by Erik of Pomerania, king of the Kalmar Union which brought Norway, Sweden and Denmark together under a single monarch.
In the 16th century King Christian III of Denmark and Norway rebuilt the citadel to create a modern defensive fortress, an imposing castle and the home of the Governors of Malmöhus County.
This is where Denmark´s money was coined in the Middle Ages, where Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark held wild parties in the 16th century and where prisoners were decapitated in the castle courtyard during the 19th century when the castle served as a prison. Today Malmöhus has been restored in the spirit of the 16th century and forms part of Malmö Museer. The castle is part of Sweden´s cultural heritage and is managed by the National Property Board.
The castle presents historical exhibitions. By Order of the King is an exhibition about the 17th-century wars over Skåne and how Skåne became Swedish in 1658. Power over People depicts the history of Malmöhus Castle over the past 300 years.
Easyjet from Kastrup to Gatwick. Hold luggage only, no check in. One hold luggage really means ONE, no camera or “man purse” on the side. I had booked the tickets with Ingo Johansson and that what it said on the boarding pass. It says Ingvar Johansson in the passport, not smart. It cost normally DKK 720 to change it but the assistant was very nice and changed free of charge, thanks a lot for that!
Took the regular train, Southern, from Gatwick to Victoria Station (when we finally found the right platform and train). Takes little longer than the Express but is half price. Buy a train ticket that include day pass on the tube. Approx £15/pers. Continued with the underground from Victoria to Oxford Circus and then it was only a few minutes walk to the flat at Dufours Place (had problems finding that too, tip: get a proper map from the start ;-).
Booked the flat via airbnb.com. It had two bedroom, two toilets, a large living room area incl. kitchen and a balcony. Prime location:
1 min. walk to Carnaby Street
2 min. walk to Oxford Street
5 min. walk to Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and China Town
10 min. walk to Trafalgar Square and The National Gallery
15 min. walk to Buckingham Palace
20 min. walk to Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye
Camden Market
(Close encounter with black man, he thought I took many photos of his daughters and should publish them on the internet!!. He called the police etc. Puha…I was innocent, he was weird…)
Walked along the river to Primrose Hill where we had homemade chicken sandwich lunch (again) with beautiful view over the London skyline
Walk through Regent Park with beautiful gardens and large play fields
Took the buss from Piccadilly Circus to South Kensington
Visited V&A museum to see a David Bowie exhibition but far tooo long line…
Went to Harrods and looked at all the glitter and fancy electronics
Lunch at Serpentine, Hyde Park, (yes, chicken sandwich 😉 and looked at the BST set up
Buss to Tottenham Court to pick up the tickets at Dominion Theater
Visited a Carphone shop where Mickey found the Nexus 7 for £179
After refreshing at the flat we went back to Dominion Theater for We will rock you, AWESOME!! 😀
(good idea to have picked up the tickets before, another line…)
Walked along Regent Street to Piccadilly Circus and then to Leicester square for lunch, Pret a Manger
Saw Despicable Me 2, 3D, Empire 1, 1000 seats. Great experience
Went for dinner at Five guys, Burgers and fries. Good timing, looong line when we came out
Watched Hangover in the flat
10 July
Mickey bought the Nexus 7 at the Carphone Shop, Oxford Street. Tried to bargain, 2 for £320, but no 🙁
Packed and waited…
Tube Oxford Circus – Victoria Station. Got the refund from Oyster cards at Victoria tube station
Train, Southern, to Gatwick
Plenty of time and the flight delayed approx. 30 min, dep. 17.55
The End
Tips:
Get an Oyster card. Deposit £5. Fill up the card. You get the deposit and the amount not used on the card refunded when you return the card at a tube station.
lastminute.com, discount tickets or buy them at Piccadilly Circus
The resort doesn’t have a “normal” beach. It has a couple of jetties sticking out over the coral reef and end at the reef wall. A stair leads down to a fantastic underwater world.
The “beach” area is built up in levels with beach beds and umbrellas. It’s a rustique, marine like style that I found suited the area well.High heels and other walking obsticales could be a challenge with many stairs, sand and cobble stone.
I was surprised that even since the hotel was from ’97 the reef was ok “healthy” with lots of colorful fish and coral. A life guard on each jetty was also efficient to whistle when people didn’t behave and went outside marked area etc.
The actual reef is a approx 8 m deep wall. We saw lots of different fish along the 200 m, incl. Lionfish, Napoleon fish, Bannerfish etc.
The pool area was big with a “lazy river”, a 300 m long “river” that was “running” in a circle around the pool area.
We took the hotel shuttle bus to Naama Bay one afternoon and walked around the main street and board walk.Very loud and busy with the different bars competing who could play the worst music as loud as possible. The Egyptian sales men are VERY eager and like glue to you. Learned that you shouldn’t even say “no thank you” insted totally ignore them…Had dinner at restaurant Dannaneer, that was recommended by the guide. Nice and cheap steaks.
Tuesday was Jeep safari. Offroad through the dessert with an exciting driver that preffered the off offroad.First stop was a Bedouin graveyard where the guide, Rasmus, told some stories. For instance how marriage works: From when the daughter is 13 years old, the father puts a green flag on the door. Interested men visit the home. The daughter make and serve tea to the man. If the tea is sweet he is approved, if the tea is bitter and strong it’s a “no go”…
Second stop was Dahab where we should pick up snorkeling gear to the ones that didn’t had any.These houses the government built for the Bedouins some 4 years ago. Many of the Bedouins prefer to live their own life in tents and home made sheds like they always had. Half of the houses are empty and the area is not finished and looks like some sort of ghost town.
Third stop was a camel ride to the Blue Hole.One of the myths about camels is that the camel stores water in its hump. The truth is the hump is a fatty deposit that provides energy when food is scarce.The camel stores water in its blood stream. It’s capable of losing forty percent of its body’s weight before becoming distressed and is able to go five to seven days before having to drink. The amount it drinks can add up to 80 l. in about 10 minutes.The camel’s mouth is tough and rubbery so that thorns and branches won’t damage it. The thirty-four sharp teeth allow it to bite off tough bites of almost anything, and when forage is short a camel can subsist on meats, skin and bones. Camels have three stomachs. They don’t chew their food but eat by swallowing their food whole and allowing it to be partially digested by the stomachs before being chewed as a cud later.
The Blue Hole is a very special place. I thought it was out in the sea but no, it’s just a couple of meters off the beach. A coral reef formed as a circle with a 120 meter hole in the middle.In the middle there is a rope across where free divers train and try to get as deep as possible. Some succed some doesn’t. On the cliff wall there are signs with the names of the ones that didn’t come up again and is still lying on the bottom of the hole. It’s has the nickname “Diver’s Cemetery”.We passed the signs and walked around the cliff on the image. There we started the snorkel tour. Ended with circle the Blue Hole and on the right side there is a underwater plateau that was beautiful.
Last stop on this adventures day was The 3 Pools just out side Dahab. also here the reef was just of the beach. One of our favorites was the “tower corals”. Highrise coral reef sticking up from the bottom. Lots of activity and fantastic colors.
Thursday we went on a snorkel/diving boat trip with Colona Divers. Leaving early in the morning to Sharks Bay were we entered the boat that should take us out to 3 different reefs in the Tiran straight.This image is from Gordon reef where this russian ship collided with the reef some 11 years ago coz the captain had too much vodka.We also visited Jackson reef and Raz Gamilla. At the last one we had a drift snorkel tour that was a fantastic experience. We jumped from the boat at one end of the reef while the boat still was drifting. The current took us floating along the reef for an hour and all we had to do was to “steer” so we didn’t hit the reef. We saw Barracuda, free swimming Moray eel (apparently very unusual), giant Puffer fish and lots of other fish.
The Photography – Visual communication course has now come to an end and final exam is done. The assignment was to create a photo reportage with 6 photos incl. captions and documentation with message, content and form on the theme People and Environment . Below you find the project as it was delivered, in Swedish, incl. the comments from the school:
Miljön
Vi befinner oss kantinen på företaget jag jobbar hos, NNE Pharmaplan, som ligger i Gentofte, Danmark, lite norr om Köpenhamn. NNE Pharmaplan är specialister inom den farmaceutiska och biotekniska branchen och hjälper bl.a läkemedelsföretag att komma snabbt och säkert på marknaden med deras produkter.
Budskap
Kantinen satsar på hälsosam mat och hållbar utveckling. Med nedanstående bildserie och tillhörande bildtext vill jag illustrera vad de gör.
I lektion 3 talades det bl.a. om tre fotografiska genrer. Jag placerar denna bildserie i faktagenren. Har valt att skriva bildtexterna som en historia och försökt följa rådet i lektion 5 – ”Text och bild skal kompletera varandra – inte upprepa eller säga imot varandra – för att bygga något större tillsammans än vad dom är var för sig”.
Minskningen av mängden kött innebär en ekonomisk vinst och ger möjlighet att använda kött av högre kvalitet från djur som levt ett bättre liv och inte minst fått en bättre död. Portionsanrättningar minskar matspill – ”Ögat är ibland hungrigare än magen”
Bild 1
Det danska ingeniörs- och konsultföretaget, NNE Pharmaplan, har som tagline Engineering for a healthier world. Det är inte bara deras arbete inom den farmaceutiska branchen som skall hjälpa till en hälsosammare värld, även deras kantin på huvudkontoret, norr om Köpenhamn, satsar på hållbar utveckling och nyttig mat till de anställda.
Bild 2
Januari 2012 satte kantinen ett nytt mål – minst 30% av maten som serveras skall vara ekologisk och mängden kött skall minskas till fördel för mer av säsongens grönsaker. Enligt personalen har de mer än lyckats med detta och har legat på 50% de senaste 3 månader.
Bild 3
Minskningen av mängden kött innebär en ekonomisk vinst och ger möjlighet att använda kött av högre kvalitet från djur som levt ett bättre liv och inte minst fått en bättre död. Portionsanrättningar minskar matspill – ”Ögat är ibland hungrigare än magen”
Bild 4
Sill, pålägg och andra läckerheter blir serverade i små skålar istället för på stora fat. Mycket av det kan förberedas och det sparar tid vid serveringen jämfört med att fylla på och ordna de stora fat som skall flyttas fram och tillbaka mellan köket och bufféen.
Bild 5
Kökspersonalen tycker det är trevligare och skojigare att vara kreativa och skapa de små näringsrika, aptitliga och dekorativa rätter – de känner att de faktiskt lagar mat. Även här minskar portionsanrättningarna matspillet.En utmaning för gästerna kan ibland vara att få plats med dem på tallriken. Det är dock tillåtet att besöka bufféen flera gånger.
Bild 6
Diskaren Frances tycker dock inte alltid att det är lika kul. De många små skålar innebär mer sortering och arbete. Det kan vara svårt att hinna med, specielt vid peak hour.
Innehåll och form
Generellt
Miljön innehöll flera utmaningar. Ljusförhållandena med många reflekterande ytor, belysning med glödlampor och lysrör, inte så mycket svängrum m.m. Dessutom var det begränsat med tid mellan förberedelsen av maten till öppningen av kantinen och det blev fullt med folk.
Fokus var på att fånga miljön och människorna och mindre på bländare, tid och ISO inställingar, som vi lärde oss i lektion 2. Alla billderna är tagna med ett zoomobjektiv, 18-105 mm. där vidvinklen, omkring 28-35 mm, blev använt mest. De flesta bilder har tiden 1/60 sek. och stor bländare, dels på grund av ljusförhållanden men också för att hålla ett litet skärpedjup. Många zoomobjektiv är inte är så ljuskänsliga. Största bländare på det jag har är 3,8. ISO var inställt på automatik och var generellt högt.
Bilderna har fått en tur i Photoshop med beskärning och justering av ljuset. Jag önskade inte den gulaktiga ”glödlampe” färg utan ville ha fram det vita och de lite kalla toner som finns i ett industrikök. Justeringen är gjort på hela bilden, enligt er dokumentationsmall.
Bild 1.
I etableringsbilden har jag valt att placera nyttigt och grovt bröd i förgrunden. Brödet räknas som något av det mest grundläggande i matpyramiden.
Det kvadratiska formatet är valt som ”omslag” till bildserien, ett ”skivomslag”, som Klas Öhling talade om i lektion 4. Med perspektiv, diagonala linjer och människorna i bakgrunden, vill jag skapa dynamik i bilden för att kompensera för kvadratens statiska format.
Bild 2.
Denna närbild illustrerar kantinens mål med ökad mängd av säsongens grönsaker. Salladen är färgrik och ser spännande och god ut.
Kompositionen med de diagonala linjer gör att fatet nästan kommer ut ur bilden och säger ”varsågod”.
Bild 3.
Väntade till denna speciella dag med att fotografera för att jag fick besked på att där skulle vara ett stort vildsvinslår till utskärningen. Tänkte att det skulle se bra ut på bild. Där blev tydligen något misförstånd vid inköp av matvarorna så det blev tyvärr ett något mindre köttstycke. Det passar i och för sig kanske bättre till bildtexten med ett mindre stycke kött.
Billden är regisserad (lektion 6). Jag bad kocken Per att hämta ett stycke kött och skära några skivor. Har använt reflekterat ljus (lektion 8) med blixt som var riktad upp mot taket.
Per är placerad i det gyllene snitt. Tallrikarna skapar en horisontal linje av ”ordning och upprepning”. Denna klassiska kompositionsregel tycker jag om och den återkommer i några av de andra bilderna. Tallrikarna är dessutom basen i en triangelform som har Pers huvud som topp.
Bild 4.
De många små serveringsskålar är grupperade efter innehåll och de står nästan alltid i denna vinkel. Vill visa det öppna köket som gästerna ser det när de ankommer till ”tapas-stationen”.
Ahmed och Mia ser fokuserade ut och deras kroppsspråk skapar aktivitet i bilden.
Har använt en lite längre slutartid för att få Ahmeds arm att vara ”rörelseoskarp” för att förstärka aktiviteten. Trots ljusförhållandena, har jag försökt med ett stort så skärpedjup som möjligt. Provade med med blixt men så kunde jag inte få Ahmeds arm oskarp. Hade där varit tid hade jag använt stativ. Jag tog stöd mot väggen som ”akut” lösning för den något längre slutartid. Här återkommer lite av ”ordning och upprepning” med skålarna i förgrunden.
Bild 5.
I denna närbild önskar jag framhäva det dekorativa och kreativa arbete kökspersonalen lägger i de små portionsskålarna och är en fortsättning av föregående bild, en detaljbild.
Här finns en triangelform där skärpan ligger på basen i förgrunden. Med det lilla skärpedjupet, bildvinklen, perspektivet, ordning och upprepning, vill jag illustrera att där är ett större antal skålar än vad man ser på bilden.
Bild 6.
Lådan med de många skålar i en enda röra, fyller en ganska stor del av bilden för att förstärka känslan av den stressade situation diskaren Frances ibland befinner sig i. Bilden visar även hur alla dessa skålar som ligger i lådan skall sorteras och ställas i diskkorgen – ”ordning och upprepning”.
Där var begränsat utrymme men jag kunde tänka mig lite mer ”grodperspektiv” för att göra lådan ännu större och för att överdriva känslan av ”sååå många skålar och de tar aldrig slut”…
Slutkommentar
Jag planerade uppgiften i våras med story board och research. Tyvärr kom några personliga förhindringar i vägen och så jag har inte kommit till skott förrän nu.
Det har varit en skojig och intressant uppgift med många olika elementer – planering, research, fotografering och skriva text.
Till sist vill jag citera Anna Clarén som uttrycker det så fint i lektion 5 – ”Bilden är det som träffar i själen och det undermedvetna”.
Med vänlig hälsning
Ingo
————————————————————————————————-
Skolans kommentar
Ny status: Färdig
Ny poäng: 1
Hej Ingo!
Tack för dina bilder och med detta är det också dags för sista inlämningsuppgiften här på Visuell kommmunikation.
Vilket härligt reportage! Imponerande välplanerat måste jag säga! Ditt budskap kommer också tydligt fram och upplever jag som slutet. Det här med hållbar utveckling är spännande och med dina bilder visar du att det faktiskt är möjligt. Hälsosam mat i en storskalig miljö och den industriella känslan är tydlig.
Redan i din etableringsbild hamnar man i denna miljö. Du gör väl medvetna fotografiska val och arbetat på ett varierat sätt med både innehållet och formen i dina bilder. Detta skapar en bra rytm! Detaljbilder har du också med och du utnyttjar skärpedjupet väldigt fint!
Stilistiskt passar dina bilder också mycket bra ihop. I din dokumentation beskriver du hur du arbetat och härligt att se hur du tagit fasta på det som tagits upp i kursen. Kunskaper som du nyttjar i dina bilder.
Lycka till i fortsättningen med ditt fotograferande!
Du är nu godkänd på slutuppgiften och därmed (troligtvis) klar med hela kursen.
Vad kul!
Med vänlig hälsning,
Kerstin Andersson Hanochi, handledare
