One of my favorite sports is skiing. This gallery shows some of the history. Ski bum in Meribel in the 80’s. Ski resorts in new Zeeland among other places…

Le Lavandou – la station aux 12 sables

The summer holiday 2002 went to Le Lavandou, South of France. A beautiful area with sun, lavander and cicadas. Le Lavandou is located at the foot of the Massif des Maures in the Var Var area of Côte d´Azur, in the heart of the Mediterranean coastal region of the south of France. Over 12 km coastline with long, sandy beaches with small, wild inlets, coastal pathway between some of the 12 beaches:

• L´Anglade
• Le Lavandou
• Saint-Clair
• La Fossette
• Aiguebelle
• Jean Blanc
• L´Élephant
• Le Rossignol
• Le Layet
• Cavalière
• Cap Nègre
• Pramousquier

See photoalbum::>

Read more about Le Lavandou at:www.lelavandou.com

The summer of ’99 we drove 2000 km south, to the capital of the Riviera, Nice.

With a population around 400.000, makes Nice the fifth largest town in France.

Nice has many pleasant places for walks.
The most famous is the palm-lined, Promenade des Anglais, that follows the beachfront from the city centre to the airport, six km to the west, provides a fine stage for a stroll along the beach.
The promenade was established by Nice’s English colony in 1822 as a shoreside walking path.

Other walks include:
Jardin Albert 1er, Espace Masséna, a public square enlivened by fountains.
Place Masséna whose early 19th-century, neoclassical arcaded buildings are painted in various shades of ochre and red.
Ave Jean Médecin, Nice’s main commercial street.

Viex Nice is an area of narrow, winding streets between Blvd Jean Jaurès, Quai des Ètats-Unis and to the east – the hill known as Le Château.

Located at the north-eastern tip ofViex Nice is the arcade-lined Place Garibaldi is named after Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the heroes of Italian unification, who was born in Nice, was
built in the end of the 18th century.Located at the north-eastern tip of Viex Nice is the arcade-lined Place Garibaldi is named after Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the heroes of Italian unification, who was born in Nice, was built in the end of the 18th century.

Interesting churches in Vieux Nice include Chathédrale Saine Réparate,
Elise Saint Jacques le Majeur, Chapelle de la Miséricorde.

At Cours Saleya there is a Flower market 6.00-17.30 except Monday and Sunday afternoon, and an Antique and Flea market Monday from 7.30-18.00, except on public holidays.

On top of the 92-metre-high hill, at the eastern end of Quai des États-Unis, is the shady public park, Parc Château. It’s a great place to escape the heat on a summer afternoon.

The beach in Nice is covered with smooth little rocks. Private and public sections alternate. At the private beaches you can rent chairs, beach umbrellas and mattress. They also offer showers and changing rooms. Along the beach you can hire paddleboats, jetskis, take a parachute ride, go waterskiing or parasailing.

Museums in Nice:

Musée d’Art et d’Histoire
History of Nice and its surroundings from the 6th to the 19th century: Religious art, weapons, jewellery…

Musée des Beaux-Arts
Large collection of Italian painting 17th and 18th C. along with 19th C. Impressionist and Romantic works: Degas, Boudin, Sisley…

Musée d’Art moderne et d’Art Contemporain
More than 100 works of European and American avant-garde art, from the sixties to the present.

Musée Matisse
In a17th C., Genoese-style villa, the personal collection of the artist who lived in Nice 1917-1954: paintings, drawings and engravings.

More about Museums>>

More about Nice:

Hotel Guide>>
CityIndex>>
CityGuide>>
CityGuide 2>>

“The Pearl of the Caribbean”
Isla Mujeres [1996]13,500 inhabitants live on this 8 km long and 1,5 km wide coral island,
that belongs to the second largest coral reef in the world.We stayed at Na BaLam, “House of the Leopard”, an excotic name on an excotic 4-star hotel. It is among the most expensive hotels (and best) on the island, located at the North Beach.

 

 

The only village on the island consists of narrow cobblestone streets, lined with miscellaneous shops that sells jewelry, hammocks, clothes and other items one might wish of Mexican products.

Food and drinks:
The island has a great varity of eateries, with everything from cheap local food by the so called cocinas económicas, to exclusive international restaurants. Several eating places serves Comida corrida in the afternoon.
Try Huevos a la Mexicana, scrambled egg with chili, for breakfast. Ceviche, raw marinated seafood, for lunch. Pescado or Camarónes con ajo, fish or giant shrimps in garlic, for dinner.
Mexican beer, cervesa, is cheap and refreshing. Most famous is Corona. Other brands are; Supreior, XX, Sol, and Modeleo Nergro.
Wine is relatively excpensive, even that Mexico has a production of its own.
Tequila is well known by most people. The drink is made from fermented agavejuice that is destilled two times and stored for a long time. Many mexicans sip the drink, other swing it down the throat, together with lime and salt. Some drink it with Sangrita, a mixture of tomatojuice and tabasco.
Margarita is a cocktail made of: 4½ cl Tequila, 1½ cl Cointreau, 1½ cl lemon- or limejuice. Shake it with crushed ice and serve in saltrimmed glas.
Non alcohol alternative are Limonada –fruitjuice og mineralwater.
Many of the cafés and bars have “Happy Hour”, some all day long.

Aveninda Ruede Medina, the largest road on the island, leads to one of the most popular attractions, El Garrafón National Park. It’s a reef just a few metres from shore, with a fantastic marine life. Coral, rock formations and an abundance of fish that eat tortillias from your hand.

Suntan lotion is perfect for the beach, but it has a tendency to kill the coral and other marine life. Here they have taken the concequence of that destroying effect, you shall have a shower before you get into the sea.Isla Mujeres is surrounded by crystalclear water that change between several shades of turqoise and azur blue. There are many offers on snorkelling- and diving trips.
The Little Lighthouse are several small rock formations that creat perfect surrondings for a great number of fish and plants. Even a madonna statue got her own place on a rockshelf.

By The Manchones Reef is it deeper wich make it more suitiable for diving. Among the abundance of fish, one can also admire La Cruz de la Bahia (The Cross of the Bay), an one tonne heavy, 12 m high and 3 m wide krucifiks. It was “planted” here as a dedication for the woman and men on the island, in 1994.
The expertdivers kan among others, try The Cave of the Sleeping Sharks, that Jacques Cousteau made famous.

On the northern end you find the best and most popular beaches, Playa Norte og Playa Cocoteros. White powder-sand, calm turquoise and bathtub-warm water.

Windsurf, waterski, jetski or just lay and relax on the cool sand, watch a beachvolley match and enjoy an excotic drink.
Even if the sun shine on the sand all day, it stays cool. Different normal sand, this consists of mikroskopic, starshaped plancton-fossils, that’s been crushed very fine.

Beach and reef:
Remember when you go snorkeling or diving, look but don’t touch! The coral is very sensitive and often dies if you touch it. some even gives nasty “burns” and infection. Some jellyfish, for instance Portuguese Men of War, cause a burning feeling. Wash as soon as possible with something antiseptic to ease the pain. After that, put on some aloe vera, or an other soothing creme.Be careful of the rip curls! Don’t go deeper than the thighs, if you is’nt a good swimmmer. An evening swim in the moonshine is romantic, but it’s also eatingtime for many of the caribean seas bigger and somewhat rapacious inhabitants. Take a stroll on the beach instead.Last but not least – The beach is not an ashtray or trash can. If you smoke, don’t leave the filter, that actually is a kind of semi permanent fibre glas, in the sand, to be eaten by animals, fish or birds. Through trash and bottles in the garbage cans. skrald og flasker i dertil beregnede skraldespande, because broken glas is a danger to the health.

Beautiful sunsets at Playa Norte.

When: The climate is tropical with rainperiod from May-October. Hurricane season around September. It means often less tourists and lower prices. If it rains, it’s often short and intens showers, mainly in the afternoon. The average temperature through the year is 25-28 degrees C. Main season is January – April. How: Fly to Cancun, boat to Isla Mujeres. Local transport: The village is so small that everything can be reached by foot. Taxi are available for the longer distances. A pricelist to the different destination is posted by the harbour. Many shops and hotels rent bikes, scooters and electric golfcars.

 

Grand Canyon (visit 1989), located in the northwest corner of Arizona, USA, is one of the greatest natural wonders in the world and must be seen to be believed.

Grand Canyon, consists of three areas: the South Rim, wich includes Grand Canyon Village, the North Rim, and the canyon gorge itself.
The canyon measures 445 km long, 20 km across and 2 km deep. These facts cannot convey the canyon’s vastness. Nor can words do justice to the sweep of color and light, the absolute stillness and silence of the depths.
Despite commercial exploitation, the Grand Canyon is still untamed; every year several careless hikers take what locals refer to as “the 12-second tour”. Remember to observe all saftey precautions and rules of commeon sense.

In the summer, everything and everyone, on two legs or four wheels, gather around the South Rim. This side draws 10 times more visitors than the higher and more heavily forested North Rim.
The instant you step back from the canyon’s edge you enter a world of overpriced curio shops, expensive lodges and never-ending tour buses. If you plan to visit during this time be sure to make reservations for lodging, campsites and mules if you want them well in advance – and be prepared to battle crowds. During the winter there are fewer tourists, but the weather is brisk and many of the hotels and facilities in the area, are closed.

If you want a more solitary Grand Canyon experience, consider the North Rim. The 20 km that separate the rims are a two-day adventure for sturdy hikers. The around 220 km of road are a good five hour drive for those who would rather explore it from above. The North Rim is open from mid May to mid October and is not served by public transportation.
Here the canyon is a bit wilder, a bit cooler, and much more serene. The view is just as inspiring as that from the South Rim.

The Colorado River, that trickles along the canyon floor, has created looming walls of limestone, sandstone, and shale over millions of years.

Don’t just peer over the edge – hike down into the canyon and observe the region’s wildlife. The area is home to mountain lions, eagles, deer and falcons.
Most importantly, exploring the canyon will give you a true sense of the immensity and beauty of this natural phenomenon. Sixteen established trails enter the Canyon, but only the Bright Angel Trail, South Kaibab Trail and North Kaibab Trail are regularly maintained. Hiking the inner canyon is physically challenging and requires careful planning. Pick up the Grand Canyon Guide, available at the entrance gate and at the visitor center, and read the list of hiking saftey tips. To avoid heat exhaustion, the second greatest threat after slipping, you must drink lots of water. Remember that hiking up is much harder and takes twice as long as hiking down. The Bright Angel Trail to Indian Gardens and Platteau Point, where you can look down 400 m to the Calorado River, make an excellent daytrip.

For unforgettable sunsets; show up 45 minutes beforehand at Hopi Point and watch the earth-tones and pastels melt into darkness. The only sound that brakes the silence is the many cameras clicking…

Read more about the Grand Canyon at:
[ www.thecanyon.com ]
[ www.grand-canyon.com ]

Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia, 1990

Each year humpback whales migrate long distances from polar waters near ice zones to tropical winter breeding grounds near islands and bank areas. They tend to prefer breeding waters 25 degrees C, quiet bays and leeward sides of exposed reefs with depth of 200 m. or less, and large banks wider than 3-5 km. Research indicates that the whales may use acoustical orientation and sensitivity to water and temperature currents or even rely on changes in the earth’s magnetic field to “home in” on their breeding and feding grounds. Whatever their secret of pathfinding, humpbacks reguarly appear in Australian waters in June. they don’t arrive en masse but flow in and out over a five mont period. The fact that humpbacks swim south in October and north in may in both hemispheres assures the northern and southern populations do not intermingle. Even where both populations use the same equatorial waters (10 degrees north), they are never there at the same time.

The Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is the fifth largest of the great whales. The females are slightly larger than the males in the adult stage, reaching 15 m. and 14 m. in length, respectively. A mature humpback may weigh up to 2,7 tonnes/m., or nearly 36 tonnes (36,000 kg) when fully mature. Calves range from 4 to 6 m. in length and average 1,35 tonnes (1,350 kg) at birth.

The Humpback whale is an endangered species that has been protected from whaling since 1963 in the Southern Hemisphere. The east Australian stock is estimated to be in the order of 1,200 animals and the west Australian stock, 1,400 animals. Both groups arte believed to winter in different aras of Antarctic, although some limited exchange may occur between the two groups.

The likelihood of seeing a whale decreases with increases in sea states, wind speed, sun glare, or other conditions which may hamper visibility. Midday is the preferred time to observs whles from land or air, since the sun is almost deirectely overhead. From a boat whalewatching is more dependent upon weather and less influenced by the time of day.

Whether you use an instamatic camera or one more sophisticaded, there arew several basic rules to follow when attempting t photograph whales. Hold your camera steady. Make ceartain that the horizon line is level in your viewfinder. Slowly depress the shutter release. Never follow the whale through it’s movements while taking a picture as this will blur the image. Set your shutter speedfor at least 500th of a second; this will freeze the movement of the whale, the boat, the ocean and your body.

When using a camera with a light meter, set the correct aperture by aiming your camera on the water in the direction of the whale, not on the sky and the water. This will give the proper color balance for the whale and the water, with the sky slightly over-exposed.

SPY HOP: The whale rises relatively straight up out of the water rather slowely, maintains its head above the surface to just below the eye, often turns 90-180 degrees on its longitudinal axis, then slips back below the surface.

PEC SLAP (FLIPPER FLOP): Humpbacks frequently roll at the surface, slapping their pectorial fins agianst the water. The whales also lay on their back waving both fins in the air at the same time, before slapping them on top of the water.

BREACH: The whale propels itself out of the water, generally clearing the surface with two-thirds of it’s body or more. As the whale rises above the water, it throws one pectoral fin out to the side and turns in the air about it’s longitudal axis. The re-entry splash from a breach is spectcular crating an explosion of water as the whale hits the surface.

 

The winter season 1987/’88 we spent in Meribel, Les Trois Vallées, France.  Les Trois Vallées was one of the hosts for the 1992 Winter Olympics and bills itself as the largest skiable area in the world. It is a massive interconnected ski region, consisting of three main resorts and eight villages in three valleys: Vallée de Courchevel (Courchevel 1,300, 1,550, 1,650 and 1,850 meters) Vallée de Méribel (Méribel, Mottaret) Vallée des Belleville (Les Menuires, Val Thorens).

Vibe in the powder down Mont Vallon.

IngO in the powder, Mont Vallon.

Méribel and Mottaret are in the middle of Les Trois Vallées and provides the most convenient access to the riches of the area. Courchevel often gets the votes as a place to stay. Val Thorens is the highest village in Les Trois Vallées (2,300m) and the highest ski resort in Europe. Les Menuires is voted one of the ugliest ski resorts.

Vibe doing tracks

On our tour around the world, we visited Treble Cone, Wanaka, New Zealand.Treble Cone ski area is located in the Matukituki Valley, 28 km west of Wanaka on New Zealand’s South Island. Driving time is about 30 minutes from Wanaka and 100 minutes from Queenstown, a major tourist resort. The skiarea faces northeast, giving the field protection from cold southerly winds and providing lots of sunshine. Treble Cone offers the largest lift-served vertical drop on the South Island and is voted having one of the best views in the world.

Cold Facts: Vertical Drop: 660 m Lifts: 6 (2 chairs, 1 fixed grip, 1 platter, 2 T-bars) Terrain: 15/40/45 (beg/int/adv) Snowboards: Yes/halfpipe/basin Season: Late June – Early October

Trysil – Skiing in Norway 2002 Trysil is Norways largest ski area: Lift capacity per hour: 31.400 Number of lifts: 26 5 chair lifts, 14 t-bars, 7 children’s lifts Number of slopes: 64, 21 green, 17 blue, 15 red, 11 black  Total slope length: 65 km Slopes with artificial snow: 18 km Highest skiing: 1.100 m Vertical drop: 685 m 1 Terrain Park 2 Half pipes See photo album::>
	Read more about Trysil at: www.trysil.com

Welcome to a short introduction to the art of Bodypainting.

1. Draw a rough design with a soft eye-liner… The paint is watersolvable and not harmful to the skin. It can make the skin dry so I recomend to use a skinlotion first.

2. Paint with a fat “theater-makeup”, using brushes, sponges or other soft “tools”. Air-brush is also an option.

Common questions asked behind my back: Can the skin breathe under the paint? Yes. Does the paint dry completely or does it smear? It smears but one can spray over the design with a special varnish so it smears less. What kind of paint do you use? There are different kinds on the market, I used a brand called Kryolan. How long does it take to paint? A design like these on this page, takes about 3 hours to paint. How does the paint come off? 3 minutes under the shower with water and soap (sorry, no photos…)

Thanks for the attention

“To travel is to live”, the Danish author H.C Andersen once said…

• Ski images
• Skiing
• Whalewhatching in Australia
• Hiking the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA
• Rafting the American River in California, USA
• Roundtrip in Mexico
• France