They say that when the Soviet Union was dissolved, nobody bothered to tell the Belorussians. US President Bush calls the country the “last dictatorship in Europe”, and sets out to end the tyranny there. That all seems rather far-fetched, as we enjoy a cappuccino in a friendly coffee shop on the main drag in the capital Minsk. Continue reading
Altai is by far the most beautiful part of Russia I have ever been to. In June I got the chance to spend a week riding and camping in the mountain range where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together. Continue reading
Where Stalin used to come for good weather, is now a candidate city for the Winter Olympics 2014. But how on earth can they be serious about getting the Olympics in Sochi? Continue reading
The small village of Solnechnogorskoe is set beautifully by the Black Sea in the Ukraine. Amenities are few, hotels are none, but the hospitality is great. In 2005 I got to celebrate my birthday here.
You would expect Iceland to be a small and easily accessible country. That is before you realize that in Iceland everybody in the phonebook is listed by their first name – and that the language is close to old Norse. Continue reading
In all secrecy my good friend Arild, his wife-to-be, Kirstine and myself travelled to Rome this Easter (2004). There we meet with a group of Norwegians pilgrims, led by another friend of mine, the priest Torbjørn. On Good Friday we had a ceremony for the happy couple inside the St. Peter’s Church… Continue reading
Temperatures more than 30 degrees Celsius below zero. A lonely winter lodge without electricity or water, that can only be reached by one and a half hour cross-country skiing. An isolated lodge in the mountains of Valdres offers the best of winter Norway… Continue reading