Category Archives: Travel

Norway: A Guided Tour Of Nordnes, Bergen (APR 2023)

The Hidden North Travel Guides (April 30, 2023) – This walk goes through the neighbourhood of Nordnes, Norway, a peninsula built out into the Bergen harbour. Along the way, I discuss the history of the region and pass by some of the best-preserved wooden houses in Bergen city centre.

Vågen, Byfjorden, and Puddefjorden surround the peninsula. The Bergen Aquarium is located at the tip of the peninsula. The Norwegian Institute of Marine Research and Fredriksberg Fortress are also located on Nordnes. 

The walk includes historic information and images about Nordnes, as well as practical information about what you can do for your visit.

Filmed on April 12, 2023

Documentaries: What Causes ‘Monster Waves’?

DW Documentary (April 30, 2023) – Statistically, a large ship is lost in the world’s oceans almost once every seven days. One reason for this: monster waves that appear to come from nowhere. Unlike tsunamis, they are completely unpredictable. That means there’s no way to issue any kind of warning.

Scientists still know astonishingly little about these freak waves. For centuries, many people dismissed them as the stuff of legend. The first scientific proof of their existence didn’t come until 1995. A laser on the Draupner oil rig in the North Sea measured a wave almost 26 meters high. Wave models in use at the time deemed this to be an impossibility.

But the data, captured by chance, changed the course of research forever. Scientists have focused on three theories in their bid to explain the emergence of freak waves. The first is the current model: currents flowing in opposite directions reduce the length of the waves, pushing them together to create a monster surge. But freak waves are also a phenomenon in regions where currents aren’t particularly strong.

That’s why researchers came up with a second theory: superposition. In this linear process, faster, longer waves catch up with short, slower waves. They overlap and form monster waves. But in some places, freak waves occur with a frequency that can’t be explained by this linear theory, either.

For several years now, scientists have been considering a third possibility: when non-linear wave trains are unstable, they can develop into monster waves through a highly complex energy “theft”. Research is divided over whether it’s the linear or non-linear effects that form freak waves out at sea – a question that’s crucial for shipping!

Nature: White-Tailed Deer, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains Of Tennessee

CBS Sunday Morning (April 30, 2023) – This Sunday morning we visit Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

Cades Cove is an area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that was formerly home to many settlers before the national park was established. It has a long, rich history that is still standing for exploration by visitors today.

The Cades Cove loop is open to visitors from sunrise to sunset daily, with a special vehicle-free Wednesday during the summer to allow for bikers and hikers to enjoy the loop safely. Read on to learn more about Cades Cove, including information on the area’s location, history and landmarks.

Videographer: Scot Miller

Travel Tour: Primošten In Southern Croatia (4K)

Massimo Nalli (April 29, 2023) – Primošten is situated in southern Croatia, between the cities of Šibenik and Trogir. It is built on a hill and is dominated by the parish church of St. George which was built in 1485 and restored in 1760 close to the local graveyard from which a unique view spreads to the sea and the surroundings.

Antarctica Tour: South Pole & Emperor Penguins

Uploaded April 29, 2023: An epic journey in Antarctica to the South Pole and to view Emperor Penguins with Andrew Macdonald, an award-winning Scottish photographer who spends most of his time in Africa.

Filmed and edited by: Andrew Macdonald for the the Luxury Travel Expert Youtube channel.

Additionally Antarctica travel below:

Village Walks: Fayence In The South Of France (4K)

Tourist Channel (April 29, 2023) – Located in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of south eastern France, Fayence is midway between the mountains and the sea.  Perched on the side of a hill, it overlooks the plain between the southern Alps and the Esterel massif which borders the coast between Cannes and Saint Raphael.  

A fine example of traditional Provençal architecture, Fayence lies on the D562 road between Draguignan and Grasse, and is a gateway for visitors wishing to explore the surrounding area.  North of the town, the D563 road leads through oak forested hills to Mons and beyond to the Route Napoléon which links Nice to Grenoble through the Alps. 

Fayence has long been a secret destination for tourists driving towards the interior countryside of the Var with its deep gorges, rocky outcrops, vineyards, fields of lavender and olive groves along the way.  It is an unmissable stop for the lovers of historical towns and relaxing landscapes characteristic of Provence.   The long summers are warm averaging around 25C and dropping to a mild 10C from December until February.

Adventures: An Epic 53-Day Road Trip In Morocco

Lucas T. Jahn Films (April 29, 2023) – From sweeping sand dunes to desolate highways of emptiness, bustling cities, and snow-covered peaks, we explored Morocco from north to south and east to west. Driving more than 10,000 km in eight weeks, our roadtrip included many unforgettable adventures.

Video timeline: 00:00 Intro 01:19 Arrival 01:30 Chefchaouen 02:45 Talassemtane National Park 04:12 Mediterranean Coastline 06:40 Into the Sahara Desert 08:20 Seclusion of the desert 10:24 Towards Iche 11:20 No Drones allowed 11:52 Desert Cauliflower 12:25 Figuig 13:34 Snow in the desert 14:35 The importance of water 15:16 Rheris Gorge 16:20 Khettara aka Foggara 17:17 Gara Medouar 18:00 Erg Chebbi 24:06 Taouz to M’hamid 24:38 Lost City 25:39 Arabian Camels 27:30 Taouz to M’hamid 29:25 Erg Lehoudi 30:40 Erg Zaher 33:00 Dust-Topia 33:55 Erg Chegaga 35:58 Donkeys 37:05 Rock formations near Foum-Zguid 38:01 Cleaning the air filter 38:35 Rock Carvings of Aït Ouazik 39:46 Jbel Saghro 41:40 Barbary Ground Squirrels 41:58 Todgha Gorge 42:30 Akhiamm Rock Arch 43:03 Dadès Gorge 44:12 Valley of Roses 45:22 Rammed earth architecture 45:50 Desert rain 46:33 Western Sahara 48:33 Dhakla 48:54 Border to Mauritania 50:05 Assalama Shipwreck 50:31 Khenfiss National Park 51:46 Ksar Tafnidilt 52:18 Plage Blanche 4×4 Trail 57:54 Argan Tree 58:25 Amtoudi 58:57 Anti-Atlas 59:24 Painted Rocks of Tafraout 01:00:24 Souss-Massa National Park 01:01:37 Essaouria 01:03:10 La Sultana Oualidia 01:05:26 Hammam Treatment 01:06:00 Lagoon of Oualidia 01:06:48 Marrakesh 01:07:30 Djemaa el Fna 01:09:10 Bahia Palace 01:09:42 La Sultana Marrakesh 01:11:13 Saadian Tombs 01:11:42 Storks 01:12:26 Climbing Mount Toubkal 01:16:55 Tizi’n’Test Mountain Pass & High Atlas 01:18:19 Aït-Ben-Haddou 01:19:28 Ouzoud Falls 01:20:00 Aguelmam Azegza National Park 01:20:17 Morocco’s Trash Problem 01:20:51 Barbary Macaques 01:22:03 Fès 01:22:27 Tanneries of Fès 01:25:12 Volubulis 01:26:43 Rabat 01:28:07 Outro

Watch as we explore remote landscapes, climb high peaks, battle breath-taking dust-topias (double pun, yeah!), and navigate the hectic bustle of Morocco’s major cities.

Seaside Italian Villa Tour: Capo Mortola In Liguria

Lionard Luxury Real Estate (April 28, 2023) – On the promontory of Capo Mortola, at a stone’s throw from the French border and Montecarlo, this wonderful villa in a high position offers a stunning panoramic view of the sea and Villa Hanbury’s wonderful botanic gardens.

Located in a setting considered among the most beautiful in Western Liguria, made even more pleasant by the typically Mediterranean microclimate of the area, this property extends over 2,341 sqm of luxuriant terraced flower garden that descends towards the sea, with private access, richly planted with olive trees, cacti, lemons, grapefruit, fruit trees and a small vegetable garden.

The often breathtaking panorama opens up to the view from the exclusive infinity pool, located right on the seafront, flanked by a pool house with a shower and toilet. A panoramic glass lift allows convenient access to the estate, also guaranteed by a picturesque porticoed driveway, adorned with bougainvillaea and scented wisteria.

Travel & History: The Sindh Region Of Pakistan (DW)

DW Documentary (April 28, 2023) – Pakistan’s Sindh region is one of the cradles of human civilization. It’s seen as the homeland of the Indus Valley Civilization, an advanced Bronze Age civilization. But the events of 1947 brought drastic change to the cultural landscape of the Sindh.

The 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan was devastating for those living in the Sindh region. Most were Hindus and fled to India, as the area was completely assigned to Pakistan. Many Muslims from India then resettled in Sindh and changed the face of this region, whose cultural heritage had been formed over centuries.

Suddenly, the Hindus who remained found themselves in the minority. Many members of the Sindhi community are now scattered across the globe. They’re making every effort to preserve the old stories and traditions and are proud of their legacy as descendants of one of the oldest human civilizations.

Travel: Aerial Tour Of The Village Of Barbiani, Italy

Florence TV (April 28, 2023) – The centenary of the birth of Don Lorenzo Milani in 2023 gave us the excuse to return to Barbiana, in the municipality of Vicchio, where Don Lorenzo was sent by the Florentine Curia in 1954. There, in a place isolated and unknown at the time, he gave life to a school and to a teaching capable of speaking to the whole world.

Barbiana is located in the region of Tuscany. Tuscany’s capital,  Florence is approximately 14 mi away from Barbiana (as the crow flies). The distance from Barbiana to Italy’s capital Rome (Rome) is approximately 149 miles.