Photos and the City

Category: Nature

  • Sumburgh Head

    Walking around Sumburgh Head and the lighthouse in Shetland, Scotland.

    My very first excursion brought me to Sumburgh Head and the lighthouses, which was actually due to missing the turn to Jarlshof, but I didn´t mind.

    Sumburgh Head is the southern tip of Shetland, has 100 m high cliffs, two lighthouses (you could rent the big one), lots of sheep and wildflowers, stunning views and is a bird nature reserve.

    Walking around Sumburgh Head and the lighthouse in Shetland, Scotland.

    I was so excited about the smell of the sea, the views and all the sheep that I forgot to watch out for Puffins, I have to do that at my next stay if we both visit at the same time.

    Steep cliffs at Sumburgh Head support a large seabird colony, with each seabird species occupying different areas of the cliff. The sandy soils of the cliff tops are perfect for puffins to dig their burrows, and lots of passerines such as twites, wrens and rock pipits use the stone dykes, rocky cliff face and grassy cliff tops for nesting and feeding. (Rspb.com)

    Walking around Sumburgh Head and the lighthouse in Shetland, Scotland.

    Walking around Sumburgh Head and the lighthouse in Shetland, Scotland.

    It was a lovely little walk around the head and my first encounter with lots of different birds. Over the next weeks, I started to get to know the names and different species. From the tiny storm petrels to shags and many more. Seeing puffins, later on, was definitely a highlight.

    Walking around Sumburgh Head and the lighthouse in Shetland, Scotland.Walking around Sumburgh Head and the lighthouse in Shetland, Scotland.

    Walking around Sumburgh Head and the lighthouse in Shetland, Scotland.

    Walking around Sumburgh Head and the lighthouse in Shetland, Scotland.

    Nearby Sumburgh Head is Sumburgh Airport, one actually has to cross the landing strip to go to Jarlshof and Sumburgh Head. It is a bit of a different junction than usually.

    And right next to the airport was my very first beach with Caribbean feeling, white sands and turquoise water, just a bit loud due to all the helicopters landing and flying.

  • My Scottish Summer

    It´s been three weeks now that I have arrived on Scottish soil, but I consider the day after my mandatory 10 days of self-isolation the actual start of “My Scottish Summer”! Even though the 10 days went by pretty quickly, thanks to all my lovely retouching clients keeping me busy with work, I was so happy to wake up on day 11 and just be able to go for a nice long walk.

    After my celebratory walk through the still sleeping Edinburgh, I went to pick up my car and drove straight to Aberdeen to catch my ferry to Shetland. Going to bed, or better said to my sleeping pod somewhere in the middle of the sea and waking up at Shetland, the perfect way to travel.

    For the last one and a half weeks (or so) I´ve been exploring mainland Shetland, Yell & Unst and am now in the North of mainland Shetland, the Northmavine. Tomorrow I will board the next ferry going to Orkney. The self-isolation cut my time in Shetland a bit shorter than originally planned but I can always come back.

    When I rolled over last years plan to this summer I didn´t expect things to be still so uncertain thanks to these virus mutations, but I am happy to be here and just try to take everything as it comes. It doesn´t matter that many sites and museums are still closed, these are just all the more reasons to visit the islands again another time.

    Shetland greeted me with sunshine, salty air and it doesn´t get dark here in the summer, something I didn´t expect.

    It was an instant relaxation!

    On the ferry from mainland Scotland to Shetland

    Many more pictures and adventures will follow over the next weeks…

    Friendly sheep greeting me in Shetland

     

  • Auf Sommerfrische

    [Disclaimer: The links to Airbnb are partner links and I may get a commission if you book via this link.]

    2020 seems to be the year of the staycation or like we use to say in Austria “Sommerfrische”, which loosely translated means summer retreat. People (who could/can afford it) left the city and spend the summer months in the cooler and relaxing countryside. When you couldn´t afford to have to residences you just rented a villa or booked a hotel for the summer. A tradition started by the aristocracy during the Renaissance time and adapted by the upper-middle class in the 18th century. Railways in the 19th century made travelling easier, faster and more affordable.

    sommerfrische, semmering, niederösterreich, kultursommer semmering, 20 schilling blick, viadukt, oebb, österreich

    Not so different from me spending the last three summers in Northern England and Scotland to escape the heat in Vienna. As we know this year is different, I´m back at exploring different options for a bit of a Sommerfrische.

    Sommerfrische in Vienna

    Schönbrunn Palace was built as the summer residence of the monarchs. Without proper sewer systems and condensed housing Vienna probably got quite smelly in the summertime and the palace travelled outside the city to Schönbrunn. Originally a hunting ground Maria Theresia received the estate as a wedding gift and had the palace remodelled.

    Spend a day in the gardens, enjoy the view from the Gloriette or go for a swim at the Schönbrunner Bad (pool). A quick and instant Sommerfrische reachable by subway or tram.

    schönbrunn, schloß, palace, habsburger, wien, gloriette, sommerfrische, destination vienna,

    Go for a swim in the Danube, old-fashioned river baths, the Lobau or the Donauinsel, there are so many different possibilities to tip your toes in.

    Take a tram or train to Bad Vöslau or Bad Fischau – two stunning thermal baths and you´ll be swimming in cold mineral water – exactly the one you could buy in a bottle!

    thermalbad, bad vöslau, niederösterreich, sommerfrische, baden, summer, summertimesommerfrische, bad fischau, thermalbad, niederösterreich, sommer, austria, mineral water

    Or if you don´t even want to leave the city centre what about a Sommerfrische at the Burggarten? The Lipizzaner horses do it every year and will be back this August.

    burggarten, summer, vienna, sun, lipizzaner,

    Emperor Franz Joseph loved Bad Ischl as his summer retreat and funny enough I know quite a few people who also went there this summer. I chose a different corner of Austria for my Sommerfrische weekend: The Kamp Valley (Kamptal)

    Another famous area for the summertime is the Semmering.

    Gars am Kamp

    We found a cute little house with a huge garden on Airbnb and it was settled, our little summer break would be at the “Luftkurort Gars am Kamp”, a town known for its air quality and lovely houses from the turn of the century.

    kamptal, kamp river, niederösterreich, austria, sommerfrische, summer 2020, plank am kamp, flußbad

    We spent a whole day at the river bath in Plank am Kamp – another lovely bath from around 1900 with a great café. You can rent SUPs, kayak, umbrellas and enjoy coffee and snacks. It was a super hot day and swimming the river was just amazing. The water was around refreshing 16°C.

    There are three reservoirs in the valley and even though the first one was already closed due to too many people we found a very secluded spot at Stausee Ottenstein and spent another day just swimming and relaxing.

    stausee ottenstein, kamp, see, niederösterreich, lake, swimming, sommerfrische, austria

    And on our third and last day, we just walked around Gars am Kamp and went to the local pool. There are many castles and palaces in the area and also lots of options for hikes, but we just wanted to swim and enjoy the water.

    kamptal, kamp river, niederösterreich, austria, sommerfrische, summer 2020, plank am kamp, flußbad

    It is a little gem just about 1h by car from Vienna!