Mon March 12 2018  —  e-mail Manfred

Edinburgh, A world heritage site.

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Friday, September 17 2004

1 month, 26 days

Edinburgh, Scotland

Photography Blog

About Travel Photography,
Colors of the World.

Manfred is creator of ThisFabTrek.com, travel photography, a travel blog and a photography blog (a journey from 2004 to 2013). 'I set out to see the colors of the world, always I try to capture the colors'.

Seeing, is understanding, so I report and photograph, but formost enjoy and live those different conceptions of life (all that TV [and the web] cannot give). I reject jealousy, animosity, bigotry. Be free!

Manfred in the desert of the Western Sahara

The mind, when pondering at night and always asked those questions. What am I doing in corporate wonderland of bank, university, office or church? Who is the other animal asleep deep inside, the thinker, punk, creative, or Indian, vagabond and healer, maybe artist, writer, photographer, traveler, globetrotter? Oh God, dare you to think. When I saw the lies, gambles and manipulations I follow the old dream and set out for the journey of life lived, the journey to see the colors of the world.

During years on the road I have taken the turns as they came along, and realized one thing: Only such a small part of the planet can be explored and such a vast land and sea mass will always remain unknown, to me; many swamps, jungles, deserts and oceans will never be traveled. But then I am father of twin boys, Daniel and David, my most important, and I show them some of the wonders and colors out there.

ThisFabTrek, Photography and Journey, the Stories from the Road and Life around the World, stopped in August 2013 after more than 9 years, Love and Peace.

Last vehicle.

G20, Chevy Gladiator.

Chevrolet Gladiator G20, The boys in Cordillera Blanca, Peru.
The boys and Chevy van, Peru.

The G20, the vehicle that came to me for the Americas adventures.

6 wheeled Land Rover.

Land Rover Defender 6x6
Link to Foley

The vehicle of the Africa adventures, a Foley 6-Wheeled Land Rover Defender.

Before, the MB307.

Manfred and MB307
Journey, Middle East.

The vehicle of the Middle-East and North-Cape Journeys. See all vehicles.

Daniel and David with nanny Aisha, the best we ever had, black African Woman carrying white twin babies, in Bamako, Mali.

Land Rover 8,607km

Trekking 199km

Ferry 352km

Train 150km

Other cars, taxis 132km

Travel Blog

contains Festival/Fiesta/Art photography.

generizon. clean. sustainable. feasible.

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo.

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it, to tell the tale." Living to Tell the Tale - Gabriel García Márquez.

"They never taught wandering in any school I attended. ... they never taught the art of writing a book, either. It's all so mysterious."
"Wandering is an art in itself. Wandering and writing don't mix"
"Writing demands commitment and if one thing your wanderer is allergic to is that very quality of commitment, for once one is committed he runs that very risk of failure ..." Wanderer - Sterling Hayden.

"Photography enables you to grasp a place first time round. ... Photography is a means of exploration, it's a vital part of travel, almost as essential as a car or a plane. " - Wim Wenders.

"The worst prejudice we acquire during our youth is the idea that life is serious. Children have the right instincts: they know that life is not serious, and treat it as a game..." , Egon Friedell.

"How far you gonna go. Before you lose your way back home" - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World, Achtung Baby, U2.

"If you want to be a hero well just follow me." - Working Class Hero, John Lennon.

"When I think of all the things I have done, I know that it's only just begun." - I love you, Lou Reed.

"One does not escape the Sahara - the Sahara let's you go or not" - Touareg.

"Planet earth is blue and there`s nothing I can do" - This is Ground Control to Major Tom, David Bowie.

"Glory for the crazy people/in this stupid world" - Ahmed Fouad Negm.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > scotland > 20040917-edinburgh

Sometimes, You just gotta find out...

Map: Journey Scotland.

Download GPS (KML) track/waypoints.

Loch and trees
Loch and trees.

Loch with trees
Loch and trees

I leave Ullapool on Tuesday 14th of September driving north. It soon becomes clear that I would want to fly to Austria and see Heidrun again and find out.

Driving north the scenery once again is breathtakingly beautiful.

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Beach in Durness and land after Durness

Durness beach sunrise
Beach in Durness, after sunrise.
Beach Durness
Durness beach, sun manages to break through.

Durness Beach
Same from higher up.

Wednesday in Durness I manage to book a flight, Sunday morning from Edinburgh via Amsterdam to Zurich. I would then take the train to Bludenz in western Austria and see Heidrun. I make a couple of essential phone calls to a few family members thus shaping my plans for Vienna which I would go to at the beginning of October.

Later I leave driving west along the Scottish northern coast. Around lunch time I reach the northern most point of the scottish mainland where you can see the Orkney Islands in a distance, which I will not be able to visit this time. I listen to "The unforgettable fire" and later the "Joshua Tree" album.

ms on Land after Durnes
Land past Durness.
ms stupid
Being stupid.

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Viktor and Martin

Viktor and Martin
A Czech and a Slovak.

From Wick all the way down to Inverness next to Loch Ness I give a ride to Viktor and Martin two students from Slovakia and the Czech Republic respectively. The 3 of us enjoy each others company and so we decide to tour around Loch Ness and later to spend the evening and night together in the glen cut by River Cannich west of a Loch Ness.

I enjoy staying in the Highlands one more evening in good company and it makes me forget that soon all will be over at least for a little while.

Viktor Martin ms
Viktor and Martin

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Edinburgh

Edinburgh
Edinburgh impressions.
Pub
Pub Impressions.

Thursday afternoon I reach Edinburgh amidst the worst weather. Rain and strong head winds make the Land Rover struggle on its final approach to Edinburgh. It is as if the forces of nature try to prevent me from leaving Scotland and make the desired visit to Austria.

Edinburgh is a wonderful town. If I may quote the Lonely Planet: "an incomparable location, amid volcanic hills and the Firth of Forth, superb architecture, 16th-century to Georgian and Victorian, dominated by the castle, a world heritage city with some 16.000 houses of historical significance," furthermore: "a sophisticated cosmopolitan population, a vibrant pub scene, ..." well go, buy it yourself.

I keep myself busy working on my web-page and spend a lot of time in the pub. Sunday the 19th my plane takes off from Edinburgh airport. I leave the Land Rover behind. When will I come back? With Heidrun? Without her?

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > scotland > 20040917-edinburgh

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