Gudrun's photos

Legend has it that the devil's horn got stuck in the walls of Hildesheim Cathedral where it can be seen to this day. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildesheim_Cathedral

"Papa Choique" on the other side of the road from his chicks, against the backdrop of the granite needles of Torres del Paine. HFF everybody! ( I'm away on an Iper -meeting but will catch up next week)

A group of young Darwin's rheas ( rhea pennata , called choique in Patagonia). The males incubate the eggs and look after the young- in this case the male was just on the other side of the road. 10-Week Picture Projects: Textures, Week 9 - Feathery

Reindeer in Lyfjorddalen, Kvaløya. In this valley there usually is a herd even in winter. When this was taken there was so little snow that they had no problems grazing.

Highland route 35 (Kjalvegur) traverses the highlands from north to south, starting near Blönduós and leading over the Kjölur plateau between Langjökull and Hofsjökull glaciers to Gullfoss. Since all rivers have been bridged, the 168 km long mountain road can now also be used by normal cars though it is like washboard in many places. This photo was taken near the pass at Bláfell looking south.

View from the pass over Hrafnseyrarheiði back to Arnarfjörður. This is one of the highest road passes (552m) in Iceland which is usually impassable in winter. The new road (still unsurfaced) is an improvement on the dangerous old road which can be seen in the middle of the photo. A new tunnel (Dýrafjarðargöng) was opened in 2010, saving 27km and avoiding the difficult pass. EXIF: 1/400 • f/8.0 • 24.0 mm • ISO 250, Canon EOS 6D, EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM (stitched from 2 photos)

Garðar BA 64 is a steel whaling vessel built a century ago in Norway. It has been left to rust in Skápadalur valley, Patreksfjörður stuckiniceland.com/west_of_iceland/a-rusty-fate-for-a-century-old-steel-giant

Granitz hunting lodge was built 1838-46 in neo-Renaissance style after designs by Berlin architect Johann Gottfried Steinmeyer. The famous central tower planned by Karl Friedrich Schinkel was added later. A cantilevered circular staircase consisting of 154 cast iron steps leads to a platform giving panoramic views of Rügen island. www.jagdschloss-granitz.de www.ruegen-inselinfo.de/sehenswert/jagdschloss.html

Granitz hunting lodge was built 1838-46 in neo-Renaissance style after designs by Berlin architect Johann Gottfried Steinmeyer. The famous central tower planned by Karl Friedrich Schinkel was added later. A cantilevered circular staircase consisting of 154 cast iron steps leads to a platform giving panoramic views of Rügen island. www.jagdschloss-granitz.de www.ruegen-inselinfo.de/sehenswert/jagdschloss.html

Granitz is a wooded ridge (mainly beeach and oak) and nature reserve on the island of Rügen. On the highest point is the 19th century Granitz hunting lodge. The gate cottage is now used by the forestry commission. HFF!

Bildudalur village lies in the Suðurfirðir branch of Arnarfjörður. It has less than 200 inhabitants but boasts of an airport. Once a prosperous fishing port it has now managed to create jobs in an algae processing factory. Geologically the western fjords consist of tertiary flood basalts eroded by ice age glaciers, leaving deep fjords and very steep mountain sides (see inset photo). Like most Vestfirðir villages Bildudalur is situated on a sand spit in the fjord, the only place safe from avalanches.

Reykjarfjörður is a side arm of Suðurfirðir, the southern part of Arnarfjörður. There are thermal springs and a small pool at Reykjarfjörður, Reyk in place names denoting hot springs. The farms are deserted and only summer homes are left, a typical story in the depopulated western fjords. Summer inhabitants include sheep and arctic terns. The latter are extremely aggressive defending theis nests.

A glimpse of Geirþjófsfjörður, a side arm of Arnarfjörður, seen from road 60 over Gláma. Geirþjófsfjörður had farms since settlement times, but since the 1960s there are just a few summer houses which can only be reached by boat.

From the "Circus" in Putbus a horse chestnut avenue leads into the landscape park. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putbus

Putbus town and residence were built in neoclassical style in the early 19th century by prince Malte of Putbus. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putbus Schlosspark was originally created in 1804 in the style of a french garden and later remodelled into an English style landscape park.

Kap Arkona is a 45m high cape in the NW of Rügen island. The cape boasts of two lighthouses, a navigation tower (see inset photo), several WWII bunkers and a 9th century Slavic fortification (Jaromarsburg). The chalk cliffs are unstable, on boxing day 2011 a girl was killed by a rockfall. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Arkona

In Hamburg, Gruner + Jahr publishing house near Baumwall metro station. HFF everybody!