Video: Northern Lights over Norway

by Kraig Becker on

It has been an unusual year for solar activity. Strong solar flares have had an impact on travel and communications around the globe, but they have also made for some spectacular light shows across the night sky as well.

Take for example the images captured in the time-lapse video below. It was shot in Norway where the northern lights are common but this year they have been exceptionally breathtaking. The images are simply amazing and will leave you longing to see aurora borealis for yourself.


“Aurora Timelapse. Fire in the sky.” by Anna Possberg on Vimeo.

A town with no roads: Giethoorn, Netherlands

by Elizabeth Seward on

I recently came across a story, complete with entrancing photos, on SlightlyWarped.com. “The Town with No Roads” captured my attention with its title and then I read on. The series, worth reading, from Slightly Warped is called “Curiosities” — and this curiosity is worth the intrigue. Giethoorn, Netherlands, is reminiscent of a fairytale. Tall trees and bushy shrubs are so well-placed alongside a quaint canal in this beautiful town that they seem to have been taken out of a Bob Ross painting. But the town’s aesthetic goes beyond tasteful landscaping, and that canal isn’t just for scenery. The village of Giethoorn does not contain roads. Citizens travel by boat through the interlocking canals, or by foot or bike. Located in the Dutch province of Overijssel, Giethoorn seems like a perfect place to escape to when in need of head-clearing.

Major Goya exhibition in Barcelona, Spain

by Sean McLachlan on

The CaixaForum art gallery in Barcelona, Spain, has just opened a major exhibition on the famous Spanish artist Francisco de Goya.

Best known for his dark paintings of witches and Napoleon’s brutal invasion of Spain, Goya actually produced a broad range of work during a career that spanned almost seventy years and included paintings, drawings, prints and tapestries. He was very popular with royalty and produced many royal portraits.

Goya lived from 1746 to 1828, an era that straddled the transition from the Old Masters to a more modern style. The exhibition, which brings together almost a hundred works from all phases of his career, tracks his development as an artist.

The exhibition is a collaboration between the Caixa Foundation and Madrid’s El Prado art museum. The works are from the Prado’s collection and the Caixa Foundation is funding their stay in Barcelona as part of four planned collaborations.The artist is unusual in that he produced self-portraits throughout his life, sometimes even including himself in portraits of royal families. One of the most interesting self-portraits was done in the final years of Goya’s life and shows him as an old, feeble, but still spirited man. It’s titled I am Still Learning. That’s a good attitude for anyone to have.

Goya: Lights and Shadows runs from March 16 to June 24.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Travel full time for $17,000 a year

by Elizabeth Seward on

If you were told that you could travel full time for $17,000 a year, would you believe it? If you had only, I repeat, $17,000 to spend on everything (transportation, lodging, food, recreation, etc.) while seeing the entire world, could you make it work? An enterprising traveler named Nora Dunn has done just that. She’s been traveling on this budget for five years now and according to Dunn, she’s spending less money traveling the world than she spent while staying put. In an article published on WiseBread.com last month, Dunn details for readers just how they can travel as inexpensively as she has been traveling. Her tips are excellent and her approach is nothing short of inspiring. Read the full article here.

10 mysterious places to visit

by Elizabeth Seward on

Mystery is a significant travel motivator for some — and I fall into the category of people who are motivated by mystery to travel. Ghost towns, eerie landscapes and other curious phenomena routinely draw me into destinations. Sky-Today.com published a roundup last month that has me itching to visit some new places. In the article, “10 Weird and Mysterious Places on Earth,” contributor Annamaria dishes out the basic information on ten of the most mysterious places to visit. The list profiles Mystery Spot, The Bermuda Triangle, Socotra, Mount Romaima, Rio Tinto, Fly Geyser, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Easter Island, Lake Vostok and Racetrack Playa. Have you been to any of these places? Have any other mysterious places you recommend visiting? Let us know in the comments. In the meantime, read the full original story here.