It was an amazing journey into Biblican times in the Middle East. Some of the most interesting places I visited together with my wife were the Western Wall, Tel Aviv, massive Roman ruins, Jerusalem and Shel Zahav. We were close to the bomb explosion in Amman. Further more we explored the ancient city Petra, the Nabateans`culture and wonders. Spielberg liked the city enough to film the third Indiana Jones movie here, especially the Treasury, and we had also the great pleasure to admire the sacred Biblical shrine of Mount Nebo, the Dead Sea and more.

In addition to admiring great temples as Angkor Wat, Bayon, Pre Khan, and Ta Prohmin at the Angkor site, I took a boat trip to the Vietnamese Floating Village near the town Siam Reap. I started from Phnom Kron where the boat docks, and floated out in Tonlé Sap Lake, a large lake about 100 kilometres long. It was amazing experience the pulsating life in this floating village, which is another wonder in Cambodia.

This year Salzburg city in Austria celebrate the 250 year`s Anniversity of its big son Mozart. The Mozart Year has already been started with festivities to honour the world famous composer and musican. You can almost feel Mozart's melodies in the narrow streets of the city. As the Tourismus Salzburg says: You won't need to look for Mozart in Salzburg this year - Mozart will find you! The special "Viva! Mozart" exhibition will give visitors an opportunity to glance behind the scenes of the legendary Mozart. The Whitsun Baroque Festival in June 2 - 5 this year - 2006. The Salzburg composer's birthday is moving the music-historical aspect: into the center of ancient Europe, into the middle of the 18th century. It started 250 years ago when Mozart was born in Salzburg. Today many big rock groups as the Radiohead, Waterboys, Roxy Music, Libertines, A-ha, U2, REM, Kent and Madrugada continue to develop the music, but for many people Mozart is still rock`n roll, and he will never be forgotten!

European Space Agency - ESA - explores the space. Based on information which their Sattelite Mars Express has gathered, there is a northern light on the red planet Mars. In the northern part of the land of the midnight sun, Norway, the rays of light shoot down from the space. It forms draperies which spread all over the sky. These wonder of the world has been connected with superstition, mythology and fairy tales. It has also inspired artists and poemers. It must be the world`s best light show. Now there is found a similar light phenomenon out in the space.

Iran has many archaeological wonders to admire from ancient time. One of them is the Zoroastrian fire temple Atashgah in the big city Esfahan - Isfahan. It is well constructed and has its own charm, but can not compete with other Iranian wonders which are notified on UNESCO's World Heritage list as Bam and its Cultural Landscape (2004), Pasargadae (2004), Persepolis (1979), Soltaniyeh (2005), Takht-e Soleyman (2003), Tchogha Zanbil (1979) and the amazing building the Meidan Emam Mosque in Esfahan (1979). Anyway Atashgah is a great wonder. Other great wonders in Esfahan are the Friday Mosque, the Shaky Minarets, Christian churches in the Jolfa district and the bridges across the Zayandeh river. The mentioned Zoroastrian fire temple is rising up from the top of a hill. It`s the only one in Esfahan and there is special story behind it.

One of the most exciting places to experience is Norway's arctic wilderness Svalbard. This island is located in northern part of the country and was presented on the 19th Norway International Meeting and Travel Fair - Reiseliv 06, in January 2006. The pioneering tour operator the Svalbard Villmarkssenter AS - the Wilderness Centre - Villmarkssenteret, was promoting Svalbard and tours for unique adventures on the stand. It`s a family based company runned by Berit Hole and Karl Våtvik. They offer short and long dog sledding trips in the winters, overnight trips to hut in the wilderness and trips with accommodation in tent. In the summer they offer dog sledding on wheels, daytrips to mountains and glaciers with or without pack-dogs including lunch. Svalbard is full of opportunities for winter extreme sport, observing the northern light, dog sledging, and has well developed infrastructure for winter sport, snow- and ice festivals. The enthusiastic persons in Svalbard Villmarkssenter AS have through hard work over 10 years expanded the bounds of arctic travel.

Discovery of an ancient village just outside Jerusalem has brought into question one of the strongest images of biblical times - the wholesale flight of Jews running for their lives after the Roman destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

The Seven Summits represent the highest peaks on the seven continents. The seven summits are Kilimanjaro, Denali, Elbrus, Aconcagua, Carstensz Pyramid, Mt. Vinson and Mount Everest. This mountain is one of the Seven Summits. It's the tallest in Antarctic and for Cecilie it will be her sixth of the 7 Summits (www.7summits.com). Together with Rolf, Inge and Simon, Cecilie will make an attemp reaching the top of Mount Vinson.

Finally the snow has come and the Christmas atmosphere in the Norwegian capital Oslo raise to great heights. What would a Christmas be in Oslo without snow? Few capitals have longer winter than Oslo. It's surrounded by forest, mountains and the fjord. Some of Norway's great winter sites are Voss, Beitostølen, Gålå, Wadahl, Geilo, Hemsedal, Kvitfjell, Hafjell, Lillehammer, Lofoten and Tromsø, but in the outskirts of Oslo city centre there are great opportunities for skiing too. Our photos today show the winter wonderland of Oslo in the Christmas preseason. Famous sites and building as Akershus Fortress, Aker Brygge waterfront, the City Council, the main street Karl Johans Gate, the Nobel Peace Prize Institute and the Royal Palace, look all mysterious in the magic sun light.

Kerala in India is the land of red flags and neat school uniforms! Out of the mountain mist march tea workers, one waving a red flag, like a 1960s Chinese poster, except they are dressed in dhobis and head scarves and this is India 2005. Here in the highlands of Kerala, where neatly manicured tea bushes cover the hillsides in brilliant green, the hammer and sickle can be seen everywhere.

Eager tourists who would like to visit Santa Claus! The Santa Claus Air Plains to Rovaniemi, Lapland, in Soumi - Finland, has become a big business. Norwegian media report about heavy traffic in the air across Norway. 90 % of the tourists who across Norway on their way to Rovaniemi are British.

Hwo are the best national parks in USA and Canada? How are the famous national parks rated as Denali National Park & Preserve, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Redwood National and State Parks, Rocky Mountains National park and Grand Canyon National Park? As National Geographic writes on it`s website: If you visit a national park, you'll often spend plenty of time just outside the park, too—eating, sleeping, parking, shopping, sightseeing—in the town or region that geographers call the gateway. A park and its gateway are really a single destination, with similar history, scenery, and climate. The way park and gateway interact can make all the difference in the quality of your trip and in the sustainability of the destination. Read about the rating at National Geographic Traveller`s scoreboard! The winner is.....

India is one of the largest and most populated countries in the world. There are numerous of places for unique adventures in wild and various landscapes as the Himalayas, Auli, Gir, Ladakh, Manali, Shimla, Goa, Kerala, Rajasthan, Rishikesh, Uttranchal, Sikkim, Kangra Valley, Kumaon, Gulmarg, Jim Corbett National Park, Andaman, North East India - The Seven Sisters States of India' , Ranthambore, Periyar,Kovalam, Lakshadweep, Himachal and Darjeeling.

In Iceland Santa Claus has several nicknames. In addition to Santa - Santas, he or they are called Yulemen, Yule Lads or Christmas Boys. Nobody knows exactly the origin of these names, but anyway the Christmas celebration in Iceland goes on. In the middle of May 2002 I was lucky to the get a glimpse of some Santas at the Blue Lagoon. I thought the Icelandic Santas were seasonal too, but here I could observe him and she enjoyed themselves in the hot pool in the summertime. The Blue Lagoon looks "frosty blue", but it's really hot. The temperature is about 40 Celsius (104F), and the soothing, mineral-rich water is believed to have curative powers. It seemed to me that the Santas really got their extra power from the magic water, and it will make them in better shape for their hard work in Christmas!

The bartender just brought me a huge whisky (November 2005). I am at '10 Downing Street', a pub on the second floor of a shopping mall in Pune, Maharashtra - India, the happening university city to the east of Bombay.