A quick trip to Italy for an extended weekend at the Hilton Como, built in and around a former silk factory and only steps away from Lake Como and the historic sights of the town.

with panoramic views across the city center and towards France

In the Swiss Nature Park “Thal” between Balsthal and Gänsbrunnen in Solothurn canton, a project has been launched to reintroduce and later release the European Bison back to the wild. We visited on New Year’s Eve alongside a loop hike through Wolf gulley and Bear cave.

December brought ice, slate and snow and a bit of sunshine in the mix.

driving through the rocky desert of the Sinai peninsula

After adjusting to the local customs and diving conditions along the shore, the 2nd day of diving proved to be more spectacular, with more tiny critters in front of the camera.

… and took the opportunity to profit from the ample choice of dive centers to do a few shore dives along a still fairly diverse reef, although I am not sure whether the diving here is so much better than in better known Hurghada (although everyone local here claims of course that Dahab is the best spot for diving in the world!).

Back in Egypt (again!), this time for an extended stay during the climate conference COP27. Given the hotel situation and the inflexibility of the arrangements on site, I had to find alternate accommodation for a few days and took the opportunity to stay in the smaller coastal town of Dahab.