Meet the Spoon Family -- This classic neon sign was installed in 1973 at the former East German company headquarters of VEB Feinkost Leipzig, a food manufacturer of canned soups, vegetables and other items. After the Berlin Wall came down the sign fell into disrepair....
View a 360-degree image of the spectacular colors during the Berlin Festival of Lights in Bebel Platz.
The Stasi Prison in Hohenschönhausen is a memorial in Berlin to 44 years of terror and political persecution at the hands of the GDR. This prison was in a restricted military area in Soviet occupied East Berlin and was never marked on any East German map of East Berlin. The former prison of the Ministry of State Security (Stasi) is preserved as a memorial and is unlike any other memorial in Germany. It is a must-see destination.
A fencing flash mob is not your everyday sight in Budapest. We were on our way to find a particular off-the-beaten path sight when we turned a corner and saw a WHOLE LOT of fencers, no really, like hundreds. We had to check it out and learned it was a European...
Historian and adventurer Seb Coulthard talks about the history of the Wordie House in Antarctica as part of our visit during a Polar Latitudes guided trip. Built on the site of an earlier British Graham Land Expedition (1937) hut, this structure was named "Wordie...
On a trip to the Antarctica with Polar Latitudes in March 2018, we filmed a happy feet penguin, juvenile gentoo, splashing about in slush at Port Charcot. Watch this happy feet penguin double and try not to smile ... we dare you....
We were fortunate to be able to experience a four-day trip into the Puna with Socompa Adventure Travel. We fell in love with the Puna. This video will show you why!
One feels very fortunate to be able to stumble into a ladybugs love-in when on a hike. We encountered thousands upon thousands of ladybugs on a February hike in Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park in California. The colorful display is mind-boggling, colorful, spectacular and unforgettable.
Enjoy several 360 degree panoramas of the Bridgeport Covered Bridge, the Point Defiance Loop trail highlights, as well as wild iris in South Yuba River State Park in California.
The waters of the Black Dragon Pool in Lijiang come from a spring fed by Jade Dragon Snow Mountain that serves as a picturesque and often-photographed backdrop to the pool on clear days. Within the park are ancient monuments such as the Longshen Temple, the Deyue Pavilion, the Suocui Bridge and the Hanyue Stage.
Old town Lijiang is not unlike Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco in its tourist-trap draw; however, as you will see in this video, like Fisherman’s Wharf, if you look, you will find plenty of history and beauty amid the almost unimaginable concentration of shops and vendors. The maze of streets and canals of old town Lijiang invites you to get happily lost — and lost you will get. Hopefully, the sound of running water from the many canals will serve as a soothing backdrop to the press of tourism from mostly Chinese tourists. If you were wondering what to see in Lijiang, this video is a good place to start.
The Schiffshebewerk Niederfinow was completed in 1934 and is part of the Haavel-Oder waterway connecting the Elbe and Oder river basins. The waterway begins in Berlin at the Spandau lock and opens into the West Oder at the border area between Poland and Germany. Watching ships being raised and lowered in this ship elevator is amazing. A true engineering marvel.
Take a tour of of the Yuantong Temple, considered the most famous Buddhist temple in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. Unlike other Buddhist temples into which you ascend, Yuantong is unique in that you enter into the temple grounds from above and descend from the city streets along a garden path and into the center, a large pond with wondrous stone bridges and surrounded by magnificent buildings.
Wander in the Stone Forest of Yunnan, China with us and marvel at the strange and wonderful limestone formations, many looking like petrified trees. Hidden and winding passages, spires, and more. Parts of the Stone Forest are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
During the Adventure Travel Trade Association World Summit in Anchorage, Alaska in 2016, we joined 130 other travel delegates from around the globe to travel to Whittier and enjoy a glacier viewing cruise with Major Marine Tours. It was spectacular as you will see.
Armenian Blessing of the Grapes Ceremony at the Holy Trinity Church in Fresno, California in 2016. Armenians have blessed the grape harvest in mid-August since the Old Testament. Rich in religious symbolism, the blessing still happens around the globe at the start of the harvest.
Everyone loves a parade! This parade took place in July 2016 in Egg, Austria, and is part of a festival known as Musikfest Bregenzerwald. This festival takes place in a different village every year in Bregenzerwald and is organized by the village hosting the event. Each village in Bregenzerwald has its own musicians group and each marches in the parade.
The Jewish cemetery at Schönhauser Allee in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, is a beautiful, peaceful and yet haunting place to wander. It is well worth at least an hour. Keep in mind that men are asked to cover their heads, so if you do not have a hat, be sure to don a kippah as you will see Michael did in this video — available at the front entrance in a small basket.
On July 11, 2016, HITravelTales was part of the jury for the Scandinavian Outdoor Awards (ScandinavianOutdoorGroup.com) and was fortunate enough to be able to experience a spectacular sunrise from the summit of Kanisfluh in Bregenzerwald, Austria. Enjoy our hike with headlamps as the sun begins to crest the horizon and then the beauty of the area as the sun’s rays bring to life the color of this amazing place.
The International Donaufest (Danube) Festival has been held since 1998 and occurs every other year. Ulm city center and the banks of the Danube river are turned into a sort of international festival to celebrate the coming together of regions and countries along the Danube that rely on the river — Bavaria, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania. The festival last 10 days and includes a massive fireworks display. HI Travel Tales was there this year to witness the fireworks extravaganza from the banks of the Danube.
HITravelTales.com team visits Dragon Gate and Western Hills Xishan Park just outside of Kunming, China. Not every must-see travel destination is so easy to get to. And that can make the journey even more of an adventure. Dragon Gate in the Western Hills (Xishan Forest Park) on the outskirts of Kunming, China, is one of those. The reasons we can list are many – green hills with forested walking paths, a breather from the sensory chaos of the city, temples and pavilions dating back to the 11th century, views of the region from about 8,200 feet (2,000 feet above the city itself), winding stone staircases, strolling monks, gardens, sculptures and also grottoes and tunnels carved out of the mountains rock face. Watch the video for a quick taste of all that is waiting for you here.
Located in the foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada, just 7 miles north of Oroville (approximately one hour drive north of Sacramento), the 3,315-acre Table Mountain preserve looks rather non-descript from afar. From Oroville, you can see the dark basalt (volcanic) cliffs and a hint of a flat plateau above, but little more. But get closer and you will experience spectacular wildflowers and amazing waterfalls.
I had been walking alone for hours in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, enjoying every step, every breath of fresh air. The wildflowers were amazing. I had seen wolf tracks, and was alert, but had seen nothing. I stopped to rest along the edge of a river when a wolf burst out from the river bank, directly under my feet.
Almost 70 miles west of Key West, Florida, lies a cluster of seven islands, composed of coral reefs and sand, called the Dry Tortugas. With the surrounding shoals and water, they make up the Dry Tortugas National Park, an area noted for bird and marine life and shipwrecks. Fort Jefferson, its central cultural feature, is one of the nation’s largest 1800s masonry fort. Video shot in 360 with a Kodak Pixpro SP360 camera.