Snapshots from my last voyages. Year 2022. – Wojciech Dabrowski – Migawki z podróży ostatnich lat. Rok 2022. (Migawki_plen2022.htm)

January I flew to the Canary Islands, where daily temperatures were above

20 degrees. I’ve been to the Canaries before, but only on those big islands,

popular with tourists.  And besides them, there are also small ones that I do not know, but which

are waiting to be discovered. On one of them a volcano erupted recently.

When I was preparing this voyage, it turned out that there are no direct

connections between these small islands, which is why the itinerary shown on

the map is so complicated. To jump island to island

often I was forced to go

From winter Poland I flew first to London Luton on a cheap line, and from

there, after a few hours of waiting, straight to the Tenerife South airport

– for the same little money. I landed at dusk, but the temperature of Polish

summer was still there. It was with pleasure that I marched among the palm

It was an ordinary private house in which several rooms upstairs were rented

to travelers from all over the world. Such places always give me a chance to

meet interesting people. Here I met a nice old Norwegian – Aksel. It turned

out that he was sailing on the Norwegian fjords on the same “historic” ship

It was only in the morning that I was able to look around and

appreciate the picturesque landscape of South Tenerife. It is dominated by

the long extinct volcano El Teide (3718 m), which is the highest peak in

Spain. Such a landscape – with numerous euphorbia and cacti, accompanied me

This mountain (Montana Roja means Red Mountain) was visible from the balcony

of our hostel on the opposite side of the runway. Its slopes were indeed

red, especially when illuminated by the setting sun. I imagined what a

wonderful view of the sea coast opens from its top and decided to check it

It was gray and cold in Poland. And here I enjoyed blue sky, exotic nature and

flowers. My path led through bumpy roads, a poorly cleared trail, and there

were no other hikers on it. And that was exactly what I was looking for in

Two hours after starting the hike, I reached the parking lot at the foot of

Montana Roja. From here, a steep path climbs up to the ridge. On the ridge I

continue to the culmination – about half an hour in total. Finally, I stood

on the top of the Red Mountain, next to the navigation sign. Such a view

To the east, you can see the red ridge path, and further on – the town of El

Medano, which is the capital of Canarian kitesurfing, is spread over the bay.

There are little bright spots in the bay – these are the kitesuffer kites. I

rested at the top for a good twenty minutes, eating the sandwich I had

From the departing ferry a beautiful view of Christianos opened up with

We were slightly swinging in the strait between the islands – it’s the

Atlantic after all. An hour later I saw the high and inhospitable shore of

the Gomera up close. High on the cliff, the white houses of the island’s

But Gomera – in my opinion the most interesting island visited  on this

trip – deserves a separate website, with more text and photos. I is already created, you

can find it here:

After a few days of sightseeing, I flew from Gomera in a small, turboprop

We landed on El Hierro in fog. A small landing strip was built just above

the ocean’s surface, on a rocky shore. The town of Valverde is some 200

meters higher. The locals drop off a bus in front of the terminal before

each flight arrives. You pay EUR 1.18 and after a quarter of an hour you can

admire the panorama of the tiny capital. It is dominated by the silhouette

There aren’t a lot of viewing venues in Valverde, and there aren’t any cheap

hotels either. So I decided to go straight to the nice town of La Frontera

situated in a mountain valley open towards the ocean. When I got there (paying

another 1.18 euro for guagua) the tops of the mountains were hidden in the

The center of La Frontera is marked by a large building with arcades under

which the local Canarinios sit for hours, enjoying coffee, but also stronger

drinks. My cramped El Guanche hotel is located in a pedestrian street 200

meters away. I was paying 30 euros for a room with a private bathroom.

Western part of El Hierro is deserted. No traffic there. Guagua’s last stop

to the west of the island is at a solitary hotel in Pozo Salud. Next, I was

already walking along the spectacular volcanic cliffs shown in the photo

I did not see any other walker on this trail. A narrow asphalt road runs in

this section between a rocky coast and a steep mountain slope. Over the road,

At the very tip of the “shoe” El Hierro is the only beach on the island with

white sand (interspersed with black rocks). They call her Arenas Blancas.

There are neither palm trees nor secluded lagoons. The landscape is

beautiful, but harsh and unspoiled. Much of the island is a biosphere

Unexpectedly, my empty road started climbing the slope. After half an hour,

green bushes appeared on my trail. Soon I got to a crossroads where, to the

Imagine that before it was agreed that the conventional prime meridian would

pass through Greenwich, it would pass by that lighthouse because the known

Soon I found myself on a plateau with extinct volcanic cones rising upwards.

I couldn’t see any people or vehicles in my field of view, except for the

abandoned car, which inadvertently rolled over an unrefined roadside. It

beame a real adventure. I began to wonder if I would be able to return to my

An interesting place in this part of the island is the white sanctuary of

Nuestra Seniora de los Reyes – Our Lady of the Kings built in 16th century, visible from a

When I got there, I found only the chapel’s caretaker and two pilgrims there.

The ridge pilgrim trail from the island’s capital ends in the sanctuary, it

slopes of the central mountain range. They are covered with a beautiful pine

forest (pictured above). Its fresh greenery really pleases the eyes of a

traveler who comes from semi-arid areas in the western part of the island.

The most important town in this part of El Hierro island is pretty El Pinar.

From El Pinar, a little guagua goes to La Restinga – a miniature port built

on the heel of an El Hierro “shoe”. The port town has a nice but short

La Restinga has the reputation of being the best place on this island for

diving, i.e. scuba diving. Special wooden walkways situated on sharp

From La Restinga, at the end of the day, I took a bus via Valverde to my

accommodation in La Frontera. The next day it was windy, but the sky was

blue. I took advantage of the weather to make a trip to the Church of

Candelaria (Our Lady of Candles). It was built on a red hill in the center

of the valley. It looks very impressive against the background of a high

The locals probably do not fully appreciate the beauty of their landscape,

because they left many unsightly cables around the church and belfry. Of

course, I climbed the uneven stone steps to the top of the hill to find that

In fact, at the top of the hill there is only an empty bell tower, devoid of

equipment. The historic church itself was built – as you can see in the

When I was standing by the belfry, picturesque clouds were flowing over the

mountain ridge surrounding the valley. It was an unusual sight, as the trees

growing on the ridge appeared and sometimes disappeared in a white cloud. It

is worth showing a few such scenes here – to say goodbye to the island of El

La Palma is this island where in 2021 a volcano unexpectedly erupted, sowing

fear and ash. But in January 2022, when I got to La Palma, the volcano was

already sleeping again, only here and there were gasses escaping from the

heaps of slag and lava, and therefore no tourists were allowed to enter the

vicinity of the volcano. This is what the capital of the island looked like

Turboprop ATR planes of the Binter company fly between the islands of the

archipelago. There are promotions frequently on their website. They give a

discount to seniors and a goodbye bar when you are leaving the plane. There

is only one thing I cannot forgive them: the visitors pay four times more

Bus number 500 was waiting for me in front of the terminal of a small

airport, which for 2.40 euros takes people to the capital of the island –

Santa Cruz de la Palma. On the way, we go down to the coast for a while,

From the entrance to the city, a beautiful view of Santa Cruz de La Gomera

opens. The city is larger than I thought and relatively compact, which makes

Perpendicular to this boulevard runs the main shopping street of the city –

Avenida del Puente. The green building on the right side of the photo is

Mercado Municipal or the municipal market. It is difficult to find any

folklore inside there, but the historical building impresses with its almost

tego bulwaru biegnie pod górę główna handlowa ulica miasta – Avenida del

Puente. Zielony budynek po prawej stronie zdjęcia to Mercado Municipal czyli

miejski rynek. Trudno tam znaleźć jakiś folklor, historyczna budowla

Santa Cruz was a wealthy city. After the discovery of America, every ship

bound for the New World ended up here to pay a toll to the royal official.

In those days, a beautiful Old Town was built here – many colorful and

beautifully decorated houses with balconies concentrated mainly in the

Houses with decorative balconies can also be found on the seaside boulevard.

On the coastal boulevard there is also a small fortress made of stone –

Castillo de Santa Catalina. The only entrance is from the back – on the

Returning to the seaside boulevard, you have to show the wide city beach

made of black sand. When I got there, it was completely empty, even though

the temperature was above 20 degrees. This is a side effect of the pandemic,

At the northern end of the boulevard, above the line of colorful houses, you

To get to the gates of the fortifications you have to wander a bit and climb

the winding streets. The reward for this effort is to see entire carpets of

I noticed old cannons installed on the stone walls, but the entrance to the

The closed gate was disappointing. But from the gate of the castle, you can

see a life-size model of an old caravel, placed over a dry river bed. It

gives an idea of the actual size of ships going to the New World in the time

When I went down the hill to the coast, I could still photograph the steep

cliffs that start just outside the city towards the north. The settlements

are scattered high above the ocean level. This is the typical landscape of

day I went to the interior of the island.

Here you will find the map of

La Palma, where in its center you can see the great Caldera de Taburiente.

That’s where I rode the 300 bus among high green mountains and through

This cylindrical structure houses the national park office and a small

nature exhibition. If you come by car, you can also get a map and a card

authorizing you to enter the narrow forest road leading to the rim of the

caldera. The mountain wall in the background is one of the sides of the

The road to the rim of the caldera where the famous La Cumbrecita viewpoint

is located leads through a thick pine forest. I looked at this fresh green

Then I flew from La Palma to Fuerteventura – the second (after Tenerife)

largest island of the archipelago – on a small plane of the Binter Airline.

Fuerteventura (literally: strong adventure) is very stretched. I set up a

base in the capital of the island – Puerto del Rosario (pictured below) from

Puerto del Rosario’s representative landmark is the palm-lined roundabout at

the beginning of the seaside boulevard – from here it is only a step away

from the ferry port. Why did I use ferries so little in the Canary Islands?

Because it turned out that ferry ticket prices (tariff for foreigners) are

You won’t find many monuments or beaches in the island’s capital. On the

coast east of the port, only the remains of stone fortifications can be

The route of my first trip to Fuerteventura led to the north of the island –

to Corralejo and El Cotillo. Bus ticket to Corralejo costs 3,40 euro. Driving from that direction alone allows you to

photograph interesting landscapes dominated by volcanic cones. All you have

to do is get to the front of the line when opening the bus and take a seat

Before entering Corralejo, there is something unusual on the right side of

the road: a large area of white, sand dunes. You won’t see anything like it

elsewhere in the Canaries. This unusual place is the Parque Natural de

Corralejo. Tourists can move around here without restrictions, but cars,

The dunes are quite impressive and are such a peculiarity that two quite

impressive hotels have been built at the northern end of the park – you can

see them in the photo below. Hotel guests have dunes and beaches on one side,

From the dunes, you can clearly see the small, uninhabited island of Isla de

Lobos. The island is uninhabited but is a popular tourist destination. From

the port of Corralejo, small boats take tourists on day trips to the island

several times a day. A return ticket costs several euros, depending on the

Corralejo is dominated by low, holiday buildings. In the small port, apart

from the ferry (ferries depart from here to the neighboring island of

Within the town, between sections of the rocky coast, there are several

small beaches with white sand. And on the seaside promenade, nice sculptures

and a competent tourist information office. The water in the shallows has an

unusual, azure color. You can sit here for quarters of an hour at a cafe

After visiting Corralejo, I took the bus to the picturesque seaside town of

Cotillo. (3,10 euro) To get there, the bus travels not along the coast, but

makes a large curve through the interior. Somewhere along the way among the

volcanic cones is also Tindaya, known as the Holy Mountain. It is 400 meters

Until recently, Cotillo was just an atmospheric fishing village with houses

rented to tourists. Unfortunately, new, large hotels and apartment buildings

have recently been built there. The small, white beaches, however, have

retained their charm. They are secluded, so it is no wonder that you can see

By the beach, among picturesque palm trees, there are simple white pavilions

from which you can jump out directly onto the sand. The place is worth

Further east – towards Corralejo, among the stretches of the cliff shore you

can find such charming coves with white beaches as in the photo below.

The next day I went by bus to the historic settlement of Betancuria located

in the central part of the island. The name of the settlement comes from the

surname of a Frenchman in the service of the King of Spain, who conquered

the Canary Islands, forcing the native Guanches to accept Catholicism. Jean

de Béthencourt built the first chapel in Betancuria around which his capital

On the way to Betancuria, the bus often leaves the main road to visit small

settlements and hamlets. This gives the passenger the opportunity to observe

various landscapes. Windmills appear frequently in this landscape. The

modern ones – pumping water from the well (pictured above) and the

It turned out that Betancuria lies in a basin behind a range of high hills,

shown in the photo below. So we had to climb the serpentines to the pass

with the Guancho monument, and then descend to the green valley.

Fuerteventura is an island of many colors, but probably the least visible is

The most interesting object in Betancuria is the old church of Santa Maria,

now turned into a museum of sacred art (1.5 euro admission) where the main

exhibit is a patinated altar. Personally, I liked the garden in front of the

The next day it was the turn of a long trip to the southern tip of the

island. Morro Jable is apparently a favorite resort of the Germans. The bus

drive is over two hours with beautiful views of the coast only at the end of

the route. I paid for the ticket 10 euro each way. Morro starts next to a

Right next to this rock, a beautiful promenade begins, running above the

fabulous, wide and clean beach. There are no crowds of tourists or dangerous

Along the promenade, many exotic cacti and flowers have been planted – for

example, bougainvillea and hibiscus in several colors. This vegetation is

very well cared for, which makes many of my Morro Jable photos postcard

It was January when I was there and the flowers were blooming here. It is

not surprising that many Europeans, especially those who have already

retired, buy houses and apartments in the Canary Islands. And they live in

The line of great hotels in Morro Jable is separated from the beach by a few

hundred meters. When I was there, these big hotels were empty (due to the

covid pandemic). I liked it because there were no crowds on the streets and

on the beach. The locals, however, longed for the good old days when the

From the beach in Caleta de Fuste, I walked south along the coast. At the

end of the boulevard, I found the remains of stone fortifications. Behind

them there are no beaches anymore, the coast is dotted with black, jagged

And yet I continued walking, because a few kilometers away there is a

tourist curiosity there: former pools for extracting salt from sea water,

the evaporation method. I show them in the photo below: small piles of

scraped salt have been left in the shallow stone pools. The whole thing is

fenced and creates a “Salt Museum” which charges 6 euros for admission. But

the most important things, including whale skeleton can be seen from behind

Ryan has canceled my flight from Fuerteventura to mainland Europe. It

happens! Luckily I found a similar flight from the neighboring island of

Lanzarote. So it was time to say goodbye to Fuerteventura: I got on the bus

go with my pack to the ferry in Corralejo, from where the ferries depart for

Lanzarote. It is worth knowing that there is healthy competition here. I

bought a ticket on the internet for Armas ferry for 24 euros, and on the

site I found out that there is also a “Romero” line that takes 18 euros on

this route! From the departing ferry a wonderful view of Corralejo with an

The sea passage to Playa Blanca took about an hour. At the stern of the

ferry there is a small open deck from which I could admire the scenery. It

After landing in Playa Blanca, I had to go backpacking from the port to the

main road where there is a bus stop. Fortunately, it’s only about half a

kilometer. The bus arrived 15 minutes late. I paid 3.60 and we set off to

the capital of the island – Arrecife. Lanzarotte is not as colorful as

Fuerteventura. The valleys are wider here and the landscape is not so

dramatic. The houses in the estates are white. In Arrecife, I lived in a

real Casita hostel. I met a real traveler there – here is the friendly Italian

I’ve been to Arrecife before. The city’s exhibition window is the

representative coastal boulevard of La Marina. Here you will find the

A neat gazebo has been built on the wide boulevard, in which an orchestra is

said to play on holiday days. Walking further along the ocean, after about a

quarter of an hour, you can reach the only city beach in Arrecife – Playa

del Reducto. Right behind it is Intercambiador – a bus station, from which,

An old stone bridge connects the boulevard with the small castle Castillo de

San Gabriel built on the island for protection against pirates. The central,

wooden part of the bridge has a drawbridge. This is definitely one of the

most picturesque parts of Arrecife. Tourists (if any) are happy to take

The small castle, rather like a fort, was built in the 16th century. These

two cannons were set up much later. The Arrecife History Museum is located

Another picturesque corner of the island’s capital is the Charco de San

Ginés lagoon, connected to the open sea only by a narrow canal for small

boats and motorboats. When I was here for the first time, this area did not

look presentable. Today it is a very photogenic corner with numerous cafes

In the season, tourists are eager to visit this place. This is probably why

souvenirs were put up for sale under the palm trees – models of boats

Iglesia de San Ginés hidden in the streets of the old part of the city. The

church was open. In its interior you will see many black volcanic stones.

Later it was flooded and completely rebuilt in 1667San Ginés is the patron

The next morning I said goodbye to the Canary Islands and flew to Milan. My

new plane landed at Malpensa airport, and another one – to Gdańsk – was

departing from Bergamo. I only had 3 hours to change airports and wasn’t

sure if I would make it. Not without great emotions and running, but it did!

Late in the evening, I landed in Gdańsk, where it was still winter… As always, you will find

voyage – this time to the other

side of the ocean. The month of February 2022 was terrible for me. Not only

because of the outbreak of this monstrous war right next to Poland, but also

because of the proverbial “stab in the back” from the US administration,

which unexpectedly refused to allow me to enter USA without a visa. An

interview with a consul that opens the way to the regular visa could take

place only in April. My repeated requests for earlier date of this interview

remained unanswered. I had to cancel flights and a cruise that was to start

in Miami. I have suffered considerable losses. That’s all because I was in Yemen and

Iraq (and in all other countries of the world 🙂  This is why this trip

did not start with a flight to Miami, but a flight to the Dominican Republic,

where I spent the first few days. Here is the picturesque coast east of the

I stayed here in a cheap hotel – with normal life around it – far from

downtown, but close to people. Every morning the dark-skin lady receptionist

Two hundred meters from my hotel was the National Aquarium, which of course

I visited. At a distance appropriate for a walking trip, I found an

interesting natural attraction: Tres Ojos or Three Eyes – three lakes that

nature has placed in interesting caves. For me – a nature lover, it was a

Santo Domingo’s Old Town, built during colonial times, is of course a must

see. For the last days of my stay, I moved to the center of the capital. The

trail leading through the main streets of the Old Town, which has been

included in the World Heritage UNESCO list, is well-maintained. The main

square – Parque Colon (pictured below) amazes not only with the great statue

On Sunday mornings, under the shadowy trees of this square, something

happens that I have not seen anywhere else in the world: Music lessons for

amateurs are held here. Students of the violin practice under one tree,

saxophonists play under another tree, and drummers work elsewhere. Can you

A few streets away, in the vicinity of the market hall occupied by the

souvenir industry, you can see completely different pictures. The Dominican

Republic is a poor country, living mainly from serving tourists. And much

From Santo Domingo, I was travelling by public bus (210 pesos for one-way

ticket) east to stop in the seaside town of Caleta, which is actually a

suburb of La Romana. There is a strip of tropical greenery by the sea, there

The beach in Caleta is short but charming and most importantly, I have never

seen a crowd of tourists on it. On the promontory under the palm trees, you

I was surprised to see here an armed soldier. He was sitting on a plastic

seat under a palm tree … It turns out that he is delegated to guard the

safety of tourists. The Dominican authorities are very concerned about the

safety of foreign visitors. In all popular tourist resorts you can see

officers in white shirts and blue caps – this is the special tourist police

A two-kilometer path takes you through the forest from Bayahibe along the

coast to the east to another resort called Playa Dominicus. Dominicus has a

long line of good (and expensive) hotels with their own beaches not

accessible to tourists other than visitors. The public beach begins only at

the barracks of the souvenir bazaar – from here you can go to the bar that

Not far from La Romana there is another tourist attraction – Altos de Chavon.

It is a contemporary-built medieval village recreated on a bluff above the Chavon River with an

atmospheric church and a great Roman-style amphitheater, where concerts of

world stars take place. It is a very touristic place, but it is located in a

The day finally came when the cruiseship of the Costa company appeared in

the tiny port of La Romana, hidden in the mouth of the river, on which I was

supposed to sail to the smaller Caribbean islands, and then – through the

Atlantic to Europe. Before I embarked the ship, I had an unpleasant surprise:

In addition to the antigen test result that I brought, I was also asked to

perform a PCR test. The shipowner’s anti-Covid hysteria cost me an

Among the many entertainment offered on board, I liked the musical

productions of the Ukrainian duo Liza and Maksim. She sang beautifully and

he played the guitar very well, also solo. I used to come to the main lobby

The route of our cruise led through twelve smaller and larger islands. Out

of this set of eleven islands, I already knew from my previous expeditions.

however, I wanted to see them again. The first on our route was the small

island of Bonaire, a former Dutch colony, where you can find interesting

examples of colonial architecture, and watch colorful fish and coral gardens

Next in the program of our sailing was Aruba, which also had a strong Dutch

past. While Bonaire is quiet and not very densely populated, Aruba,

especially in the southern part, is heavily urbanized. In the capital of the

island, there is a beautiful seaside boulevard and a large yacht marina.

The best way to explore the island is by rented car. In Aruba, the number

The interior of Aruba is very dry, which may be why many different species

of cacti grow there. I photographed them, among others, in Casibari Rock

Formations, where they grow among large granite boulders, which are also a

Aruba also has many beautiful beaches, with sand so white it hurts to see.

The hotel’s beaches are intended for hotel guests. But there are also public

The ships are docking here close to the center. What Curacao has to offer to

tourists is primarily the old part of the island’s capital with colorful,

From Curacao we turned back north, taking the course to the island of

Catalina. The tiny Catalina Island was the only island I had not known

before on this year’s trip. It’s a wild island with no permanent residents.

It belongs to the Dominican Republic. There is no port or quay here, so the

ship is at anchor a short distance from the shore, and passengers are

Catalina Island has palm trees, white sand and azure waters – it has all the

attributes of a tropical paradise. At the edge of the long beach, deck

chairs and umbrellas are provided for the passengers of the ship. There is a

The islet is covered with virgin tropical vegetation. There are no paths

marked out through the bushes, so there is no question of wandering around

the island, for example. For those who come from the Dominican Republic by

private boats and want to spend the night here, several primitive houses

After embarking new passengers in the Dominican Republic, our ship set off

for the second Caribbean loop to visit a completely different set of islands.

First we sailed to Saint Vincent. We were in Kingstown – the capital of the

state on Sunday. The streets were empty… So I marched like years ago to

the botanical garden, and then I photographed two cathedrals standing next

decided to walk up the lofty hill on the other side of the bay where Fort

Charlotte was seated during colonial era. It was an hour of solid climbing

in the tropical heat. I found old cannons and little lighthouse on the walls

But the most interesting was the view opening from the walls of the fort.

From there, you can see the mountains in the interior of the island, the

city and the port where the only ship stands – our “Costa”. Enjoying the

sight of it, I ate my sandwiches with appetite. And then I walked back to

We sailed from Saint Vincent Island to Barbados, docking in a large port in

the island’s capital, Bridgetown. Barbados is an independent country, but

still has a strong British influence. More whites live here than on the

neighboring islands. The most interesting monument in the capital is the

The garden around St Mary’s Church seemed to me to be the prettiest corner

of Bridgetown. Wonderful tropical trees bloomed here, and the buzz of the

the poorest islands in the Caribbean. Poor, but beautiful thanks to its

green mountains and nice people. I’ve been here several times already. This

time I went by local transport (a minibus to the intersection costs a dollar)

and then on foot to Marigot Bay – a picturesque bay located east of the

capital of the island of Castries. The picture taken from the slope is more

An orchestra of steel drums performed at the descent from the pier at St

John’s. They are very popular in the Caribbean instruments made of used

But I didn’t stay with them for long – I got on the minibus with the locals

to drive to Five Islands Village for a dollar and continue on foot to Fort

Barrington located at the entrance to the bay. Can you see in the photo

below the fortification at the top of a 150-meter hill? It was not an easy

The next day, our ship docked at Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands. The

capital of these islands – the city of Roadtown is very beautifully situated

in a deep bay, surrounded by green mountains. There is not much to see in

During my previous stay in Tortola, I climbed for a view of the mountain on

the west side of the bay. This time I decided to climb to the east side. It

was not easy due to the lack of information about viewpoints. The road I was

climbing was very steep. But I finally got my point. For such a photo as you

can see below, it was worth a sweat a lot. At the bottom, in the bay, you

I was going back down in an unfamiliar terrain with adventures and I was

almost late for the ship – I ran to the gangplank as the last passenger 🙂

During the following days there was an opportunity to rest on board, because

our ship, after disembarking passengers in La Romana and collecting fuel in

Barbados, left across the Atlantic to Europe. We didn’t see any land for six

The main attraction of Tenerife is the extinct volcano El Teide, which is

also the highest peak in Spain. It rises from the ocean at 3,718 meters. I

have looked at this mountain many times from its foot … This time, using a

loan from the shipowner, I decided to take the cable car up to the top and

look at the world from a height of 3500 meters. You need to get a permit in

Already on the way, when we were driving above the clouds, the views were

wonderful. Below, there was a deep blue ocean. But the best panoramas opened

at the top – when we got off at the snow level and walked along the trail to

the old crater area. It was like half an hour walk. At this level, it is

The summit of El Teide, viewed from this level, does not look so impressive,

but you should photograph it with it. This photo was taken at an altitude of

From the Canary Islands, our ship sailed to Gibraltar, which I had already

visited with my older son. The city had not changed much, but the view from

the deck of the ship mooring in the port offered a completely new,

I went on foot to the end of the headland at the entrance to the bay, where

the lighthouse was built, and as a Polish patriot I was glad to see a new

monument erected there dedicated to the mysterious catastrophe, in which

Then we took a course to Marseille, admiring the varied coast of Provence as

we approached the port. In Marseille, we said goodbye to French passengers

on the ship – they were the second national group after the Italians on our

I did not get off until the next day in the Italian Savona, to go by train

to Milan and from there I took a cheap line straight to Gdańsk. The longest

sea journey in my life (four weeks plus 19 days in Dominican Republic) ended

beginning of May 2022, spring flowers bloomed beautifully in my Wojtkówka.. My friends also visit me and we enjoy our first vegetables

together, celebrating the name day of Wojciech and the our national holiday

“spring break”! Weary of the daily work on the beds od my

“Wojtkówka” (unfortunately there are no

people willing to help me), I decided to escape for a week to Southern France.

Low cost airlines have just offered tickets at incredibly low prices – 10-12

euros per flight. And I flew! Via London to historic Carcassonne, and

I’ve been thinking about visiting Southern France for a long time, but it

was always aside from my travel routes. I was especially interested in the

old town of Carcassone, which has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages.

The dream came true this year. I visited this unique set of monuments, also looking at it from a very

Behind the walls of old Carcassonne there are many narrow, atmospheric

streets and (too many) restaurants and souvenir shops. A large part of the

old town is filled with the castle, with its own walls and a stone bridge

It is hard to imagine, but there are no bus connections from Carcassone to

nearby Toulouse, so I had to take the regional train, paying exorbitant 17

euros for an hour’s journey (seniors do not have discounts). When I reached

the destination, it turned out that Toulouse, known in the world for the

production of airbus airplanes, also has an interesting old town, and in it

Nice brick houses dominate the old part of Toulouse. Many streets have been

turned into promenades here. From the morning the French hang out in

Toulouse is situated on the Garonne River. There is a pretty boulevard along

the river where crowds of people sit and walk on sunny days. Out of several

bridges, the one shown in the photo below – Pont Neuf – seemed the most

Among the historic buildings of Toulouse, it is not the Cathedral of St.

Stefan (St Etienne), but the Romanesque basilica of Saint-Sernin (Saint

Saturnin), about which they write as the largest Romanesque building in the

world. Perhaps that is why the temple, dating from the 4th century, was

Walking along the green boulevards of Toulouse, I reached a small, but very

nice park in the shape of a circle – Grand Rond. Spring flowers bloomed in

the flower beds around the fountain, and the people was unceremoniously

After visiting Toulouse, I took a BlablaBUS bus to Bordeaux – the capital of

Aquitaine. This time I only paid 6 euro for three hours of driving – it was

a price suitable for a budget traveler 🙂 I skip the seat selection (for

extra fee) so they put me in the back. Bordeaux, when I saw it, was not

maroon at all, as I had dreamed up in my childhood. But the city is famous

for its claret-colored wine. It lies on the same river Garonne, which,

There is much more open space in Bordeaux than in Toulouse. A good example

is the Place de la Bourse, which opens towards the river – a great square

My inexpensive F1 hotel was on the other side of the river. First, I tasted

the wine, bought in a supermarket in an economical 1.5 liter package for

only 5 euros – it was pretty good! Then, in a good mood, I set off to

explore the city. Bordeaux boasts many historic churches, an opera house,

Rome has its Trevi Fountain, and Bordeaux has an equally impressive fountain

in Quinconces Square. There are actually two fountains here – on both sides

From Bordeaux to Paris I took 8 hours by Flixbus – practically all day. I

was in Paris for the first time in 1972 – still in the time of black and

white photography. Then, in 1998, I stopped here just for a short time on my

way to Guyana. Now I was going to see Paris in a colorful way… I stayed in

a small but stylish hostel in Montmartre. I was climbing to my quarters by

I had the best weather for sightseeing that day. From my hostel, I was

closest to the well-known Sacre-Coeur basilica in Montmartre. A beautiful

Then I walked down the stairs – to Clichy Boulevard, to remember what the

fun district looks like today: Place Piggalle and the Moulin Rouge cabaret.

Nothing has changed here… On my route there were then the famous churches

Trinite and Madeleine – they are being renovated, but the Parisian opera

From Concorde Square I walked up the Champs Elysees – the main and

representative street of Paris, which is often called “the window of the

city”. The Champs Elysees are over 2 kilometers long! At their end there is

the famous Arc de Triomphe. It is one of the icons of the French capital.

On the route of my walk through Paris, the Eiffel Tower could not be missing. 

Under the tower both Parisians and tourists picnic on the lawns of the Champ

de Mars. The elevator ride to the tower costs 27 euros. Years ago, I climbed

The Cathedral of Notre Dame on the Seine has its façade and towers rebuilt

As always, you will find hot news

After returning from Paris, I had a lot of work in Wojtkówka. I planted

tomatoes and cruciferous plants, and the prevailing drought required the

plot to be watered daily. The reward for the efforts of the gardener was the

A blue carpet of forget-me-nots has appeared in flower beds and strawberry’s

plantation. It looked very beautiful, but paradoxically it was a problem and

extra work for me, because these lovely flowers fade quickly, and then they

have to be removed very quickly, because their seeds are spreading and in

 I also had an extraordinary guest in Wojtkówka – a real traveler. Mr.

Arkadiusz Buchman from Wrocław has been traveling around the world for many

years and has visited all continents. He is a member of our

Seven Continents Club, but so far we

only knew each other from a distance. Our time passed quickly while talking

opportunity to go on a short European journey. It all started with a cheap

flight to Oslo where my son Adam lives. I participated in a family

celebration there, but there was also time for trips around the area and

getting to know new places for me. The first trip was up the Father’s Hat

mountain. It is only 260 m above sea level, but from the top there is a

beautiful view of the surrounding lakes and forests. Adam, who is an

enthusiast of all technical innovations, took the drone to take even better

photos with it. We stood at the top in the place marked with the arrow, and

From Oslo I flew by low-cost airlines via Milan to the port of Bari at the

end of the Italian “shoe”. There I boarded a ship bound for the Adriatic

ports. I have never sailed on the ships of the MSC shipping company, so it

was an opportunity to get to know each other and – perhaps – for a budget

traveler, the beginning of an interesting acquaintance, because MSC is one

I’ve been to Bari several times. This time, I could also see what the old

part of the city looks like after dark, when people are pouring out into the

streets and filling the cafes. In the morning I found a lab at the station

that had done the required covid test within half an hour and walked to the

harbor where “Fantasia” was waiting. It was the largest ship I have ever

sailed. It could accommodate 4,500 passengers, but due to covid restrictions,

The first port on our route was Corfu in Greece. During my first visit to

Corfu, I ran into bad weather: it was raining so badly that the police

closed the flooded streets. This time the weather was great. Already from

the ship a wonderful view of the old town opened. The photo below shows an

iron cross on top of the Old Castle. I climbed there later for a beautiful

From the top of the New Castle terrace (where there is also a small

lighthouse built next to the cross) there is a view of the bay and the

mountains of mainland Greece. In the distance you can see our ship, from

The icon of Corfu, shown on postcards and posters, is a panorama that opens

from the Kanoni viewpoint (so called after the old cannon placed there). I

show this view in the photo below. The place is worth its fame. From the

viewing terrace you can go downstairs and visit a small monastery on the

island. A city bus runs to Kanoni from the gate of the Old Castle. It took

Before sunset, we sailed north from Corfu, snaking in the blue between the

day, when in the early morning I went from my inside cabin out to the deck I

found that our ship is turning in the narrow bay just near the high, modern

bridge. We are in Croatia! Port of Dubrovnik is located not in front of the

old Dubrovnik city walls but some 4 kms away in the narrow, picturesque bay.

Cruise lines try to milk down their passengers: they offer here shuttle bus

to the old town for 14 euro round trip. As usual I did it by foot. The day

Dubrovnik is one of the most interesting medieval building complexes in

Europe – that is why it has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage

List. They do not charge entry fee at Old Town Gate, you can freely explore

the labyrinth of streets and alleys, but if you want to enter the

surrounding city walls, you have to buy a ticket for 250 cinemas (over 30

The old city has its own unique atmosphere, especially in the low season

when fewer tourists come. In the main street of the old town you will find

After leaving the old town, I decided to climb the mountainside and have a

bird’s eye view of the city. There are strands of stone steps leading to

streets situated on the slope. The best photo I was able to take you can see

We left the port of Dubrovnik at sunset, enjoying the wonderful spectacle

and the music on the deck. The port of Dubrovnik houses two ships and the

The next morning I saw the Italian Trieste Lighthouse again. The weather was

perfect. Some passengers disembarked from the ship here (the MSC line allows

boarding-disembarking at various points along the route, which may be an

I was in Trieste quite recently and I decided to use the ship’s day-long

stay in the port this time for an individual trip to Venice. The best

transport option turned out to be the train, which was supposed to take me

straight to the Venezia St. Lucia for just 15 euro one way. After

disembarking from the ship, I passed the main square of Trieste (in the

I visited Venice in 1974 – 48 years ago! These were the times of black and

white photography, when the traveler had a daily number of photos captured

on film. Today I was able to photograph this extraordinary city without

limits and in colors. As before, straight from the dead ends of the railway

station trucks you go straight to the main canal and, after crossing the

The main walking trail leads from the station to the Rialto Bridge (pictured

below) and along the alleys to San Marco Square. These alleys are sometimes

so narrow that it is difficult to overtake a slow person – take this into

San Marco basilica is currently under renovation, but the lacy, white Doge’s

Palace can be admired in all its glory. Across the canal, next to the domed

church of Santa Maria delle Salute, there was a crowded youth hostel where I

Two hours on the return train allowed me to rest after an eventful day and

take notes. In the evening I watched another revue in the theater, and in

the morning we moored in the ugly port of Ancona. Unfortunately, it was only

a half-day stop – I did not have enough time to visit the Polish war

cemetery, which is not in Ancona itself, but in nearby Loreto. However, I

The most interesting in Ancona were two red granite lions guarding the

entrance to the Cathedral of St. Cyriak. The cathedral itself is built on a

cross plan and has an interesting crypt with the tomb of the holy bishop and

In the morning of the next day we were back in Croatia – in picturesque

Split. I’ve been here before, but came by bus. I can assure you that Split

looked completely different when viewed from the 14th deck of our ship.

In Split you don’t need to take a bus to get to the old town – the port and

ferry docks are literally a step away from the historic center. Split prides

itself on its Roman connections. The most important monument of the city is

the so-called Diocletian’s Palace. It is here, in front of the cathedral,

Split boasts a seaside boulevard of rare beauty. It is a real pleasure to

sit here on a bench under palm trees among flowering shrubs and look at

In the perspective of the boulevard you can see a green hill – this is the

area of the national park, through which walking paths have been led. It’s

worth the climb up there for a beautiful view. There are few places from

From Split, we sailed back to Bari, and from there I flew straight to

Wrocław on a cheap airline, then continued the journey by train to Gdańsk.

It was an interesting and fully successful journey. I am showing the map of

the cruise here. As usual,

world visited me in my Wojtkówka. Those were very nice meetings. At least I would

like to show the last guests of the summer season, because it is difficult

my travels, they take care of Wojtkówka. And on the left Zdzich – a yacht

captain with his wife Halinka. They are currently traveling through Europe

permanently in Norway. They only dropped by for a few hours. And on the left,

an outstanding traveler from the city of Wrocław. I met Piotr in Tunisia in

other since my student days. And on the right column – the Polish-Australian

came to Poland to learn our language. And on the right Bekir – a young

not only listened to my travel stories with interest, but also helped me

trim branches on two apple trees, for which I am very grateful to them 🙂

And on the left Ewa, who appears in Wojtkówka several times a year to help

me in gardening work. This year, she planted dahlia zinnia flowers, which

Wojtkówka, working in the garden and on the maintenance of the cottage. I had

a lot of work to do, but wonderful flowers were blooming around all the time.

Living in Wojtkówka, I eat what grows in the beds, buying extra only butter

and bread in a nearby store. My old cherry was born this year. I give the

After the covid break, I host travelers from international organizations

Servas and Couchsurfing again in Wojtkówka. James from California was here

recently. He slept in the tent behind the cottage and praised my “chive-dipped

The event of the summer season in Wojtkówka was the meeting of old boy- and

girl scouts. We haven’t seen each other for many years! We spent the whole

warm evening by the fire singing scout songs and telling stories from our

We had unforgettable time.  We relived again our youth and we were

moved when we recalled long-forgotten songs related to our walking trails,

When it was already dark and the fire started to die down, we sang farewell

songs standing in a scout circle according to the old tradition. …by a

different fire, another night, see you again!… But not all of them left

that evening. The hospitable Wojtkówka took in for the night two nice

In July, I also hosted my old friend, the greatest Spanish traveler Jorge

Sanchez. We have not seen each other for years. We met in person once in

Sana’a, Yemen. And then we made an extraordinary journey together along the

Lena River beyond the Arctic Circle and further along the legendary Road of

I decided to surprise my friend and showed my amateur film from this

Siberian journey on an outdoor screen in front of Wojtkówka. Jorge was very

Jorge is one of the toptotters – the world’s greatest travelers. He is also

a member of our Seven Continents Club.

At the same time, he is cheerful and easygoing person. Every meeting with

him is a great pleasure for me. After two days with me among Wojtkówka’s

flowers and vegetables, Jorge happily crossed the border to Russian

Kaliningrad, heading for his family living on the Amur River on the Russian

Meanwhile, a new generation of kittens visited Wojtkówka more and more often.

They are very funny. Some of the colorings resemble pandas. Their appetite

Already in the spring, when peonies bloomed here after irises, it was

really beautiful here! I invite my friends and travelers – enthusiasts from

to Alaska. Here is the map,  Its main goal was to drive from end to end of the legendary

Alaska Highway, running through magnificent nature, through almost

uninhabited areas. It was a great challenge for me and a great unknown –

because on this route there are only a few places that can be called public

transport. And it was supposed to be different: I figured there would be two

pairs of travelers, one would go to Alaska by ship, and the other would go

along the legendary road with a rented car. They will meet at their

destination and change places, which will greatly minimize the cost of the

expedition. I found people willing, we made the necessary reservations.

Unfortunately, these people failed: I left alone! The journey began with a

There was a very nice crew on the plane. In the decorated kitchen, the

celebration of the 30th birthday of one of the flight attendants continued

non-stop. Of course, I rushed with greetings, I was welcomed, and when the

challenge seemed to be revealed – I was given beer cans and warm socks

distributed only in business class for the journey, :). Vancouver greeted us

with the sun. A small unmanned train (locals call it “skytrain”) took me for

I’ve been to Vancouver several times. The city is beautifully situated on a

deep bay. This time, however, I was supposed to spend only one night in a

hostel, and in the morning a bus that runs twice a week will depart for the

interior. The expensive hostel is situated in the old town. I could not deny

myself the pleasure of walking along the old trail to the famous “steam”

clock, which for years has not chimed, but has been booing the hours. One of

Downtown Vancouver is not very extensive and can be visited on foot. On the

shore of the bay, a step from the skyscrapers, there is a very conveniently

The next day, before dawn, I went to the stop of the paid bus. Unfortunately,

he did not arrived. Their phone did not answer. Shame on you, Canada! I had

to improvise a flight in a small plane to the planned for overnight Prince

George town. There was a lot of stress. As a consolation, I could watch the

In Prince George, I was warmly welcomed by Bob and Beth from the Servas

organization, to which I have been a member for several decades. Their city,

situated among forests, has been a wood processing center for over a hundred

Nature is beautiful here. My hosts took me to nearby Goodsir Nature Park,

where a network of paths leads through a maze of lakes and ponds, and trees

from all over the world grow. A surprise is the museum run by the owner of

the park (formerly – a radio announcer) with a collection of 42,000 vinyl

The next morning I stood hitchhiking on the Canadian road for the first time.

But it wasn’t the Alaska Highway yet! To get to the beginning of the famous

road, I had to move another 400 km. The traffic was light, the drivers did

not stop, Hitchhiking is not popular here! I waited over an hour for the

In the end, however, luck smiled: I finally reached Dawson Creek using three

different cars. The police were interested in me, kindly advising me to take

care of myself (?) On the way, the road route led among picturesque

In Dawson Creek there is a monument marking the beginning of the Alaska

Highway and you can visit a small museum describing the construction of this

An interesting place in Dawson Creek is Pioneer Village – a kind of open-air

museum town, to which historic buildings collected in the area have been

transferred. There are schools, churches, a newspaper printing house and a

fire brigade, shops and a post office. And all of this can be visited for

At Dawson Creek, I stayed for one day at Mrs. Elke’s happy house. In the

evening they invited friends and I showed my photos on a large TV for them,

telling about the Pacific Islands. In the morning the master of the house

took me far to the road, wishing me good luck on the trail. I had over 2,200

Alaska Highway is one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th

century. It was built during the Second World War to enable land transport

of troops and equipment to Alaska, which was in danger of landing the

Japanese. My bold intention was realized – also thanks to favorable, sunny

weather. I described my adventures on the road in a separate

Alaska Highway report.

Highway ends in Delta Junction, where, after six days of hitchhiking, I

photographed myself at the dirty obelisk marking the end of the legendary

Travelers who follow the Alaskan route typically continue from Dawson Creek

further northwest – along the previously constructed Richardson Highway – to

Fairbanks. On this section of the route, a freight and passenger minibus

This stretch of road crosses the famous Alaska Pipeline and several rivers.

Some of them create picturesque backwaters in wide valleys (photo below).

Unfortunately, the surface of the road built on permafrost is terrible in

Fairbanks is the largest city in the Alaskan North. There is a university

here with an interesting Museum of the North, a large military base and an

important airport. Since my last stay, the city has become more beautiful –

Fairbanks is situated on the Chena River. For a century, flat-bottomed

steamers have been sailing on it. And today they sail – only not with goods,

but with tourists. A two-hour sail with attlactions along the way costs $

The Alaska Railroad, one of the world’s most scenic rail routes, begins in

Fairbanks. I already traveled this route 30 years ago with my son Adaś, but

I decided to refresh my memories and relive it. The railroad has become more

expensive! There are no discounts, I had to pay $ 205 for the ticket, but it

It was one of the last departures in 2022 (passenger trains on this route

only run until September 15th) It was raining when I got into the car at

eight in the morning. The car was neither comfortable nor modern. But there

is one wagon in the train, which has a glass dome, that opens up a wider

The train staff is very nice and helpful. During the 12-hour tour, he

empties bins and cleans toilets several times. In the buffet car (very

expensive for a backpacker) there is a young Serb who treated my request for

We set off on time to the accompaniment of the locomotive’s whistles. For

the first half an hour the landscape was monotonous, the windows were

dominated by swamps with moose wading. Only after the bridge over the river 

the weather did improve and the feast for the eyes began. We rode down the

The train is moving slowly, the manager announces landscape attractions

through the loudspeakers. And there is plenty to see! In the past I have

traveled many beautiful railroads: Barranca del Cobre in Mexico,

Malinowski’s railroad in Peru, routes in the Alps, the Rocky Mountains and

in Norway. This railway line should definitely be included among the most

Certainly, the colors of autumn on the slopes of the mountains added a lot

of splendor to this scenery. For many kilometers I have not seen any human

As we descended along the track along the rim of the canyon, the river, fed

In such a scenery, we reached one of the two stations on the route – Denali.

Tourists going to the national park get off and board here, and the rest of

the passengers can go out to the platform for a quarter of an hour to take

Half an hour after departing from Denali, the landscape had become less

Then we stopped for a moment on a high bridge so that passengers could

We arrived in Anchorage after dark – an hour late. Luckily, Mark, a retired

policeman belonging to the Servas organization was waiting for me at the

station. He and his wife Pat, just like me, have reached all continents – of

course, I invited them to our club. In

their house, I had a good rest and chance to do the the laundry. It turned

out that Mark was brewing his home-made beer in the garage downstairs. We

I met a lot of interesting people at the party. There were as many as 8

types of beer to choose from, which made it easy to make friends. It turned

out, for example, that this young man on the photo below had never been to

The great fun lasted for several hours. Every now and then someone came to

the taps with a glass and poured a beer of his choice. Never in the history

of my travels around the world have I participated in such an event. Thank

It turned out that Mark plays  beautifully the bagpipe. They hosted me

on September 11th and the host took me in the morning to the monument in the

city center, where he played with friends to commemorate the victims of the

Anchorage – the largest city of Alaska has few tourist attractions. Several

buildings stylized as the architecture of the end of the 19th century have

been preserved on the main street. What I liked the most was the typical “turf

The loop of my journey to Alaska was to be completed by a sea voyage from

Seward near Anchorage to Vancouver. This is a very attractive route, heading

south not through the open ocean, but through the Great Inside Passage. My

ship was leaving port of Seward in the evening. I left Anchorage by bus (75

USD one way) at three in the afternoon. A good road ran along a picturesque

sea coast. If it wasn’t for the rain, I would definitely have picturesque

The NCL ship was waiting in port. No line of the people waiting for

embarcation. At the outset, I had to show the result of the covid antigen

test. Then it went smoothly – after a quarter of an hour I was already in my

Foggy weather made it impossible for us to see the first glacier on the

The next day we docked at Icy Strait Point. It is a former fishing village

where a cable car was built to the top of the mountain. There is a viewpoint

On the third day of the cruise, we were more lucky. After an hour’s cruise

on the bottom of the narrow Endicott Arm fjord (I don’t know why the locals

call the fjord “arm”), we reached the front of the Dawes Glacier. And

An hour of slow sailing back through the Endicott Arm allowed us to take

many spectacular photos of the monumental slopes on both sides of the fjord

I must admit that I was cold during these two hours of exposure to the open

deck – there is always icy air flowing from the glacier. The less resistant

passengers have an alternative on board: you can comfortably sit behind the

panoramic window in the Spinaker Lounge on the deck 13 forward and take

On the same day we reached Juneau – the capital of Alaska. The weather was

improving by the hour. At times the sun looked out, but the peaks of the

The port of Juneau is frequently visited. Cruise ships dock here at the foot

of the high slope of Mt Roberts. You can get to this peak by cable car for a

view, which I did. And then I marched along the coastal promenade to the

Juneau is full of gift shops and jewelry stores. The streets in the center

are decorated with Indian totem poles: Free internet access is not easy to

find in the Alaska’s capital. I discovered a free network in the library,

Our ship’s next stop was in the historic town of Skagway. It was here that

during the Alaskan Gold Rush, steam-powered ships brought thousands of gold

For the transportation of prospectors across the high mountains -to the

Klondike – the White Pass Railway was built . Today it is an attraction for

tourists – almost everyone from the cruise ship wants to ride a stylized

wagon along the trail of prospectors, admiring the scenery. A return ticket

Our departure from the Skagway port was very spectacular – all the

passengers went on board to admire the mountains overlooking the waters of

Sailing through the Great Inside Passage among the larger and smaller

islands, inlets and straits is full of beautiful views. If you are lucky,

you can see here from the deck orcas frolicking in the blue waters. The

At Ketchikan, our ship docked not in the city center, but in the small,

picturesque Ward Cove, 7 miles farther west. Fortunately, free buses were

Ketchikan was famous during the gold rush for its houses of pleasure. Due to

the lack of space on a narrow strip of the coast, they were built on stilts

in the valley of the river, where thousands of salmon swim today during the

spawning season. This funny street – Creek Street has been preserved to this

In Vancouver I went straight from the ship to the airport. Unfortunately,

the flight to Frankfurt was delayed, which meant that I was on time for the

flight to Gdansk and had to sit at this airport for seven long hours waiting for the

But it was, after all, a successful journey down an uncharted trail. 

As always, you will find hot news

another great journey! In fact, it was supposed to be two separate trips:

one in the spring and the other in the fall. But the covid-19 pandemic has

ruined everything. When preparing this expedition, I had to combine two

expeditions: to hot Polynesia and cold Antarctica. You can find the route

map here.  It was

not an easy journey: it consisted of as many as 14 flights and two long

cruises. I set out believing that on the route I would discover new tropical

The journey began with three consecutive flights: via Warsaw and Lisbon to

San Francisco. Especially the third, 12-hour one was exhausting.

Nevertheless, after arriving at SFO, I took advantage of a half-day break in

my journey for a walk around the city, which in my opinion is one of the

most beautifully situated metropolises in the world. I visited my favorite

places – including the Golden Gate Bridge (pictured above). Later that

French Polynesia is already another world. Different smells and sounds.

Yachts of the greatest Polish sailors moored at the seaside boulevard in

Papeete (pictured above). And I’ve walked here many times. Memories…

Across the street, florists sell crowns of tropical, fragrant flowers that

In Papeete, I boarded the expedition ship Aranui5. It has cargo holds at the

front, passenger cabins at the rear. And large landing barges for landing on

the beaches of tropical atolls. And we sailed – at the beginning to the

Already on the first Ana’a atoll we were greeted warmly – with music,

singing and flower necklaces. Palm trees, azure lagoon, prepared for us local

dishes – everything like from a fairy tale! Each atoll deserves its own

And everywhere these smiling people, for whom our arrival was also a great

The very next day we landed on the even more beautiful Amanu Atoll. Already

from the approach to the island you could see this white church surrounded

by palm trees. For the 174 inhabitants of the island, our arrival was quite

Girls hung with wonderful flowers were waiting for us at the marina. As you

can see below they are great models! There was a lot of genuine joy, music

and singing accompanied by guitars and ukulele. Each family prepared and

brought an individual dish to the shady tree next to the church. We tried

Youth and children showed off their dances. On the tables by the post office

they put up for sale the products of their hands: necklaces and pendants

made of shells. Affordable prices: from $10.  But how much of them can

After lunch I went on a long walk to the very end of the central motu.

There, from under the palm trees, a unique view of the turquoise lagoon

opened up. At its opposite end was a chain of other, finer motus separated

by narrow canals. It was hard to resist the temptation not to take off my

From Amanu Atoll we sailed to the main island in the Gambier archipelago –

this is Mangareva. Also there we met with a nice reception, but the

After few days the time has finally come to take a course on the legendary

Pitcairn. I was on this island for the first time in 1997 – 25 years ago!

Just like then, landing on a steep Pitcairn with a rough ocean was very

Secluded and isolated, Pitcairn has a dramatic landscape: rocky coastline on

all sides and not a single beach. It has an interesting story, beginning

with a mutiny on the ship “Bounty”. To this day, the descendants of the

rebels live there – 50 people in all. I wrote more about the island in my

This time I spent two days on Pitcairn. It allowed me to walk to places that

I had not been able to visit 25 years earlier. One such glamorous place is

the St Pauls Pool; a natural pool located among the rocks, into which ocean

water pours in at high waves through a gate marked with two rock towers (picture

below). People swim in the pool with pleasure, but descent to the place is

On the second day, I climbed forest and field paths to the highest hill of

the island. It rises 325 meters from the ocean. The locals set up a signpost

there showing the distances to various points on the globe. It is worth

The ocean rocked in earnest as we bid farewell to Pitcairn. Only after two

days we found ourselves on land again – on the island of Aukena in the

The last island we visited during this expedition was Hikueru Atoll. It was

another fabulous island inhabited by a handful of kind and smiling people.

Here again there were flowers, music and dancing and traditional meal washed

down with a drink from the inside of fresh coconuts. But also beautiful,

palm-shaded beaches. The locals organized numerous attractions for us. I’ve

On the way back to Tahiti we experienced a strong storm, but fortunately it

did not thwart my plans. After a few days of rest in Tahiti and a ferry trip

to the beautiful island of Moorea, I boarded a plane to San Francisco, then

another to Panama and another – to Sao Paulo, and then to Buenos Aires –

just to change in Buenos to Ushuaia. After all those five flights (luckily I

didn’t lose connection anywhere) I found myself in Tierra del Fuego – at the

end of the world. Here another expedition ship was waiting for me, adapted

for sailings in the ice… Despite the sun it was chilly, I felt the icy

Captain Ernesto – a nice but firm Chilean welcomed the participants of the

expedition with champagne. But as soon as we entered Drake Passage, famous

for its heavy storms, the sea showed its strength. For two days, the only

attractions were lectures and photo-hunting for magnificent albatrosses

After two days of sailing we found ourselves at the entrance to the Weddell

Sea. The weather improved and our leader decided to make his first landing

in the sheltered bay of Devil Island. The ship anchored in a wonderful

scenery – among icebergs… We sailed to the shore with the Zodiacs, and

The following days brought my dream of seeing emperor penguins in their

natural habitat come true. Not every expedition succeeds: there are years

when the heavy ice of the Weddell Sea makes it impossible to swim to the

habitat area. It happens that the ship is close to the colony, but the

helicopter carrying the travelers from the ship inland cannot take off due

We were lucky – on a clear but cold morning I landed from helicopter in a

place called Snow Hill and after walking about a kilometer on snow and ice I

met my dream resting during a long walk to the ocean. These are the largest

A few hundred meters further – around the bend I saw a colony of emperor

penguins, and even several colonies, scattered over a small area. However,

the weather was changing minute by minute, worsening the conditions for

photography, the wind was driving the clouds. And the cerberus from the

expedition  the company was careful not to get too close to the

penguins. There were the adults and the gray ones that had hatched this year.

We hurriedly took pictures… Because everyone had a designated time for the

return flight of the helicopter. When I returned to the improvised helipad,

it turned out that the wind had increased to such an extent that the

helicopter could not operate. I waited a few hours with others in a tent

On the way back from the Weddell Sea, there were periods of sunny weather

when you could take pictures like the one below, but also periods when the

outer decks were closed. It was impossible to land next to the picturesque

Brown Bluff and Half Moon Island. There was no question of visiting any of

the science bases, because due to covid, all bases were still closed to

There was stormy weather in Drake’s Passage, but everyone came back happy

and satisfied, because we managed to achieve the main goal of this

expedition. I happily returned from Tierra del Fuego to Gdańsk within two

days, using 5 consecutive flights. The entire journey took 40 days and each

episode deserves its own website with photos and descriptions. I will work

on it! The illustrated report from Antarctica is already published

HERE.      And now I thank you  all my friends and supporters who kept their

other side of the Atlantic. After the hardships of the trip to Antarctica (November

2022 from Tierra del Fuego), I deserved to relax and rest in decent

conditions. Escaping Europe’s short, dark and cold days, I first flew via

Frankfurt to Barcelona and boarded a cozy ship heading to the Caribbean. You

can see the simple map of this route

Even before we left for the empty Atlantic, we visited two ports. The first

one was Cadiz, where the beautiful, sunny weather allowed me to remember the

well-known corners of the city, as well as walk through the long causeway to

the gates of the San Sebastian little castle guarding the entrance to the

The second visited port on the eastern side of the Atlantic was Santa Cruz

in Tenerife. I have been to this port many times. This time I decided to

take a modern tram for less than 3 euros (return ticket) to San Cristobal de

la Laguna – the former capital of the island, full of monuments and cultural

institutions. By a lucky coincidence, it was December 8 – the Immaculate

Concepcion holiday. On this day, every year a procession with the statue of

the Virgin Mary sets off from the church of the Immaculate Conception to the

It is a very colorful spectacle, because in the procession there are two

brass bands, the city authorities, the bishop, the parish priest and the

police chief, not to mention the multitude of devotees 🙂 People watched,

photographed … Me too – glad that I became a completely accidental witness

interesting spectacle, as it used to be in Grand Canaria. Neither the local

tourist information nor the tour operators from the ship gave any advance

For the next six days we sailed west across an empty, inky ocean. But there

was no time to be bored. The more so that this time I took my laptop on a

trip to use the moments free from sunbathing on the open deck and

entertainment for the creative work. I met during the cruise interesting

people of different nationalities, including three pairs of nice Poles, but

For the points accumulated over the years, I was entitled to a promotion to

a cabin of a better category on this flight. Unfortunately, the company just

changed the regulations and the system did not show it … It was only after

the intervention of Captain Valentino and his entourage that I was moved to

a cabin with a balcony – it was a well-deserved luxury that I, a budget

I also had a nice hostess (for the whole English language group) – Halyna

from war-suffering Ukraine. A very committed person, always willing to help.

Someone friendly, whom you can always count on… Already from the moment we

board the ship… We, Slavs with warm, sincere hearts!… It was hard to

The first land we saw on the western side of the Atlantic was the well-known

Barbados. It was a chance to stretch your legs on land (the loop ofrunning

path on the upper deck is only 150 m long), visit well-known places like St

Mary’s Church, but above all, find free internet access and settle 6 days of

overdue correspondence. From this place on earth I finally sent the letters

It only took one night to sail from Barbados to Dominica (not to be confused

with the Dominican Republic!) – a green, mountainous island, one of the

poorest islands in the Caribbean. Poverty, there is no money to rebuild the

churches destroyed by the cyclone, But people are open, answering greetings

I’ve been here once, hiking to the hot springs… This time, after visiting

the Botanical Gardens where wonderful traveler trees grow, I hitchhiked (it’s

only 7 km mountain road) to Trafalgar Falls. It is worth spending 5 dollars

on a ticket to see 2 waterfalls from the viewing gazebo after 10 minutes of

walking a decent path: the left one, higher, is 53 m, but less water. The

right one is 23 m, but more water… He is in the picture. Beautiful view,

I was sad to say goodbye to the ship in the tiny port of La Romana in the

Dominican Republic. While waiting for a flight to Europe, I had 2 nights

booked here in an “apartment” in the suburb of La Caleta. Caleta has the

only beach in the area where wedding ceremonies take place on Sundays. I had

such a celebration. And the wishes from the Pole were appreciated by a nice

From the Dominican Republic on three more planes: via Paris and Amsterdam, I

returned to Gdańsk. In order to catch the plane departing from Charles de

Gaulle airport, I had to run from gate to gate 🙂  It was very hard

exercise! You will find “hot” messages from the road, as