The World Is Kullin http://hanskullin.se ...and I must go - Hans Kullin's travel blog Mon, 22 Jan 2024 09:53:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 Urban exploration in Parco Dora, Turin http://hanskullin.se/parco-dora-turin/ http://hanskullin.se/parco-dora-turin/#respond Sun, 20 Aug 2023 19:14:27 +0000 https://hanskullin.se/?p=1713 Not far from the center of the city of Turin in Italy, lies a hidden gem for urban exploration. Parco Dora is a former industrial site turned urban park. This is a huge area that once housed large plants from Turin’s industrial past for international corporations like Michelin and Fiat. Once the industries closed down […]

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Not far from the center of the city of Turin in Italy, lies a hidden gem for urban exploration. Parco Dora is a former industrial site turned urban park. This is a huge area that once housed large plants from Turin’s industrial past for international corporations like Michelin and Fiat. Once the industries closed down the city revitalized the unused space and transformed it into a vibrant recreational area for locals and visitors alike.

Parco Dora, Turin

Parco Dora is divided into five main areas and I visited the lot called Lotto Vitali. Here, an enormous roof from an old steel plant serves as shelter from sun and rain for a number of activities like concerts, markets, events, basketball, biking or skateboarding to name a few. The canopy is 300 meters long, 45 meters wide and the pillars are 30 meters tall, so it is massive. You really can imagine the many machines and thousands of workers who used to occupy this vast space, which today is a perfect setting for some urban exploration and photography.

Locals playing basketball
Parco Dora, Turin
Exploring urban areas is always interesting, through the camera you get the opportunity to talk to strangers and hear their story. And get some great shots in the process.

 

Skateboarder at Parco Dora.

All around the park there are loads of street art and graffiti, which makes the place really interesting to just walk around and enjoy the different pieces of art work. Now and then you run inte someone playing tennis against a wall, playing football or just having a picnic on the grass. This is above all a really cool place to just hang out.

Check out this site for a full gallery of all the street art in the park.

Parco Dora
An older man practising tennis against a wall filled with graffiti.
Street art

If you have a few hours to spare when in Turin, I highly recommend a visit to Parco Dora. I only visited a small portion of the area and I suspect there is a lot more to see.

View of the large pillars at Parco Dora.

How to get to Parco Dora

The park is easily located by public transport and there is no need to go there by car. Take a bus (line 72) from the city centre in Turin or use the local tram which stops conveniently next to the park. Take tram lines 3 och 9 and stop at Piero Della Francesca for easy access to the park.

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MUSAN Museum of Underwater Sculpture – Ayia Napa, Cyprus http://hanskullin.se/musan-museum-of-underwater-sculpture-ayia-napa-cyprus/ http://hanskullin.se/musan-museum-of-underwater-sculpture-ayia-napa-cyprus/#respond Tue, 15 Nov 2022 20:30:23 +0000 https://hanskullin.se/?p=1695 I recently revisited Ayia Napa in Cyprus, almost exactly a year after my previous visit to Nissi Beach and the sea caves outside of Ayia Napa. This time we rented a house with a pool, a few hundred meters off from Pernera beach. The location was perfect because not only was it close to several […]

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I recently revisited Ayia Napa in Cyprus, almost exactly a year after my previous visit to Nissi Beach and the sea caves outside of Ayia Napa. This time we rented a house with a pool, a few hundred meters off from Pernera beach. The location was perfect because not only was it close to several nice beaches and had Ayia Napa town within walking distance, but Pernera beach is also the place for the relatively new MUSAN Museum of Underwater Sculpture.

MUSAN is an underwater museum with a collection of sculptures located on the ocean floor close to the beach. The area also has a series of sculpted trees and plants which creates an underwater forest. The many artworks are designed to attract marine life so this is a really cool spot for scuba divers and for snorkeling.

We spent some time snorkeling above the artworks of the MUSAN underwater forest. The location of the sculptures are about 150-200 meters off the beach, so if you want to visit, please make sure that you are comfortable with swimming the distance. There is also a floating platform near the sculptures where swimmers can rest.

Here are a few photos from our visit.

MUSAN Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa

MUSAN Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa

MUSAN Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa

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Cliff jumping at the Sea Caves in Ayia Napa, Cyprus http://hanskullin.se/sea-caves-ayia-napa-cyprus/ http://hanskullin.se/sea-caves-ayia-napa-cyprus/#respond Thu, 30 Dec 2021 10:31:06 +0000 https://hanskullin.se/?p=1653 Just outside of Ayia Napa in Cyprus are some stunning sea caves where brave swimmers go cliff jumping. Here you can find impressive rock bridges, caves and of course crystal clear blue water for swimming and snorkeling. This dramatic part of the coastline is located about ten minutes by car east of Ayia Napa, at […]

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Just outside of Ayia Napa in Cyprus are some stunning sea caves where brave swimmers go cliff jumping. Here you can find impressive rock bridges, caves and of course crystal clear blue water for swimming and snorkeling.

This dramatic part of the coastline is located about ten minutes by car east of Ayia Napa, at beautiful Cape Greco and you can also reach the caves by taking a boat tour. It is also possible to get there by bus (although it is quite a long walk down to the water) and by bike. There are bike lines on most of the route from Ayia Napa but some parts are quite hilly so make sure to rent a decent bike and bring water and sun screen.

And even if you don’t actually go swimming or diving here, this is a must visit if you are in the area. The views are simply magnificent, especially if you go there in the afternoon or near sunset.

Nissi Beach and the Sea Caves

I visited the area in late October this year and the weather at this time of the year was just perfect. About 28 C in the air and 25 C in the ocean. Here is a video I shot with my drone, a DJI Mavic Mini, from Nissi Beach and the sea caves at Cape Greco.

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Artipelag – art in the Stockholm archipelago http://hanskullin.se/artipelag/ http://hanskullin.se/artipelag/#respond Mon, 26 Jul 2021 15:28:06 +0000 https://hanskullin.se/?p=1624 I took a day off  from work a while back and brought my camera out to Artipelag, an art venue located on Värmdö in the Stockholm archipelago, only 20 minutes from the busy city centre. Artipelag was founded by Björn Jakobson, the creator of the brand BabyBjörn. It has a large art gallery and concert […]

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AINSA IV. Art work by Jaume Plensa.

I took a day off  from work a while back and brought my camera out to Artipelag, an art venue located on Värmdö in the Stockholm archipelago, only 20 minutes from the busy city centre. Artipelag was founded by Björn Jakobson, the creator of the brand BabyBjörn. It has a large art gallery and concert hall, but since I visited on a Monday the venues were not open. Still, there are plenty of things to do and see.

For example, there is a permanent outdoor exhibition called Sculpture in Nature, which includes several art works placed outside along the walking paths in the surrounding meadows and forests. Here are some of my photos from this exhibition.

Walking path by the water, at Artipelag.

Change of Direction. Art work by Maria Miesenberger.
Art work by Jaume Plensa.

How to get to Artipelag

Artipelag is a 25 minute drive by car away from Slussen in central Stockholm. Take road 222 towards Gustavsberg and follow the signs. You can also take one of several buses, see here for directions. The most scenic route would however be by boat, on a 19th-century ship from Nybrokajen in Stockholm.

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After Dublin – an unplanned blogging and travel hiatus http://hanskullin.se/dublin-travel/ http://hanskullin.se/dublin-travel/#respond Mon, 08 Feb 2021 18:27:06 +0000 http://hanskullin.se/?p=1602 Little did we know that the trip last February to Dublin would mark the end of travel for a very long time. We had spent a few days enjoying the Irish capital and covid-19 was still just a small worry on the horizon. A cab driver told us that they still had no, or only […]

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Little did we know that the trip last February to Dublin would mark the end of travel for a very long time. We had spent a few days enjoying the Irish capital and covid-19 was still just a small worry on the horizon. A cab driver told us that they still had no, or only a few, confirmed cases in Ireland, but an upcoming rugby game between Ireland and Italy had just been postponed due to the risk of infection. Major restrictions in Sweden were still almost a month away and large events like the Swedish Eurovision qualification with thousands in the audience were still allowed in early March 2020.

Tempel Bar, Dublin

Cancelled trips

After Dublin, we had booked a trip to the Canary Islands in April, but it was soon clear that it would not be possible to go. We were lucky that we could cancel our Airbnb booking and get a full refund. But it was not at all clear what would happen with our flight tickets. In the end, we got a voucher from Norwegian for the full amount, and we still have not been able to use it. Hopefully we can make the trip at a later stage.

So now it’s been almost exactly a year without international travel for us. And the lack of travel is reflected in the blog hiatus I have had since then. I haven’t really felt any inspiration to blog about travel, or photography for that matter. While we haven’t had a real lockdown due to the corona pandemic in Sweden, I have been more or less stuck at home since March and I haven’t been out much with my camera either.

Travel plans for 2021

So what’s next? We are hoping that thanks to vaccinations, travel restrictions will ease after the summer. Plans are to take a mini vacation in Malaga in Spain in August or September. I would really want to hike the spectacular trail Caminito del Rey outside of Malaga. And then we might try to reschedule the trip to Gran Canaria sometime during the fall. I am really longing for sandy beaches and some lazy days in the sun.

Other than that, we will probably stick to domestic travel this summer. Either way, I promise to update more often from now on. Hope you will stick around.

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A guided tour of Pompeii http://hanskullin.se/a-guided-tour-pompeii/ http://hanskullin.se/a-guided-tour-pompeii/#respond Tue, 21 Jan 2020 19:22:37 +0000 http://hanskullin.se/?p=1561 The fate of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii has fascinated me ever since I was a kid and the images of people caught by the ashes made a big impression on me. Pompeii was destroyed by a massive volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and lay completely buried under up to 25 […]

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The fate of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii has fascinated me ever since I was a kid and the images of people caught by the ashes made a big impression on me. Pompeii was destroyed by a massive volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and lay completely buried under up to 25 meters of ash right up to the 18th century when it was rediscovered. Gradually, the ruins of the city have been excavated but they are not completely finished yet, parts of the area are still not fully explored.

We visited Naples in Italy a few weeks ago and during our visit we just had to make an trip to Pompeii. It is easy to get from Garibaldi train station in Naples to Pompeii, the journey takes about half an hour. However, it is not very convenient. The trains are often crowded and are often in poor condition. But it is still a trip you must not miss when you are in the area.

Pompeii

Take a guided tour of Pompeii

I can really recommend booking a guided tour as the area is very large and there is so much detail and historic facts that you miss if you do not have a knowledgeable guide. We booked a tour with the local guide Livio who was very experienced and also spoke good English. The walk took about two hours and Livio took us around to different parts of the city. Of course, you can only see a small part for two hours, but it was quite enough.

Here are a few photos from our guided tour.

Our guide Livio is standing on some large stepping stones that he explained were actually speed bumps. The street was extremely busy and people had horses and rode carts and weren’t very careful. So this is actually a crossing so that pedestrians could safely cross the street.

Tour guide Pompeii
Our tour guide

The streets of Pompeii are well preserved and many structures and buildings are still standing.
It must have been a tiring job to dig everything out of the ashes.

streets in Pompeii

Here is one of the iconic “bodies” of a person who died during the eruption. When they started to explore the forgotten city and found holes in the ground, they made a cast out of some sort of plaster. That is why we could see detailed plaster casts of the citizens of Pompeii. The actual bodies were of course long gone by the time the city was rediscovered.

body of dead person in Pompeii

Here are parts of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius in the background. It’s almost impossible to imagine the horrific scenes when the mountain erupted and started to bury the town with volcanic ash and pumice. In fact, Pompeii was a port city at the time, but after the eruption it is some 5-6 kilometers from the sea. That’s how much volcanic ash that was dumped over the area.

Pompeii with Vesuvius in the background

Inside one well preserved house was this room that had a bath inside. This house was owned by a prominent and wealthy family and had multiple rooms, a garden and some sort of reception area where less important citizens could meet up with this important man. Maybe he was some sort of politician. The house also had waiting rooms and depending on your status, you had to wait in different rooms for your turn to get an appointment.

bath in pompeii

All in all, we had an interesting day in Pompeii and after a well deserved neapolitan pizza, we took the train back to Naples as the sun set over the ocean.

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A guided tour of Pompeii

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