Sir O'Madden

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Northern Lights - impressions

Northern Lights – impressions

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About the northern lights

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  Hello, my Dear,

When you are living as far north as I do at the moment, tourists will ask you one question over and over again: “Are there going to be northern lights tonight?”

I can absolutely understand why people are so fascinated by the aurora borealis that they travel far only to see them once. During my time here I was lucky enough to see them quite a lot – after all…

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About bucket list/facebook-tourists

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  Hello, my Dear,

During the last weeks I’ve met many tourists and most of them came up north for specific reasons: Either they wanted to see the northern lights or they wanted to go dog sledding once in their lives.

Now, there is certainly nothing wrong with having dreams and fulfilling them. I have no problem with people having bucket lists; in fact it can be helpful to…

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About the Finnmarksløpet and true sportsmanship

Lies mich auf Deutsch   Hello, my Dear,

Alta – the closest town to my current home – is normally a rather quiet place. At the moment though there is an exciting event taking place: the Finnmarksløpet. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard about it; it’s a sled dog race which has been organised by the Alta trekkhundklubb since 1981. It is also the world’s northernmost sled dog race and has gained…

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The International Women’s Day in Benin

Lies mich auf Deutsch   Hello, my Dear,

Today is the International Women’s Day – you probably know that. To be honest: I never experienced it as a special day – not until I was in Benin. That is what I would like to talk to you about today.

In our country the International Women’s Day is a day just like the others – the only difference is that on the 8th of march every newspaper seems to be…

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About the red houses of Scandinavia

Lies mich auf Deutsch   Hello, my Dear,

If you imagine a summer cottage in Sweden, Norway or Finland – what does it look like? Do you see a little red house in an idyllic landscape? That is at least what most people would picture since red houses are very common in Scandinavia; the place I work at is painted red as well so I thought that today I could tell you where that colour is coming from and…

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About dog sledding

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Hello, my Dear,

I’ve been in Norway for several weeks now and I’ve had the chance to work with some fantastic huskies. Today I want to talk to you about what it feels like to be mushing.

But first a few things about the history of dog sledding. Dogs have been used as means of transportation for over 4000 years; especially in Siberia. For the indigenous people they were…

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About trolls

Lies mich auf Deutsch     Hello, my Dear,

Norway is the country of fjords, endless forests and of course of trolls. You probably know what a troll is since they appear in many modern books like Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Still I would like to tell you a little more about these Scandinavian trolls that you are very likely to find in every souvenir shop in Norway.

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The old postal road from Alta to Kautokeino

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  Hello, my Dear,

I’m still in northern Norway, 25 km south of Alta. Yesterday I got the chance to explore my surroundings a little further by going on a snowmobile-safari. That is what I would like to tell you about.

The road we took was the old postal road, stretching over 130 km from Alta to Kautokeino. During the summer the part that we took is nothing but a gravel road,…

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About Silence

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  “Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom” – Francis Bacon

  Hello, my Dear,

Today I took a long stroll in the wonderful wintery snowy Norwegian woods and it got me thinking.

Most of the time I live in a big city; I share a flat with 3 others and there is barely ever a moment of silence. All day long you can hear the sound of cars, music, construction sites etc. Getting…

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About Tom Bombadil

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  „Even in a mythical age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally).” -J.R.R. Tolkien

  Hello, my Dear,

If someone asked me what my favourite book was, I wouldn’t even have to think about my answer. My favourite book is (and will probably always be) The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Ever since my father read it to me as a…

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About money and its usage in Benin

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  „Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants.”

– Benjamin Franklin

    Hello, my Dear,

Money is one of the most important topics of our time. Whenever you turn on the TV you are confronted with it. People trying to sell you something, people complaining about not having enough of…

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Benin - impressions

Benin – impressions

View from the top of the Collines, Benin. The holes in the stoned are used to collect water.

Carved holes used to collect water

  Les Collines, Benin

Les Collines, Benin

The path up to the top of the Collines, Benin

Grand Popo, Benin

Beach in Grand Popo, Benin

Waterfall close to Natitingou, Northern Benin

Road to a waterfall close to Natitingou, Benin

Natitingou, Benin

Traditional houses near the…

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About the Door of No Return, Ouidah

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  Hello, my Dear,

When you travel to a different country you always get confronted with that country’s history. Sometimes you hear delightful stories about victory and justice, the empowerment of people and progress. But unfortunately most places also have a violent history, full of hatred and cruelty.

Those are the topics we hear about every day and I actually didn’t want…

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[the-peopleimeet]

"There is an island in the middle of the river where all the travelers go. When the boat is near the island it sounds it’s horn so all the locals know that tourists are coming. Then they hide their phones, electronics and take off their clothes to start the freak show." "Lie for a lie and both of the sides think they have won." —- met him somewhere on the Amazon river [ BRASIL ]  ( Omagua tribe )

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About Beninese markets

Lies mich auf Deutsch   Hello, my Dear,

have you ever noticed that in our country you can go shopping for groceries without any communication, sometimes even without any human contact at all? You can walk through the supermarket and take whatever you want to buy and at the checkout it is enough to nod or to shake your head as you hand over your money. In some stores you can also use self-checkouts…

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What it feels like to be a stranger

What it feels like to be a stranger

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My Dear,

Today I want to talk to you about a very important topic: What does it feel like to be a stranger? While I was travelling in Benin and Togo there was no way to pretend that I wasn’t a foreigner to these countries. You can probably guess why: I look differently than most of the natives. My skin is of a light tone (even though it turns pretty red when I’m in the sun…

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