Well, the weather over here so far hasn’t lived up to the expectations of a photogenic winter – we keep having rains and temperatures slightly above 0°C – no snow yet.
How nice it is to be able to reach the winter within an hour drive – yesterday, the Bavarian alps were still experiencing remnants of that winter storm Andrea that hit Germany on Thursday. A lot of fresh snow, allowing this intimate photo of a mountain hut near Unterammergau.
A quick tip for everybody in or near Munich, or having the opportunity to stop by before March 27, 2011: The Museum für Mensch und Natur (right next to the wonderful Schloss Nymphenburg palace and its always photogenic park) is showing the winning and runner-up photos from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPOY) contest 2010. A must see for wildlife and landscape photographers, and a great show for everybody else as well.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see these wonderful images in full size prints!
Over at the interesting and entertaining English language photography blog of Olaf Bathke, Olaf asked the question “Which country is the best to visit as a photographer?“. Obviously there is no simple answer, nor a one-size-fits-all recommendation. But as I am about to start planning 2011 and travel destinations, reading Olaf’s article I took the opportunity and reflect myself on my previous experiences, with a focus on landscape and travel photography. For wildlife, check out my analysis where the winners of the Wildlife Photographer of The Year contest traveled to take their winning shots.
So let me try to answer the questions from Olaf from my experience. Green color where I am in sync with Olaf 
:
Best pictures so far: Norway
Most disappointing landscape: Sicily (Italy)
Most variety in landscape: La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain)
Best Food: Sicily (Italy)
Worst Food: Norway
Easiest way to get access to beaches and special landscapes: Norway
Hardest way to get access to beaches and special landscapes: La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain)
Coldest Country: Norway
Most rain: Norway
Most underestimated country/landscape: Germany
Highest “Must Come Back” Potential: Norway
And adding two new questions:
Countries I really need to revisit: USA (Hawaii, Florida, California), Seychelles, Finland in winter
Countries I long to travel to: Iceland, Scotland, Chile, Ecuador, Patagonia (Argentina), Svalbard (Norway), Extramadura (Spain), Hungary, Siberia and Kamtchatka (Russia), Japan, Bretagne (France), New England (USA), Southwest USA, Northwest USA, Westcoast Canada, Alaska… Sigh.
Given this year’s travel budget, Scotland or Southern Spain rank high in likeliness 
What can you tell us about your experiences? Post a blog article and link it here or leave a comment!
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