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Author Archives: BertBeckers

Abandoned underground mushroom farm

Abandoned underground mushroom farms are pretty common in Europe. It was a booming business in the 20th century and many old underground quarries or tunnels got reconverted into underground mushroom farms. After all, rent was pretty cheap since those place had no other use. Plus the dark surroundings and humid climate are excellent growing conditions for mushrooms. For more then a decade I’ve been exploring abandoned underground quarries and therefore i’ve come across many old abandoned mushroom farms, but this […]

Roadtrip to Slovenia

In September, Samana and I hit the road for a week-long road trip from Holland to Slovenia and back. We planned this trip a few weeks ahead by setting a date, but furthermore we had absolutely nothing planned. After loading up Sam’s car with our camping gear , we decided to head towards München and figure out there where to go. During this trip we really lived from day to day and often arrived in the dark at closed campsites.

Lisbon on a Budget

Lisbon is one of those places where you can easily fill 3 days or more with just sightseeing. And that’s exactly what I did during my visit in Lisbon in January. In this blogpost I will give you an overview of my selection of best places to visit whilst exploring Lisbon. It has to be noted that one of the major tourist attractions of all in missing in this list. Sadly I didn’t had the chance to visit Sintra, so I […]

Chefchaouen; Morocco’s Blue City

Chefchaouen is becoming one of Morocco’s most popular travel destinations and I can see why. The famous blue city was high on my list of places to visit in Morocco and after visiting it one of my favorite places I’ve visited to far.

Ouzoud Waterfalls

The Ouzoud Waterfalls are Africa’s second tallest waterfalls with a total height of 110m.  Located about 150km from Marrakech near the Middle Atlas Mountains, they are one of the most popular day trips from Marrakech, and probably one of the most visited and photographed tourist destinations in Morocco. There can be a lot of people, specially during summer.

Stranded in Ouarzazate

Ouarzazate is located beteen the Atlas and Anti-Atlas Mountains. It’s the gateway to Merzouga and the Sahara-Desert. The region offers many beautiful landscapes and ancient Kashbah’s, making it a popular filming location. Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, The Mummy Returns, Hercules and Batman vs Superman are one of the many movies that have been shot in the area. Oh and let’s not forget about Game of Thrones! All this led us to Ourzazate as our first destination on our summer backpacking […]

Eid al-Adha in Marrakech

In August 2018 we had the unique experience of visiting Morocco during Eid al-Adha, also know as the feast of sacrifice. For Muslims, Eid-al-Adha celebrates the end of Haij, the pilgrimage to Mecca. It’s one of the most important Islamic holidays where families gather around to sacrifice a goat or a sheep.  This tradition commemorates the story about prophet Ibrahim who showed obedience to Allah by agreeing to sacrifice his son. In return for his obedience, Allah sent him a goat […]

Carrières Quesnel et Aubin

Last weekend I travelled back to France with some friends in order to visit some underground limestone quarries. We visited 2 big quarries and used a 3rd smaller quarry as a sleeping place for the 2 nights. Just like expected, we were totally exhausted at the end of the weekend and still haven’t seen or photographed everything I wanted to. But that’s a good reason to go back someday..    

Smartphone Covers “Mergelgroeven”

Good news for everybody who loves underground quarries and who owns an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy SmartPhone: Currently there are 7 unique SmartPhone covers available, with pictures of the underground limestone quarries. They are available for iPhone 4,5 & 6 and Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 & S5. Estimated price is about 31€ (incl shipping), depending on your phone and location. Click here for the iPhone covers Click here for the Samsung Galaxy Covers

Tielt-Winge, België

Stars at the Vlooybergtoren

Yesterday it was a very clear night, so it was the ideal moment to shoot some startrails. The picture was made at the Vlooybergtoren in Tielt-Winge, Belgium. In the summer of 2013 I made a similar shot with the same composition, however it was full moon back then, resulting in only a few visible stars. This time it was extremely clear with many stars visible, even though there’s a fair amount of light pollution in the area. The startrail is […]