twikga stories about life, travels and other passions
What you love is what you cherish. We believe that opening your hart to the small wonders of life will make you appreciate what you have and passionate about preserving the world around you. Sadly, in times of climate change the urgency of wildlife conservation is brought right to our doorsteps. We realize how privileged we are to travel the world and hope that by sharing our pictures with a broader audience, through our websites, exhibitions and social media, that we may contribute to the protection of the places we were fortunate enough to visit over the years…
Willem in Remembering Rhinos book
We are thrilled that Willem is one of the 10 winning photographers of the Remembering Rhinos photo contest. His winning picture of…
Leven in Hamburg
Leven in Hamburg was een feest en we zullen het missen. Ons huis, de rozentuin, het overdekte balkon waar we zo vaak hebben gezeten. We woonden in het pittoreske Treppenviertel met zijn vele kleine huizen dicht aan dicht gebouwd tegen de "Elbhang". Elke zaterdag liepen we met onze "hackenporsche" de vele trappen omhoog naar het dorp om boodschappen te doen op de markt. Als beloning volgde voor...
Chimps and sandy beaches
Happy birthday Tanja! We celebrated Tanja’s 50th birthday in Mahale, a truly magical place. It combines the clear waters of Lake Tanganyika and…
Elephants in Amboseli
Elephants, dust and mirages. It was great to be back in Amboseli. We love the vast arid landscapes. The above picture shows us having breakfast on…
Wild dogs and dagga boys in Laikipia
Endless landscapes in Laikipia, one of our favorite areas in Kenya. It is located at 1,700-2,000 meter close to Mount Kenya. The area has…
Tanja wins GDT award
We feel happy and honored being awarded a first prize in the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2016 for Tanja’s picture…
Roadtrip Kenya Hipstas
To save time we often take internal flights to travel within African countries. But road transfers are great to get a feel for the country and its people. Like everywhere in the world roads attract a lot of people, vehicles, businesses, buildings, construction, advertising, smells and trash. Every country turns this into a local mix depending on the local habits and laws. In 2016 we made a road...
White magic in Svalbard
Spitsbergen and the Dutch go way back. Willem just returned from another great trip to Svalbard, or Spitsbergen as the Dutch say. His father joined…
3irds go beaching along the river Elbe
"Pooh, great to be away from the house, always busy, always things to do. It is too hot to move anyway. Summer in the city! Great that we have the river. Ah, look at that nice boot. Come on Little bird, relax, enjoy!" "Funny Bird, you can't just leave our friend there. This is not funny. He will melt. You have to help me dig him out again! Where is Duvel when we need him? At least he would have...
Olifanten, binnenkort alleen nog als monument te zien?
De Fontana dell’Elefante is het symbool van de Siciliaanse stad Catania. De Fontein staat op het Piazza del Duomo voor de kathadraal van Catania en Palazzo degli Elefanti. Volgens de geograaf Idrisi beschermt de, van zwarte lavasteen gemaakte olifant, de stad tegen uitbarstingen van de vulkaan de Etna. Liotru, zoals de olifant liefkozend door de Cataniers genoemd wordt, werd in 1239 het...
