Hobbies

If you wonder what are the hobbies of a researcher, here are mine. Most of them are related to the will of learning or exploring new areas. One of my hobbies is to travel around the world to meet people from different cultures, to experience other ways of life, to explore new places, and to observe wildlife.

Wildlife observation
Remarkable wildlife observation places include: Galapagos (Ecuador), Serengeti national park (Tasmania), Ngorongoro national park (Tasmania), Maasai Mara (Kenya), Bako national park (Borneo), Matang national park (Borneo), Mulu national park (Borneo), Laponie (Finland), Manu national park (Peru), Torres del Paine (Chile)
Whales watching: Iceland, Australia, Sri Lanka, Patagonia
Birds watching: Finland, Galapagos

Visiting planet Earth
Europe: Island, Norway, Sweeden, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Hungaria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Nederland, Belgium, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Italia, Switzerland
America: Canada, USA, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, French Guyana, Surinam, Brazil, Fernando de Noronha, Sint Marteen, Saint Barthelemy
Asia: Hongkong, Singapour, Malaysia, Russia
Africa: Maroco, Ivory Costa, Benin, Tanzania, Kenya
Oceania and the Indian Ocean: Australia, Tasmania, Reunion Island, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Borneo, Zanzibar, Galapagos

Water exploration
Sailing: (Swiss sailing license, short and long-range VHF license, star navigation training)
Memorable sailing places: Croatia, Greece, Brittany, Lake Zurich and Geneva, Saint Barthelemy, Zanzibar, and Åland archipelago.
Diving: (Padi open water license) Great barrier reef (Australia), Fernando de Nohona (Brazil), Sri Lanka, Borneo
Scuba diving: Reunion, Seychelle, Great barrier reef (Australia), Galapagos, Saint Barthelemy, Fernando de Noronha
Surfing: Australia, Peru, Sri Lanka
Canoeing: Canadian lakes, French rivers, Sweeden Lakes
Sea kayaking: Patagonia, Tasmania
Jungle boat: Peru amazon, French Guyana, Surinam, Borneo

Land exploration
Climbing and Via Ferrata: France, Finland, Switzerland, Australia
Caving: France, Borneo, Switzerland
Trekking: Memorable treks: Torres del Paine (Patagonia), Andies by horse (Peru), Blue Mountains (Australia),  Alps (France and Switzerland), Pyrenees (France),  Yellowstone (USA), Yoshua (USA), Sequoia tree (USA)
Mountaineering: Memorable summits: Jebel Toubkal (4167 m, Maroco), Doldenhorn (3638 m, Switzerland), Parinacota volcano (6348 m, Bolivia), Huayna Potosí (6088 m, Bolivia), Cerro toco (5604 m, Chile) Saint Mary peak (1189 m, Australia)
Ski: Ski touring, Alpine ski, nordic ski, skating ski

Air exploration
Paragliding: Auvergne and French Alps
Piloting a CESSNA: Finland
Sky diving: only in wind tunnel 🙂

Sports
Team: Handball (1993-2001)
Individual: swimming, running, pole vault, cross country skiing

Astronomy
-Various astronomical courses.
-Observation in various places: Observatory Haut Provence, Toulouse, Atacama (Chile), Australia, Finland

Readings
Graphic novels, adventure books

Gardening
Fruit trees and vegetables