The collected writings of a Renegade Tourist

Category Frozen Moments

Mittlere Rheinbrucke, 1:20 pm

There is a person swimming in the river! What the hell? I am standing on a bridge over the river Rhein in the middle of a fairly big city and really did not expect anyone to be swimming in the river. It is one of Europe’s main waterways after all, not just some small creek. Well, in my experience there will be some crazy people everywhere, Switzerland shouldn’t be an exception. But then, just as I’m about to turn around, another person floats out from under the bridge, a small boy in a life vest this time, and shortly after, … Read the rest

Over the Taiwan Strait, 8:10 pm

We took off with the nose pointing roughly northward, seeing little but blackness out the windows. Just a moment ago the pilot made a big sweeping left turn to point us more southwesterly and as we leveled out a magnificent view opened up outside the little porthole to my left. We are flying at a pretty low altitude so we can see the ground fairly clearly; most of it is wreathed in shadow but thousands upon thousands of lights are spread out in the darkness, little dots of amber intermingled with specks of blue tinted white. It lights up the … Read the rest

Road 54, noon

As soon as the road entered the mountains the fog descended. As we climb higher it gets thicker and I find myself unconsciously slowing the car down as visibility shrinks to just tens of meters. I hunch forward over the steering wheel and peer into the milky nether, searching out the curve of the road and the least sign of an oncoming car. My focus is heightened partly from fear of flying off the road, partly from excitement at the risk. My wife beside me is scared but the sense of danger has me smiling.… Read the rest

Road 54, 3:19 pm

All morning we drove through relatively tame terrain, rolling hills of green pastures and fields, the mountains in the background less steep than normal, without snow on the tops and even some swatches of green climbing the slopes. Since around noon, the surrounding landscape has gotten increasingly wild, the pastures giving way to yellowish moss, a few crags and small waterfalls here and there. Then the crags started increasing in number, sprouting large cliffs of stones-like pillars on both sides and the ground becoming covered in brown shrubs with shifting green leaves. We finally started climbing along the edge of … Read the rest

Myvatn nature bath, 3:58 pm

The sky is clear with a few tufts of cloud, the air smells of sulfur but there is a cool breeze blowing. All around is the dramatic Icelandic landscape, barren mountains and all. The water II’m sitting in has a strange color, a kind of milky blue that is almost luminescent. The water is comfortably warm and relaxes the body. Sitting here soaking in a hot spring, looking out over the landscape is just perfect.

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Road no. 1, 4:27 pm.

We’ve just left the coastal road and turned back onto the main road. We climb higher up the mountains and then, as we come around a tight corner, the road opens up into a sort of narrow water chute valley, the road running along the valley floor and the sides rising gently just meters from the road. There is snow coming down from the peaks both right and left, flowing down the slope almost all the way to the banks of the road, big blotches of bare earth here and there in a sort of gigantic camouflage pattern. The sun … Read the rest

Road number 1 north of Höfn, 12:20 pm

The surrounding landscape is littered with crags and cliffs, tendrils of the mountain creeping out onto the plane. The road winds it’s way through a maze of rock, around tight turns, up steep hills, down sweeping slopes and through narrow passages, high cliffs on both sides. It’s a real rollercoaster ride through the stunning landscape.… Read the rest

Coastal road, east Iceland, 1:45 pm

We have just come off the gravel road at the bottom of a fjord and are speeding outwards toward the tip of the peninsula when I have a moment to relax and look out the window. On our left, moss covered rock formations rolling down from snowcapped peaks in a gentle slope, continuing on the other side of road, down to the clear blue ocean and on the other side of the fjord, darker mountains rise steeply to flat tops scattered with snow. It’s supremely beautiful.… Read the rest

Coastal road, remote fjord, 3:40 pm

We’re on a gravel road, the car vibrates and bounces on the uneven surface, small rocks ping off the underside of the body at a steady rate and we stir up a big cloud of dust behind us. To the left of us the mountains, barren cliffs coming down in terraces towards the sea, the narrow road clinging on to the edge above the blue water and me fighting against the loose gravel to keep the car from careening off the edge. I look out over the fjord to the mountains rising sharply on the other side, and realize how … Read the rest

Svinafellsjökull 2:10 pm

The rhythmic crunch of spike-soled boots on ice, the air is cool and crisp but my body is hot from exertion. Spread out in front of me is jumbled field of snow and ice, crisscrossed by crevices and gullies, sprinkled with volcanic ash and dotted here and there with puddles of absolutely clear water where the blue core of the ice shows through. Even if you’ve grown up with snow and ice, this is quite an experience.… Read the rest

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