Tag Beautiful landscape
I put my book down and look out the window. Normally all I could see would be the blue sky delineated by the wing of the plane, but now, below us, I see the Alps. A vast range of mountains stretching off in all directions, stark grey tops covered in pristine snow that make me wish I could be there right now, riding my snowboard. Moments later a valley appears, starting somewhere under me and stretching out in a quarter circle towards the tip of the wing. The sides of the valley are a deep forest green, with lighter shades … Read the rest
Me and my colleagues are in the chartered car heading back towards our hotel; speeding through the Indian landscape, low bushes and dusty yellow grass on both sides, the setting sun hanging like a glowing orange ball in front of us. I’m in the passenger seat, relaxed, leaning my arm on the door handle, a black market beer in my hand watching the landscape flow past – bloody brilliant!… Read the rest
I’m lying on a flat rock at the bottom of a big waterfall, gazing at the sky, the canopy of the jungle on two sides, and some fluffy clouds floating leisurely by. I dip my feet in the river, letting the cool water flow over them, and in the background I can hear the swooshing of the fall and the mellow gurgling of the creek among the boulders. Complete peacefulness.… Read the rest
I’ve got the ear buds stuck in at angle to get the bass notes better, Volbeat blasting away, all electric guitars and garbled English. The air conditioning is set to a comfortable level and despite not being able to see the ground I still enjoy the view. It turns out our cruising altitude is such that we are flying just above a layer of clouds. Hills and valleys, crags, boulders and ravines all formed of pristine white vapor bathed in sunlight against a backdrop of clear blue sky and even a few lighter tufts of cloud above. It really is … Read the rest
Today has been a day of driving, but in Iceland that’s not necessarilya bad thing. Going along the countryside roads and seeing this fantastic landscape in all its glory from the comfort of the car is great. We really only stopped a few times to stretch our legs and snap a few shots of the spectacular view.
We took the coastal road, zigzaging as it follows the line of the fjords. The mountains tumble into the sea and the road hugging the edge all the way. It seems people universally find mountains and water to be beautiful and with such … Read the rest
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
Yini had to go back home and work but us five boys continued our exploration of Taiwan’s east coast. Our train arrived in Hualien on Sunday evening, we found a hotel a stone’s throw from the train station, then went out for dinner and bought a few strange snacks to share in the hotel room.
On Monday morning we rented a couple of scooters, then rode out of town to famous tourist destination Taroko Gorge. Axel and I have been there before, but the spectacular lime stone cliffs, rivers and waterfalls make it well worth another visit.
Collecting a map … Read the rest
To my left, green mountains with bare Rocky cliffs, a blue sky up above and a slope down towards azure blue sea. In front of me a thin band of asphalt bending of to the right. I slow down and savor the moment of being on a motorized two wheeler once again, my girlfriend behind me and the wind on my face. Then I lean into the curve and twist my right hand, the scooter shoots forward and zooms through the bend while a fizzy feeling of speed bubbles up within me.… Read the rest
There is something about islands, or rather something about the intersection of land and water that is so personified by islands, that captures the human eye. Post cards from all over the world are full of that special magic that is a beach, a harbour or a cliff leading down to the ocean. And here I am on a ferry from the Croatian mainland sailing towards a far away island, moving leisurely through an archipelago with large islands off to both sides. The perfect moment then to snap that post card picture, or so one would think. In fact, due … Read the rest