The cavern we are in gets larger up ahead, the vaulted, stalactite clad ceiling lit up by a soft orange glow, expands outward then opens up on a black void. A string of lights like a band of diamonds stretches out into the darkness, shedding light on a vast canyon beyond. The floor drops off steeply to the river down below and the ceiling disappears overhead. There is a rushing of water from the river and the air feels cooler. A silent, ” bloody hell” rises up in me at the sight of the canyon which is awesome in the … 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
I am standing on a small, circular, walled in square among a bunch of other people. Towards the middle of the square is a small group of men standing in a half moon shape. They wear white shirts, black trousers and red girdles and beside them is a sign proclaiming that they sell CD’S. A few moments pass then they start to sing, a traditional Croatian song sung by a five man choir. The sound is deep and resonant, rising along the circular walls towards the perfectly round hole high above us, reverberating with a force and a clearness of … Read the rest
Swedish summer nights are very nearly endless, the light usually not fading until about eleven, but tonight is different. It is still light enough to see by but there is a darkness to the sky that makes it feel as if light is fading from the world altogether. Dark, brooding rain clouds mingle with a thick, light grey soup that blocks out the sun, tinged purple by nonexistent sunset and orange from pointless street lights below. Rain falls heavily on the ground, creating streams and pools on the paths beneath my window. The world is lifeless and empty except for … Read the rest
The bus is far less crowded than expected, only one or two people are standing up, despite this being one of the smaller busses on this line. Outside the air is crisp, bordering on chilly with a cold sun illuminating the world – what most would consider fresh spring weather. In the bus though, it’s hot and stuffy. There is a definite stale note to the air, an almost tangible, sickly sweet smell, and a feeling of second-hand body heat and recycled oxygen that engulfs you as you step inside. Strangely, almost everyone is sitting there calmly clad in jackets, … Read the rest
Doors and windows are slightly rounded, as if seen through a fish eye lens. Straight lines are scewed and the whole world sort of wobbles as I walk, a wave traversing through asphalt, concrete, glass and steel with every movement of my head. It is somewhat like being drunk but not that warm fuzzy state that gets you talking and dancing. No, its more like that cold, nauseous stage of drunkenness when you just want to get home and sleep. Yet I haven’t touched an intoxicating substance for two weeks. Instead it is my glasses that affect me thusly. I … Read the rest
We are driving our snowmobiles across a large, windswept plateau in between the rounded, forest-clad mountain tops. It’s hard to tell with all the snow, but our guide informs us that it is actually a frozen lake. That explains why it is so flat and lacks trees. The snow is has been packed by the wind and is hard and bumpy but the area is open so it is possible to drive at speed, the soft seat cushioning the bumps. The sensation of speed is strange, there is surprisingly little wind yet anything over 40 kilometers an hour feels like … Read the rest
Here I go with the sunset images again, but it seems to be the only beauty in an otherwise grey existence. As I cross the river it is not a conventionally beautiful naturescape that serves as a background for the multicoloured sky, but the industrial outline of an old harbour city. A few old-time ships, permanently docked along the riverbank serve as a spice to the area’s main ingredients of old factories, warehouses and newly built office complexes. Above it all rises the big cranes of the wharfs and dry docks as black silhouetts against the blazing orange of the … Read the rest
The orange globe of the sun hangs low in the december sky, barely reaching above the mountain range in the east. It spreads its amber rays over the white snow causing everything to sparkle with joy. The air feels crisp and cool against my skin as I speed down the slope in long, sweeping turns, cutting a smooth, clear path through the corduroy surface. This is one of those moments when everything just comes together and it is, in a word, perfect. I live for moments like this!… Read the rest
There is a piercing pain below my knee and a numbing pain in my elbow every time I move my right arm. The weather is generally overcast and a bit windy and it’s hard to see clearly. All of that is of no consequence: it is my first day in the snow since april and it feels good to be back.… Read the rest
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