Lofoten Islands Travel Article

Reinebringen View Lofoten Islands Hiking

Photo: View over Kjerkfjord from Reinebringen, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Oct. 2011

A few months back I wrote an article about the Lofoten Islands for a new travel website.  As I’ve been on the road, I never got around to posting a link, so here it is finally.  Give it a read and let me know what you think.  Though please don’t try and tell me I have a future in writing.

SWITCHBACK TRAVEL – Lofoten Islands by Cody Duncan

Lofoten islands article

 

Lofoten Islands mountain landscape

Photo: Maervoll, Lofoten Islands, Norway. Oct. 2011

Germany – Frankenjura Bouldering Day 2

Frankenjura Bouldern - Franenjura bouldering

Photo: Bouldering, Frankenjura, Germany. Nov 2011.

…Continuing from yesterdays bouldering pics.  Here’s fotos from day two.  We found a cool looking boulder, that while not especially difficult (though conditions were crap), made for some good photos I think.  Again, I used an off-camera flash most of the time, which on a few pics almost makes it look like a nice sunny day instead of cold and misty.

 

Frankenjura Bouldern - Franenjura bouldering

 

Fränkische Schweiz forest landscape

 

Frankenjura Bouldern - German Bouldering

 

Frankenjura Bouldern - German Bouldering

 

Frankenjura Bouldern - German Bouldering

 

Frankenjura Bouldern - German Bouldering

 

Frankenjura Bouldern - German Bouldering

 

 

Germany – Fränkische Schweiz Bouldering

Frankenjura Bouldern

 

In the final days of November I found myself back in the old familiar landscape of the Fränkische Schweiz.  Once my back yard, the rock towers, lonely valleys, high cherry orchards, and dark forests still remain familiar to me after the passage of the years.  The days were short and cold, a heavy gloom coating the land.  German Gray I once called it, and I still keep this opinion.  Anyone who’s been there would agree that this is an appropriate description.  More than just a color, it is a feeling that fills the land in the cold months.

I was lucky to be with a few friends and head out to shoot some bouldering sessions on a couple days.  Here’s a few images from the first day, near Pottenstein.  Light in the forests was pretty much non-existent, so I had to use my SB-800 as an off camera flash to add a little light to the scenes.

 

Frankenjura Bouldern

 

Frankenjura Bouldern

 

Frankenjura Bouldering

 

Frankenjura Bouldering

 

Frankenjura Bouldering

Northern Lights Over Lofoten Islands, Norway

Lofoten islands, Norway Northern Lights

Photo: Northern lights fill sky over Lofoten Islands, Norway.

October 8, 2011. It was my final night after another two weeks on the Lofoten islands.  There had been a couple minor displays of the northern lights but for the most part these nights were cloudy and stormy, blocking any aurora that would normally be visible.  Finally on my last night the conditions seemed perfect; clear sky and only a calm breeze.  As the hours of darkness passed I would take a look outside in hopes of aurora.  8:00, nothing.  9:00, nothing.  10:00, nothing.  10:30, a bit of something!  Fingers crossed.

By 11:00 the night sky was filled with the best aurora that I’ve ever seen.  Horizon to horizon, the whole sky was dancing with light for a full hour.  I stood out on the edge of the sea, waves gently crashing ageist the rocks, and photographed into the night.  And it was one of those moments I wished I had 20 arms and 10 cameras, as there was so much going on I didn’t know where to point my camera first.  Needless to say, it was a good farewell I was given by the north.

Lofoten islands, Norway northern lights

Photo: Aurora Borealis over mountains of Lofoten Islands, Norway

 

Lofoten islands, Norway aurora borealis

Photo: Aurora Borealis over mountains of Lofoten Islands, Norway

 

Lofoten islands, Norway northern lights

Photo: Northern Lights fill sky, Lofoten Islands, Norway

 

Lofoten islands, Norway northern lights

Photo: Northern Lights in sky over rocky coastline at Stamsund, Lofoten Islands, Norway

 

Travel Updates – In Wales

Northern lights lofoten islands october 2011

Photo: Northern lights over Lofoten Islands, Norway.  Oct 8, 2011

It’s been quite a bit of time since my last post.  I’ve been on the road for the last 2.5 months in northern and eastern Europe.  I really tried to get some blogging done, but every time I pulled out the crappy little netbook that I had, I felt more like throwing it in the ocean than trying to get any work done.

The trip started with 2 weeks on the Lofoten islands, with a spectacular display of the northern lights on my final night.  I next spent 25 hours on 3 train to reach Stockholm.  Then I took the overnight ferry along with hoards of drunk Finns to Helsinki and immediately took another ferry to Tallinn, Estonia.  I had meant to travel through the Baltics about 5 years ago, so this part of the trip was long overdue.  I spent 2 weeks heading south via Riga, Klaipeda, and Vilnius before an epic bus ride to far south east of Poland.  In Poland I hiked around the Biesczszady and high Tatra mountains, taking advantage of an unusually warm and dry autumn in Europe this year.  After Poland was a journey through the Czech Republic, visiting some old favorite cities of Olomouc and Cesky Krumlov.  Finally it was another 2 weeks in Germany visiting old friends and a bit of bouldering.

I’m in and around Wales for the next couple months.  Will make a journey out the the Western Isles for the new year again and maybe another journey in late Jan out to Orkney.  I’m also working on possible plans for a Lofoten trip in Feb.

The blog should more or less be back to normal now (not that many people read it anyhow) and I’ve lots of photos and stories to post from the last couple months.

Tallinn, Estonia

Photo: Main square, Tallinn, Estonia

 

High Tatra mountains, Poland

Photo: High Tatra mountains, Poland

 

Frankenjura Bouldering

Photo: Bouldering, Frankenjura, Germany