Articles tagged with: hiking
I once spent a year living in Iceland and I quickly came to learn a couple of special things about this place:
in winter most walkways are ice-free due to intelligent piping
the country’s culinary specialty is rotten shark which instead of chewing is swallowed down with Brennivín (really strong alcohol)
the consumption of Coca Cola per capita is higher than in the US
knitting and partying compete for the title of „Most Popular …
Pristine blue skies contrasting with the pure whiteness of salt deserts; vertiginous roads cutting through rainbow-coloured mountains; proud llamas strolling the high plateaus of the altiplano: the wild landscapes of the Andes range will take your breath away. Quite literally so, actually: above 2 500 or 3 000 meters, you might start experiencing what locals call soroche (mountain sickness). As the oxygen becomes rarer, your body is likely to respond …
You are strong and beautiful, you stand tall, are full of surprises and you are famous around the world. Dear Grand Canyon, I have a confession to make… when I first saw you I got butterflies in my stomach, my legs were shaking and couldn’t stop staring at you… for hours! You got me and will remain in my heart forever….
My first trip to the grandest of canyons was about …
Carefully I dive my right foot into the hot pool, checking the temperature. It is not too hot and so I dive in with my whole body. A light smell of brimstone hangs in the air and darkness surrounds me. The little waves caused by my body break against the stone wall and make a quiet swashing sound. Hesitantly I advance towards the back of the pool, there must …
There are girls who go to Paris for a weekend of shopping, others who spend a few days lounging by the beach in Spain. And then there are girls like Klara Harden, who wander off to Iceland to spend 25 days hiking all by herself throughout the lonely and stunning landscapes of the Icelandic highlands.
The young photographer and filmmaker from Austria had financed her trip through crowdfunding via starnext, asking …
Rjukan is a Norwegian town where the sun is never seen during winter time. It’s situated in the narrow valley of Vestfjord, surrounded by the Southern gateway to Hardangervidda, and by the foot of a majestic mountain: Gaustatoppen. This stunning setting is also the reason why the nearly 3300 inhabitants of Rjukan don’t even get a glimpse of a sunbeam during winter. Norwegians are tough folks though and therefore casually …
I have never been to Sweden, but nonetheless, I somehow grew up with this country. I read all of Astrid Lindgrens novels at least twice, went to IKEA with my parents on the regular, drank Fläder Saft and ate Kötbullar meat balls. I even had a Swedish Aupair. Childhood days are long gone, but the presence of Sweden in everyday life is still around. These days my friends and I …
Usually, when on holiday, I like to fully dedicate my time to a cherished eat – sleep – surf routine, which, in the past, has been proving a great way to enjoy my time off. This time, however, my dear friend Minna dared me to break the cycle and get active.
After a couple of days at the beach, she did some research on local stuff to do and eventually decided …
Once upon a time there were some Incas whose stronghold was a great, hidden village in the mountains of Peru. Peacefully they lived their life up in the mountains, while enemies tried to conquer the area around without ever finding the hidden village.
This is not just a fairy tale; the hidden village, Machu Picchu, still exists and was declared one of the New Seven World Wonders in 2007.
The Inca sanctuary …
Ever since I moved away from Norway I find there is something magical about returning to the fjords and the mountains. After spending time in the ”concrete jungle” or in small green spots in the city it is liberating to go walking for hours and get some fresh mountain-air. Sometimes you can also find a nice spot to take a (freezing) bath.
When I go back to visit my family, I normally try to …
