Travelling

[Archon]

Talk about your past, present or future trips! Where do/would you like to go, what do/would you like to see...the questions are endless. Pics, of course, are a must.



I myself am going on a rafting trip next Thursday.

One day of rafting in the Tara river, one day of off-roading and hiking in one of the most beautiful areas in the Balkans (National Park Sutjeska, Perucica primeval forest, Skakavac waterfall), culminating in going for a swim in a beautiful lake in the shape of a heart symbol (Trnovacko jezero). Just Google these.

On the last day we'll get some breakfast, get in a car and visit some towns on the way back.

 

[Halon]

my dream is to go to Japan. There is something about the culture, history and people that fascinates me

 

[Uplifted]

I wish to see Trolltunga (Troll Tongue) in Norway some day.

 

[Halon]

I wish to see Trolltunga (Troll Tongue) in Norway some day.
View attachment 1617

Maybe we can go together sometime. I live not far from it

 

[MDD]

I'm currently in Jordan. Epic place. There is so much culture, amazing food and lots of history to wrap it all off. Rather hot though. Definitely had the Dune/ the Martian vibes here.

@Halon Japan... It's one of my favourite places I've ever visited. I try not to go back to places I have visited, but Japan is an exception.

Will be saving up for veitnam/more of Asia for 2024...

 

[Halon]

I'm currently in Jordan. Epic place. There is so much culture, amazing food and lots of history to wrap it all off. Rather hot though. Definitely had the Dune/ the Martian vibes here.

View attachment 1627

@Halon Japan... It's one of my favourite places I've ever visited. I try not to go back to places I have visited, but Japan is an exception.

Will be saving up for veitnam/more of Asia for 2024...

oh boy you lucky dog i've been to Israel and we crossed the border to Jordan. This was at the far south in Eilat, IsraelAqaba,Jordan. It was amazing there.

 

[Archon]

@MDD nice man! Great to hear people travel all over the world. My friend went to Jordan last year, was full of praise when he came back.

 

[MDD]

oh boy you lucky dog i've been to Israel and we crossed the border to Jordan. This was at the far south in Eilat, IsraelAqaba,Jordan. It was amazing there.

I was in Aqaba a few days ago and could see Eilat over the port area. It was sooo hot that I couldn't stay outside more than an hour. Petra was cooler at least. Reached a scorching 45 degress. A pale white British man can't handle it!

 

[Halon]

I was in Aqaba a few days ago and could see Eilat over the port area. It was sooo hot that I couldn't stay outside more than an hour. Petra was cooler at least. Reached a scorching 45 degress. A pale white British man can't handle it!

Nice. Yeah it gets pretty damn hot there indeed. Never been to Petra but i always wanted to visit.

 

[Archon]

So ~2 weeks ago I went to Bosnia, for a rafting adventure, and some sightseeing.

Rafting was fun. It was July though, so the water was a bit calmer than I would've liked - the first few times the adrenaline hits you, but later on it's not as exciting. So next year definitely have to go at the start of June (latest) for a more extreme experience.

That was on Friday, and on Saturday we caught a last-minute trip to go sightseeing in what is one of the most stunning places I have ever visited.

Think a primeval forest, where everything is practically untouched, surrounded by 4 stunning mountain ranges. One is Maglic, the highest point of Bosnia & Herzegovina at 2386m. Next to it is Volujak and next to that Zelengora mountain ranges, both of which look absolutely spectacular. Beyond that, in Montenegro, is Durmitor, completely surreal, and with it some mountain lakes which we weren't able to visit due to a lack of time.

So think this, you go to a couple of viewpoints through the forest, and later on you find yourself at roughly 1700m, on a hill which is surrounded by the aforementioned mountains. Little mountain houses here and there, a water source, some cows, campers and that's it.

In fact, here's a link if you want to take a look (you will see 2 extra pics there; the time wasn't ideal for making photos and videos): B&H

I was taken away.

But I wasn't pleased.

You see, the thing is a guy drove us there. All the way. We walked very little, put in very little effort. We didn't earn it. We just paid for it.

This is exactly why I love hiking. Hours of walking, overcoming difficulties, but in the end it's always rewarding - you get to spend time in an amazing place, reflecting on a beautiful hike that brought you there.

This is exactly what I loved about my previous holiday. Ok, a guy drove us as close as possible, but we still made some decent mileage that day. And we hiked a lot on other days as well.

It's not just the destination. It's not just the peaks either. It's spending time in nature that counts.

This is why I will probably forget about this journey, and always remember (and reflect fondly on) the previous one.

 

[Archon]

Came back from another one.

This time, I went with my parents, which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because besides fuel, I paid for basically nothing else. And a curse because they are somewhat sedentary and far off in their 50s. So very little hiking - only 22.5 km in 7 days, which is laughable. Not going through the bear & wolf country all by myself, nuh-uh.

But then again, I visited so many amazing places.

A gorgeous meander, and a path above it, with so many amazing views and viewpoints. And afterwards, a boat ride through the same meander, stopping by to see vultures' nests. An interesting cave (walked 800m of 2.5km).

Great monasteries from 12th and 13th centuries, with some of the finest examples of medieval religious art, which signify the most important parts of our history. Tombs of the most important rulers and kings from Serbian history. A church which existed since 4th/5th century.

Lots of good food.

But very little hiking. Only through the meander, and getting lost in the forest briefly.

That said, the locations of our accommodation were excellent. Getting out onto the terrace always felt godly. The views were spectacular, and the mornings and evenings (sometimes, even the afternoons) were very very fresh, on both locations. First was at 1000m of altitude, overlooking the start of the meander, and the second was on a mountain top at 1600m. When the skies were clear, it was a majestic sight - lots of valleys and mountains. Oh, and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower was on these days.

But now I'm back to the 35-degree weather in this concrete box inside the concrete collection of concrete boxes. Fuck.

Anyhow, definitely enjoyed this one.

And here's a hand-picked gallery for those of you who read through: Uvac & Golija

 

[Archon]

In less than a month...Vladimir ante portas!

 

[Archon]

I have returned from Rome yesterday. Immediately had to sleep, from 2 until 8 afternoon, and then from 1 until 7 in the morning.

We avoided the tourist traps of waiting in line half a day for Colosseum/Palatine Hill/Roman Forum/Vatican tickets or paying the local guides/resellers exorbitant amounts of money for "skip the line" tickets etc.

Instead, we walked around 60 km in three days, taking in as much of the culture (and food!) as we could. We visited the most famous places, of course - some of them we walked around, some of them we saw from the inside as well.

Lots of highlights, but also lots of things left for next time. Would love to go on a fully guided tour, with someone who knows a lot about Rome. And will definitely be visiting it in the future. This time, I might actually book tickets in advance, or go when there are less tourists.

And here are some select photos from some of the things I took a picture of: Rome.

 

[Archon]

This Sunday I've returned from an interesting hiking trip. We had 4 days, but every day we drove to a different location - I usually prefer not to.

First location was the Gradac river gorge - one of the cleanest European rivers, and certainly the most beautiful I've seen - and we only went through a third of its path. Lots more to explore for the next time. The hike was very diverse - next to the river, above it, and through some interesting paths overall. Loved it! At the halfway point, there was a wonderful ethnic "village", in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful location. Across the river - an old Serbian monastery from the 13th century. One of the more stunning locations for a monastery, and I've seen a lot of them! Oh, and there was also a cave. Quite an eventful hike. Will be visiting again.

Second day was pure mountain hiking. We hiked the three Povlen peaks (around 1300m in altitude). I wasn't blown away by the location - and the weather certainly wasn't helping - but the peaks had some lovely views. The only thing that was interesting were two locations with very strange rocks - they are of a volcanic origin. Still lots more left for next time, but I wasn't overly blown away by the hike. Could also be the autumn, which stripped all of leaves from trees, and with grey clouds above the mountains did look very drab.

Third day was visiting a couple of peaks I have visited the year before (Maljen). This mountain was much more colourful, and therefore more beautiful. Not a lot of pics from there. We did encounter some lovely streams, which I'd be keen on visiting and exploring next year. That day I was also pretty much struck down by a cold because of the harsh winds. That, and bad weather kept us from hiking more.

On the fourth day we just stopped by at Petnica cave which was conveniently placed on our route back home. And let me tell you, the cave is something else! The thing that blew me away was its size, and the dark, narrow, high stairs. At times, it looked like the mines of Moria.

Overall, a nice trip.

Pics are located here: Gradac - Povlen - Maljen.

 

[Jetflag]

This Sunday I've returned from an interesting hiking trip. We had 4 days, but every day we drove to a different location - I usually prefer not to.

First location was the Gradac river gorge - one of the cleanest European rivers, and certainly the most beautiful I've seen - and we only went through a third of its path. Lots more to explore for the next time. The hike was very diverse - next to the river, above it, and through some interesting paths overall. Loved it! At the halfway point, there was a wonderful ethnic "village", in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful location. Across the river - an old Serbian monastery from the 13th century. One of the more stunning locations for a monastery, and I've seen a lot of them! Oh, and there was also a cave. Quite an eventful hike. Will be visiting again.

Second day was pure mountain hiking. We hiked the three Povlen peaks (around 1300m in altitude). I wasn't blown away by the location - and the weather certainly wasn't helping - but the peaks had some lovely views. The only thing that was interesting were two locations with very strange rocks - they are of a volcanic origin. Still lots more left for next time, but I wasn't overly blown away by the hike. Could also be the autumn, which stripped all of leaves from trees, and with grey clouds above the mountains did look very drab.

Third day was visiting a couple of peaks I have visited the year before (Maljen). This mountain was much more colourful, and therefore more beautiful. Not a lot of pics from there. We did encounter some lovely streams, which I'd be keen on visiting and exploring next year. That day I was also pretty much struck down by a cold because of the harsh winds. That, and bad weather kept us from hiking more.

On the fourth day we just stopped by at Petnica cave which was conveniently placed on our route back home. And let me tell you, the cave is something else! The thing that blew me away was its size, and the dark, narrow, high stairs. At times, it looked like the mines of Moria.

Overall, a nice trip.

Pics are located here: Gradac - Povlen - Maljen.

you know what you need?

a Gopro/Drone, Davinci resolve, and a youtube channel

 

[Archon]

you know what you need?

a Gopro/Drone, Davinci resolve, and a youtube channel

I thought about Fuji X-T5/Sony Alpha 7C/Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, and maybe starting a blog - after some trips I feel like I could write for ages. I don't like being on camera. And I only have money for a blog/Instagram. The cameras are still thousands of Euros away.

 

[Jetflag]

I thought about Fuji X-T5/Sony Alpha 7C/Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III, and maybe starting a blog - after some trips I feel like I could write for ages. I don't like being on camera. And I only have money for a blog/Instagram. The cameras are still thousands of Euros away.

This guy uses his phone, an action cam, and 300 euro DJI mini

 

[Archon]

This guy uses his phone, an action cam, and 300 euro DJI mini

I knew you were gonna suggest that! But by creating a multiple-thousand-€ blocker, I can always use it as an excuse. Plus, I really want the damn thing.

 

[Jetflag]

I knew you were gonna suggest that! But by creating a multiple-thousand-€ blocker, I can always use it as an excuse. Plus, I really want the damn thing.

It’s a good investment also. Thing is likely to keep its value over time, can generate you money and doesn’t vaperize in the bank or a pension fund

 

[Archon]

It’s a good investment also. Thing is likely to keep its value over time, can generate you money and doesn’t vaperize in the bank or a pension fund

True! I can think of a few ways I could pay it off. Event photographers are charging increasingly insane amounts of money. But then it would (have to) become more than a hobby.

Lots of pros/cons, but it will end up either like a spontaneous, impulse purchase (which I'm known for), or I will wait to earn just enough extra money to buy it.