105 days Europe Adventure

[BrownBoots]

Guys, my blog is finally up and running.

Starts with just 7 posts for now and will be adding new contents in future.

Included in the galleries section a few more photos of Lofoten, Scotland and Aurora in Lapland that I missed out posting here earlier.

http://brown-boots.blogspot.com/

Feel free to leave any comments or questions with regards to the posts.

 

[BrownBoots]

Have been waiting eagerly for you to start posting captures of Iceland. AMAZING and I am truly spellbound by your work. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Keep them coming. I shall be re-living some of my Iceland memories through your photos...

How did the Grímsvötn eruption affect Jökulsárlón ? Curious to know...

Cheers

Thanks asterixsg, your impressions of Iceland are certainly no less amazing than mine and I too, have been inspired by your journeys.

Jökulsárlón suffered the onslaught of the volcanic ash cloud from the Grímsvötn eruption initially, which actually spewed a lot more ash than the Eyjafjallajökull eruption back in 2010.

Good news was that the air traffic in Europe was not as badly affected compared to 2010 due to the subsequent wind that carried the ash away from major air routes.

Bad news for us being at Jökulsárlón at the time of eruption.

 

[BrownBoots]

#84 Jökulsárlón, South Eastern Iceland.
With the approaching volcanic ash cloud seen partially in the top left corner, an impossibly overwhelming hue of purplish blue imaginable only with your own eyes began to flood the glacier lagoon of Jökulsárlón.
An apocalyptic phenomenon beckoned.
​

 

[dared]

Very nice series! I also went on a 38 days solo backpacking trip in Europe in May and June earlier this year, but I covered mainly the cities and the towns. Looking at your photos, it makes me kinda regret not going to the countrysides and visiting Norway and Sweden! I think I shall go share my photos from Europe too, but they are nowhere as nice as yours!

 

[BrownBoots]

Very nice series! I also went on a 38 days solo backpacking trip in Europe in May and June earlier this year, but I covered mainly the cities and the towns. Looking at your photos, it makes me kinda regret not going to the countrysides and visiting Norway and Sweden! I think I shall go share my photos from Europe too, but they are nowhere as nice as yours!

Thanks dared! So you were in Europe during the same period as I was, who knows we could have passed by each other! Berlin on 3rd June? ;p

No need for regrets for not seeing the countrysides, can be easily done on your next trip. I did spend a day or so in each cities and they are beautiful too in their own way.

Seriously, my snapshots taken in the cities sucked compared to your thread photos. Guess I better stick to where my passions are, mountains and rivers instead of buildings and bridges. :bsmilie:

 

[BrownBoots]

#85 Grábrókarhraun, West Iceland.
Grábrókarhraun, a 3000 year-old larva field that had been covered by moss and birch bushes now surrounds the western town of Bifröst.
The Route 1 runs right through the larva field and its' magnificence is almost impossible to go unnoticed by any drivers.
​

 

[Chenzh]

your photos are amazing and inspiring... wish i had a dslr with me when i was backpacking in the younger days...

 

[Will03]

#80 Vík í Mýrdal, South Iceland.
The black basalt sand at the long stretch of beach near the village of Vík was certainly very darkly mesmerizing. The cliff of Dyrhólaey, a nesting place for many seabirds including the puffins, can be seen in the distance west of the beach. Disappointingly, access to the top of the cliff was closed at that time due to the seabirds' nesting season in May.

The basalt rock pillars just off the Dyrhólaey cliff were named Reynisdrangar. Legend has it that they were originally two trolls who were turned into stones by the sunlight while trying to drag a ship to shore.
​

this shot is really enchanting..i really love it

 

[BrownBoots]

your photos are amazing and inspiring... wish i had a dslr with me when i was backpacking in the younger days...

Thanks Chenzh, never too late nor too old. The exceptional quality of your photos are surely undeserving of the term 'newbie' in your thread title. :thumbsup:

this shot is really enchanting..i really love it

Hi Will, thanks and glad you enjoyed this shot. "Enchanting" coming from a master class is such a massive compliment to this take.

It is actually a part of 'trilogy' of images captured at this spot with the other 2 images to unveil in due course.

 

[Chenzh]

Thanks Chenzh, never too late nor too old. The exceptional quality of your photos are surely undeserving of the term 'newbie' in your thread title. :thumbsup:

Thanks Brownboots.. it's my first DSLR. I guess it pays off to read and learn before venturing out.

 

[wonglp]

oh man, i should have camped here earlier. seriously, can't find a single picture that i dun like. Excellent use of LEE GND, hope to have $ to try it someday, color cast of cokin can be pain for lazy person like me. Kudos! Definitely following this thread from here, and I'm only like page 4?! Keep it coming!

 

[Will03]

Thanks Chenzh, never too late nor too old. The exceptional quality of your photos are surely undeserving of the term 'newbie' in your thread title. :thumbsup:

Hi Will, thanks and glad you enjoyed this shot. "Enchanting" coming from a master class is such a massive compliment to this take.

It is actually a part of 'trilogy' of images captured at this spot with the other 2 images to unveil in due course.

cool.. looking forward to it.. cheers

 

[BrownBoots]

oh man, i should have camped here earlier. seriously, can't find a single picture that i dun like. Excellent use of LEE GND, hope to have $ to try it someday, color cast of cokin can be pain for lazy person like me. Kudos! Definitely following this thread from here, and I'm only like page 4?! Keep it coming!

Hi wong, it's never too late to start camping.
I hate color cast from filters too, so no choice but to splash on Lee set though the the quality of the filters are well worth it as you can see.

Thanks for visiting and hope you enjoy the rest of the pages.

 

[BrownBoots]

#86 Námafjall, North Iceland.
Bubbling mud pools and steaming fumaroles littered the colorful parched landscape of the Námafjall geothermal field just a short drive east from Mývatn Lake. The strong sulfur stench in the air with the constant deafening screams and warmness from the steaming fumaroles were simply out of this world in this alien-like environment.

A quick snack of hverabrauð, bread that is baked underground by the geothermal heat, completed an unforgettable experience of seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling and tasting in Námafjall.
​

 

[dared]

Thanks dared! So you were in Europe during the same period as I was, who knows we could have passed by each other! Berlin on 3rd June? ;p

No need for regrets for not seeing the countrysides, can be easily done on your next trip. I did spend a day or so in each cities and they are beautiful too in their own way.

Seriously, my snapshots taken in the cities sucked compared to your thread photos. Guess I better stick to where my passions are, mountains and rivers instead of buildings and bridges. :bsmilie:

Thanks for the compliments haha, it will be a while before i go to europe again i guess... I was in Berlin from 28th May to 1st June! By 3rd June i was in Hamburg...

 

[DemonSu]

Hi BB:

After reading through every single post, I think I should write down something: your photos are awesome but what's more important, IMO is your experience and courage have inspired, at least encouraged some of us who never think or never dare to do such kind of backpacking. Thanks for sharing and keep the photos up!

some questions to ask:
1. did you plan the whole route before you start, or just got a rough idea in mind and "travel with my heart"?
2. you use your macbook to backup ur photos? how did you get charged during your camping nights?
3. how heavy is the total backpacking gear?
Thanks!

 

[BrownBoots]

Hi BB:

After reading through every single post, I think I should write down something: your photos are awesome but what's more important, IMO is your experience and courage have inspired, at least encouraged some of us who never think or never dare to do such kind of backpacking. Thanks for sharing and keep the photos up!

some questions to ask:
1. did you plan the whole route before you start, or just got a rough idea in mind and "travel with my heart"?
2. you use your macbook to backup ur photos? how did you get charged during your camping nights?
3. how heavy is the total backpacking gear?
Thanks!

Hi DemonSu, thanks for visiting! Glad this thread is doing a part to encourage people to put down their fears and embark on an adventure they can call their own.

1. I had about 2/3 of the route planned out before I ran out of time for departure. If you've seen my travel map, everything after Prague were planned during the trip on trains, ferries or hostels. Despite all the planning, at least 1/3 of the route were changed impromptu from the actual plan along the way due to various reasons like weather, missing trains or ferries.

2. Other than the macbookair limited sdd space reserved for my work, I had a WD 500gb portable hdd specially for photos backup. With a spare cam batt and countless sd cards, I can last at least 2 days until my next accommodation with exception for Iceland where I slept in the car for 4 straight nights. Without a car adapter, charging then came from various sources such as toilets, petrol kiosks, cafes etc..

3. Main pack was roughly 14kg and the day pack would depend on the quantity of food supply in store at that point of time, maybe 3-5kg.

Hope these helps.

 

[peerot]

Nice photo collection bro... kudos...:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBoots]

#87 Húsavík, North Iceland.
Pony-sized Icelandic horses with their trademark mane-covered silly but cute look, seen here along the northern coast near the town of Húsavík.
​

 

[BrownBoots]

Nice photo collection bro... kudos...:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Thanks bro, hope to see you post more often.