I just had my first solid poop in four days! To celebrate, here are a handful of pretty photos from all over Montenegro, the  pint-sized jewel of the Adriatic Sea. For a country with 600,000 citizens and an area of just 5,000 square miles — i.e. one of the smallest countries in the world — there sure is a lot to see and do here.

I’ll post a lot more photos once I’m back in England, on Tuesday. If you want to see more, visit Flickr. You can’t buy these photos just yet, but I’ll fix that when I get home.

Recuperate & Bay of Kotor

Abi: Ah! another 52 Weeks in which Abi and Sebastian are thrown off kilter because one of them is travelling. When I think about this project and all its similarities and contrasts, I am always amazed we managed to keep it going the way we do. Every Sunday, we upload our respective images in readiness for the following day, regardless of where we happen to be. It’s part of my week and it’s pretty weird to think it’s almost over. I think I’ll miss it.

I am not the best at convalescing. It’s not so much that I am unused to downtime, more that even during those periods of rest I am quite often occupied. When events force you back to bed and you are quite unable to stay awake it is pretty frustrating. All you can do is just lie there, re read as many novels as you can and watch crap TV until the whole sorry episode is over.

I’m not even kidding, whilst Seb is away taking spectacular photos I haven’t really ventured much further than this.

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Seb: It’s not hard to see why the Bay of Kotor (it’s a fjord really! or ’submerged river canyon’, apparently) is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The last week has been unrelentingly hot, with temperatures reaching over 40C and humidity stubbornly sitting at around 100%. Even at night it’s about 25C. To say that my stay here has been merely ’sticky’ would be a vast understatement.

Still, where there is tropical heat, there is ultimately a tropical storm — and that’s what you can see here. The rain front is on the right (the dark grey fog by the mountain), and about 30 seconds later the heavens opened and soaked both me and the camera.

But I got the shot!

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Click either photo to see a smaller version on Flickr!

Are you ready?

Things are going to change around here. I’m not quite sure how yet, but I thought I’d get it out in the open – that’s what blogs are good for, after all.

Things are… different. In my head. Thoughts aren’t lining themselves up in the same way they used to. It’s unnerving. It’s hard to explain, to you, when the right words won’t come — it’s a bit Catch-22 like that (the book, incidentally, still lays unfinished by my bed).

I don’t feel bad exactly, but off-balance. Where ideas and concepts would once slot themselves neatly together into cogent thoughts, there is now an incoalescent ether. It’s a lot darker than it used to be. There’s less hope, less points of starlight in the fabric — not for me, but…

It’s hard to explain, as I said.

It’s not like I’m sad. It might even be physical — God knows I need to work on my cardiac fitness. Maybe it’s because my diet in Norway was bad. I was fine in Norway… but the moment I got home things shifted! And I don’t know why! That’s scary.

So, as to the blog, it’s not going anywhere. I’m going to change it up a bit. I’m going to get outside more, away from my vast array of computer screens. I’m thinking of writing short stories. Fables… cautionary tales; meaty, dark warnings of what’s to come.

I’m worried, basically — but not for myself. About the world, I think; its future. Perhaps it’s the travelling. Maybe I’ve finally seen and experienced enough to fill and tip the trough — is it the ripples I’m feeling now? I need to try and shape this malaise into something useful, that’s all I know.

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In other, less dour news, I’ve been doing some more filming with my new camera! I’m starting to get the hang of this ‘videographer‘ thing. It’s a lot more complicated than photography (but given how easy photography is, that’s not saying much). I’ve ordered a broadcast-quality stereo microphone that I can attach to the camera — you’ll finally hear my true voice! — and I’m also building a new computer to do video/audio editing on… exciting!

Here’s some recent video links: a smoky, hazy, windy fire, and some daffodils rustling in the wind (both are experiments at wide-open apertures in bright light — cool huh?!)

* * *

Finally, there will be more stories and reflection from Norway! I still haven’t shared all of my photos either — and if you fancy a piece of Sebby-captured Norway, I’ve listed one photo for sale on my online gallery. I’ll be listing a few more in the days to come. Until then…

This is what I call a missed opportunity.

Standing at the highest point around, stuck behind trees. No way out, no clear view of the fjord. A soft, tangerine glow reflecting off the water and filling the air. Stuck behind trees. Evening birds tweeting, my friend gently tugging at my arm, leading us towards our destination. ‘But the fjord’s over theeere!’ I swear, I can stick out my bottom lip like a frackin’ petulant heroine when necessary.

To put this gold and crystalline, clear sunset into perspective: out of 18 days in Norway, only one of them was fully clear — my last. That’s when this photo was taken.

Actually, I tell a lie. As I sat on the bus, heading towards the airport at 5 in the morning, the most beautiful dawn I’ve ever seen greeted me. But of course my camera was in damn my bag, in the hold of the bus… another missed opportunity. Blah!

I may have to invest in a high-quality compact camera that I can keep in my trouser pocket…

Still here! Not moved to Norway, don’t worry! The radio silence wasn’t intentional, or intended to make you think I’d stayed in Norway — I’ve simply been tired. Busy and tired. I’m trying to sort through hundreds of photos, while at the same time re-shouldering the burden of my writing and gaming obligations. I don’t know whether I’m tired through lack of sleep (I don’t think I’ve caught up after the last few days in Norway), or if it’s something else entirely. I like to think my time in Norway was recuperative, so… maybe it’s just a change in diet? Or something?

I even have bags under my eyes…

Maybe this is how old age sneaks up on you.

Almost 26!!

Anyway, here are a few photos — I’ll try to get some more up tomorrow. Don’t forget, with Norway out of the way, I can now focus on my trip to Asia! I had originally planned to fly into Thailand in August or September, but it’s really rainy around then. I could push the entire trip back to October through January, but that leaves me with not much to do in England over the summer… unless I drive around or something… hmm…

(This photo and the one before are both 50mm landscapes! Go go!)

(It’s kinda like Venice but… grey)

(OK, it’s not the most stunning landscape, but I still like it — this is on the outskirts of Trondheim)

(Because everyone likes photos of dogs… especially big, sleepy, Newfoundland paws…)

There are some more photos of the dog, some drunk gamers and one or two pretty landscapes on Flickr!

I’ve been in Trondheim for three or four days now (it’s hard to tell, for reasons that will soon become apparent!) It’s very easy-going here — as much as it’s possible to be in Norway. I get the feeling that there’s some underlying tension. Perhaps it comes from having such a barren country, where only a tiny portion of the land is cultivatable. Maybe it’s true that money can’t buy you happiness. Or maybe it’s just the ever-fuggy weather — Britain gets a lot of rain, but ’tis a mere smattering compared to west Norway.

Anyway, the last few days have been a revival of, er, the student lifestyle. Booze, bitches and BREAD — a loaf of bread is all you need, baby! Bread for breakfast, bread for lunch, bread to soak up the alcohol at four in the morning…

The weather has been pretty shit, and there’s no quick-and-easy view of the fjord here (Trondheimsfjord), so we’ve mostly hung about indoors; I’ve been sorting photos and playing video games. We’ve been hanging by day and partying by night. Do you have any idea how fun drunken Guitar Hero is? With singing, drumming and guitaring? We’re still not sure if alcohol actually improves our skills, or just the perception thereof — but overall it definitely helps.

These photos aren’t from Trondheim though (I’ve hardly taken any here — too busy being social (I know!)) — they’re of Bergen and Hardangerfjord. The sun has made a few hour-long appearances over the last couple of days, and the snow is melting, so... if the improvement continues, we’re hoping to hit some scenic views in the next few days… here’s hoping!

I think you’ll find these photos quite pleasing, however.

(Unlike the Faroe Islands, trees are all over the place, obscuring my view of the fjords…!)

(Check the fog in the middle! It’s rising out of the snow…)

(Again, check out the mist/fog rising off the ice on the lake! Also, kinda cool how half the lake is frozen, and half isn’t)

(Not sure if I like this one. The blues are nice — as is the ‘dusk’ feeling.)

This last one is my favourite… for now! It’s also the star of 52 Weeks!

I don’t know the exact history of Strandebarm. It’s one of those flyspeck towns of just a few hundred souls where nothing of record really occurs — rather, the history lies with the people of the town.

The Nazis marched through Strandebarm in April 1940. The Nazi occupation of Norway was one of the quickest in history. Children were playing on the streets and quickly scattered when the soldiers marched up the road. Jews were rounded up (though the Norwegians weren’t very fond of them in the first place, it seems). It was a peaceful occupation overall, though: Norway, unlike France, wasn’t home to a war front.

A lot of stories and tales were shared, between my hosts and I, over hot cocoa and, later, some lovely salmon — fished from a fine fjord only a few meters from the table. I don’t have time to get all anecdotal though, so you’ll have to make do with some pretty photos for now.

We have a 6:40am flight to Trondheim tomorrow, so I ought to lay down and try to rest a little, even if sleep doesn’t come until it’s almost time to wake.

(Most of these are ‘50mm landscapes’… still trying to perfect my technique!)

(Trying to find out the name of the valley… can’t find it!)

(The church is from the 1800s — one of the oldest buildings in the area, I think)

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I’m a couple of days behind on photos now (this always happens), but I’ll try to catch up from Trondheim…! (Unless the weather’s good… in which case, I’ll never catch up…)

(Incidentally, the self-portrait at the top of this post is the first and last time I balance my camera on sticky, stinky seaweed…)

… but unfortunately, the photos here were taken yesterday and the day before, when the sun was not out.

Actually, the sun isn’t even out right now, but there are patches of blue sky and trees are actually throwing shadows, so there must be some light somewhere up there; there is HOPE.

Anyway, yesterday we spent the day recuperating after The World’s Most Expensive Drunken Experience. You see, when even the most basic oil platform worker earns  £60,000 ($90,000) per year, things tend to be expensive. Like… £10 ($15) for a beer. £20 for a glass of wine. You don’t want to even know about cocktails. Fortunately, I’m a bit of a light-weight, but a hardened drinker would have no problem spending a few hundred pounds in just a few hours… crazy.

Incidentally, the food is generally worth the price, just. Earlier in the day I had a smoked salmon ’sandwich’ for about £15. There was only one piece of bread, three slices of smoked salmon, and some other bits of garnish — but it was good, no doubt about it. Chinese food might cost £10 per dish, but at least you get rice with it for free.

So it’s expensive, but not unfairly so.

Still no fjords, then — that’s tomorrow, in theory, if the weather stays good (we have to travel for an hour or two) — but we’re going up a mountain later today.

Oh, I just realised, I didn’t actually tell you the getting-drunk story… how mean of me.

(Bryggen)

The last one is from the end of the drunken night! Around 4am. Hand-held in the near-dark! Still solid as a rock when drunk… wink.

So, I’ve been here for about 36 hours, and two main things have made themselves known:

a) It’s incredibly expensive here. Like, twice as expensive as London. Almost £10 ($15) for a dessert. Beer and some nuts at the concert hall cost £10. Basically, everyone here is fairly rich, and there’s a vast amount of money in the economy, so it’s all inflated — to them, it’s not very expensive. To tourists like me… I feel like a frickin’ poverty-stricken student.

b) Bergen is basically a larger version of the Faroe Islands. By that, I mean it’s rainy and foggy and cloudy and windy. The only real saving grace is that it’s not actually cold — and, despite the 10 meter visibility, it’s a very beautiful city.

I can’t wait to see what it looks like when the sun comes out… …

A few photos for you — first one’s from yesterday, a Nazi bunker; the other two are from a few hours ago, traipsing around in the wet, wet, wet.