reindeer – rene bauer photography

Iceland: Hunt For Polar Lights

More spectacular landscapes on our way trough the south of Iceland. Even some reindeers crossed our path. But still no polar lights until we reached Reykjavik. So, we decided to have a night out with some beer and live music.

To our surprise, we got a notice about sightings of northern lights just outside the city. A few moments later we’ve been on our search for a dark spot with less light pollution, and witnessed a wonderful heavenly light show. A last amazing impression of Iceland before returning home.

Februar 18, 2024Februar 13, 2024 by Rene Bauer Categories: europe, landscape, nature, reportage, roadtrip, travel, urbanlife, wildlifeTags: auroraborealis, coffee, glacier, hotspring, iceland, landscape, mountains, nature, nightsky, northerneurope, northernlights, overland, polarlights, reindeer, renebauerphotography, reykjavik, roadtrip, sky, Travel, winter, winteriniceland Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Norway – Camping At Arctic Circle

Another calm night drive with the chance to see wildlife along the road, or even crossing it.

Early in the morning I crossed the Arctic Circle again. This time southbound.

Short time later the barren landscape changed to forest. I decided to look out for a quite place to camp. A small forest road brought me to an old path in the wood. This wonderful lonely spot next to a small stream was just perfect to rest for awhile.

Dezember 2, 2023November 29, 2023 by Rene Bauer Categories: europe, landscape, nature, reportage, roadtrip, tinatortuga, travelTags: animal, animalcrossing, arcticcircle, arcticcirclecentre, camping, europe, forest, Landrover, landroverdefender, landscape, landscapephotography, monument, nature, northerneurope, outdoor, outdoorshower, overland, reindeer, renebauerphotography, reportage, scandinavia, tinatortuga, Travel, tundra, wildcamping, wood Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Norway – The Northern Cape

Another long drive trough beautiful landscape of northern Norway. Even the sun comes out for awhile, just when i was on a hike at Silfar Canyon. Another traveler approached me for a chat. So we went together along the the canyon, shared travel stories and enjoyed the nature around.

Due maintenance the North Cape Tunnel was closed for a couple hours. This roughly 6.9 kilometer long tunnel dives 212 meter underneath the sea and connect the mainland with the island Mageroya.

Just to make it clear: The North Cape is not the most northern spot, neither from mainland Europe (what is at Sletness Fyr), nor from Europe as in general (what is on Svalbard ). It’s simply the most northern point one can reach on road from mainland Europe. When i arrived there unfortunately strong winds brought dense fog too. With that the midnight sun was hidden behind clouds. Just for a minute there was some sun rays pushing through the thick mist, slittering over the surface of the Barents Sea and reached the foot of the cliffs.

A nice surprise to meet my old traveler friend Paolo, who i met before in Africa. He’s traveling for years around the world with his motorcycle. There’s a lot to catch up, and so we spent hours in the cold to share stories.

November 27, 2023November 21, 2023 by Rene Bauer Categories: culture, landscape, nature, reportage, roadtrip, tinatortuga, travelTags: barentssea, canyon, fishfarm, friends, island, landscape, mageroya, midnightsun, nature, northcape, northcapetunnel, northerneurope, norway, overland, people, reindeer, renebauerphotography, river, roadtrip, sea, silfarcanyon, tinatortuga, Travel, tunnel Hinterlasse einen Kommentar

Finland – Lapland – Rovaniemi

Long way up north. The weather wasn’t really welcoming, but this way I just cruised across Finland from south up to Rovaniemi.

The Arktikum in Rovaniemi is a museum which explains life and culture on the arctic circle in a interesting and wonderful way. One shouldn’t miss it when up here.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Santa Claus Village just bit north of the town. It’s a tourist trap, no question about that. Next to restaurants, hotel and souvenir shop, there’s also to meet Santa Claus himself. ‚Free Entrance!‘ a sign told me. I found it ridiculous to queue up for a photo with the white bearded, old man in red dress. So I skipped the line and went straight to the souvenir shop, located just after the room where Santa Claus awaited his visitors. There, the young cashier explained me, I wouldn’t be allowed to make a selfie with him anyway, but could buy a photo from the shop, starting prices from €30.

I stepped out from Santa Claus house, passed the famous Santa Claus Post Office and just stepped over the line of the Arctic Circle. Finally i made it to the ‚real north‘!

And with this i made it definitely also to Lapland, the land of reindeers. Along the way i spotted some of these majestic, but shy animals. Still mid-summer, the long daylight allowed me to drive till late, stopping for observing some reindeers and to cook a midnight meal before finally get some rest.