Icebergs & dunes
Ivana
I have had the opportunity to travel quite a lot and I was able to visit some visually extremely pleasing places. In my mind, nature always has the extra kick for a full blown favoritism; visiting cities to admire the architecture, art, urban culture and related stuff bores me to death. If you think that I am overreacting or assuming that I am a pretentious twat, just take a look at the thousands of entries here, especially those written about my solo trips.
I have never felt more fulfilled than during those few days in Greenland. The icebergs were everything – and even more – that I wanted them to be. This is why they are at the absolute top of the list. Nothing compares to the icebergs & ice formations of Greenland. I had the luck to observe them in different weather conditions and I dare to say that the “bad mood” weather, with the icebergs glowing on the deep dark arctic sea was a tremendous sight.
The second place might be assigned to the dunes of the oldest desert in the world. The Namib desert’s red sand, formed by the winds in insanely beautiful shapes, illuminated by sunlight and darkened by contrasting shadows was so soothing for my eyes.
Sossusvlei, Dune 45 and Big Daddy experience – visiting the core of the Namib desert
While writing about these divine structures, I noticed certain blatant similarities. I was trying to put to words what makes them so exquisite and profoundly moving.
They are immersed in silence.
My everyday reality is filled with noise, light, conversations, meetings, messaging, reading, persuading myself that I need to sleep while I am reading some random whatever. Gliding between the icebergs or walking along the Dune 7 and observing the other dunes in the vicinity kept me in the comfort zone of true and utter silence.
They are carved into shapes which belong in an avant-garde alien museum.
I found myself scanning the shapes meticulously, pareidolizing their abstract form and trying to find some meaning in them. Felt like visiting some otherworldly place, reserved for highly distinguished guests.
They are ancient and primordial.
Ancient ice, ancient sand – these are some of the oldest and most powerful forces on the planet, which shaped its surface for incredible amounts of time.. They reflect thousands and millions of years of processes which include wind, movement, pressure, ruptures, disintegration and reforming. This means that the Namib desert witnessed dinosaurs which were roaming on its surface.
They are cyclical.
They feel eternal but also transient. Icebergs melt. Dunes shift and reshape. They remind us that even the mightiest things change, yet they remain part of a larger cycle. They embody the concept of cycle, of formation and disappearance.
They make us feel tiny.
I like feeling like a speck of dust, standing in front of some monstrous formation.
They have a strange calming effect.
Their special ability is to regulate emotions and provide existential comfort. Standing against something timeless such as icebergs or dunes feels like an almost religious experience (at least I assume it could be similar, I have no idea how faith feels like or should feel).
Walking on desert sand is another layer of this experience. This was the number one reason why I chose Namibia, and I chose this country because of the oldest dunes in the world.
The winds do not stop swooshing while you walk to the top of the ridge. Every step is followed by feet crumbling the top layer of the sand and sinking in it. But it feels so good and it feels so special.
