"Out on the water, paddling across the straits between two small rocky islands, the dusk fades and the stars appear. Jennie has done her best to coach me in local geography before darkness, showing me the map with its patchwork of islands and bays, and describing the shape of each landmark. All to no avail. I'm more than happy to be lost at sea, leaning back in my kayak to gaze at the constellations."
"Let's paddle slowly close to shore. Watch what happens. As soon as we move, the sea flickers into life, every paddle stroke triggering thrilling trails of cold, blue sparkles. When we stop, I slap my hand on the surface and the sea is momentarily electrified into a nebulous neural network of light, like some great salty brain figuring out this alien intrusion."
"I spend a pointless few minutes attempting to photograph this elusive bioluminescence, then relax and simply enjoy it. Travel should broaden the mind, not the iCloud. We are in the maze of deserted islands off Halso (population: 569), one of 10 inhabited islands in Sweden's northern Gothenburg archipelago. To get here, all it took was a short bus ride out of Sweden's second city, a brief ferry ride, then a leisurely hike along the new coastal trail that snakes round these islands,"
A paddler crosses straits between rocky islands at dusk and watches stars appear. A local, Jennie, attempts to teach island geography with a map but the paddler prefers being lost at sea and stargazing. They pause in a sheltered lee and hear a Eurasian eagle owl; the islands host nests. Turning off lights, each paddle stroke triggers cold blue bioluminescent sparkles; a hand slapped on the surface produces a luminous neural-network effect while jellyfish add spectral pulses. The experience occurs around Halso in the northern Gothenburg archipelago, accessible by short bus, ferry and a coastal trail linking islands.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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