We're On The Road To Nowhere Photo

Photographer’s Note

The Last Bus Stop On The Road To Nowhere

As Jerzy mentioned yesterday on our 'supernatural' journey near the Belorussian border......the bus stop at the edge of the Universe....the last bus stop in Poland.......just a bus stop.......no dwellings.....all on it's own amongst the vast snowfields and forests. By now the road across this open land was a snow and ice encrusted skating rink.......eventualy we decided somewhere was preferable to nowhere and we renewed our search from famous horses and food in the other direction..........the landscape was both even more bleak because of that sad looking bus stop......but also curiously more mystical and magical because of its presence.........I was fascinated by it as J will tell you!

bantonbuju, ktanska, Michael_Gan, designsoul has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

bantonbuju (48844) 2006-12-12 4:02

when looking at this "thing: i keep wondering for how long this "thing" has not been used by anybody...apart from that man with a bicycle you presented yesterday, and an old autosan bus which passed us - we saw noone else, it was really middle of nowhere,
but hey - somewhere ahead there was a house, an old villa, in front of which there was a jaguar s-type...
this country is really surprising...
but that bus stop - i do remember you being so much surprised when seeing it, and so much excitied that we couldnt resist that photo opportunity...
tc, j.

maki (0) 2006-12-12 5:04

Hi Kev,
This place is looking like from the Polish version of Star Trek :))) It's not unusual for me, I saw many places such like this, somwhere in the middle of nowhere... There are relics of the old bus routes which were changed 50 times in the last 20-30 years...
Great observation, good idea to show something like that. I like Your eye and imagination for such specific places in my country.
regards,
maki

Michael_Gan (2772) 2006-12-12 5:26

Hmmm... this picture reminds of Franz Schubert's "Winterreise". A series of 24 songs about an old man travelling through the snow, finally ending with his death. Very depressing but beautiful at the same time. I think you also managed to combine these contrasting feelings in your picture. I can almost see the ghost of the old man standing next to the bus stop, waiting for the last busride of his life.

ktanska (16741) 2006-12-12 5:26

Hi Kev,
That one really shows deep state of abandonment, in the middle of somewhere, on the road to nowhere. Cold, surrounded by hay. Left outside alone...
Kari

m_s_s (1649) 2006-12-12 7:23

Hello Kev,
i wonder if you freezed out there or not ;)
probably in your eyes, in comparison to UK, eastern Poland looked very poor to you. for me as i'm coming from this region, this bus stop is just ordinary, as we can find many abandoned bus stops in 'roads to nowhere'. was it your first trip to poland?
if for me everything out there looks natural, if you first see it on your own eyes, it may look like different world, doesn't it? but if you pass the polish border heading east, to belarus, it's world different 100 times from this one. real estern europe. on border if you are driving you have to visit 11 windows to get 20 stamps, pay some ridiculous fees, declare what car are you coming in (in event if you sell it), and many different and strange things. i hope to visit one day belarus, because there is so many oportunities, much better than in poland...
coming back to the point... just ordinary bus stop, no human element, no extra lightning, but trade mark of KevRyan,
regards

designsoul (21394) 2006-12-12 20:02

Why, why o why have you not received tons more accolades for this incredible shot, Kev? Perhaps people have decided they would prefer to see bright colours in this season... who knows... I am befuddled!
This shot is SO good. A bit like Jarmush, a bit like Tarkovsky, certainly lone, desolate and cold... adds so much space for interpretation. But it keeps haunting me... so I shall pop this into my Favourites. (If you could tell me how to make a new Favourites 2 folder, I'd appreciate!)
Warm greetings from cold Ottawa
sasa

MiguelP (14338) 2006-12-14 3:32

For me there is always lot of literature in this kind of places, and specially in lands like the one this particular image belongs to. Perfect meeting point for spies encounters, love stories out of the usual way, great confessions there where the nothing seems to be the point in commun... Too realistic for a "Once upon a time..." but perfect for lots of scenaries. Take care Kev.