The Maelstrom

"Stretching before me, the troubled breast of the mighty river, and, immediately below, the main whirlpool of the Thames—the Maëlstrom of the bulwarks of the middle arch—a grisly pool, which, with its superabundance of horror, fascinated me.  Who knows but I should have leapt into its depths?—I have heard of such things—but for a rather startling occurrence which broke the spell.  As I stood upon the bridge, gazing into the jaws of the pool, a small boat shot suddenly through the arch beneath my feet.  There were three persons in it; an oarsman in the middle, p. 222whilst a man and woman sat at the stern.  I shall never forget the thrill of horror which went through me at this sudden apparition.  What!—a boat—a small boat—passing beneath that arch into yonder roaring gulf!  Yes, yes, down through that awful water-way, with more than the swiftness of an arrow, shot the boat, or skiff, right into the jaws of the pool.  A monstrous breaker curls over the prow—there is no hope; the boat is swamped, and all drowned in that strangling vortex.  No! the boat, which appeared to have the buoyancy of a feather, skipped over the threatening horror, and, the next moment, was out of danger, the boatman—a true boatman of Cockaigne that—elevating one of his sculls in sign of triumph, the man hallooing, and the woman, a true Englishwoman that—of a certain class—waving her shawl.  Whether any one observed them save myself, or whether the feat was a common one, I know not; but nobody appeared to take any notice of them." 
                                                                Chapter XXXI, Lavengro by George Borrow.

This text links with the two other books I have been listening to recently.

'Our Mutual Friend', which features Elizabeth Hexam, the ferryman's daughter, and talented oars woman of the Thames.

Also Robert MacFarlane's book 'The Underland', which features a trip to the original Maelstom, of Andoya, Lofoten Islands, where the waters of the arctic well up over 'The Edge', creating perpetual 'Maelstrom', as first described by Dutch sailors.

Other features of MacFarlane's book are- the rock art of the Norwegian caves, and his trip though the 'cast' landscape from Trieste to Maridor in Eastern Slovenia.  This is a land, like so many others, that has been the nut in the vice of two opposing great powers.  In First World War, Slovenia was to be sacrificed to Italy as the price for them joining the war against Austria.  In the Second War , the Germans were intent on returning lands forfeited to Yugoslavia (the Land of the Southern Slavs), in particular Slovenia's second city Maridor.  Apparently in the first war the Julian Mountains were turned into a giant system of tunnels, gun emplacements and fortresses.  The Austrians held out, thereby containing the entity that is now called Slovenia (it can be argued).

MacFarlane also visits the extraordinary 'refrigerator' mountain that  cools the water in it to ice, which is extruded as a glacier from it's base.