Book Two - Journey of Recognition
Bunad - Norway's National Costume
Its design denotes the region a person comes from. Click here to see more bunad.
Its design denotes the region a person comes from. Click here to see more bunad.
The Gol Stave Church - relocated and restored in the Folk Museum, Oslo.
While Europe had been building Notre Dame and Chartres, Norway had come up with her own tribute – the wooden Stave Church. They reached toward the heavens with their multi-tiered, steeply raked roofs. The stark contrast was light-years away from the Gothic cathedrals of Europe, and yet the concept of reaching high was entirely similar. This church is eight hundred years young. |
Viking Museum - Oslo
Vigeland Sculpture Park - Oslo
'Norway In A Nutshell'
Myrdal to Flåm by rail - Flåm to Gudvangen by ferry on Aurlandsfjord - Gudvangen to Voss by coach
Myrdal to Flåm by rail - Flåm to Gudvangen by ferry on Aurlandsfjord - Gudvangen to Voss by coach
It's off to the Lofoten Islands now,
and my first of many journeys on board a Hurtigruten
M.S. Harald Jarl
Old Generation Hurtigruten Troll soup on the Harald Jarl leaving the Trollfjord
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It's easy to see now why naval ships are painted such. This ship was one of a fleet we passed in a fjord, and it too disappeared before my eyes.
Harald Jarl - leaving port in Harstad
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- Images within Trollfjord -
New Generation Hurtigruten: M.S. Polarlys (above), M.S. Kong Harald (below),
and M.S. Trollfjord turning within the keyhole of Trollfjord (bottom)
New Generation Hurtigruten: M.S. Polarlys (above), M.S. Kong Harald (below),
and M.S. Trollfjord turning within the keyhole of Trollfjord (bottom)
Kabelvåg - Lofoten Islands This was the real deal - a Viking ship sailing peacefully into harbour. As I watched the sail being lowered a strange feeling of homecoming swept through my heart. Tears welled in my eyes. When the oars came out for the crew to begin rowing the final leg of their voyage home, I was right there with them, in that ship, coming home from a long voyage. With the ambient blue light of descending twilight, the atmosphere created a timeless image of Norway’s heritage. It was such a welcoming gift from Lofoten and my Viking past. Without need to make sense of it, I knew ‘what’ I was feeling and, in that moment, ‘why’ didn’t matter. I'd come home. |
Henningsvær
Tørrfisk - (dried fish)
It was here that I had my first encounter with thousands of dead fish, hanging out in the open air on massive A-framed wooden racks to dry. Each rack held hundreds of drying carcasses tied in pairs, tail-to-tail, and then slung over either side of a wooden rail. They looked like shiny boot leather swaying in the breeze. Even the seagulls wouldn’t touch them. The smell was . . . er . . . rather special. |
Photographing the nature of Lofoten was not something I could control by any amount of planning or expertise. Committed to the pursuit of excellence though, I had envisioned beautifully balanced landscape scenes while calculating appropriate lighting times that co-ordinated with the sun’s changing positions . . .
None of it was to be of any help really. The sun shone whenever and wherever it chose, if it came out at all. The islands were prone to arctic conditions, low grey cloud and often windy. When the sun did break through it was strictly at the mercy of the cloud cover and I soon discovered it was better to work with whatever the sun chose to spotlight as a feature.
None of it was to be of any help really. The sun shone whenever and wherever it chose, if it came out at all. The islands were prone to arctic conditions, low grey cloud and often windy. When the sun did break through it was strictly at the mercy of the cloud cover and I soon discovered it was better to work with whatever the sun chose to spotlight as a feature.
The fjord village of Reine - sunshine is selective
Unstad - my first encounter with the Midnight Sun
I drove past an intersection signposted for a village called Nusfjord and that strongly drew my attention. Part of my soul had made the turn already and beckoned me to follow. “Turn here,” was the imperative message, so I stopped, backed up, and made the turn in faith.
In faith, that is, of something that I couldn’t have known. It felt as though part of me had already made that turn and I could feel the magnetic pull to reunite. The message I'd heard as a voice, not actually inside my head, rather it had come from down the road where I needed to go. It had direction.
In faith, that is, of something that I couldn’t have known. It felt as though part of me had already made that turn and I could feel the magnetic pull to reunite. The message I'd heard as a voice, not actually inside my head, rather it had come from down the road where I needed to go. It had direction.
Back on the Mainland.
Åndalsnes - Romsdalen
Driving along Ønevegen (the eagle road) from Åndalsnes to Geiranger
Trollstigen
Geiranger - not her best day, and nor was it mine
Briksdalsbreen
Geirangerfjord had turned on her charm
The Seven Sisters Waterfall - Geirangerfjord
Prekestolen - Lysefjord, Stavanger
Nigardsbreen
Jotunheimen - the home of the giants
This image was taken from the highest mountain in Norway, Galdhøpiggen (2469 m)
This image was taken from the highest mountain in Norway, Galdhøpiggen (2469 m)