Cormorants are fascinating birds. They are excellent swimmers and fishers, but clumsy like a penguin on land. Their feathers are not waterproof, so they have to spend most of their day air-drying with their wings stretched out. But when dry (and on land), they have an elegant, upright posture which makes them a great photo [...]
In a land full of mountains, great trees and many waters, legends of mystical creatures echo throughout the landscape. It seems that in every valley, on every hilltop, or in every cave, there is a troll waiting to be found. Huldra, the elfin sirens of the forest, either bless you or curse you with their [...]
This is our view to the west. After work the shore becomes alive with activity. Tromsøværing (the Tromsø folk) make the most of the afternoon sun with fishing, jogging and rollerskiing.
There is a saying here: ‘Tromsø is all uphill’. But what goes up, must come down.
We live on top of the hill on Tromsø island and the city centre lays straight below us. I like to walk to town and you’d think this would be easy, all down hill, but there are a [...]
Like everyone, I’ve always wanted to learn another language but no one told me I would have to learn how to learn language first.
Reading and writing Norwegian is fine (it just seems like English spelt badly) but trying to learn how to listen and speak Norwegian is a whole different language – literally! [...]
Sometimes, when we wake up, we are surrounded by mist. It seems that nature enjoys being touched by the clouds – everything moves slower, the sound is damp and the colours are softened. We always head to the lake to be part of the morning mist. We love being in nature’s atmosphere.
The white Balsfjord Church in Tennes was at the end of town right next to the fjord. It was so quiet, you could almost hear the sun. Across the road is a memorial cemetery with 11 graves of notable church members and a monument to the townsfolk who lost their lives in the war. It [...]
The Balsfjord Church still stands proud today and remains a gathering place for the locals, however, travellers use it as a marker to make a journey back in time. … In 1799 Professor Martin Vahl from the Copenhagen University, and the first botanist to travel to Northern Norway, found a stag-like figure carved in rock on a farm in Balsfjord.
The seagulls in Tromsø are very cheeky. They will eat food right out of your hand. I always thought seagulls to be pesky birds – always squawking and stealing food from the ducks – but after these pictures I have changed my mind. Seagulls might be pushy but they are also beautiful.
Farfar (Grandfather) is Northern Norway – a hard working farmer . Our Farfar is 82, 90% blind, needs two walking sticks to get around and still climbs ladders! Once a farmer, always a farmer.
In 1960 Farfar bought a patch of land in rural Alta and built a house on it. Over the years [...]
Norwegian houses are very charming with their wooden panels and slate roofing. It is typical for a house to be painted a strong colour such as red, blue or yellow, but white is the most popular.
more...
The further ‘out of the way’ you go the more common it is to see folk cottages standing by the side of roads, along fjords or in a thicket of trees, minding their own business.
How Norway became a country is shrouded in mystery and folklore. The most well known tale is of Harald Hårfagre who gathered the small kingdoms of the north into a unified nation in 872AD – and of course, this story is about love.
The bunad is a traditional Norwegian costume worn by both men and women. It can either come from established rural traditions or have a more modern design inspired by historical patterns and cuts.
Many Norwegians know what they are doing when they pick wild mushrooms. This knowledge is passed down the family during mushroom hunting trips. The hard-core mushroom hunters go into the mountain wilderness for days to get the best finds.
The sun never goes down during this season but the mountains to the East are so high that the sun still has to raise above them in the morning hours and an artificial dawn-effect wakes the city.
RSS