Halfway to Alta
Norway is known to be a small country but when you are in the middle of nowhere it can seem very vast. We often stop at this halfway point when driving to Alta. The snow makes everything so quiet and still. Sometimes I have a reality-check: Hey, I’m in Norway, above the Arctic Circle, on top of a snowy mountain.
Even though this is definitely nowhere, the road still manages to get ploughed. The orange sticks are a guide for Mr Plow and whenever a heavy snow falls the roads are magically cleared for the morning traffic. I’ve never actually seen Mr Plow up in the mountains, so I can’t say for sure it is really him. Maybe it’s the mountain trolls who clear away the snow to make our journey safe and smooth?
However, even though the road looks desolate, there is always something beautiful waiting for us around the corner. Just a couple of hundred metres up the road the whiteness clears to a majestic view. Even with the darkest clouds the view is still tranquil and inspiring. People often talk about how beautiful the dark winters are in Norway, but the light winter also has something to sing about.
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There is an opposition in everything. At the darkest time of the year, we celebrate Christmas. And at the exact opposite end, when the midnight sun is at its highest, we celebrate Midsummer.
Towards the water in a beautiful pocket of leafy oak trees is the Byneset Church.
Many English words actually come from old Norse language – brought by Vikings to England in medieval times. Here are some words you have probably uttered without realising you are speaking Norwegian!
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.
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.
In Norway, there are still Lefse recipes around from the 1630s! This is supposedly the traditional and original Hardanger recipe used:
Such beautiful photos! It’s so different from Arizona at this time of year.
Beautiful!
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from L-Jay:
Hi Caroline
Tusen takk!
Beautiful photos!! They make me want to leave work and drive to Alta! I agree, this time of winter is very beautiful too
I’m from the Netherlands so Norway is unbelievably large to me, hehe.
Btw, in Europe Norway is known as a large country! But I guess compared to Australia most countries are small
I really like your blog, I live in Tromsø too and it’s fun to read someone else’s experience of this place!
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from L-Jay:
Hi Hanneke
I think it is very interesting how long Norway is. They’ve practically taken all the ocean coast. I would have thought Sweden would have pushed for more land during their dominance – but hey, they didn’t…lol. Lucky Norway.
Thanks for your comment
I always love looking at your stunning pictures!
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from L-Jay:
I think I’m very lucky living where I do. Most of the time I only have to point and shoot. Nature does the rest: colour, light, movement etc.
Thanks
Wats the name of the place? i went to Alta a month back.. it was a beautiful place, but cold when i was there.. we did some snowmobiling and went on top of the mountain from where we had good view … i loved that place and also managed to see slight hint of northern lights… was happy..
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From Moose:
The name of that mountain is Kvænangsfjellet (Mt. Kvænangen). Some years ago, it was the most dreaded stretch of road between Alta and Tromsø because of the often harsh weather. Nowadays they have a plough station on top of the mountain, with on-call drivers who clear the road when needed and give people a safe journey.
The Swedes did try and take out coast, repeatedly, and succeeded once, taking about one third of it (Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal), but we turned the tables on them and pushed them back across the border.
I have an aqaintance,whom I have subsequently lost track of, but who told me about his visit to Alta about 8 years ago. It turns out that his grandfather was from Alta,working on a Norwegian vessel that called on Portland, OR. His grandfather liked the looks of Portland and decided to jump ship. He settled here, married and raised a family in the area. My friend’s name is Ronald Johnson and I have to assume that his grandfather was also Johnson [or Johannesen or something similar]. Ron is about 70 years old at this point in time. Anyway, Ron decided to visit his Alta relatives along with his wife and children. He has two boys and one girl, perhaps some of their spouses went along as well. They had a wonderful visit getting to know their Norwegian relatives. The relatives decided to have a picnic on the beach one day and told Ron they were going to have fish for the main course. Imagine Ron’s surprise as they arrived at the chosen picnic site and nobody had brought the fish to cook and eat. The relatives told him not worry as they were going to provide very fresh fish for everyone. A couple of boats soon left with some capable fishermen aboard and quickly returned with plenty of fish to feed everyone. Fish doesn’t get any fresher than that. Neeedless to say, Ron and family were impressed and thoroughly enjoyed meeting his relatives.
I’m sorry I didn’t maintain contact with him as I’m sure he would enjoy your blog and Alta connection.
my God .very beautiful pictures.