Nine Years in Norway

An American's Reflections

the interplay of clouds and sun: a perspective

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While sitting together over coffee this morning, we watched the interplay of sun, clouds, and rain across the fjord over Fanafjellet. I didn’t get up to get my camera; I just sat and absorbed the subtly changing scenery.

These photos aren’t from today, but they have cloud, sun, and rain patterns similar to what I saw.

January 12, 2015 - interplay of sun and clouds
January 10, 2015 - interplay of sun and clouds
February 16, 2015 - interplay of sun and clouds
February 20, 2015 - interplay of sun and clouds

 

We’ve lived in this little piece of paradise for almost two years now. Our views here are a different perspective compared to those we saw when we lived at a higher elevation on Løvstakken overlooking the southern Bergen valley.

December 21, 2010 - interplay of sun and clouds
May 14, 2008 - interplay of sun and clouds
September 20, 2012 - interplay of sun and clouds
October 26, 2011 - interplay of sun and clouds

 

The intermittent rain stopped a couple hours ago, and the sun and clouds have been playing hide and seek. It’s a little nippy to sit outside and enjoy it, but I did go out for a bit … just in time to catch this.

April 26, 2015 - 8:01 pm - interplay of sun and clouds

A magical moment.

And then, just as I was about to hit the “publish” button, my husband called me out to see this.

April 26, 2015 - 8:54 pm - interplay of sun and clouds

That sun and cloud glow: two magic moments in one hour. Thank you, Norway!

a trip on the Statsraad Lehmkuhl: the beginning

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I’ve been sitting here barefoot on a rainy Bergen-area Sunday — no Uggs in site! I don’t think I’ll be wearing them again anytime soon, but they were needed last Wednesday (along with the layers we wore, and the hats and scarves we took): Jan and I enjoyed a four-hour trip on the Statsraad Lehmkuhl!

It was a breezy, sun-and-clouds-and-wind-driven-rain trip. It was beyond gorgeous. The only thing that could have made it better is if it had been a longer trip and we’d gotten far enough south to see the familiar surroundings of Lysekloster (and maybe even sailed past our apartment) … but as it was, we traveled in fjords that I’d seen from airplane windows on take-off and landing, under bridges where we’ve driven, saw the familiar mountains that surround Bergen from different angles, and experienced bright sunny moments, wind-driven rain moments, and a complete colorful rainbow.

I’d planned to present the adventure as one post, but I took so many photos and experienced so many different weather events and emotions to my *finally* being out on this beautiful lady it’s a little overwhelming to present in one go. So this post will focus on our arrival in Bergen from Lysekloster, walking around the ship in port, and first explorations once we boarded.

I invite you to join me on the first part of our trip. And since it’s through your computer screen, no Uggs are required no matter where in the world you are. 🙂

Driving into Bergen, there she was waiting in her berth just at the end of Bryggen. We parked and walked around Bryggen, waiting for 5:00 pm when we could officially board. After our recent time in Spain, it was nice to be back home and watch other tourists enjoying my adopted city — especially as, with the threatening rain clouds, cooler temperatures, and only one cruise ship in port, it wasn’t too crowded:

August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip

 

It was exciting to be standing so close, knowing I’d finally be experiencing her very soon:

August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip

 

Once on board, I explored a bit of her open areas before we were scheduled to leave, taking it all in.

Down the steep stairs found me looking where we’d be served shrimp and herring once underway:

August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip

 

I also peeked through to her berth in port, and thought the sign for the recent Tall Ships Races 2014 in Bergen made an interesting perspective through the window:

August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip

 

Wandering around back up on the main deck, I kept craning my neck upward. I’ve always been fascinated by the Tall Ships’ masts, and standing under the mathematical perfection had me mesmerized:

August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip

 

I walked up steep stairs towards the stern and looked to the heartbeat of the ship where the captain is in control, understandably blocked off from us landkrabbes crawling around (but I’d seen the previous setup in the Maritime Museum, so had a slight understanding of what was hidden):

August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip

 

Back down the stairs I went, to the main area of the deck under the protection of the canvas (for us landekrabbe’s protection from the elements):

August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip

 

I walked around a bit under the tarp:

August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip

 

And before we began the trip, I stood hanging over the side, drinking in the sight of Bergen from a different perspective — in the harbor. I stitched together six images to create a makeshift panoramic view (click it to open a larger version):

August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip

 

And I also captured a few individual shots of Bryggen, Fløyen, Ulriken, Løvstakken, and out towards Byfjorden:

August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
Fløyen, with the funicular coming down the steep slope
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
Ulriken rises behind Bergen
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
The sun and clouds created interesting shadows on Ulriken
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
Løvstakken rises in the distance
August 20, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl trip
Looking out towards Byfjorden

 

And soon after capturing these images, we were off! There was rain and sun throughout the journey. Do you think I stayed under the canvas the entire time? Absolutely not! 🙂 Look for a post next weekend where I’ll share images and a video I took during the journey!

Have you ever longed for an event … and then were able to fulfill that dream? Was it as good as you’d expected?

Street Life

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This week’s photo challenge is to capture “… a snapshot of a street (or road or path) [that] can tell a tale.”

I’ve shared a few “big city” street scene photos from my travels before — Washington DC, Auckland, London — but when I think of this week’s challenge, my mind goes to areas near my homes over the years. Especially as an empty-nester looking back on the wonderful memories of raising my girls, familiar parts of the world that represent family mean the most to me:

My youngest daughter learning to walk, with her older sister showing her how to run, at Fort Dix, New Jersey in April of 1987 …

April 1987 - Fort Dix, New Jersey

 

My girls riding their bikes in the cul-de-sac in front of our house in Rex, Georgia in the summer of 1990 …

Summer 1990 - Rex, Georgia

 

My daughters playing in the front yard and street of my parent’s house in Pensacola, Florida in 1992 (looking at this photo, I can almost hear their giggles mixed with the joy of my Mom’s voice as we watched them play) …

April 1992 - Pensacola, Florida

 

My oldest daughter and the neighborhood girls singing “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers …” while springing, jumping, hopping, and entertaining the families of our wonderful cul-de-sac in Jessup, Maryland in the spring of 1996 …

Easter 1996 - Jessup, Maryland

 

And the country road in front of David’s family home, with all the warm memories of visits to the farm and the Keller family that go with this December 2002 black-and-white-experiment image …

December 2002 - Bergen, New York

 

 

But since moving to Norway, my life has slowed down. I have time to walk and think, and the environment that surrounds those streets that offer the path from my door to nature have replaced the missed presence of children in my life:

Up the Modalen valley in May of 2007 …

 

Our area of Bergen on the side of Løvstakken in May of 2008 …

 

And here in Lysekloster during my winter walks on narrow roads and paths …

 

How about you — what are your favorite street views? Do you enjoy walking along the road, or prefer viewing the scenery on a bike or through a car window? I’d enjoy reading of your “street view” experiences!

Reflections

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This week’s Photo Challenge was envisioned by Ben, a photography blogger I’ve been following for quite a while now. He’s chosen Reflections as the theme:

Reflect: to consider where we’ve been in life, where we are now, and where we’re going … This week, in a post created specifically for this challenge, show us an image that says REFLECTION. It could be … a place you go to collect your thoughts, or an object that reminds you of your achievements. You could also go for something more literal, like a reflection in water.

This is such an appropriate challenge for me, both photo- and thought-wise. My blog’s focus is about sharing my journey as an expatriate and traveler, and exploring how those experiences have shaped me. Most of my words and images reflect what I’m seeing or what I’m thinking. Combining them for this challenge is a natural progression!

Light and an object create reflections. Figuratively or literally, the word “reflection” can be expressed in many ways:

 

When feeling confident and happy, a person’s inner glow can be reflected outward …

October 5, 2002 – Lobster Cove on Monhegan Island

… as this wave’s inner light seemed to radiate out through the foam and air towards me when I was standing on the rocks of Lobster Cove, on Monhegan Island, Maine in 2005.

 

Sometimes our inner confidence is more muted and discreet, and is reflected without the need for a bright outside source …

January 16, 2010 - Langeskogen, Bergen, Norway

… as these ice crystals demonstrated on a cold winter’s morning walk through Langeskogen in Bergen, Norway in 2010.

 

At times there’s a “sameness” to life’s events; if you compare those events to colors, they’re almost monochromatic. We trudge through moments or days of numbing predictability, until something happens and we suddenly notice an aspect of the day reflected in a manner that catches our attention …

August 20, 2007 - Stølsheimen, Modalen, Norway

… just as these clouds’ reflections in this mountain-top lake caught my attention, 1000 meters up towards the sky on Stølsheimen in Modalen, Norway in 2007.

 

That sameness of our surroundings can become routine and dull, and light can reflect and capture the subtle yet playful differences that are there if we just know where to look …

September 16, 2007 - Montalcino, Italy

… as the morning sun did when it shone through the shutters and highlighted the dust dancing in our room in Montalcino, Italy in 2007.

 

Often the light of a moment combines with the darkness of another moment to reflect and create something magical …

September 27, 2012 - Bergen, Norway

… as this 2012 double-rainbow seen through my window in our house on the side of Løvstakken offered.

 

Rainbow reflections are catchy and show-stopping, but sometimes the hope reflected through the darkness is so small, it’s almost missed …

January 14, 2014 - Fanafjellet, Lysekloster, Norway

…as this 2014 reflection on Fanafjellet subtly showed.

 

Often a reflection distorts the reality …

June 2, 2012 - Viking Festival, Hordamuseet, Bergen, Norway

… as this Viking Ship replica’s bow displays in its reflection in the shallow water at the Hordamuseet near Bergen at the 2012 Viking Festival.

 

Many a time something will seemingly block a clear view, the reflections combining to get in the way of seeing something clearly; but then you realize that, looking at the big picture, it *all* combines to be something beautiful …

January 14, 2014 - Lysekloster, Norway

… as the setting sun’s reflection lit up the wispy clouds in front of this January 2014 moon here in Lysekloster, and created something almost magical.

 

It can certainly be said that, sometimes, a photo of a reflection is just that: a photo of a reflection, no hidden meaning intended, no interpretation needed …

January 15, 2014 - Lysekloster

… taken from my front yard in mid-January 2014 as I admired the setting sun’s reflection on the houses of Lysekloster.

 

What are your thoughts on reflections? Are you participating in Ben’s challenge this week? If so, post your link below; I’d enjoy stopping by to see!

Bergen, Norway – surrounded by mountains

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I knew that Bergen was surrounded by seven mountains before I moved here. I could even pronounce one of them (somewhat!) correctly: Ulriken, on whose side my husband was born and raised.

But after living in this area for almost seven years, not only have I learned how to (somewhat !) say the other six mountain names, I’ve come to view the mountains as so much more than just Norwegian names that create the Bergen valley … and I feel a personal connection with three of them: Fløyen, Ulriken, and Løvstakken.

Hiking and outdoor activity is normal in Norway. I did my share of walking when we first moved here, and did hike up a mountain to the source of a waterfall with my youngest daughter when we lived in Modalen, but hip surgeries and my subsequent need for crutches means my mountain climbing days were over before they ever really began. (Although, to be honest, I was never really athletic – I liked strolling in the mostly level woods, or being in the practice room with my flute instead!)

But I have enjoyed several cable car and funicular trips up two of these Bergen landscapes, and I lived on the side of one for five years. And, although photos and words about them have been interspersed throughout my blog posts, I thought I’d continue the theme of my past couple posts, share a few more “I promise I’ll get you published eventually!” words from my Knok.com post, and show a bit of my perspective of “my” Bergen mountains.

 

Løvstakken

I’ve written about and shared photos of Løvstakken often … and if Ulriken is my husband’s mountain, I consider Løvstakken mine!

Løvstakken as seen from Ulriken, looking across the southern Bergen valley; I love the cloud shadow! – June 4, 2009
Løvstakken as seen from Ulriken, zooming in on the southern slope where we lived; Flesland runway is in the distance – June 4, 2009
Løvstakken (and my Dad and Jan), as seen from Fløyen – January 14, 2010, 3:40 pm
walking in Langeskogen on Løvstakken – December 19, 2009
walking in Langeskogen on Løvstakken – December 19, 2009
walking photo-bombing MacKenzie on Løvstakken, around our townhouse community – May 30, 2008
looking down a Løvstakken ravine, around our townhouse community – May 30, 2008
throwing the ball for MacKenzie (she was unimpressed with the sun rise, but I love how the flash caught her eyes and her ball), next to our townhouse community – December 24, 2009, 10:14 am
Mac is still unimpressed with the sunrise! – December 24, 2009, 10:15 am
walking in Langeskogen on Løvstakken – October 13, 2012
walking in Langeskogen on Løvstakken – October 13, 2012
walking on Løvstakken, around our townhouse community – January 11, 2013, 12:38 pm
walking on Løvstakken, around our townhouse community, looking down into the Bergen valley – January 11, 2013, 12:40 pm
walking on Løvstakken, around our townhouse community, looking down into the Bergen valley – January 11, 2013, 12:42 pm
walking on Løvstakken, around our townhouse community – February 2, 2013, 11:06 pm

(Here is where this part of the world is located on the map.)

 

Fløyen

Of the seven mountains that surround Bergen, Fløyen is the most visited.  The Fløibanen funicular travels between the city center to the top, but hiking up and down is also highly recommended!  The views of the city from the top are a great perspective, and there’s a lot to do up there too.

on Fløibanen, about to pass the other funicular – someone is taking a photo of our car; I wish I could trade pics with her! – August 6, 2007
view of Bergen from partway up the tracks – August 6, 2007
zoom shot view of Bergen Harbor from the top of Fløyen; the Hanseatic Museum is the building next to the bus – August 6, 2007
another zoom shot view (different trip, different season!) of Bergen Harbor from the top of Fløyen, with Statsraad Lehmkuhl in port – January 14, 2010
not-so-zoom shot view of Bergen Harbor and out to the Norwegian Sea from the top of Fløyen, with Fløibanen making its way up the mountain – January 14, 2010
view of Bergen valley from Fløyen – January 14, 2010
my Dad and Jan on top of Fløyen – January 14, 2010, 3:39 pm
views from Fløyen, looking towards the southern slope of Løvstakken – January 14, 2010, 3:40 pm
views from Fløyen, looking across the Bergen valley – January 14, 2010, 3:44 pm
January 14, 2010, 3:54 pm
January 14, 2010 – 3:55 pm

(Here is where this part of the world is located on the map.)

 

Ulriken

Ulriken is the highest mountain, and there is transportation from city center to the cable cars that take you to the summit … or of course you can hike it too! Once up, hiking opportunities abound … or, you can sit and enjoy the view, whether with your own impromptu picnic lunch, or with a drink or meal in the restaurant or on the terrace.

looking up Ulriken – May 31, 2009
Ulriken bus from downtown Bergen to the cable cars – June 4, 2009
June 4, 2009
outside the Ulriken cable car entrance – June 4, 2009
a little of what awaits you at the top! – June 4, 2009
waiting in line for the cable car – June 4, 2009, 9:42 am
greeting the other cable car – June 4, 2009, 10:04 am
we never did find out what the helicopter was needed for – June 4, 2009
Bergen and out to the Norwegian Sea, as seen from the top of Ulriken – June 4, 2009, 10:31 am
Ulriken views of the terrace and to the southern Bergen valley – June 4, 2009, 10:38 am
Ulriken views to the southern Bergen valley with Brann stadium and a cable car, looking towards Løvstakken – June 4, 2009, 10:38 am
looking down from Ulriken to the water and grassy area MacKenzie and I played at when I first moved here – June 4, 2009, 10:41 am
Ulriken – June 4, 2009
looking back towards the restaurant on top of Ulriken – June 4, 2009
Ulriken tower – June 4, 2009
impromptu Ulriken lunch – June 4, 2009
Ulriken cable car and Bergen – one of my favorite photos! – June 4, 2009, 12:24 pm
a different season on Ulriken; my Dad and were dressed appropriately in layers, but there was no wind … so we were too warm! – December 29, 2009 – 1:17 pm
on top of Ulriken, looking north towards Bergen and west towards the Sea – December 29, 2009, 1:24 pm
on top of Ulriken, looking south with Løvstakken in the background – December 29, 2009, 2:19 pm
Dad, me, and an Ulriken moon – December 29, 2009, 2:29 pm
taking the cable car down – December 29, 2009, 2:52 pm
meeting the other cable car – December 29, 2009, 2:53 pm
a “through a car window” shot of the Ulriken moon – December 29, 2009, 3:14 pm
and still another season’s visit to Ulriken; my oldest daughter looking down to Bergen – August 3, 2010, 12:07 pm
we weren’t hiking 😉 – August 3, 2010, 12:33 pm

(Here is where this part of the world is located on the map.)

The hike between Ulriken and Fløyen is very popular … and, if you want to push yourself, consider visiting Bergen the end of May to participate in the 7-mountain hike (7-fjellsturen) – not a race, but a chance to spend a Sunday covering approximately 35 km/22 miles with a total ascent of 2,300 meters/7546 feet!

our beautiful earth, as observed through a plane window

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What is it about taking photos through a plane window? They never capture the real depth of the actual view, the windows are dirty so the photos aren’t clear … and, if we’re taking off or landing, we’ll get in trouble if we’re caught with our electronic equipment turned on.

Oops; I’ve done it before, and I did it this recent trip too!

Seeing our earth from thousands of feet up in the air is a surreal, floating experience … and even if photos or words don’t capture that experience adequately, they’re still a glimpse of something almost magical. (Humans flying in heavy machines – that’s magic, isn’t it?)

In all my flights, there are three shots I wish I could have taken; words will have to do:

  – In February 2005 I had an opportunity to go to Las Vegas for my brother’s wedding. I’d flown before that – Germany, Mexico City, plus trips in the eastern U.S. to visit family and friends – but I’d never flown out west. Seeing the U.S. landscape change as we flew from Maryland towards Vegas was interesting … but seeing the Rocky Mountains was fascinating! The colors, the topography, the rugged look – so different compared to the mountains of the U.S. east coast. Our flight landed late afternoon, and the sun’s setting colors on the Rockies is an image I carry in my mind’s eye: angular, edgy, raw. Cold, yet warmed by the sun’s glow. Seeing those colors in reality helps me appreciate the color palette of western-themed paintings (or even silly restaurant wall murals).

  – Several years ago I was returning from a trip to the States. My flight into Bergen was on a clear and beautifully sunny morning, and our flight pattern took us north of the city before banking south to come into the airport. We flew down the Bergen valley, and looking out my window on the right side of the plane I saw Løvstakken and, on its south side, our townhouse community. It was such an “ahhhhhhh” moment! Everything looked so perfect in miniature. If I’d had binoculars, I probably could have looked into our living room window!

  – I also wish I could have taken a photo as we landed at Chicago O’Hare on my way back to Norway this recent trip. It was about 5:30 in the afternoon, the sun was heading down, I was on the left side of the plane, and we were coming in from the north – I had the perfect view of the Chicago skyline and our plane shadow racing us on the ground as we descended towards the runway, getting bigger and bigger, and faster and faster, and then catching us as we touched down. But the flight attendant had already had an issue with someone sitting in front of me not wanting to turn off his phone, so I thought turning on my camera wasn’t the *best* thing to do.

But I had gorgeous travel weather on all the legs of my recent trip, requested window seats because of that, and did snap a couple photos … some “legal,” one perhaps not-so-much. 😉

Iowa from the air

September 1, 2013
Iowa landscape just before starting our descent into Cedar Rapids …
a flat and beautiful jigsaw puzzle!

Anholt Island Denmark from the air

September 24, 2013
Anholt, Denmark, surrounded by the Kattegat waters,
with Sweden visible on the horizon

Sørfjorden, Norway from the air

Sørfjorden, Norway

Folgefonni glacier, Norway from the air

Folgefonni glacier, Norway

Lysekloster, Norway from the air

This photo I was the most excited to get on this trip – our home! Landing in Bergen and watching the landscape carefully, I thought I saw Lysøen, and across from it the hill/mountain topped by our house .. and then I saw the ferry that I watch when sitting on my front bench, and knew I had the landscape right! Since we were landing, I had turned off my camera and iPod … but (shhhh!) snuck my iPod out, so I could snap this pic.

For perspective, here’s one from October 11th looking at an airborne plane in the sky at approximately the same place I took my through-a-plane-window photo – if you look closely, you’ll see the tiny dot in the sky. 😉

perspective looking at plane from Lysekloster

moving

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A busy few months of organizing and a frantic few weeks of packing … and tomorrow the movers come.

We’re moving from our home of not-quite five years – to a beautiful and modern place about half an hour away; downsizing a bit, eager for the next phase of life.

We’ve loved the views, location, neighbors, and way our combined furniture has “fit” this townhouse on the side of Løvstakken, but our friend we’ve been renting from needs to sell, and we can’t live with stairs anymore. Ah, the reality of post-surgery bodies. :/

I thought I’d share a few of my favorite views from our windows overlooking the southern Bergen valley and Nordåsvatnet. Such changing patterns in the sky, caused by mountains and water! Rainbows (the ones I caught on camera are here – most of them double) and the moon (here – there are a LOT; I sure like the moon!) have been shared … but I have a few other captured “OMG” moments that need to be posted.

Words really couldn’t express a physical response to the views; they need to be experienced and lived. I remember my Dad standing in our living room windows staring at the winter landscape almost every day of his month-long visit in December 2009/January 2010. I knew exactly what he was experiencing. I’ve felt it often too.

fog-smoke over the valley

December 11, 2009 – 3:04 pm
(yes, there’s a valley under that cloud cover)

 

fog-smoke over the valley

December 11, 2009 – 3:20 pm

 

December 21, 2009 – 10:08 am

 

December 25, 2009 – 3:58 pm

 

October snow

October 21, 2010 – 3:29 pm

 

October snow

October 21, 2010 – 3:29 pm

 

October snow and sun

October 22, 2010 – 4:19 pm

 

December 21, 2010 – 11:50 am

 

October snow and sun

October 25, 2012 – 8:17 am

moon

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I shared photos of a Norwegian moon a couple years ago (here and here) … below are two shots of this March moon as seen from my home office on the side of Løvstakken. The setting sun is still kissing the mountain tops of southern Ulriken.

March 26, 2013 moon

March 26, 2013 – 7:02pm

March 26, 2013 moon

March 26, 2013 – 7:03pm