Nine Years in Norway

An American's Reflections

daydreaming of Spain’s summer light

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After several days of beautiful yet cold sunshine, it turned dreary/rainy/windy/blah outside again today. To distract myself, I think it’s time to daydream of the summer light and warmth of our August trip to Spain. Although mountain views were familiar, the light and colors were completely different compared to our everyday views.

The bright daylight of the sun directly overhead was almost too intense.

August 10, 2014, 4:52 pm - Spanish summer light
August 13, 2014, 8:56 am - Spanish summer light
August 13, 2014, 9:12 am - Spanish summer light
August 13, 2014, 6:08 pm - Spanish summer light
August 13, 2014, 6:10 pm - Spanish summer light
August 11, 2014, 5:01 pm - Spanish summer light

 

The warm, lingering evenings spent sitting out listening to the night sounds, with the only light coming from the setting sun/rising moon or the man-made reflected light from pool and patio lights were magical. (Well, except for that one accidental camera flash … but I liked the result, so decided that image can be included in the “magical” collection, too! 🙂 ).

August 110, 2014, 9:15 pm - Spanish summer light
August 15, 2014, 9:12 pm - Spanish summer light
August 12, 2014, 10:03 pm - Spanish summer light
August 12, 2014, 10:05 pm - Spanish summer light
August 14, 2014, 10:09 pm - Spanish summer light

 

The red reflected light of the strong summer sun through our restaurant’s table umbrella at lunch was cool and inviting.

August 14, 2014 - Spanish summer light
August 14, 2014 - Spanish summer light
August 14, 2014 - Spanish summer light

 

After a lazy week of sleeping late and “morning” coffee under the mid-day skies, our last morning was an earlier one before the taxi picked us up for our trip to the airport. The morning sunrise and light were the perfect ending to a perfect week.

August 16, 2014, 7:44 am - Spanish summer light
August 16, 2014, 7:44 am - Spanish summer light
August 16, 2014, 7:45 am - Spanish summer light
August 16, 2014, 7:45 am - Spanish summer light
August 16, 2014, 7:50 am - Spanish summer light

 

Ah, that was refreshing. I’d forgotten how the changing light of the different times of the constant sunny days made for interesting and diverse photographs!

Now it’s time to get back to the rainy/no-snow blah-reality of this 2014-2015 winter in the Bergen area. How’s the light in *your* part of the world?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Minimalist

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Jen’s Photo Challenge this week is Minimalist.

“Minimalist photography is characterized by a large portion of negative space, a fairly monochromatic color palette … and an interesting subject that is able to stand on its own to capture the interest of the viewer … A minimalist photo can also effectively tell a story, in spite of its relative simplicity, and it is anything but ‘plain’.”

I had fun looking through photos to find a few that fit this challenge, and decided to take the definition of “minimalist” apart and find images that fit specific qualities better, but still have the overall minimalist look. Does this one fit the description of “a large portion of negative space”?

January 14, 2014 -- 7:52 pm

Lysekloster moon on January 14, 2014 at 7:52 pm

 

I found two that I think are a good representation of “a fairly monochromatic color palette,” one with warm tones and the other with cool. Which do you prefer?

May 24, 2014 - Lysekloster pine tree growth

May 24, 2014 – warm sunshine through a Lysekloster pine tree’s new growth

January 16, 2010 - below freezing ice crystals on a Langeskogen walk

January 16, 2010 – ice crystals on a below freezing Langeskogen walk

 

And then for the last one, “an interesting subject that is able to stand on its own to capture the interest of the viewer” … if you hadn’t already joined me vicariously on the journey, would this photo capture your curiosity as to what we were going to see?

August 20, 2014 - a peek towards the journey

August 20, 2014 – a peek towards the journey

 

Which photo is your favorite? And, if you’d like, share why it is!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreamy

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When I think of the word dreamy I mentally picture a haze over a specific object. Since one of the definitions of dreamy is “pleasant, peaceful, and relaxing,” I thought I’d respond to this week’s photo challenge by sharing images with different aspects of that haze … and where I’ve also found peaceful relaxation.

In Modalen in 2007, watching the small clouds drift between the mountains and me as I was out throwing the ball for MacKenzie …

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreamy

 

In the southern Bergen valley in 2009, when the low-lying clouds filled the valley and I watched the setting sun from my perspective above them …

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreamy

 

Here in Lysekloster this past year, with the air and water temperatures creating interesting fog shapes that advanced and receded on the fjord …

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreamy

… or the late spring or early fall temperatures and sun creating a haze in the sky.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreamy

 

And probably my favorite “dreamy” time, when the rising moon and setting sun mixed with the clouds and created something almost magical, captured both in Bergen and in Lysekloster …

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreamy

Life is busy. It’s nice to stop and be dreamy for a while, isn’t it?

Contrasts: Mother Nature and Norway

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Life is full of contrasts, and Michelle challenges us to show that: Light and dark, tall and short, happy and sad — this week, share a shot that captures a contrast.

There are so many directions I could run with this one … but I decided on literal examples of the changing look of the views outside our apartment.

Remember January’s full moon — also known as a Wolf Moon? The timing was just right for me to capture shots of both the moon rising in the northeast to the right of our front doors at the same time the sun was setting in the southwest to the left of our doors; these photos were taken about 30 seconds apart at 5:24 pm on January 14, 2014:

January 14, 2014 - Lysekloster, Norway

Such a contrast of heavenly bodies and the colors they create!

 

Another contrast in views I captured was the difference between a lightly iced- and snow- covered fjord, farm, and Ole Bull‘s Villa on Lysøen in January 2014, and the same views in the delightful late spring/early summer sunshine of June 2014:

winter and spring 2014 - Lysøen

(Here is another favorite view of the island of Lysøen — with its smooth fjord waters, it’s an additional image showing contrast.)

 

And finally, a specific image of the weather contrast between two separate cloud bursts out towards Sotra and the North Sea, with blue sky, sunny tops of clouds, and the sun’s reflection on our neighbor’s house providing an engaging contrast in this June 28th photo:

June 28, 2014 - 4:00 pm

To the right was a powerful thunderstorm bearing down on us, which contrasts with those blue skies too — but I thought this one image was much more compelling.

 

What contrasts do you observe in your life? If you’re participating in this challenge, did you go in a figurative or literal interpretation?

words about yesterday’s wordless photo …

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… hmmmm, am I breaking the “rules” by writing these words?! 🙂

While catching up with a few of my favorite photography bloggers this morning, I found an image of “my” January moon that grabbed my attention. And I learned something – January’s full moon is called a Wolf Moon.

Ravi explains just what that is in four succinct sentences. I encourage you to visit his post to read why it’s called a Wolf Moon, and to view his “hanging in the sky” image. (That’s my interpretation – I love the scope of his composition!)

(I appreciate everyone’s reaction to my photo. It was a lucky series of shots, taken on January 14th at 5:24 pm, with the setting sun behind me making the clouds glow just a bit; I thought the one I shared was the best.)

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!