video Archives - Nine Years in Norway

The End … but the beginning?

February 27, 2016 by Cindi 22 Comments

Life brings so many changes, doesn’t it? Sometimes planned, yet often when we least expect it. Usually welcomed, yet occasionally a curve ball.

And even when they’re planned and welcomed, changes are frequently unsettling.

I’ve worked through most of the unsettling emotions these last few (quiet on the blog) months. Now comes the unsettling physical aspect: This American in Norway is moving to Colorado!

Temporarily? Permanently? The future will let me know.

But much of my heart will remain in this welcoming country, as Jan’s family is my family, I’ve been shaped by the culture of which I’ve been a part, and sharing it with you has been a gift. I’m not the same woman who moved here in January 2007.

This little piece of the internet has a new name. It will be mostly quiet, but referring to the changes written about above — you never know what the future will bring!

Nine years in Norway, as seen through my photos
and heard through the music of Edvard Grieg and Ole Bull.

Statsraad Lehmkuhl: boats met on an August journey

January 17, 2015 by Cindi 20 Comments

Blah. That’s the only way to describe the weather these past few days. Dreary and rainy, it’s boring to be inside but miserable to be out during the short daylight hours.

To lift my spirits, I was looking through photos of more exhilarating times and found these, the last to be shared of our four-hour sailing adventure last August on the Statsraad Lehmkuhl. As we journeyed, other boats met and joined us. It reminded me a bit of the Pied Piper.

Remembering the way the wind, clouds, sun, rain, rainbow, waves, seas, and emotions mixed is uplifting now!

A few images and short video of that part of the adventure:

August 20, 2014 - boats met on the journey

How about one from Christmas, when we glimpsed the Statsraad Lehmkuhl’s holiday spirit through the car window as we drove to Sandviken to spend time with our grandson?

December 26, 2014 - Statsraad Lehmkuhl and Christmas

There. That helps to lift the dreary-day spirits. Now, to continue that, I think I’ll go over to get a sneak peek of the songs submitted for Michelle’s dance party. Come and join the fun! Which one makes you move?

a visit from Storm Nina

January 12, 2015 by Cindi 47 Comments

So, Storm Nina happened on Saturday. It was wild. We lost power for most of the day. It came back on in the night, and I thought to publish this yesterday (Sunday) — but then we lost power again in the morning, and didn’t get it back until late at night. We’ve gone through a lot of candles!

Called “the strongest storm in 20 years,” Bergen’s airport was closed (*that* rarely happens), and this page from Bergens Tidende has several videos from the Bergen area.

We could feel the winds as they shifted; from inside, the windows were the big clue.

January 10, 2015 - Storm Nina shifts her winds

This is a minute-long compilation of our Saturday from 100 meters above the fjord, taken while there was still light enough to see. Yes, I went outside for a bit!

The wind continued long after dark. Without power, it was eerie and enticing at the same time.

Sunday morning the only damage we could see in our immediate area were the many tree branches on the ground, and the one just outside my office window that doesn’t want to leave its tree just yet. My work view has changed.

January 10, 2015 - Storm Nina damage

And then we looked up to a tree in our front yard. I’m glad I wasn’t out when that came flying from another tree.

January 11, 2015 - Storm Nina damage

During his drive into Osøyro to find something for us to eat yesterday, Jan saw many trees down. An apartment had been blown away. Although I feel somewhat exposed up here in our community, it was obviously so much worse elsewhere. (And all of Europe is experiencing strange and extreme weather — right, Jane?)

My outside windows are now very dirty. They’ll have to wait to be cleaned — two days later, we’ve got strong winds and rain out there again. If you don’t “see” me around this blogosphere of ours, it means our power is out and I’m sitting and reading by candlelight again!

January 12, 2015

It’s 2015?!

January 1, 2015 by Cindi 54 Comments

Hello, blogging friends! It’s been seven weeks since I was an active part of the blogosphere, and I’ve missed you all.

But I haven’t been bored! I’ve savored time with my family in the US …

Thanksgiving with family is one of my favorite times of year!

… and, since getting home, I’ve also enjoyed time with my family in Norway with visits to and from Sandviken and Osterøy.

I got back to Norway just before Christmas. There was a lot of quick prep for the season mixed into the jet lag, including bringing in 2013’s live Christmas tree that we never got planted in 2014 …

Christmas with family is also one of my favorite times of year!

Our tree has shed its heavy ornaments and is back outside again. We’ll see if it survives to be planted in 2015!

With the snow …

December 28, 2014

… that then switched to rain that we’ve had these past few weeks, I enjoyed the muted painted colors of the rarely seen sun setting over the North/Norwegian Sea about an hour after that cloud-shrouded snow landscape photo was taken …

December 28, 2014

… as well as that sun peeking through the rain clouds at 2:46 pm on December 31st as it sank towards the sea. It seemed to be saying goodbye to 2014 one last time …

December 31, 2014

Although not nearly as vivid as last year’s display, the foggy/rainy New Year’s Eve fireworks at midnight from all the communities here in Lysekloster were exciting, especially the colorful bursts from two of my neighbors down the mountain …

And, add to all that family and joy and beauty and celebrating, work and building a new website were a big part of the mix. It’s been a busy, wonderful, and rewarding time of life!

Godt Nyttår! Happy New Year! My wish is that 2015 is one of health and happiness for each of you. Virtual hugs from Norway — and I’ll “see” you soon on your corner of the Internet!

rocks, boulders, and avalanches

November 4, 2014 by Cindi 19 Comments

As a follow-up to yesterday‘s post, I thought I’d share another descent that is common in Norway: the descent of rocks and boulders … sometimes one at a time, other times whole mountain sides.

Source

Rocks and boulders tumbling down a mountain are a very real danger here. When we lived in a more remote area with its intimacy with the mountain sides, I was always a little nervous when driving. We never encountered “Mother Norway” throwing her boulders at us then or now, but this happened to one of the members of the Americans in Bergen Facebook group last week.

Yikes. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

Yesterday, about 100 yards from where my husband’s family lives on Osterøy (where my recent Wordless Wednesday photo was taken), a farmer was working in his barn and heard a rumble and a bang … and walking out, found a two-ton boulder that had just come crashing down and was now resting next to his house.

Yikes again. And thankfully again, no one was hurt.

We’ve had a lot of rain for weeks. The rivers have swollen and taken houses and roads with them, as well as creating dangerous mud- and rock- slide conditions throughout the country. The worst of the anticipated avalanches, though, is on Mannen, a mountain north of here. Geologists have been monitoring a huge area for about four years as it has been slowly breaking away. A couple weeks ago the movement increased; a major avalanche is anticipated very soon, and the residents of the homes beneath it have been evacuated. Info from the BBC gives an overview in English, and a web cam has been set up to monitor it. The live video (titled “NRK: Direkte fra fjellet Mannen”) is at the bottom of this web page. (One observation: this is further north, and the days are short. If you get a black screen, don’t be surprised! But the daylight views show the recent rocks slides and avalanches as the mountain rock gives in to gravity, and the photos in the article show the size of boulders that have fallen before, and maybe — if it’s daylight and you’re looking at it at the right moment — you’ll see the anticipated avalanche itself.)

Rock slides and avalanches occur all the time; often they don’t even make the national news. My husband has found this one from October 17, 2007. It might not have made the news, but it was intense and real!

That’s a fast and frightening descent, isn’t it?

Norwegian commercials: TV3 Norway

October 30, 2014 by Cindi 23 Comments

(Commercials on TV can be considered a necessary evil. So many are annoying, but every now and then one comes along that is the perfect combination of product, marketing, humor, and local culture. In my seven years here in Norway there have been several that have captured my attention. I thought it would be fun to occasionally share some of my favorites.)

Last time was a loudly confident goat.

This week is a quietly confident cow. The fourteen second branding spot for TV3 Norway makes me laugh every time.

TV3: Lett å like

TV3: Easy to like

A cow with a flower-and-fruit hat? Modestly self-assured, with a little personality thrown in. Good branding for a TV station!

Wordless (but not soundless) Wednesday: mountain stream

October 29, 2014 by Cindi 21 Comments

October 13 and 15, 2014 - Wordless Wednesday: mountain stream

Swans and the Pøyla inlet in Lysekloster

October 18, 2014 by Cindi 23 Comments

Twice this past week I explored a part of Lysekloster that I hadn’t been to yet. I discovered something peaceful and colorful that we’ve driven by often but hadn’t really stopped to savor other than one quick visit back in February to capture images of the local swan family. You saw a sneak peek of last week’s first visit a couple days ago, and on Thursday I went back to explore the trail that begins just past this Pøyla inlet further in anticipation of a future “paintings and photographs” post. But the vividness of the just-past-peak Fall Colors, and especially the swan family and ducks seeming to pose for their photo ops, almost demands its own post.

So here it is. (Click on an image to open the carousel gallery.)

October 13, 2014

October 15, 2014

I sat for quite a while watching the swan family; their grace is something I can’t get tired of, and the cygnets have grown so much they look like small gray adults. But if you listen at 0:33 in this video, you’ll hear a very tiny “peep” — these large children sound just like a tiny chick! And later I was focusing to take a photo of the ducks as they lazily swam in the colorful reflection and heard a loud noise — and looked over to see Papa Swan taking off for a brief flight, his heavy wings beating the water. I didn’t get much of it, but it’s at 1:23.

I’ll leave you with my favorite image from the set. It was going to be my next Wordless Wednesday photo … but I can’t wait that long to share it!

October 15, 2014 - swan in the Pøyla inlet

I’m glad I got out there when I did. We’re getting slammed with wind and rain over the next few days, and I’m sure all the leaves will be blown away and the color will be gone!

(Here is where Pøyla inlet is located on the map.)