April 2017
NORWAY - Travel Blog
Although the trip was in 2017 the Blog was created in January 2021. A period of time when travel is just not possible.
A trip to the Arctic Circle
I love to travel. I am a Thursday’s child, and I do have far to go!
Once I used to travel through sport, but now I have left the sport behind due to M.E. I travel for fun and photography. One of the people I met through my Sport has remained a friend, despite many years of difference between us—he and his Fiancé, that Hosted me on my first trip to Norway.
This was a country I never thought I would get to, even though it is one of our closest neighbours. I have seen its wonders on film since I was a child. The frozen North with jagged snow-covered mountains and deep Fjords with steep sides. A wonderland for hill walkers, climbers and skiers. I was never that type of person, but to do photography, there would be fantastic. Then one day, that opportunity was opened up to me, and of course, I had to take it.
After flying in over spectacular mountain scenery, I landed at Tromsø Airport. My friends in the arrivals hall met me. I was so emotional at that time I have tears in my eyes typing this now. I could not believe I was in this beautiful place at last. Why had it taken me so long?
To Ian and Marie, you lovely people, thank you so much for inviting me to your home.
The story
The trip, was a trip of two halves. The first, glorious weather, sun, blue sky and even warmth despite being further North than Iceland! The second, snow and rain. Would that stop me taking pictures? No.
I
The images below are a mix of some of my favourite images and lesser quality images telling the story of that week, just north of the Arctic Circle.
View from my seat on the plane as we approach Tromsø. Taken with my compact camera, the Panasonic Lumix TZ60 is referred to as the Lumix from now on. This was my second of two legs to get here—First Edinburgh to Oslo, then Oslo to Tromsø. In Edinburgh, for the first time, I paid a little extra to use the Executive lounge. An excellent way to start a holiday. Quiet, spacious, free coffee and nibbles. I should do that more often. The flight route, as I said, was to Oslo first. T here, I found what appeared to be quite a small airport. I wandered around a little as I had lots, so time to kill. Then something drew my eye. People are going through a door. I then discovered I needed to go that way to get to my connection. Through I went and down some stairs into a much larger terminal area. Of course, I'd been killing time in a small international arrivals area and now needed to be in Domestic Departures. I could have bought a Reindeer hide, expensive clothes and an array of expensive tourist tat—my first experience of prices in Norway. Then it was time to board my SAS flight up to Tromsø. I always book a window seat for the views; it is usually over the wing, which is not great for pictures, but being an emergency exit, the seat usually has lots of leg room.
I was in awe of these mountains. Little did I know then that there was a plan to take me there. Unfortunately due to the change in the weather that plan was dropped and I never did get to drive into these mountains. Lumix. - 69°23'59.6"N 18°35'41.8"E 69.399877, 18.594955
One of the first pictures was taken on my first full day in Tromsø, Friday, 27th April 2017. I wanted to use the bridge as a lead in line to the Church, the Ishavskatedralen or Arctic Cathedral. From there, the diamond shape of the cathedral points to the dominating mountain behind. I like the image and so do many others. I put this up on Google maps, and to date of writing, it has had 472,656 views. (6 While typing this paragraph!). I will be honest. Exposure in snowy conditions is problematic, and I had to adjust it in post. Nikon D750. Location; 69°39'09.7"N 18°58'09.4"E 69.652702, 18.969264
Fishing boats in for service and repair. My friend was taking me a walk along the shore in Tromsø. We explored a lot. From the small marina along the front and out on to the breakwater. You will see all that in an image further on. Nikon D750. location: 69°39'10.9"N 18°57'54.0"E 69.653017, 18.964996
Phone image - PANORAMA mode. The phone is not a tool to be forgotten. If a Phone has a good camera system then use it. It can provide perfectly good images for social media. This is the wide shot of the previous boats image. I t gives a better feel for where the boats are, even if a bit distorted.
Honestly, I cannot remember if this was a wrong turn or a deliberate drive up a dead-end road. Not the most straightforward image, with very bright and very dark shadows. I wish the boat house had been red like many other buildings, though. This is day 2, Saturday, and the sun is still shining. A great day for a drive, and we are off to Sommarøy. Nikon D750. Location: 69°41'25.2"N 18°35'27.0"E 69.690325, 18.590823
Mirror mirror on the..... Wow, the conditions that day just blew me away. Perfect calm sunny weather. Not normal and I was told how lucky I was to get this. The image here was from the side of the road. I took lots here as there were some nice red buildings around. This though, I just liked the simplicity of it. Nikon D750. location: 69°35'19.1"N 18°16'47.9"E 69.588633, 18.279973
Boat and Mountain. One of those shots where you can see potential as you drive along. So we parked up, and I got this. Calmer water would have been great, but this is a wide channel and more open to the slight breeze in the air. Nikon D750 100mm Location believed to be around 69°37'23.7"N 18°11'33.7"E 69.623255, 18.192683
A phone image was taken by my friend Ian. You will see the previous image was taken close to here. The point of this is to show that it wasn't freezing despite the snow. Maybe for people from warm or hot countries, it will feel cold, but to a Scotsman, nope, it was not too bad at all.
The start of a series of images from the one place. This was not even our destination. Nikon D750. Location : 69°37'15.6"N 18°03'28.4"E 69.620991, 18.057901
Same location. The Sommarøybrua (Sommarøy Bridge) which leads us to our destination, the village/Island of Sommarøy. Nikon D750 Location: 69°37'15.7"N 18°03'27.8"E 69.621013, 18.057720
Same place but in Black and White. The Sommarøybrua (Sommarøy Bridge) which leads us to our destination, the village/Island of Sommarøy. Nikon D750 Location: 69°37'15.7"N 18°03'27.8"E 69.621013, 18.057720
Same location. This time showing the small bay and the fishing industry. Nikon D750 Location: 69°37'15.7"N 18°03'27.8"E 69.621013, 18.057720
Sommarøy. Well, a view from there. As usual, I took lots of pictures and ended up with this. Two upturned boats almost mimic the island's shape in the distance. I cannot quite pinpoint the exact location. Around where shown here:- 69°38'11.4"N 18°00'27.3"E 69.636497, 18.007577 Nikon D750
I loved the clarity of the water and that red hut. This was taken at 24mm on the Nikon D750. Any wider and the building and hills would be far too small. I feel the size of the building is right, and the mountains in the distance are correct as it emphasises the solitude of the location. We are on an Island in the North Atlantic. In the other direction, the next land mass is Greenland. As you probably know, I do much of my photography from a Tripod. I was using my travel tripod, which was a few years old and heavily used. It should not have been surprising that the mounting plate would work loose, which it did. A wobbly tripod is as good as no tripod. I was stuck, I needed an Allen Key, and it was not with me. Thankfully, Ian is not shy and strode off to a nearby house and asked to borrow one. 69°38'32.5"N 17°59'53.1"E 69.642371, 17.998073
We saw this lovely boat silently pass us by. I looked it up later. It is Opal, an Electric Hybrid Schooner used for Whale watching trips. - "Built at the Bodenwerft in Damgarten, Germany, in 1951, she served as a trawler in the Baltic, North, and Barents Sea. In 1973 new owners started her restoration. For eight years until 1981, Opal was converted to the elegant but seaworthy, two-masted schooner she is today. She has sailed worldwide, completing several trans-Atlantic crossings and has been carefully maintained through the years. Opal remained with the same owners until becoming part of North Sailing´s fleet in early 2013. She has undergone restoration and had interior work done to better fit her for the new purpose as an expedition ship. The Opal has six double/twin cabins plus crew facilities. She has three bathrooms and two showers. She comfortably fits 12 passengers, plus her crew." Nikon D750 - Location 69°38'05.3"N 17°58'59.9"E 69.634816, 17.983318
Just a red barn with a grass roof. 69°38'03.2"N 17°58'56.0"E 69.634225, 17.982211
One of the houses on the Island. I liked the way the sun was shining through the trees.
We stopped here because we saw a lone Reindeer munching grass just off the road. The pictures of that are nothing special, so they are not shown. I liked the red boat reflecting in the mirror-like Bay. So I walked further down from where we parked and took this. Compositionally it could be better. It would be nice if the boat pointed into the image and not to the edge. I can't move the boat, though, and the walkway down was ugly. Nikon D750. Location. 69°40'30.6"N 18°45'09.8"E 69.675168, 18.752716
11.06 pm Local Time. I have dropped my friends at home and am heading back to the Hotel. I had hoped to get this shot. With the town on a hill, there was a chance that I could get an in-line photograph of the Bridge with the Arctic Cathedral on the far side. I parked when I saw a gap between houses and walked back up the street. To get this shot, I had to stand on someone's driveway. Apologies to them. I got the shot I wanted, though it was 6 seconds on a tripod on a stranger's driveway. The things I do! Camera Nikon D750. Location: - Well, that would not be fair on the driveway owners, would it? :-)
Third Full day. Sunday. The highlight of the week for me was a Dog Sled ride in the snow covered Norwegian Landscape. The trick here was to shut down the lens to get as much depth of field as possible, without the shutter being too slow for the bumpy ride. f13 24mm and 1/800s worked well thanks to the bright sunny day. All I had to do was compose a shot while moving at a fair speed. The coordinates only show the start and finish points. Without a GPS tracker on the camera, I cannot say where each image was taken in this set. For those interested in doing this and happen to be visiting the area, then either use the coordinates to locate the business or simply click the image above. 69°37'22.6"N 18°45'55.1"E 69.622953, 18.765293
It looks awesome, doesn't it? Imagine participating in a multiple-day trip doing this. You can either sit back and enjoy as I did. Or you can actually "drive" the sled. It's quite tiring, so I am told. 69°37'22.6"N 18°45'55.1"E 69.622953, 18.765293
Just you and the dogs (oh and the person behind you, standing on the skids, steering, braking and yelling at the dogs.). Bliss. 69°37'22.6"N 18°45'55.1"E 69.622953, 18.765293
It makes you imagine what it was like for polar explorers. Or did they pull the sleds themselves? Now that would be hard work. 69°37'22.6"N 18°45'55.1"E 69.622953, 18.765293
A grabbed landscape shot looking side ways off the moving sled. 69°37'22.6"N 18°45'55.1"E 69.622953, 18.765293
Charging forwards into the unknown. It's okay, though; power lines tell us we are still not too far from civilisation. I really don't like power lines in my shots!! I will let you into a secret here. Yes, it looks lovely, but keep a scarf over your mouth and wear glasses or goggles. Not for the cold, no. Because the dogs don't stop for a poo, they do it on the run! One reason why they give you coveralls before heading out. 69°37'22.6"N 18°45'55.1"E 69.622953, 18.765293
I am proud of this. I saw the tree or trees ahead and placed them in the frame. I then panned from the moving sled keeping the trees in the frame. Once to my side in clear snow and an incredible backdrop, I clicked the shutter. Some might not like the composition as the tree breaks over the top of the distant mountains. I though like that. For the mountains are far away. Also, the gap is right between the two peaks. The jut of land on the right comes far enough to be of interest but does not go behind the tree, which is perfect. It also helps balance the image because the trees are not centred; they are just off to the left. For a grabbed shot, I am more than happy with the composition. 69°37'22.6"N 18°45'55.1"E 69.622953, 18.765293
Rest break. Time for the dogs to cool off. They never rest; they are still eager to move, to run and run. It's a shame we only went out for a little while as they would have run all day. 69°37'22.6"N 18°45'55.1"E 69.622953, 18.765293
Still buzzing from the sled ride, we moved on round the coast. The water was still flat calm. Not exactly sure where this was, but as usual we are just feet away from a parked car.
One of my all-time favourite images. Taken on the island of Håkøy. The picture was taken with my 70-200mm lens set to 125mm, f8 and 1/640th of a second exposure handheld. I took quite a few images and got what I wanted: the canoeists directly under the peaks and in the middle of the reflection. The one thing I saw wrong that I could not help was the seaweed cutting into the reflection. Oh, for a clear view of those mountains. Camera Nikon D750. Location:- 69°39'42.2"N 18°46'05.3"E 69.661712, 18.768135
After a long day it's nice to head to a pub. The window seat was taken, but you can see the view would be spectacular. Phone image. Location 69°38'49.0"N 18°57'22.1"E 69.646938, 18.956129
Although each beer was priced at just a little under £10 we managed a couple. The local brew even has a nice map on the glass to show that you are supping a beer above the Arctic Circle.
11.53 pm Local time. Only a 3-second exposure, even by the end of April, it just does not get properly dark. I was a little disappointed about that because I wanted to see the Aurora. It does, though, mean the photography time was extended dramatically. This is taken after a long day in glorious weather and after a good few beers. Maybe photography beside the water was not a good idea, but I felt fine. The following picture was taken about 10 minutes after this. Camera Nikon D750. Location :- 69°38'48.4"N 18°57'23.2"E 69.646767, 18.956452
12.10 am Local Time. Another 3-second exposure, on a tripod, of course. I had said good night to my friends a while earlier. Then I went to my hotel and returned to this area to take boat pictures at night. If that's not odd enough, I also risked getting jumped on by Security or Police. See that Herras Fence sticking out over the edge of the harbour wall. Well, it was sticking out further when I arrived. I wouldn't say I liked it infringing on the boat, especially the name, so I tried to move it right out the way. Unfortunately, it was tied and would only move a small amount. I took my picture and then returned the fence to the position I found it in. The mooring post in the foreground could have been avoided, but no. Why? Because it is painted in the same colour as the ship's hull. Having two similar colours in the frame is always good. A third to the left, maybe a tiny red boat, would have been perfect; a triangle of colour. Camera Nikon D750. location:-69°38'49.8"N 18°57'42.1"E 69.647156, 18.961683
Day 4. Monday 1st of May, and the weather has turned. A planned trip to the Lingen Alps is cancelled. You can see why even the lower hills are shrouded in clouds. Seeing the high peaks would be impossible. Camera D750. Location:- 69°47'00.0"N 19°26'51.9"E 69.783335, 19.447753
Not sure why I took this. I liked it, and I still do. We had stopped at a small village. A crossroads in our journey, and I was just drawn to this little red hut and the imposing weather behind it. Camera D750 Location: 69°45'24.5"N 19°40'34.0"E 69.756817, 19.676104
I was really after a "Thomas Heaton" shot. He had managed a nice red hut in the snow. His though the apex was towards him and he happened to get a bird on top as well. For me this was the best I could do. I had walked a little from the car and stepped into very deep snow. My right leg was all the way in and my left buckled under me. I stayed like that while I got the shot then Ian helped me out. Click the picture above to go and see Thomas Heaton's video and image I mentioned earlier. You can scroll through the video to time stamp 19:29 to see his image. Camera Nikon D750. Location :- 69°44'44.2"N 19°41'16.6"E 69.745597, 19.687954
Driving back from a dead end, passing through Tønsvik, we saw this boat in the distance across the bay. We came off the road through some sort of work and storage yard. Parked at the back of it as close to the boat as we could. Then we walked out to it to see what pictures we could get. This is actually one of the last of 46 pictures from every angle possible. It was not cold enough to allow us to walk on the water, so nothing taken of the stern. The reason I liked this and why I took this after having stopped taking pictures, was that sun. It had only just started to shine through. The first we had seen it all day and to me it made the picture. Camera Nikon D750. Location:- 69°44'37.0"N 19°09'36.1"E 69.743619, 19.160040
5th full day. Tuesday May 2nd Ian took this using my Lumix camera. The Nikon is in my hands on the tripod, which is fully extended and being used for balance. We are now 421 meters up a mountain called Tromsdalstinden and I am finding the snow quite deep. Wait a minute, this is meant to be Accessible Photography and there is no mountain climbing to get a nice picture! Correct, we came up on a cable car and here I am making my way to a viewing area through the least deep part of a snow drift. Camera Lumix, Location:- 69°38'07.6"N 18°59'42.6"E 69.635454, 18.995177
Still on the way to the viewing area and you can see that just behind the fence on top of that snow. I stopped here though as I wanted to capture the overhang of snow and the town below and mountains beyond. A flurry of snow in the distance adds to the mood. Camera Nikon D750. Location:- 69°38'05.2"N 18°59'34.9"E 69.634785, 18.993016
This view is looking over the top of the cable car along the route of the road we took yesterday. Camera D750. Location:- 69°38'05.3"N 18°59'28.0"E 69.634801, 18.991121
From the view point again Looking down on Tromsøbrua (Tromsø Bridge) and the Arctic Cathedral. Camera Nikon D750. Location: - 69°38'05.4"N 18°59'27.3"E 69.634819, 18.990915
Moving the camera round and down at the harbour in Tromso. The weather may have changed a lot, but the still reflective water remains. To get detail at a distance, this image is two vertical images stitched in Lightroom. That break water is the one mentioned earlier. This Ian and I walked along just after I got the picture of the bridge and the Arctic Cathedral.
I mentioned the restaurant windows and this is taken from there. While warming up, we play with the special effects built into the Lumix. This is tilt shift mode and make the town look like toy town. Camera Panasonic Lumix. Location:- 69°38'09.0"N 18°59'45.3"E 69.635831, 18.995909
This website won't let me show this image in its full glory. Well, not on this page, I may try another format on another page. I have had to reduce it and add black sides so it does not get the top and bottom cropped. This is 6 images stitched in Lightroom to give massive detail of the town and the snow blowing through. Again taken from the view point. Not surprisingly there was only two people out there. Ian and I. Everyone else made do with the view point from the cable car or better still the restaurant windows. Camera Nikon D750. Location:- 69°38'05.3"N 18°59'27.3"E 69.634817, 18.990908
After our trip up the mountain on the cable car, we went for a drive and I managed to get the car stuck in the snow. That was with proper snow tyres on as well. Ian took over. Here he is kicking snow out from the wheels. Then he jumped in and used the Jeremy Clarkson driving method to get out. POWER! I had been too gentle, using a high gear and trying to ease my way out. It seems with titanium studs the best way is press the POWER pedal and just cut through the snow until it gets grip. It worked and we got moving again, with Ian driving this time. Phone image. Location:- 69°45'25.3"N 18°51'38.1"E 69.757024, 18.860586
This is from where we got....I got us stuck in the snow. I am sure Ian did not say, and I have no recollection of knowing this, but the foreground is a lake. Only as I check out the location do I realise this is Finnvikvatnet lake. The image actually shows the road we came on coming round that outcrop on the left. It is shot at 70mm, f8, 1/800s hand held. Camera Nikon D750. Location:- 69°45'21.7"N 18°51'47.6"E 69.756039, 18.863225
A colour version of the last image. Not the same image, just in colour, for what there was.
From the side of the road again. Now heading back down the hill and we are looking across the Island of Tromsø at the hill we had been up earlier. It's the one on the right. You can also see the Ski Jump on Tromsø, (Grønnåsen Hoppsenter). Tromsø is the darker tree covered part of the scene. Objective of this image. Capture the white snow with the black trees pushing through. Capture the wintery weather sweeping down the valley. Get an awesome shot! Well, I like it. Camera Nikon D750. Location:- 69°44'41.1"N 18°52'44.8"E 69.744742, 18.879100
Last Morning. Wednesday 3rd May. This scene and the next are taken from outside the airport. I stopped on the way in. I had plenty time. Took the camera and the 70-200mm lens out and started taking pictures. I managed to capture the rain or snow falling between me and the hills beyond. The very hills just days before I was dog sledding through in glorious weather. I was taking pictures from the airport fuel station. There I heard someone calling. I looked round and a man approached, a smile on his face and a camera clutched in his hands. He was a photographer from Oslo and was doing the same as me, catching the weather against the hills. We realised the view could be improved by crossing the main road which we did and got closer to the shore. That really improved the final image, which is the one you see here. Camera Nikon D750 82mm f8 1/500s. Location:- 69°40'41.2"N 18°54'06.9"E 69.678102, 18.901918
Almost exactly the same place as the last. I just moved further along so that the boat house would be between the hills. This one is at 175mm f8. The Mountain looked familiar to me. That's because it had already been photographed, several days before on the way to Sommarøy. That was the 6th image shown here. I liked what I had and walked back up to the fuel station where I had parked the car. Packed the camera away and headed off to the Rental Car drop off and then on to airline check in. 69°40'39.2"N 18°54'09.3"E 69.677557, 18.902585
A final view down that Fjord and at that mountain again. This time on the Lumix just as my Norwegian flight lifts off for Oslo then Edinburgh.
As we fly down the Norwegian west coast I snap images out the window. No idea where this is.
On the Oslo to Edinburgh flight. As we approach Edinburgh it is now Early evening and the sun is dropping. This is a view of the Trossachs looking misty and nice. Loch Venachar and Loch Katrine.
Ben Lomond shows clearly against the sky.
Or is Ben Lomond here?
We start our turn in towards Edinburgh. I am now flying over the Alloa - Falkirk area. I know because the next image I had was looking down on the Kelpies. Two massive metal horse head sculptures beside the M9 at Falkirk.
Inside Edinburgh Airport looking back at my plane and the sunset. A wonderful trip now over.