Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods

Fishing in the ocean

@brittarnhild

We were invited by Ingrids father in law to go fishing in the ocean outside Lofoten. We love fishing, we love the ocean, we love to be outdoors, so we YES, was out immediate answer.

It was a sunny day, as all our days have been so far this vacation. Quite calm near Stamsund where we left the shore, but windy enough out on open sea. 

The Lofoten Island is traditionally where you get the most and the biggest cod, and lucky for us, it still is today.

It did not take us long to fill our buckets. Big cods for us, smaller fishes for the eagles.

The captain of the boat took us out to an island where he knew there are eagles, and true enough, soon we found two, and I could start photographing.

For a long time they sat watching us, but when we threw out a fish one of the eagles took of to catch it. 

I was lucky enough to catch both the eagle and the fish :-)

Great catch :-)

Roadtrip up north

@brittarnhild

Vacation time is finally here, and we are on a roadtrip heading up north to the Lofoten Islands. It is many years now since our last long roadtrip, but we still master the art.

Starting from Trondheim this morning, with breakfast with my parents, our goal today (Monday, but due to slow internet I don't know when I will get this posted) was the island of Leka, a small island as far north in the county of Trøndelag as you can get.  I have been knitting in the car and I was of course knitting on the ferry out here :-)

Leka is especially known because of its geology, stone pressed up from deep down Mother Earth millions of years ago. 

In 1932 little three years old Svanhild was taken by an eagle and carried high up in this mountain. You can read the tale in the next picture.

Tuesday morning:
We have had a good night at a camp here on Leka, now we are ready to explore, to hike :-)
See you later.......

 

The old Coastal Line Ship

@brittarnhild

The annual opera festival is going on in Kristiansund, the small coastal town not far from our cabin. As usual Terje and I are here, this  year we have tickets for Rigoletto.

We left Trondheim some time after breakfast, had a short stop with Ingrid and Marius just to smell and cherish the little newborn Milian, stopped for a lovely lunch along the way, had coffee and a sweet treat, svele, on the ferry, and arrived here in time for stroll along the harbour before heading back to the hotel to change for the opera.

One of the old, and with that I mean really old, hurtigruten, coastal line ship has anchored at the Kristiansund harbour. A beautiful vessel. With a million tales to tell.

Nordstjernen, the North Star.

Like a queen. And believe me, we were not the only ones there with cameras.

Then one of the new ships came in. A stop in Kristiansund on her way from Bergen to Kirkenes. Next stop after Kristiansund is Trondheim.

 

A visit to Falstad Prison Camp

@brittarnhild

Drive 1 1/2 hour north of Trondheim and you might find yourself in the small village of Ekne, a place with a dramatic history. Most of this history is connected to this building, which was used as a prison camp during WWII. Some Norwegian prisoners, but mostly prisoners from the Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia.

Many of the Norwegian prisoners were Jews. Many years ago I was at Falstad, in the courtyard, listening to the Norwegian Jew Julius Paltiel who told about humiliation. With the guards and the other prisoners watching, the Jews were forced to crawl over the courtyard, taking one and one birch leave in their mouth, moving it over to one corner. When they had manage to move all the leaves, one of the guards kicked the bunch and the Jews had to carry them back to where they originally were found. Still by their mouth only.

 

............this travel tale continue over in Caffe Avec.

 

Sweet, sweet honey

@brittarnhild

I booked a later plane home from Tromsø, just to be able to visit the arctic-alpine botanical garden again.

I have been to many botanical gardens around the world. Visiting botanical gardens is something I love, really love to do when I travel,

and the one in Tromsø is among the best.

May be even The Best.

I am working on a blog post in Caffe Avec, and will let you know when it is up.

 

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Thanks to those of you who has visited Caffe Avec, and an extra thank for the comments left :-)

 

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In my blog world today:
(might be updated.......)

 

To days in Tromsø

@brittarnhild

Tow days in the arctic city Tromsø. Meetings with the Sami church council.

Early up to catch the plane. Loooong meetings, but between tghe meetings and the dinner I had an hour, and of course I went out with my camera.

And since this can be called a travel post, I will post , I think I will continue over in.......

.......Caffe Avec

 

 

 

 

................so why not make yourself a good cup of coffee and come over :-)

 

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in my blog world today:
(will as always be updated)

 

Caffe Avec

Britt Arnhilds dagboksblader, my journal

My Columbine Garden

 

 

From ocean to mountain

@brittarnhild

The western part of Norway has so much to offer, and today we took our visitor, blog reader Ardi, from the ocean up to the mountains.

Starting with the Atlantic Ocean Road, the air still filled with the remnants of the stiff breeze which had followed us all though the night. Making me lay awake in bed enjoying the fact that I am alive.

From the ocean road we drove on, a ferry ride,  a long underwater tunnel under one of the thousands of Norwegian fjords, and then steep, steep up, up, up.

Watching out for trolls, over bridges, turning one hairpin bend after another.

And then we reach the top. And could look down at Trollstigen, the Troll Path, the serpentine mountain road with 11 hairpin bends which is  prohibited for buses longer than 12.4 meters (41ft). At one point, when we drove down again, Terje had to leave the car, going out to direct a driver who was almost in panic, with long lines of cars both ahead and behind.  Terje never panic, and soon the trafic flowed again.

If you ever come to Norway there are two musts: The Atlantic Ocean Road and the Troll Path.

And if you are lucky, you meet a juggler.......

.......or two.

 

Sightseeing with the American

@brittarnhild

Ardi loves clotheslines, so we take her to see clothelines :-)

 

Of course we also take her to see a lot of other things.

Like white houses with blue doors,

red houses with green doors,

and all ships decorations,

red peonies and more blue doors,

fishing boats,

and red fields of poppies.

I had my camera and Ardi had hers......

Lagre

The Sculpture Park

@brittarnhild

I am in Oslo for three days. Three long days with meetings, and in the middle of today, in the middle of the three days, I took one hour off. I needed fresh air. I needed to move my stiff body. I needed to let the sun cherish my face. I hadn´t actually planned where to go, but as it is Women´s Day today and I found an open gate with three women, I knew I was on the right track.

Frognerparken, or Gustav Vigeland Sculpture Park. With Monolitten as a main focus.

I have visited Frognsrparken many times, but this was the first time I came during winter.
Winter light is quite different from the warm light in the summer, and somehow the cold, crisp air made the human sculpures alive in a way I had not experienced before.

What amazes me the most is how Vigeland were able to find life inside the stones. Real, eternal life.

Life ready to burst out.

The Vigeland Park is the worlds largest sculpture park made by one artist. You can read more about it here.

 

 

 

A Room With a View

@brittarnhild

Three hours south west of Trondheim, forty minutes and a ferry ride south of our cabin, you find the charming coastal town Kristiansund. In February every year there is an opera festival here, and tonight Terje and I have tickets for Die Zauberflöte, The Magic Flute. When we came to check in at the hotel the man in the reseption smiled and said - I am going to give you a room with a view, and soon The Costal Line will arrive.

So here we are, looking very much forward to a night at the opera and then a late dinner in a fabulous fish restaurant here in Kristiansund, Sjøstjerna, The Starfish.

 

See you after the opera.......some time :-)