Bruce Calvert and John Prokop's Trips

Photos and Text by Bruce Calvert, ©2009

Norwegian Fjords Below and Above the Arctic Circle,

Oslo, Bergen, Copenhagen, and Stockholm
In May of 2008, we flew to Oslo, Norway, and began an adventure. From there we took a train across Norway, to Bergen, an old Hanseatic seaport on the west coast. In Bergen we boarded a cruise ship and headed north, in and out of fjords, across the Arctic Circle, and up to the very top of Norway -- and the northernmost point in Europe. From there we flew to Copenhagen, and then to Stockholm, and then home. I hope these photos will give you a pleasant taste of our adventure.
Flying over fjords on the west coast of southern Norway, headed for Oslo. This was May 22, and look at all that snow!

The Folk Museum in Oslo

(Norsk Folkemuseum)

Buildings of different ages and types have been gathered from all over Norway and reconstructed on Bygdøy (peninsula) in Oslo, creating Europe's original and oldest outdoor museum. It was established in 1894. The oldest building dates 1650-1700.
One of the famous stave churches (stavkirken) of Norway.
If I recall correctly, this old building was used to house farm animals, and was on stilts to help keep the big Norwegian rats out.
Sod roofs seem to have been common for both farm cottages (top) and barns (immediately above).
The interior of an old cottage (thanks to digital!)
If you can visualize the tables in each shot as the same, you can get a good feel for the cottage interior.
A multi-purpose shed.
The interior and exterior thatch-type of wall construction on the shed.
The setting, sod roof, dappled sunlight, and thick stone walls gave this cottage a lot of charm. We were unable to figure out why the stone wall at the end of the house is so thick, although it does give the utility porch some protection from snow.
In another section of the folk museum, we found this little allée of red buildings. Apparently the striped building was painted yellow first, and then every other row was painted red. The building to the right was done the same way.
There is something different about two of the windows in the left image of this house. Have a look before you keep reading. I wandered by the side first, then around to the front, where I began to peek in windows. That's how I discovered that the second and third windows from the right in the photo on the left are fake. They are painted on, except for the woodwork, which is real. On the inside, the additional wall space allows more room for furniture -- in this case a lovely old highboy.
This is Stortinget (the Norwegian parliament building) in Oslo, at about 9 pm -- lightened only a bit to show detail. It was built during our Civil War. That's John's shadow in the grass.
From Oslo overland to Bergen on the west coast

These are the famous Kjofossen Falls seen from the Flåmsbanen (Flam Railroad), which is part of the Norway in a Nutshell trip. If you look very carefully, you can see four people to the left of the falls at the very top in the cropped shot below. (They are the only shapes that match.) Gives a little perspective.

The twelve-mile ride goes from Myrdal in the mountains to Flam on the shore of Aurlandsfjord, dropping 2,835 feet in the process. It's spectacular.

 

 
Underway on our cruise of the Aurlandsfjord, one of the narrowest of the Norwegian fjords. Gulls were everywhere.
It is no easy task to capture the majesty of this landscape! Also on the Aurlandsfjord.
Gulls circle a country church along the side of the Aurlandsfjord.
The view out our window at the Stalheim Hotel. up a road with 13 hairpin turns and some grand scenery on the way up from the valley floor far below. Long, thin waterfalls were everywhere.
The view to the left of the above image, also from the Stalheim Hotel. The light green of the deciduous trees shows just how new the leaves were when we were there.
You can tell John's enjoying himself!
Violet-like flowers growing on the top of the wall at the hotel.

I found Voss Kirke in the town of Voss, where we caught the train to Bergen. The church dates to circa 1270, with a 16th c. octagonal steeple. A plaque in honor of Knute Rockne, famed Notre Dame football coach, is nearby.

Voss is quite a sports center; athletes from here have won 18 Olympic medals, according to Wikipedia.com.

Bergen, Norway

Bergen was granted town status in 1070 and was an important port in the Hanseatic League until the mid-18th century. It was named a European City of Culture in 2000.
The charming wharf houses in the Bryggen section of old Bergen. The first floors have now been transformed into restaurants and shops.
The view behind some of the wharf houses.
Another spot at the rear of the wharf houses.
The construction of Bergen's wharf houses is being carefully repaired and restored.

Trolls are everywhere in Norway, and this Bergen shop sports the large size.

John got this shot of a gypsy playing music in the main park of Bergen.
Considered a nuisance by many, this magpie is nevertheless a handsome gent (or lady?).
Pansies in the park.
Rosenkrantztårnet (Rosenkrantz Tower) in Bergen is visible between the masts of a more modern schooner. The tower, built in 1560, is part of Bergen Castle, and was built as a fortified residence.
The sun caught this warehouse just right as we walked to our ship to begin our cruise to the top of Europe.
Cruise from Bergen to Kirkenes, Norway, at the "top" of Europe
On the way out of the Bergen harbor we saw this small lighthouse. They are ubiquitous in this part of the world.
Sunset our first night at sea, taken a little after 11 pm, I think (still southern Norway).
The mountains grew more rugged as we moved north.
"Wharf" houses in Trondeim, about a third of the way north from Norway's southern tip.
I love the blues of the mountains at this time of day. Took this not long before the sunset below (and facing in a different direction, of course).
The sun went just a tad lower, and came right back up again. We were near the Arctic Circle, and in the Land of the Midnight Sun. It was a little past 11 pm.
Torgotten, "one of Norway's best-known natural phenomena." The hole you see is 112 meters (think yards, that's close enough) above sea level, 160 meters long, 25 to 30 meters high and 12 to 15 meters wide. Our guide book said that a "fully-rigged Nordland fishing boat could easily get through ...." The scientific explanation is (no surprise here) that the sea washed against a weak place in the mountain, when the land was about 100 meters lower than it is now.
Above the Arctic Circle
Loved the mountain's shape. This spot is very close to the Arctic Circle.
Dandelions were everywhere. The Norwegians don't try to kill them like we do; they let them be part of the welcoming of spring. This shot was in Bodø (Bo-der).
We saw lots of storage tanks on this trip, but I was really shooting for the orange buildings.
The shots below were taken over a 45-minute period in the early evening, when everything appears in shades of blue, and shapes make the picture:
The narrowest spot we went through was at Raftsundet in the Lofoten Islands, which tested/showed off the skills of the pilot. We had only a few feet of clearance on each side of our ship.
A picturesque spot, and probably the home of a fisherman.
A view at 11:10 pm, near the top of Norway.

A Sami (aka Lapp) poses for pictures with his white reindeer near the northernmost point in Norway (and Europe).

 

 
Departing Honningsvåg, where we had stopped for our trip to Nordkapp (North Cape).
A huge black cloud developed overhead about 9:45 that night, and created this study in contrasts. This is how the land appears from the Barents Sea at the top of Norway. At North Cape, the cliffs are 1,000 feet high.
Copenhagen, Denmark
The view out our hotel window! Turns out it is also the shot used often to advertize the city. These wharf houses on the canal in the Nyhavn (New Harbor) area are over 300 years old and have largely been converted to restaurants on the first floor. Hans Christian Anderson lived at three different addresses along the Nyhavn Canal.
Copenhagen easily mixes the old and the new, with this apartment building just a short boat ride away from the wharf houses above. We were told this is a (no surprise) very up-market neighborhood.
We also found this houseboat on our get-acquainted cruise.
This grave/memorial was only a few blocks from our hotel and the wharf houses.
The Amalienborg Palace complex is actually made up of four mansions around an octagonal square.
The Royal Life Guard marches in for the changing of the guard, and stands watch.
 
Marble Church (from the back), which we later learned was designed to rival St. Peters in Rome.
I found all the light and dark lines in this spot interesting. That's John carrying both camera bag and tourist gear.
Rosenborg Slot (Castle), now a museum, was built between 1605 and 1624 by Christian V. You may have seen the name and the silouette of the castle on cheese you have bought. (The associations you make when you travel!!) We saw lifesize silver lions here, and the crown jewel exhibit was quite something.

This dead tree has been set in concrete and made part of the design of the park surrounding Rosenborg Castle.

Not far away, we found a comfortable bench and plopped down for a rest after touring the castle. We were soon greeted by about a dozen 16-year-olds, who were celebrating the last day of school. Four of them were full of questions about America, our politics, our school system, etc. They assured us that Danes like Americans and kept us happily chatting for at least an hour and a half. It was great fun.

A very large pond in the Botanic Garden of Copenhagen.
A member of the heron family (I think), and one of the (my guess) crow family in the Botanic Garden.
This little duck's mom was nearby, but apparently unconcerned as long as I was still and not too close. (Botanic Garden)
Don't know if this coot thought the flower was food or a toy! (Botanic Garden)
Reconstruction of a statue of Athena and Marsyas by Myron in the Botanic Garden. I'll leave the interpretation of Athena's body language to your imagination!
Flowers were not plentiful when we visited the Botanic Garden, but this rose caught my eye.
John tries his hand at painting china at Royal Copenhagen -- doing much better than I did (being far more artistic). The china in the window is very modern, but the museum upstairs has gorgeous older patterns -- some made especially for the royal family. The store is located on Strøget, the famous pedestrian shopping street in Copenhagen.
 
The colorful merry-go-round at Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world (1843), and an inspiration to Walt Disney. It is said that Georg Carstensen "convinced King Christian VIII that if people were well entertained they were less likely to talk politics and sedition"! (Copenhagen Insight Guide)
The Chinese dragon was just one of the Chinese-themed decorations or buildings at Tivoli.
This Tivoli ride twirls around and also drops dramatically, occasioning lots of screams.
Tivoli's version of Arabesque.
Street buskers (and siblings? Hard to tell in such a homogenous society.)
Another view out of hotel window, showing more boats and a very old warehouse (the red brick building) on the Nyhavn Canal..
Nyhavn wharf houses as dusk rolls in.
Stockholm, Sweden
A very up-market area of Stockholm, seen from our tour launch. Stockholm is built over a group of 14 islands, and boats are everywhere.
A closer look at the two buildings at the right in the picture above.
A bride and groom admire the ring on her finger. The pictures were being taken within the royal palace complex in Gamla Stan, the Old Town of Stockholm..
A square in Gamla Stan.
A happy surprise in the square shown above was finding this royal military band playing a delightful concert in front of the Nobel Museum. The young men playing the xylophone/vibraphone were the primary actors in highly choreographed mime activity for some of the numbers.
 
A church in a park near our hotel, north of the main part of Stockholm.

Drottningholm Palace, Stockholm
The rear view of Drottningholm Palace (begun in 1662) in the "suburbs," where we were told the royal family spend much of their time. It has been their home since 1981, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A look at the palace garden from a rear palace window.
The Guards' Tent, built in 1781 as quarters for Gustav III's dragoons. It is supposed to resemble a tent in a Turkish army camp, but is actually made of wood and iron sheeting which is painted.
The Chinese Pavilion, built in 1753 by King Adolf Fredrik as a surprise for his wife. Situated on the extensive palace grounds, the summer house is a 5-10 minute walk from the much larger and more formal palace.
The free-standing pink dining room (a few paces from the Chinese Pavilion) was a place the royal family could go or take special guests where they could dine with no servants within earshot.
For privacy, this free-standing dining room was equiped with shelving units that could be lowered to the floor below to be filled, and then returned to the dining room, where the family could serve themselves and any guests.
A pretty spot in the palace park.
A coot and her funny-looking baby swim in the park.
And the final shot of a lovely swan in the palace park.