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Gallery: pick a word (July 2023)
The writer, the painter and the photographer have the power to ‘shake up a familiar scene’. Through their eyes we often discover something anew even though we may have seen a similar scene many times before.
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Bleak landscapes of Kvaløya Island
Why do people choose to settle in some places and leave others almost deserted? The reasons are many, but natural resources play a big part, and so does climate of course.
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Gallery: a June selection (2023)
For me this past June has been one of more than usually changeable weather. I started the month inside the Arctic Circle where in the first few days of meteorological summer the temperature didn’t rise above six or seven degrees Celsius and was often colder than that. I then returned to a London going into its first heatwave of the summer, hitting thirty degrees on a couple of days. Towards the end of the month the temperature dropped to the more usual, and comfortable, low to mid-twenties.
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History and street art in Tromsø
Tromsø is in many ways a surprising city, and full of extremes. Located well inside the Arctic Circle it experiences both Midnight Sun (in summer) and Polar Night (in winter). It can boast the world's northernmost university, its northernmost botanical garden, northernmost cathedral – and northernmost brewery!
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Gallery: pick a word (June 2023)
I like to caption my photos; I like to illustrate my words. But when it comes to Paula’s monthly Pick a Word, my task is to illustrate her words. She assures me that I ‘don’t have to do all of them, one is enough’. But I always like a challenge so feel compelled to try!
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Gallery: seeing Norway in black and white
Welcome to the ‘strange’ world of northern Norway, where June feels more like January in London and where the photographic rewards are great if you’re happy to brave the chilly fingers needed to press the shutter!
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A brief break in Bodø
The Hurtigruten line is first and foremost a postal service and ferry, although it caters well to tourists too with a cruise-like offering of quality food, excursions and on-board lectures. Many of the stops the ships make are brief, typically twenty minutes. Supplies for these small coastal towns and villages are off-loaded, post and parcels collected. A few passengers embark or disembark. Most are locals, visiting family or returning home after time away. Only a handful will be tourists, hikers perhaps.
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A tale of two cathedrals
The most famous sight in Tromsø is probably the Arctic Cathedral … except it isn’t actually a cathedral. Despite the popular name, this is a parish church, but a very substantial and eye-catching one.
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Gallery: seeing the Norwegian landscape in black and white
Much of the Norwegian landscape looked a little unreal to me even in its natural colours. The drama of its mountains, the almost eerie light around midnight, even the snow and rain. All these lent it a magical air.
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The northernmost Gothic cathedral in the world
Trondheim’s Nidaros Cathedral is the world’s northernmost Gothic cathedral. It was built over the tomb of King Olav II (reigned 1015–1028), the Viking king who converted Norway to Christianity. He reigned from 1015 to 1028 and later became the country’s patron saint. It is here that Norwegian kings are crowned, not in the capital Oslo.
