Showing posts with label Akerselva river. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Akerselva river. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

A book recommendation for my Norwegian readers

I just purchased the following book recently, as I was looking for a book that described the bridges over the Akerselva river (my second favorite river after the Hudson River). As luck would have it, a couple of Sundays ago my husband and I stopped to drink coffee at Hønsa Lovisas cafe, and while we were waiting to be served, we took a look at the books on the small bookstand near the entrance. Akerselvas Bruer og Fosser (Akerselva's Bridges and Waterfalls) by Kjell Egil Sterten was one of them. I'm happy to support anything to do with local history, be it in Tarrytown NY where I grew up, or in Oslo where I live now. The author is a local historian and lecturer who clearly loves Oslo. You can buy it from different online bookstores; here are the links: 


Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Gray heron swimming in the Akerselva river

I was out for a walk today around lunchtime, and found myself walking up along the Akerselva from Sannergata/Sannerbrua. When I was crossing the footbridge that leads to Wallman's Salong, I detected movement in the water out of the corner of my eye. I stopped in the middle of the bridge (looking north) and watched to see what was moving in the water. I thought it might be a large fish, but lo and behold, it was a bird. And not just any bird, but a gray heron. When he first surfaced after diving, I thought he might be in trouble, possibly drowning, and I began to wonder how I would help him. But then he looked around him and swam across the river toward the river's edge furthest away from me, swam under the bridge, and continued swimming downstream until he came to a small waterfall, at which point he flapped his wings and 'flew' down the waterfall. I was so fascinated by him that I forgot to take a photo of him--a beautiful majestic bird--clearly quite happy in the river on a beautiful mild winter day. 

I didn't know it was a heron when I first saw it. I didn't find out what it was until I googled large gray bird with long beak. The common crane came up as did the gray heron. My sister mentioned that it could be an egret, which I remember seeing in upstate New York some years ago when she and I visited a park not far from Pine Bush. Egrets are a type of heron, usually smaller, and often white. So did I see a crane or a heron? I'm sure it was a heron because its beak was very long, which is a characteristic of herons. Gray herons are called 'gråhegre' in Norwegian. When I googled the Norwegian name, a few articles came up detailing individual sightings of gray herons in the Akerselva river during the past year. So cool. My heart was so happy to see this beautiful bird. It struck me how lucky we are to live in a city with a river that runs through it, a river that attracts so many different kinds of birds and other creatures. I hope I see the gray heron again; this time I will take photos of him. 

Here are some photos of a gray heron (perhaps my gray heron?) from two articles (in Norwegian) talking about gray heron sightings along the Akerselva river in our neck of the woods: 

Se hva vi «traff på» langs Akerselva (nab.no)

– Den kom flyvende oppover elva, og tok en hvil på en snødekt stein (nab.no)


Monday, October 25, 2021

A beautiful autumn day in Oslo

This past Saturday was a beautiful autumn day in Oslo, and I spent a couple of hours just wandering around the city as I often do on nice days. I walked to and through St. Hanshaugen Park and then made my way down Ullevålsveien and walked through Vår Frelsers Gravlund (Our Savior's cemetery), out onto Akersveien and down Telthusbakken where I crossed Uelandsgate and walked along the Akerselva River on my way home.

We have had a very rainy fall so far, so it was good to experience a few sunny days this past week. Today we're back to rain and the rest of the week will be rainy on and off. So when the nice weather comes it's just to make the most of it. 

A very good Italian deli in the vicinity of St. Hanshaugen Park



in the park itself





Vår Frelsers Gravlund (cemetery)


Gamle Aker church at the top of Telthusbakken


The Akerselva River 





The waterfall at Honsa Lovisas house





Sunday, December 27, 2020

Another view of the fast-moving Akerselva river--December 2020

The fast-moving Akerselva river in Oslo--December 2020


This past Friday, we were out walking along the Akerselva river in the vicinity of where we live. The river is a swollen and fast-moving river these days due to almost daily rainfall during December and to attempts by the city of Oslo to regulate the river flow and level. This video of the Vøyen falls was taken near Hønse Lovisa. The walking paths along both sides of the river as well as the bridge you see in the video were wet and slippery due to the spray of water from the falls and the churning river. Oslo has warned dwellers not to go too near the river's edge; there has been erosion along the banks and flooding here and there, which can increase the risk of slipping and falling in. The speed of the river is so fast that it would be difficult to rescue a person and for that person to survive.

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Lovely autumn in Oslo

I went for a long walk along the Akerselva river last Sunday afternoon, and yesterday I spent a couple of hours in the garden raking leaves and taking up some plants that need to go indoors for the winter. The fall colors this year are striking--some really beautiful reds and golds. I took some photos as I walked along the river last Sunday, and some photos of the garden yesterday. And one photo taken last week of a building that is located on the grounds where I work. Autumn in Oslo--this year, it's lovely!

a covered bridge over the Akerselva river



leaves and more leaves



gorgeous autumn colors

a path you want to wander along

Akerselva river 

the beautiful Akerselva river

so many leaves 


the wild ivy has turned red



the mushrooms are back--these are Pholiota squarrosoides 

the daisies are still blooming 

a building not far from where I work 

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Day 4 of the Facebook photo challenge

Continuing with the black & white photo challenge on Facebook, a challenge that I have been enjoying. It's fun to try to come up with motifs that cannot include people. And difficult to not give an explanation for why I chose the motif I did, or where the photo was taken......



Sunday, February 19, 2017

An icy river--Akerselva in winter

From last Sunday's walking tour along the beautiful Akerselva (Aker River)--some photos of the ice in the river, nearby where we live.......






Saturday, September 5, 2015

The end of summer

I have a feeling that autumn will come early to Oslo this year. This past week we had a lot of rain, and what I would have termed a mini-hurricane on Wednesday, with strong winds and stormy weather. The clouds looked threatening, so all in all, it signaled the end of summer, at least to me. Temperatures have become cooler; we’re down to around sixty degrees Fahrenheit during the afternoons, the warmest time of day. We had friends from Illinois visiting us for a few days at the end of August; luckily they flew out of Oslo about half a day before the weather turned from nice to stormy. While they were here, the weather was lovely, and that always helps to give a nice impression of Oslo. We enjoyed our visit together, and I spent some time showing them my Oslo—the small little places that tourists would not really know about. One of those places is Hønsa Lovisas house, a small little red house on the Akerselva River, not far from where we live, which used to be a residence and is now a cozy little café that serves very good waffles with jam and sour cream. It is also an art gallery for different kinds of modern art exhibitions. You can read more about it here, but for my non-Norwegian readers, the website is in Norwegian, so you’ll have to translate it using Google Translate (http://www.honselovisashus.no/html_sider/10_HJEM.html). It’s a nice place to spend an hour or so relaxing on a Sunday afternoon.

I realized today that I am a ‘four-seasons’ person. I look forward to the change of seasons and what each season brings. I would not want to live all-year round in a hot climate. My sister has discovered the same; the hot southern states are not for her. She prefers upstate NY. Autumn is always a reminder of the promise of a new school year; while I am no longer a student, I still like the feeling of a ‘new start’—projects around the house, new recipes to try, new photography projects. I look forward to the leaves changing color, to Halloween, to Thanksgiving, to walking outdoors in the cooler weather. Christmas arrives with winter, and that is always something to look forward to—buying gifts, making food, celebrating the holiday with loved ones. Plus the evenings are darker and longer, so it makes viewing the skies much easier with my telescope. I’ll be looking for Jupiter, Mars and Venus this winter. Spring signals rebirth; next spring, we may finally get our city parcel garden (we’ve been on the waiting list for six years), which will enable us to plant vegetables and flowers and tend to them. We’re looking forward to that and to seeing what kind of harvest we’ll get. Our discussions now revolve around what kind of vegetables and flowers we want to plant; we may plant an apple tree and a raspberry bush. And then of course there is summer to look forward to—my annual trip to NY to visit my friends and family, as well as vacation here in Norway or in another European country. I soak in the warmth of summer, to prepare me for the cold of winter. I could not face winter without having had the warmth of summer. I am glad to be able to experience all the seasons; as my mother used to say, each season has its charm.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Our Oslo neighborhood in springtime bloom

Still a bit of a chill in the air, especially in the evenings. But during the day, when the sun shines, there is the promise of summer. Oslo is in bloom, everywhere you turn. Our backyard boasts two cherry trees, four plum trees, as well as gooseberry, black currant, and red currant bushes, all of which are starting to bloom. And our co-op recently voted to allow residents to plant vegetables in crates that will be placed along the walls of the buildings in some places, for those who would like to do that. They will not replace the beautiful flowers though. Our neighborhood at large is in full bloom also. Enjoy the photos!


beautiful forsythia

forsythia and tulips outside our door

one of the plum trees in bloom

blooming trees along the Akerselva river

a meadow of cheery yellow dandelions

blooming trees

blooming cherry trees further up the road from where we live

a lovely evergreen tree

blooming roses indoors--a gift from my husband for our wedding anniversay

a blooming orchid indoors

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

The feeling of Easter--walking along the Akerselva river

Spring has arrived in Oslo, and I took a long walk today up along the Akerselva river. Watching the river and the land come back to life after winter’s pall warms my heart the way the sun warms my face and hands. It’s the best feeling in the world—walking along the river on a sunny blue-sky spring day, not a care in the world. This is the feeling of Easter—a peaceful rebirth of the heart and soul, and nature reflects that. Trees and bushes are budding en masse, the magpies, seagulls, ducks, pigeons and sparrows are out in force, sitting in the tree branches, searching for worms in the earth, sitting at the river's edge, or flying overhead. Green ivy is starting to make its way up along the stone wall of a house. Daffodils and tulips are blooming, forsythia likewise. And the river? It does what it does best—flows along through the natural curves and bends in the landscape, through the city that borders its banks, and over the small waterfalls. The stillness and peace of a walk along the river, out in nature, are gifts that money cannot buy. I have waited an entire winter to feel like this. 

Flirting at the river's edge

Reaching for the sun

Pigeons roosting

Magpie nest

Hanging blooms

Reflections of spring

The Akerselva River winding its way through Oslo

River curve and tree shadow

Ivy on its way to taking over a wall

Daffodils add color to the greens

The waterfall at Hønsa Lovisas house

Tulips are a true sign of spring



Trying to understand the mystery of life

Apropos my last post, where I talked about accepting some things in this life (like my faith) that I know I will never understand on this ea...