The beauty of the Akerselva river in winter

Two short videos taken on Sunday January 22nd 2012 when I was out early in the morning walking along the Akerselva river. The first one shows the mallard ducks swimming in the icy river--you've got to love these birds. I love watching them. As I often say, birds rule. The second video shows the waterfall near Hønsa Lovisas house and the ice buildup and formations at the base of the falls. Pretty cool looking. I have always been fascinated by rivers in winter--especially when they freeze, either fully or partially. I remember back to my teenage days when I took pictures of the Hudson River (in Tarrytown, New York) that had almost frozen over. It was like watching a land of ice come to life. Very solitary, very beautiful.

Christmas in Oslo

The Norwegian Opera House

Downtown area near the waterfront

Oslo waterfront

Christmas tree at the University of Oslo

I've been taking a lot of photos lately, trying my hand at night photography. Believe me, it's not easy to get good night shots without a tripod. If you don't have your tripod with you, then you need to steady the camera on a solid surface, and sometimes that works out. Some of my night shots were satisfactory. I wanted to share them with you because I want you to see how the Norwegians deal with the intense darkness that descends upon their country in winter. The darkness envelopes you, there is no other way to describe it. It can be an uncomfortable feeling in the beginning of your stay here. So the lights go on in most buildings and they often stay on, even after work hours, creating a warming and comforting feeling when you look at them. 

We were at the Norwegian Opera House recently to see The Nutcracker, which has become an annual tradition for us. I liked the tree and the lighting, so I decided to come back and take some photos of the building and the waterfront. And then I was at the University of Oslo tonight to take photos of the newly-renovated Science Library, and I saw the Christmas tree and the lit buildings, and I had to snap them too. There is something magical about the lighting and the effect it creates inside of you. Thus, winter has its unique charm and beauty despite the darkness. When the snow comes, the darkness loses its intensity, so it is one reason to look forward to snow. 

Oslo winter scenes

Lamplight in snow

Snow patterns

Ice art

An extraordinary sunrise on an ordinary Saturday

I woke up early this morning and when I glanced outside my kitchen window, I saw this sunrise—inspirational. I’ve never seen one quite like this before—a perfect cross effect. Since I always have my camera handy, I took a few photos. It was a peaceful way to start the day. It was otherwise an enjoyable ordinary Saturday spent doing almost nothing—just some shopping for food and house items at the Alnabru shopping center. We went there because there is a delicatessen that sells Spanish cold cuts; it also serves lunch (bocadillos with Spanish Manchego cheese or chorizo—heavenly) and we enjoy going there. Pleasant to be out shopping at Alnabru actually—the day had a touch of spring in it—the sun felt warm and a lot of people were out. I always enjoy watching others out having a good time especially when I know that I am doing so as well. It’s always nice to have reaffirmed that life’s little pleasantries often involve the little things, like eating lunch out or just wandering about window-shopping, as long as there is no stress involved. And there wasn’t today, maybe because the day started with an extraordinary sunrise that cast a spell of peace over the day.

Winterscapes at Lysebu

 

I took a few shots of the winter landscape around me at Lysebu, a conference center located in the hills of Oslo overlooking the city. A little winter wonderland of its own....

Winter scenes in Oslo

Akerselva river 

Deserted in winter--St. Hanshaugen park cafe

Benches in St. Hanshaugen park

Outdoors in the snow

It’s been snowing for the past few days in Oslo and there has been a fair amount of accumulation—about a foot or more in some places. The snow is dry and powdery, not wet and heavy, so it’s perfect for skiing but not for building a snowman. That’s what Mara and I discovered when we decided to spend part of our lunchtime today making a snowman. I bought a bag of carrots so that we could use one for its nose, and some chocolate balls for the eyes and mouth. We weren’t quite sure where we were going to build it—around the corner from our lab building was one idea. So it was somewhat disappointing to not be able to build a snowman because the snow wouldn’t pack well. We ended up taking a walk instead. It was snowing a bit and it was really nice to be outdoors.

Don’t ask me to explain what has happened, but the woman who doesn’t really like the cold and the snow has discovered that she ‘kinda sorta’ likes them this year. Strangely enough, it’s not difficult to admit it. I like being out in the cold air where I can breathe. I like walking outside when it is snowing, especially at night when the falling snow glitters in the lights from the streetlamps. Walking anywhere these days is pleasant—because it’s freedom. I have also discovered that I can run in the snow with really good boots (that grip the snow)—I finally own a pair and it’s a whole new world. I’m not slipping and sliding like I used to. Walking along the Akerselva river after it has snowed is very pleasant. I haven’t cross-country skied in years after hurting my back some years ago, but I think I want to try that again. Anything that gets my body moving and outdoors. It’s one reason I really don’t like going to the gym anymore. The machines are fine for training, but I miss training and being outdoors and breathing in the fresh air. I read an article recently that said much the same—that people who trained derived much greater benefit from training outdoors than they did from being in a gym. It makes sense to me. The snow makes me feel like a kid again—I would love to grab a sleigh and go sledding, build a snowman, make angels in the snow, run and walk and throw snowballs (I do that already with my husband), build a fort like we did when we were kids, and so much more. Or I’d like to find my little haven of peace under the snow-laden branches of the trees like I did when I was a kid—sit under them protected, away from the world at large, and just enjoy the peace. I’m definitely going to do some of these things. So if you see angels in the snow somewhere, they might just be made by me—“of the angels”. And I have a feeling we'll definitely get a chance to build at least one snowman this winter.