Evensong for the Fjord
I am crazy busy!
Therefore I have a question for your readers: Would you rather have me post photos without all the texts and explanations (which takes a lot of time to write), rather than no photo at all?
Here is one from yesterday! Please enjoy! And you make med extremely happy every time you hit the Like-button!
Evensong for The Fjord – this is how dark it gets here in the Arctic Region of Narvik right now. Photo taken on May 19. 2013 at 11:34 pm
17 of May – Norwegian Constitution Day
The Norwegian Flag is seen everywhere in Norway and even Norwegians abroad wave the flag on the 17 of May
Norwegian Constitution Day is the National Day of Norway and is an official national holiday observed on May 17 each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to simply as syttende mai (meaning May Seventeenth), Nasjonaldagen (The National Day) or Grunnlovsdagen (The Constitution Day), although the latter is less frequent.
Historical background
17th of May 1893 by Norwegian painter Christian Krohg (1852–1925). Note that the flag does not have the Union badge of Norway and Sweden, the so-called sildesalaten (Herring salad).
The Constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17 in the year 1814. The constitution declared Norway to be an independent nation.
The celebration of this day began spontaneously among students and others from early on. However, Norway was at that time under Swedish rule (following the Convention of Moss in August 1814) and for some years the King of Sweden and Norway was reluctant to allow the celebrations. For a couple of years in the 1820s, King Karl Johan actually forbade it, as he thought the celebrations a kind of protest and disregard—even revolt—against Swedish sovereignty. The king’s attitude changed slightly after the Battle of the Square in 1829, an incident which resulted in such a commotion that the king had to allow it. It was, however, not until 1833, that anyone ventured to hold a public address on behalf of the day. That year, official celebration was initiated by the monument of the late politician Christian Krohg, known to have stopped the king from gaining too much personal power. The address was held by Henrik Wergeland, thoroughly witnessed and accounted for by a Swedish spy, sent by the king himself.
After 1864 the day became more established when the first children’s parade was launched in Christiania, at first consisting only of boys. This initiative was taken by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, although Wergeland made the first known children’s parade at Eidsvoll around 1820. It was only in 1899 that girls were allowed to join in the parade for the first time.
By historical coincidence, the Second World War ended in Norway nine days before that year’s Constitution Day, on May 8, 1945, when the occupying German forces surrendered. Even if The Liberation Day is an official flag day in Norway, the day is not an official holiday and is not broadly celebrated. Instead a new and broader meaning has been added to the celebration of Norwegian Constitution Day on May 17.
The day focused originally on the Norwegian constitution, but after 1905, the focus has been directed also towards the royal family.
Read more about the 17 of May here: Wikipedia
Preparing for the 17th of May
I’ve met some nice people today. Especially Senior Advisor at Apple in Ireland Samantha and Netflix-supporter Audrey from Denver, Colorado, USA. Such nice people to speak/chat with. They make you feel right at home. Service minded and professionals and really astute at their field of work. It makes me no less than happy to meet people like that, so hello to Samantha and Audrey and a big thank you for all your kind help and great service!
The day today has otherwise stressing. It is the day before our constitution day – May 17. – so, along with a long list with pressing tasks on my to-do-list, we’ve shopped for tomorrow in the absolute frenzy today.
Just popped out to draw some fresh air and shoot a quick shot of the current weather today, but back to the last piece of work that needs wrapping up!
Shooting Moose
That’s close enough mate! Neighbor taking a close-up of the local moose
This young Moose (Alces alces) female is wandering around in the area, mostly trimming the wild tree buds – but occasionally also helping herself to some of the more exotic and delicious shrubs in the gardens around here. And she isn’t very much afraid. In fact, one of the neighbors came driving home today, but she wouldn’t move, so he had to park down by the road and take a detour to get up to his house. The other neighbor wanted to take a close up, and walked near enough for her to raise her leg in warning that he was close enough. One shouldn’t be afraid of these animals – but they demand to be respected and kept at a distance. A kick from the fore legs can easily be deadly. Usually they don’t attack, unless you startle them, come between a cow and her calves or are perceived as a challenge from one of the bulls during mating season.
The Norwegian female Moose is usually between 180 and 210 centimeters tall (shoulder height) and weighs between 200 and 400 kg. The bull is about 190 and 220 centimeters and weighs 200 to 600 kg.
Their fantastic ability to digest cellulose through an intricate system of bowl enzymes has been studied so that the same enzymes could be used to produce sustainable biofuels from wood.
Very Early Morning Light
The Midnight Sun is just around the corner. I shot this photo at 3:37 am (+1 DST) last night. The sun briefly dips below the horizon now – before it rises again. Soon it will be shining through the living room windows at midnight.
The Midnight Sun is not far away now
Sleepless in Narvik
I suffer from insomnia due to chronic pain. That is most times a disadvantage – but not always. Walking around at night trying to concentrate the pain away mentally sometimes make me grab my camera to find a moment of Photo Zen… A couple of nights ago I captured this photo of Narvik and the newly installed light-show on the new hotel downtown. I posted it in the local Facebook-group Narvik før og nå (Narvik in the past and now, loosely translated). It gained a quite surprising and enormous popularity, so I thought that would be a good cherry picked candidate for my blog. Here it is! Enjoy!
Sleepless in Narvik – The newly installed light show on the new hotel downtown reflects in the harbor basin.
13,000 visitors by the start of 2013!
I rounded 13,000 visitors to this blog – and I celebrate by sharing another photo from New Years Eve. Enjoy!
Very early January 1. 2013
Light – but no sun
This is a photo of the darkest day of the year in The Polar Night in Narvik. All though the sun is far from showing itself, we have a few hours in the middle of the day when the light is just Magical. The umber reflections of the sun below the horizon emanates the landscape and creates a special, dreamy warm light despite the cold up here.
All though we have no sun here in The Polar Night – the light is Magical! Narvik on the Winter solstice 2012
Still retaining “That ole Swiss Cheese Look”
I popped out a couple of days ago and captured this photo of our beloved companion in space. The old spellbinder and maker of romantic promises. The old natural satellite faithfully circling our home like a watch dog, gobbling up debris and preventing a lot of unpleasant collisions with Earth. This goddess Selene. Luna the treacherous – thought to have the power to turn people into luna-tics…
Whatever you wish to call her, she is beautiful, and still retaining “That ole Swiss Cheese Look”.
Full moon over Narvik
The waneing sun
The days are rapidly getting shorter. Geographically the sun should disappear on November 22. But because of the mountains, the sun disappears a few days earlier. Geographically the sun reappears the February 6., but again because of the mountains the actual observation of the sun is a few days later.
In between these dates it is dark here. Around Christmas it is just a faint dusky light around noon, the rest of the 22 hours of the day it is dark. Pitch dark – as in the middle of the night. It is the dark season. But this time of year makes it even more cozy with lights, especially candle lights. AND it is the season of Northern Lights! During summer, the midnight sun lights up the sky day and night, thus drowning the faint light from the Northern Light. In the winter-time it is the other way around!
Even now the sun is setting early. This photo of reflections in the snow-covered mountains from sunset was taken 15:58 today.
Reflections from the sunset on snow-covered mountains today
Winter is here!
Winter is here. I defied my crippling back pain and went out to shoot a few photos. Enjoy!
Snow showers coming in the Ofoten Fjord – Eibhlin of Panama is being loaded at pier 5
A tiny waterfall on Ankenes freezing up
Beisfjord and the mountain Beisfjordtøtta farthest away in between the snow showers
The alpine slope on Ankenes needs a little bit more snow to be in service
Ofoten Fjord lit up by Northern Lights
This old and slow computer really needs changing now. Moore’s Law is very much in effect here. But I enjoy very much sharing my photos with you – and by the looks of it – you enjoy it to! Lesley Carter is one of my most avid readers. Her blog Bucket List Publication – lesleycarter.com is really nice – especially if you’re a viking roaming the seven seas (and the lands in between). So please check it out! And she is – according to her profile page – pregnant as well: so congrats and best wishes all around, Lesley!
This photo was taken from Ankens with view of the Ofoten Fjord and the mountain range Veggen (loosly translates to “The Wall”) in the background on October the 12. Enjoy!
Northern Lights lighting up The Ofoten Fjord with the mountain range Veggen in the background. October 12. 2012
25,000 visitors to my blog!!!
25,000 Visitors to my page!
Thank you all!
-That’s what blogging is all about!
25,000 visitors to my blog
Jeg har plassert min blogg i Narvik på norske bloggkart!
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