Happy Easter!
Happy Easter 2012
Grand Finale – Northern Lights
The night is getting lighter and soon the Midnight Sun will be shining – thus making it impossible to see the spectacular phenomenon – Northern Lights (Aurora borealis). But still the night is dark enough to se the occasional Northern Lights. Although I am too busy at the moment to spend hours out in the cold gazing for this beautiful light show – yesterday I just had to.
I only shoot photos in RAW-mode. Hence it takes a lot of hard, manual labor to “develop” them into JPEGs suitable for showing here. And there it is again time… Well, I’ve processed one with the planet Venus shining brightly through the vail of the Northern Lights above the Ofoten Fjord.
Northern Lights yesterday - Venus is shining through the vail of Northern Lights
In for landing in the Coconut
One of my mother’s little friend – a Great Tit (Parus major) – coming in for landing in the hollow coconut used as a feeding station.
In for landing in the coconut
And – it’s been a beautiful day, too
Ofoten Fjord this lovely spring day
Very Early Pastel Sky
The morning sky at 6 am. Since we’re into the insanely stupid “Daylight Saving Time” the normal time this morning would be 5 am.
The season of the midnight sun is approaching Narvik here in the arctic…
Very Early Pastel Sky - The Midnight Sun season is approaching Narvik
Calm Fjord covered in Freshly Fallen Snow
Panorama of Narvik yesterday when the snowing stopped. Please click the photo and see all the details!
It never ceases to amaze me
The Sky in Northern-Norway never ceases to amaze me. The snow, sea and ever shifting weather reveals the most fantastic light shows sometimes. This evening was no exception.
Evening sky
Evening Sky 2
Flashing Auroras
Coming home from a late night meeting last night, I found the skies ablaze. And I was in a hurry with more pressing matters (hmm, is there any good reason not to look at auroras..?) So in a hurry I set up my tripod and camera. Unfortunately the tripod was a little wobbly in the snow and quite a few photos was a bit blurry, but a few turned out alright.
Aurora Borealis yesterday over the Ofoten Fjord
Aurora Borealis - Northern Light - over Narvik last night
Hurtigruten Leaving – Winter Festival Over
Hurtigruten just left, hurrying out the fjord. It means that the Winter festival in Narvik is almost at an end.
Hurtigruten is leaving Narvik after having served the city for the duration of the winter festival - Vinterfestuka 2012
There they are again – Beautiful contrasts
Narvik in between the showers this evening…
Beautiful contrasts of snow showers in the Ofoten Fjord - Narvik to the right
Evening sun shines on the city Narvik - in between the snow showers
Hurtigruten “Richard With” steaming in to the harbor bassin
Caught this “little boat” the Hurtigrute ship “Richard With” just now. “Richard With” is small (121.8 meters) compared to the iron ore carrier “Vogerunner” (176,838 DWT) by pier 5 in the background.
Hurtigruten is a really old coastal route running continously up and down the coastline og Norway with 13 ships. Ironically the head quarters of this coastal shipping line is located in Narvik, but the ships doesn’t frequent this harbor. It would take too long sailing in and out the Vestfjord. Well, that’s at least the explanation I’ve heard.
So why is on of Hurtigruten in Narvik today. Well, the city celebrates the building of the iron ore railway (1898-1902) from the Swedish mountain and mining city of Kiruna and Narvik becoming a city in 1903. This Vinterfestuka (Winter Festival Week) is an annual celebration and each year one of the Hurtigruten ships is in port, serving as hotel and restaurants for the festival, and it takes small fjord cruises, as was the case when I caught it sailing into port today.
"Richard With" - one of the ships serving "The most beautiful sea voyage in the World" - steaming into port. In the background the bulk/iron ore carrier "Vogerunner" (176,838 DWT)
Steaming to port: Hurtigruten ship "Richard With". In the background - tall building - the brand new Rica Hotel, a competitor to the hotel and restaurant service provided by "Richard With". Op to the right, the polytechnical college in Narvik.
Crew of Five missing – Hercules C130J lost in the mountains
There has been a lot of activity in the air around Narvik. Several heavy aircrafts have been buzzing up in the clouds. Nothing unusual, like I wrote yesterday, there is a huge military exercise in Northern-Norway these days. An hour ago the Sea King (Search And Rescue helicopter, Royal Norwegian Air Force) landed for refueling at Narvik Airport, Framnes. Furthermore, shortly after two Bell 412 helicopters flew by. All flying in the same direction.
Just now the news reports that a Norwegian Hercules C130J cargo airplane has been lost in the mountains between Norway and Sweden. The plane had a crew of 5 and was en route from Evenes in Norway to Kiruna in the Swedish mountains when it went missing. There is really low visibility in the mountains right now. Really sad.
Archive: A Norwegian C-130J Hercules named Frigg over central Norway (Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold, Norwegian Armed Forces)
Bad weather in the search area. This was taken 4:42 pm.
Early Morning HDR
This HDR (High Dynamic Range) composition was taken this morning just before 6 o’clock.
An HDR photo composited this morning
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