Arctic lights over Telegrafbukta, chapter III

Posted on 02-19-2012 in Blog, Nature, Norway, Photographs, Scandinavia, Tromsø | 2 comments

Here we are! Third chapter of Arctic lights over Telegrafbukta. I told you, this beach is an inexhaustible resource for photography: the scenery radically changes from one day to another!

These days, wind and snow are back in Tromsø. We finally have a real winter weather! I know … I’m a bit masochistic: I love COLD, SNOW, ICE and WIND! :)
After the usual 3/4 of an hour walk to Telegrafbukta, I finally arrive to this magical place that I know so well … at least that’s what I think. Today, the landscape that unfolds in front of me is totally different from what I was used to see so far. No warm lights. No soft noise of the sea against the rocks. There is something more this time. I feel this sensation that I love so much when I’m out. The sky is dark gray, like during a storm, and the elements are raging. The wind is strong and impressive waves are crashing on the dark and sharp rocks. The forces of nature are at work in this place which is usually one of the most quiet places on Tromsøya. I think that arctic lights is not really appropriate this time, but never mind!

Arctic clouds over Telegrafbukta

My favorite rock is covered with snow. So I start looking for new places to photograph. The more I walk away from this rock, the more the waves are impressive. I walk a few steps towards the sea, but the inspiration is not there. However, these waves attract me more and more. I take my courage in both hands and I take direction of the sea .. closer … closer … closer … Now, I’m just a few inches from the sea. Click, click, click … Inspiration is back. It is a real pleasure. These big waves are for me the opportunity to test a new filter that allows me to do long exposures (that’s how I can get this effect of smoothness on the sea). Nevertheless, I am freaking out …  a bit. Some waves bigger than others and the rising tide make me feel that I might end dipped soon … The wind in the face does not help me, but I persevere.

After a few series of pictures, I decide to go to find another place. Boom! The wallet containing my filters falls to the ground. Fortunately nothing has been broken. I leave my camera on the tripod while I stoop to pick up the wallet … And …  A big gust of wind suddenly blows and my camera, mounted on it’s tripod, falls and smashes on the floor. AAARRRRGGGGHHH NOOOOOOO! After checking, it seems I’m pretty lucky in my misfortune, since the camera fell lens first… and in front of the lens there was hopefully the filter holder. PHEW! Nevertheless, the two filters mounted at that time as well as part of the filter holder are completely destroyed. Result: about $200 damage :s But I’m still lucky because without the filters and the filter holder, that would have been much more!

After that, I no longer want to continue shooting. I take the direction of the return. I grab my mp3 player in my pocket and … BOOM! TO THE GROUND! T_T
Fortunately, nothing broken this time. I think that there are definitely days I should not go out!

So enjoy these two pictures because they cost me much! :)

-julien

PS: here are the link to the previous chapters of Arctic lights over Telegrafbukta if you didn’read them before: chapter I, chapter II.

Mack or PC? …

Posted on 02-12-2012 in Blog, Culture, Gastronomy, Norway, Scandinavia, Tromsø | 0 comments

First, I’d like to apology for this pathetic joke … but I could not resist. I’m really sorry. Let’s forget it and start the post.

During those rainy days (yes, it’s raining in Tromsø …) and snowy days (whew! Snow is finally here!), it’s hard to find the envy to get out. Fortunately, here in Tromsø, cafes, bars and pubs are very warm and welcoming. So let’s have a drink this afternoon! This is an opportunity to practice a bit and get our order in Norwegian: “Hmm … well… En Mack Haakon” (which is supposed to mean “A Mack Haakon please”, we usually don’t use the word ‘please’ in Norwegian). Despite the obvious simplicity of my sentence, the eyes of the waitress made ​​me quickly realize she did not understand a word about what I was saying … T_T

Finally, after a few more trials, we successfully got our order: a Mack and my strawberry milk (just kiddin’! :P). But now you’re probably wondering “What is a Mack Haakon?” ……

…

…

… Don’t you? … I’ll tell you anyway, I did not typed this whole introdution for nothing!

In Tromsø, Mack is an institution. More than that, the entire population dedicates a cult to Mack. Morning, noon and night we bow and pray before it’s image by quoting its name. It is even part of the culinary specialty of Tromsø: seagull eggs & Mack (We will write a post about it once we have tasted!). This is of course, and you probably guessed, the local beer!

Let’s go back a few decades ago. Ludwig Markus Mack, born in 1842, is the son of a German immigrant. He is trained as a baker, just as his father before him. But numerous visits to his uncle, Bavarian brewer, gives him the envy to start his own brewery. And that’s how, after a very consistent investment for the time, in 1877, the Mack brewery was born in Tromsø. It then became the northernmost brewery in the world!

135 years later, Mack brewery is still there and work not only for the well being of the population of Tromsø, but for all northern Norway. And to be honest, once you have tasted a Mack you understand why so many people here speak about it! This beer, in my humble opinion, has its own character. I like to describe it as a taste between a German beer (logical, given its origin) and an English local ale (my favorite beers). A real treat!

Anyway, if you ever come over here one day, do not miss to taste a Mack! A brewery tour is even possible if you feel interested to see how thay make it (weekdays only, I think).

-julien

Sami’s National Day : Reindeer race!

Posted on 02-05-2012 in Blog, Ethnology, Norway, Photographs, Samis, Scandinavia, Tromsø | 0 comments

A reindeer race has been organized in Tromsø today. Indeed, we are the Sunday before the National Day of Samis (February 6th).

To make it short, Sami people, which you might know as “Lapps” (pejorative term!), are an indigenous people of northern Fenno-Scandinavia also called Lapland. This nation is made ​​up of many tribes who officiate mainly in fishing, trapping and reindeer herding. As arctic reindeers is an endangered species. But Sami people have always practices reindeer herding. Though they earned the right to continue and are now the only ones authorized to do it.

Between the nineteenth and twentieth century, Sami people were victim of assimilationist policies of countries in which they have been living for centuries (like most nomadic or semi-nomadic peoples in this world). Their territories and their identities were thus under threat. Several associations sprang up and on the beginning of the twentieth century a Sami got a place in the Norwegian political power: Isak Saba. But that did not lead to success for his people.

February 6th, 1917 in Trondheim: many representatives of Sami communities in Norway and Sweden met. This regroupement was a great success. But let’s not forget that during that time a part of Europe is at war. Samis were very affected by the consequences of this war and the recession it implied. In the late 70′s, activism took shape again. During the ’80s and ’90s, Sami people get prommesses from Fenno-Scandinavian states. In 1992, Samis chose that date of February 6th to celebrate their National Day.

Tromsø is a city where the Sami community is very well established. Therefore, many activities have taken place these days and will take place in the coming days: Sami markets, language courses, reindeer race, … We have therefore taken the opportunity to see those famous northern hairy beasts :)

We are barely arrived that we are already rejected: The price to see the race is 100 Kr (approx. 13 €) per person O_o! As good old French people, we try to find a discrete way to see this race without paying. But all the streets perpendicular to the one where the race happens are monitored by those guys with their fluorescent coat … Argh! Nevertheless, we are not the only ones not wanting to pay this astronomical sum to see a couple of guys in slinky outfits on skis being pulled by reindeers. We therefore find a nice little spot where we can see the show … even if it is a little further. Well, it was totally not worth the price plus it was freezing (-15°C + wind = BRRRRRrrrrr). The only interest that we found was to be able to see the reindeers, and I can assure you that they really look very sweet! :)

Nevertheless I think this is an excellent initiative to propose such activities because it allows residents, tourists and children to discover the Sami culture. And on our side, it gives us the opportunity to learn more about the history of Norway and Samis.

-julien

Source: Le Francofil (French)

Norway, chapter I : The discovery

Posted on 02-02-2012 in Article, Blog, Culture, Norway, Scandinavia | 0 comments

I’m back on the blog to present you Norway. Everyone knows this country, but when I say that I’m in Norway, people usually reply: “This is such a cold country!” and this remark proves that this country is not really well known. First, this is not true, this country is not so cold! We are in Tromsø and in January the temperatures are between +3°C and -10 °C! During winter, we can find about the same temperatures in many parts of France and of the world.

(click on the picture for a larger view)

I don’t find the temperature difference with Marseille is huge, what do you think? :)

In addition to this, the cold is not the only characteristic of Norway ( if not, we would not be there…). This country has plenty of treasures that I want to show you and that we will study on various topics.

The real name of Norway is “Kingdom of Norway”. It is located west of the Scandinavian peninsula and shares borders with Sweden, Finland and Russia. The Scandinavian peninsula is a geographical concept. This name comes from the word that designates the Scander mountains (Scandinavian Alps), which goes from the north to the south of the peninsula, mainly along the border between Norway and Sweden. These mountains, eroded by glaciation, falling to the west in the Norwegian Sea, form numerous fjords. The Scandinavian peninsula is strictly geographical and refers to Norway and Sweden. These two countries forming a peninsula wich is an advanced land into the sea.

We must be careful to not confuse the Scandinavian Peninsula with Scandinavia wich is a political concept bringing together countries sharing a common history and culture. Scandinavia is the homeland of some of the Germanic peoples and the Vikings. In addition to the Scandinavian peninsula wich includes Norway and Sweden, Scandinavia includes Denmark, whose inhabitants speak an ethnically apparent language and share a common history. Not only to the Viking period (late VIIIth to XIth century) but also more recently, Norway and Denmark have often been united under the same crown.

In the broad sense, Scandinavia include Iceland wich was long ruled by Denmark and originaly settled by norwegian people. But also Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of Denmark, and Greenland and Svalbard, respectively dependent of Norway and Denmark.

Finland is sometimes included because it was under Swedish rule for a long time but this is a mistake, because the Finnish language is unrelated to the Scandinavian languages ​​and Finland forms a distinct geographic of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The addition of Finland and Scandinavia is referred to as Finnoscandia or Fennoscandia.

About the country’s name, many etymologists think it comes from the term “North Road” (in old Norse “nord veg”) . Sami people call it “nuorrek” which means “the coast” or “along the sea.” Another proposed etymology is “Nór rige”, meaning “Kingdom of Nór”, Nór being the name of a mythical king.

The Norwegian coast, with a length of over 2,500 km (mainland only), is punctuated by fjords and a multitude of small islands (about 50,000 in total!). Norway is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and three other seas: the North Sea to the southwest, Skagerrak to the southeast , the Norwegian Sea to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. The land borders measure 2,542 kilometers in length, most with Sweden, but also Finland and north Russia.

(click on the picture for a larger view)

Norway is known as ”land of the midnight sun” because of its location. A part of the country is at the north of the Arctic Circle where the sun never goes down in summer (from May to July) and never rises in winter (from late November to late January). Norway is the most northern country of Europe, containing the famous North Cape (Nordkapp in Norwegian) where people come to watch the midnight sun. But in reality, other parts of the coast are slightly further north.

With 385,155 km ² (including Svalbard and Jan Mayen), Norway is slightly larger than Germany. But the relief of the country, with mountains and glaciers, is very rugged. The most famous features of its geography are the fjords. Norway has several hundred fjords on its coast. They were formed by the severe erosion exerted by huge masses of ice on the the valleys and the sea came to fill them at the end of the Ice Age. They cut land and some of them penetrate the lands until 200 km, as Sognefjorden, and their deep may reach 1350m. The most narrow and deep fjords are the most extraordinary, like for instance Geirangerfjord. Most of them can be found between Stavanger and Trondheim. Norway is also home to many glaciers and waterfalls. The highest summit is Mount Galdhøpiggen (2469 meters high). Moreover, erosion has also been the cause of the formation of islands and islets (over 200,000) that line the coast.

Along the coast, the climate is tempered by the heat brought by the Gulf Stream. But climatic conditions inside the lands, along the border with Sweden, offer a more severe climate.

At the political level, Norway is divided into five Landsdeler or large regions, whose delimitations are based on geography and language. But the most important subdivisions are the nineteen “fylke” or counties, which provide important administrative functions. The “fylker” are the intermediary between the kingdom and the municipalities. In every “fylke” the king is represented by a “fylkesmann“.

Oslo is considered both as a municipality and a county. Municipalities are the local unit of gouvernemeent in Norway and are responsible for a number of areas.

Here are for your information the 10 largest municipalities:

To be continued…

-céline

The biggest solar storm since 2005

Posted on 01-26-2012 in Blog, Nature, Northern Lights, Norway, Photographs, Scandinavia, Tromsø | 5 comments

The biggest solar storm since 2005 occured on January 22nd, 2012. It will arrive on earth two days later. This storm follows the eruption of the 19th which we enjoyed with the beautiful northern lights of last weekend. So we won’t miss it under any circumstances!

On January 24th, in the second part of the afternoon, we start to organize the hunt on the job’s chat: “Someone’s going to see the auroras tonight?”, “Do you have a place for me in the car?” “We must not miss this one, it’s the biggest eruption for 6 years! “… We finally fill two cars, with our guests from England who have not yet had a chance to see northern lights. We begin the chase of the northern lights around 20:00.

We arrive at the meeting point on the island of Kvaløya and wait patiently for the arrival of the green dancers. We wait, wait, wait, … ZZZZzzzz. After about one hour, we really start to freeze. It is therefore decided to wait in the car, which is warmer. We wait, wait, wait … ZZZZzzzzz. We have been waiting for approximately 1:30 and still nothing on the horizon. Discouragement begins to be felt. … When suddenly … my phone rings! (hahaha! You’re owned! ^^). Two of our colleagues have ventured too much in the snow and are stuck with their car. They need help to push the car and are really close to us… well, that’s what they tell us. About 20 minutes later, we find them. These clowns have ventured on a cross-country skiing trail, which supposedly is a road during summer. I guess we can believe what we want to :)

But we barely put a feet out of the car that the show begins … And it starts VERY, VERY powerfully! Our guests are impressed. We are also admirative to those green movements in the sky. They are not always extremely powerful, but their size and number are incredible!

We take a few moments of calm to help our fellows. We laugh, we chat, but as soon as the auroras appear, the silence is only pierced by a few sounds of admiration … “Wooooooow!”

-julien

My first Northern Lights

Posted on 01-23-2012 in Blog, Nature, Northern Lights, Norway, Photographs, Scandinavia, Tromsø | 0 comments

Yesterday I was a lucky man. Not only I witnessed one of the best shows that Earth has to offer but at the same time I realized one of my dreams.

The premises

Saturday, January 21st: If you have learnt your lesson, you already know it is the day when the sun comes out for the first time, each year, in Tromsø! :) That day, we were able to contemplate this magnificent show. A few hours later, some of my colleagues saw the Northern Lights. According to the forecast, this was a good day for auroras. They even have taken pictures as proof (I’m jealous)! After a film (really bad, by the way), we decide to go out and see if Northern Lights are showing. We barely set our noses out that the sky is already filled by those green lights dancing over our heads

We then walk up to the top of the island, but we only have time to take 2 bad pictures … that you will not see! Noooo, do not insist! :). The show ends as abruptly as this sentence. We are happy, but have to go back home frustrated. Grrrrr!

Divine revelation

Sunday, January 22nd: We are determined to see these magical green clouds once again. Thanks God, today the forecast is good! Once night falls, we take our little frozen noses out and … They are back! Maybe less powerful than yesterday, but they are there and we are thrilled! A few minutes later, two of my colleagues propose us to accompany them to Kvaløya for a Northern Lights hunt … I’m sure you can guess what is our answer :)

View Larger Map

The first stop is north of the island. Some auroras are dancing for our eyes and cameras are operating at full capacity. The time is not especially cold (around -10°C), but a slight wind freezes us. You have to deserve those lights!

A few minutes later, we are really getting cold and the Northern Lights calmed down. We decide to find another spot. Heading south of the island!

On the way, many ”buses” are stopped on the side of the road for the same reasons that us (more like vans actually). However, we find a place for the car in the parking lot of a lake. Lake on which we settle for a divine contemplation session (… yeah … the lake is frozen during winter! ^^) . We are barely set that the show starts again.

What a show!

The auroras we have seen earlier seem bland and pitiful compared to what’s unveiling above us! Green rays break through the sky like needles and undulate sensuously in a profusion of green colors. We do not know where to look, the sky is full! I still have chills …

This astral communion last a few minutes during which we can hear frantic ”Wahouuuu”, “Hoooo look!  There!” and “click! click!” (camera sound). The spectacle abruptly ceases once again, leaving behind nothing but a few scattered and spread colors … and of course a full set of images in our heads and memory cards :)

-julien

Look who came back in Tromsø today!

Posted on 01-21-2012 in Blog, Hiking, Nature, Norway, Photographs, Scandinavia, Tromsø | 7 comments

Today is January 21st. And do you know who is back in Tromsø on January 21st? :-)

So we decided to gain altitude to try to meet Him. We take place in the usual cable car. Once up there, we face those always surprising and somptuous polarlights. Today, no clouds on the horizon but it’s really cold, an icy wind is blowing and freezing us. It might sound amazing but we are not yet used to the cold temperatures. Last few days, temperatures rose above 0° C. We even had rain! O_o

We hope to meet Him once at the top. Then we begin the ascent. The ground is covered with frosted snow. Each step is difficult: we never know if the ground will be hard and slippery or if our foot will sink in it. The constant sound of the wind-driven snow gives us the impression of being in an hostile place where nature is omnipotent. Walking is hard enough, and we slip frequently. Crest after crest, we still do not see Him. We should hurry, It does not stay long today! We begin to get tired and discouraged. We decide to walk down a bit, where the ground is covered by frozen heathens and grass. It’s less tricky.

When suddenly, on the way down, something draws our attention. The rocks to which we are heading have a red color. Bright red. We start to walk faster and surprise! While we were completely discouraged and about to go back, there He shows, powerful, warm and bright. You guessed it, it is the sun!

We barely have time to take some pictures that it goes away … This short time (about 1 minute) however was intense, and I can assure you that it’s really weird to see our friend the sun back in Tromsø after two months of total absence!

It is January 21st, the polar night just ended.

-julien