CHASING NORTHERN LIGHTS

 This morning we met for our last critique.  It took all morning to see everyone’s submissions but we made it through.  Our afternoon was free so our first task was finding a restaurant open for lunch.  Svolvær is a sleepy little town, so there’s really only a handful of choices and fewer are open for lunch.  We returned to the pizza place,  Fellini , because it was a sure thing.  I can highly recommend the pasta bolognese.   The rest of the afternoon was filled with photo selections for the slideshow and a much needed nap.  We also ate an early dinner since we were going to be out late tonight.   The wind was in full force today so we were advised to dress as warm as we could to go out tonight.  I ultimately wore 2 shirts, a heated vest, a down filled coat, 2 pairs of wool pants, 2 pair of socks, glove liners, mittens and ‘hot toes’ in my snow boots.  It worked pretty well except my hands were cold after being outside for awhi...

 Remember my gear talk from yesterday?  Today we added a vinyl body suit to the mix to protect us during our sea eagle hunt this morning.  We boarded boats equipped with two two rows of padded seats with metal pieces that will serve as handles for the ride.  We mounted up like getting on a horse, pulled on our hoods, and off we went. Surrounding the larger islands the sea is dotted with smaller rocky islands which serve as resting spots for our prey for the day, Sea Eagles.  After a brisk ride, we stopped to chum the water with frozen fish to entice them close to our boat.  Circling the sky they spot the fish and swoop in to grab them with their powerful claws.  Beautiful creatures, they move quite fast which makes them very hard to photograph. We wondered around the different island groupings getting soaked by blowing rain.  The body suites actually kept us dry but our hands and cameras were a different story.  We all came back with frozen h...

Picture Bo Derek riding down a sunny beach in a warm climate and you have most of the elements of the day ahead of us at  Hov Gard  farm.  Set right on a sandy beach, Icelandic ponies and their female riders treated us to a photo shoot on the shore.  Have I mentioned the weather turns on a dime in Norway??? We had blowing snow pelting us as we walked over.  Then calmer weather and finally more blowing snow which ended our time on the beach.  However, the photos were stunning with a little lighthouse in the distance and waves rushing the shore. These little ponies are wooly with thick mains and tails, perfect for this kind of climate.  They also had somewhat of a mind of their own.  Strolling in the water was not their idea of a good time and who could blame them.  Icelandic horses have their own gate which is not a full on gallop so panning shots were out.  They definitely fit into the environment. We gathered in the onsite restaurant to...

We were pleased to find that our hotel carried on the tradition of a bountiful breakfast that we found in Oslo with the addition of a pianist entertaining us during our meal.  The downside was the popularity of the hotel which often meant fighting your way to the buffet. Boarding the bus mid-morning we drove along a stunning coast line with snow covered jagged peaks and clear green waters.  It’s hard for me to think these peeks are at sea level and that the water is not an alpine lake.  The next corner tops the first and so on and so on. There’s a famous photo of Norway with a row of red houses and a beautiful mountain providing the background.  Black rocks surrounded by ice waters are in the foreground.  We drove specifically to the Reine to take home this shot.  However, blowing winds filled with snow partially blocked the mountain and made the photo a little less than ideal.  We hung around hoping for it to clear but we finally boarded the bus for o...

We had an early start to our day for our journey up north where we will hopefully find the elusive Northern Lights.  We first flew to Bodo on SAS and then transferred to a much smaller turboprop to Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands.  The first thing I noticed as we proceeded through security to our gate is that my ID was never checked, not once, only my boarding pass for the plane.  I mark this off to an honest population or naivety.    After landing in Bodo we heard flight cancelations over the intercom but ours was still going.  We had to walk to the plane in blowing snow which made me wonder about the wisdom of actually leaving.  The pilot reassured us somewhat with the caveat that he can’t land in certain conditions.  Off we go! Surprisingly the flight was pretty smooth and we arrived with no issues. A short drive took us to our hotel for the next seven nights, Svolvaer Thon.  The rooms were clean if not a little utilitarian.  I should...

 Up early, our Hop on Hop Off bus served as a transportation to tour the city with a couple of longer stops along the way.  You know how the typical tourist bus is open air on top?  This bus was a convertible with a cloth top peeling back to expose us to a brisk morning.   Our first stop,  The Fram Museum , houses a preserved Arctic ice breaker.  We were turned loose with three ballerinas to photograph them on and inside the ship.  Low lighting conditions challenged our skills and I’m not sure I really captured their beauty and grace.   Our next stop was the  The Opera House .  Modern architecture made the exterior of the building as interesting as the inside.  A large sloping slab leads up to a large window looking into the building.  The Opera House overlooks the water and across the bay a structure serves as a launching point for those who wanted to brisk dip into the ocean.  I think I’ll pass! We moved our little popsi...