March 2020 – Streaming thru America

Bergen Walking Tour

March 19, 2020March 21, 2020Posted in Adventure, culture, History, landscape, museum, Photography, travel, wanderlustTagged Bergen, Bergenhus Fortress, Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf, Fløibanen, funicular, Håkon's Hall, Norway, troll7 Comments

After docking in Bergen, the Viking Star’s final destination of our 13-day cruise along Norway’s western coastline,

Leah and I were ready to explore our surroundings. First we wandered through the 13th century ruins of Bergenhus Fortress,

before entering Håkon’s Hall…

to regard the 1950’s restoration of the royal banquet hall that dates to King Magnus’s wedding celebration in 1261,

and where all furnishings have subsequently been replaced to commemorate the 700th anniversary of its first use.

Our walking tour continued along the Bryggen Wharf, a UNESCO World Heritage site preserving original Middle Aged buildings from the Hanseatic League trading era,

and the Old Wharf–

featuring a sea serpent once rumored to venture out from Bergen caves during summer nights to feed on sea traders.

We strolled across the cobblestones of Øvregaten, Bergen’s one-time market for craftsmen and traders,

but now home to residences,

galleries and specialty shops.

Finally we reached Bergen’s most popular attraction–its Fløibanen,

a funicular railway taking riders to the top of Mount Fløyen.

We passed through three stations in eight minutes,

until we finally reached the top.

Once we got our bearings,

we were rewarded with a wintry chill and a view that took our breath away…

unless that was the mountain troll’s doing?

P.S. This post (my 351st) represents 3 years of blogging! Looking forward to another productive year.

Narvik

March 16, 2020March 16, 2020Posted in Adventure, hiking, History, landscape, Nature, Photography, travel, wanderlustTagged Narvik, Norway, Polar Park, skiing, Viking Star, wildlife2 Comments

On our way to Bergen, Norway, the Viking Star docked at Narvik–a mountainside town reknown for its urban off-piste skiing,

and notable for its ice-free harbor,

which was of strategic importance during World War II…

for transporting iron ore that’s been mined from the world’s largest underground reserve in Kiruna, Sweden since 1898.

Leah and I had hoped to ride the cable car to the mountain restaurant to enjoy the view, but on this particular day, the mountain was closed because of nasty weather.

Instead, we braved the treacherous icy streets…

and climbed the hills for views of distant shores,

clusters of urban housing,

public art,

and commemorative sculpture, such as the National Monument of Freedom.

Expanding our horizons, we boarded a bus bound for Polar Park,

the world’s northernmost animal sanctuary,

and home to Norway’s large predators such as bears,

wolves,

and lynx.

Although the animal habitats are vast,

and the wildlife seem well-cared for, it’s impossible to look past the fencing and not think of Polar Park as a winter zoo.

The wolves have been humanized since their arrival in 2006,

and available for kisses and snuggles, albeit for an extra fee.

All things considered, I’d rather take my chances petting the barking dog that guards the reindeer down the road.

Next stop…Bergen!

Ode to an Odyssey at Sea

March 10, 2020Posted in Adventure, landscape, Nature, Photography, Poetry, travel, wanderlustTagged Alta, Aurora Borealis, Inside Passage, North Sea, Northern Lights, Norway5 Comments

The peaks were fearless

The winds were steady

The world was rushing by.

The clouds churned

About the mountain islands

Never budging

Anchored to an endless depth.

But when darkness settles

The sky salutes the sea

Always reaching

Never touching

Until the two enlist the stars.

Alta Mushing

March 9, 2020Posted in Adventure, Awards, culture, landscape, Nature, Photography, sports, travel, wanderlustTagged Alta, dogsledding, Finnmark, Holmen Huskies, mushing, Norway2 Comments

Tucked into the Alta valley, lies a kennel of 98 Alaskan huskies that are so eager to pull a sled, that a team of six can pull their anchor out of the ground.

So much so that it took a Holmen Husky trainer to restrain them.

It was that kind of energy that had Leah and me so hyped to run the dogs on the trail, but only after properly outfitting ourselves…

and learning the intricacies of mushing, as explained by Vicki from UK.

Most importantly, after witnessing the huskies’ enthusiasm, we focused on how to brake and when to brake!

After a visual review of the basic rules…

we were appointed to our teams.

For the next 90 minutes, we rode through birch forests as the snow gently fell.

Keeping our distance between sleds was our biggest challenge, as the dogs were more than up to the task of hauling a 25 kg /55 lb sled…

with two passengers.

When occasional braking was necessary to prevent our sled from overtaking the sled ahead, the lead dog always turned to us, as if to say, “Why are you slowing me down?”

And when Duke, one our wheel dogs sensed that his partner Nola wasn’t carrying her weight, he let her know about it.

Bred for speed and endurance, Holmen’s sled dogs can manage 10 to 14 miles per hour, and may travel over 90 miles in a 24-hour period, pulling up to 85 pounds apiece!

The Holmen dogs are happiest when they are working, and even more so when they are racing.

When our run was over, it was time to time to relax…

to pose…

and to cuddle.

A fire, a biscuit, and some blueberry tea was the perfect nosh after our wintry mush.

But doggone it, there would be no Northern Lights tonight!

Cathedral of the Northern Lights

March 5, 2020March 5, 2020Posted in Adventure, Architecture, culture, landscape, music, Nature, Photography, travel, wanderlustTagged Alta, Cathedral of the Northern Lights, Finnmark, Irina Girunyan, Northern Lights, Norway6 Comments

Our quest to chase Aurora Borealis continued aboard the Viking Star, cruising northbound through Finnmark, the heart of Norwegian Lapland,

and on to Alta, our northern-most destination inside the Arctic Circle.

Leah and I were praying for clear skies plus a surge in solar activity–given Alta’s reputation as the Town of the Northern Lights and home to the world’s first Northern Lights Observatory (1899) for conducting scientific research.

To that end, we mounted a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of the Northern Lights to increase our chances of an anticipated sighting. However, on this temperate night, an unexpected veil of dew painted the town, offering up a cathedral bathed in shimmery titanium,

lunging 47 meters (154 ft) toward an elusive phenomenon.

To the townsfolk, this sanctuary is as much a tourist attraction as it is a church.

It represents “a landmark, which through its architecture symbolizes the extraordinary natural phenomenon of the Arctic northern lights,” according to John F. Lassen, partner of Schmidt Hammer Lassen–a Danish design firm that collaborated with Scandinavian firm Link Arkitektur to win the city council’s design competition in 2001.

And there is much to appreciate about the design–outside and in. The exterior’s circular body mimics a magic curtain of light once illustrated by Louis Bevalet in 1838.

And the interior lighting resembles the long shafts of light associated with the Aurora.

Religious overtones are emphasized through the metal mosaics representing Twelve Disciples…

and the 4.3 meter (14 ft) modernist bronze of Christ searching the blue-glazed heavens, imagined by Danish artist Peter Brandes. While some worshippers may claim that a hidden face lives in the outstretched neck of the subject,

the illusion is subject to personal interpretation.

Consecrated in 2013, the Cathedral of Northern Lights functions as Alta’s parish church of the Church of Norway, yet remains an open forum for assembly and performance.

One-year after the first benediction, the concrete walls had settled and the pipe organ was installed. The dynamic acoustics attracted notable talent and filled all 350 seats.