Norway - David Mathre Photography

Eleven-Years Ago (23-January-2007) — Norway

Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Winter Vacation. Day 3: Bergen then Embarkation on the Northbound Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald Norwegian Coastal Voyage.

The sky was clear and there was new snow on the ground when we woke in Bergen. The locals said that it had been raining for the last 50 days. I think many took the day off to enjoy the sun and snow. The Hurtigruten MS Kong Harald would not be departing until later that night, so we had the day to visit Bergen. As part of our travel package, we had a one day Bergen Card for transportation and various attractions. After spending some time outside around the Bergen harbor and Bergen Fish Market, we took the Fløibarnen Funicular to the top of Mount Fløyen. We also visited the art museum to see some of Edvard Munch’s paintings. Finally, as it started to get dark we made our way to the Hurtigruten terminal. I’ve included a fisheye view of my cabin and the stateroom at the front of the ship. As we learned later in the voyage, rooms near the front (or rear) of the ship move the most in heavy seas. Since then I always try to get a cabin near the middle of a ship for any voyage that may experience heavy seas.

Bergan Harbor Panorama. Composite of 3 images taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 12-24 mm f/4 lens (ISO 800, 24 mm, f/4, 1/15 sec). (David J Mathre)

Eleven-Years Ago (22-January-2007) — Norway

Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Winter Vacation. Day 2: Railroad from Oslo to Bergen.

On Day 2 we herded the group and all of the luggage to the train station using public transportation. We then boarded the Bergen Railway high-speed train from Oslo to Bergen. All of these images were taken while on the train. The train stops at the highest point on the line at Finse (1222 meters above sea level). When we got to Bergen there was a bit of a glitch. The hotel where we all were supposed to be staying didn’t have any records of our reservation. The hotel knew they had a problem with 20+ folks with luggage sitting in the lobby. After several hours of discussions and phone calls rooms were found for everyone. By then it was too late to see much of Bergen.

Train Spotting: Euro Shuttle SKD-226.31 Engine viewed while traveling from Oslo to Bergen. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 10.5 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens. (David J Mathre)

Eleven-Years Ago (21-January-2007) — Norway

Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Winter Vacation. Day 1: Oslo.

Revisiting a family trip to Norway in 2007. Some of images have been posted before, and some are new. The trip started in Oslo. I flew in from New Jersey, and the rest of the family flew in from Florida. All together, I think there were 22-24 of us in the group. On this first day, we toured Oslo. At the end of the day we had pizza with Arnie. It took a fisheye lens to get the whole group in one image. During this trip, I was using a Nikon D2xs camera with 7 lenses (10.5 mm fisheye, 12-24 mm, 28-70 mm, 35 mm, 50 mm, 80-400 mm, and 85 mm). Before I learned to travel light…

Family in Norway, Winter in Oslo Norway (David J Mathre)

Eleven-Years Ago (20-January-2007) — Norway.

Gone to See Norway 2007 Family Winter Vacation. Day 0: Oslo.

My parents, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, and aunt all arrived in Oslo from Florida, Minnesota, Ohio and New Jersey for a wintertime vacation in Norway. We checked into a hotel in Oslo pretty much jet-lagged. At 02:00, I woke up hearing some loud music. There was a club just across the street. I don’t know what time clubs close in Oslo, but there was a line of folks waiting for a taxi (I don’t think buses run that late). These images were taken from my hotel room window.

For the next couple of weeks I will be posting images (some new, some previously posted) from the trip as we spent time in Oslo, Bergen, and while on the Hurtigruten Coastal voyage along the coast of Norway. We visited many ports and towns between Bergen and Kirkenes aboard the MS Kong Harald.

Line of folks waiting for a taxi outside a club in Oslo. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 28-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 1600, 70 mm, f/2.8, 1/20 sec). Image processed with Capture One Pro and NIK Define. (David J Mathre) — Line of folks waiting for a taxi outside a club in Oslo. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 28-70 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 1600, 28 mm, f/2.8, 1/20 sec). Image processed with Capture One Pro and NIK Define. (David J Mathre)

Nine-Years Ago (29-November-2008) — New Jersey

Undocumented Domestic Help: “The Caretaker”.

One of the many trolls that take care of my house. I never know where I will find him, typically avoiding doing any work. You can find more of his friends — all members of the Trolls without Borders union at the Henning site in Norway.

The Caretaker, Henning Hand Carved Norwegian Troll. Image taken with a Nikon D3 and 200 mm f/4 macro (ISO 200, f/11, 1/60 sec, flash). (David J Mathre) — The Caretaker, Henning Hand Carved Norwegian Troll. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 200 mm f/4 macro lens (ISO 200, f/11, 1/60 sec, flash).