robertmitchell,MAY,SPAMnewsletter,1 of 26 land of fjords - great landscape but few computers
W21May08, Byrkjelo Hello kind reader, attached photos 1 The Newcastle High Bridge, built by Robert Stephenson, son of George, and Thomas(?) Harrison, 1845-9 2 Rosenkrantz tower in Bergen, built about 1550 by the Danish boss from the Rosenkrantz family, who must be the same as the Shakespeare/Hamlet Rosenkrantz and Gildenstern. 3 A look over Bergen harbour from about halfway up Fløyen, the nearest of Bergen's seven hills 4 This is Askøy bridge. "Broen er Norges lengest hengebro" - the bridge is Norway's longest hang/suspension bridge. 5 This is a typical up-to-date business by the roadside 6 I too this shot through the ferry window, from Ortnevik to Nordeide/Høyanger. I walked round this mountain the day before, Whit Monday 7 Here is a camp by km 24 on the road to Ortnevik. I hope you can see the snowy mountains on the other side of Sognefjord, through the trees. Sorry for the slow answers to emails, the lack of comments on flickr, and the lack photos on flickr, blogger, and SPAMletters. I have had only minutes on the computer. I mean to do all these things sooner or later - later is more likely. Su13Apr08-13.10bst,Newcastle Civic Centre,cmpr local 02,Dell,Dell,Dell This morning I went to the Sunday breakfast of the People's Kitchen, folk who kindly run a hand out for the needy. I had two bowls of porridge, a 3 hot dog butty, and hot chocolate. To take away I had a carrier bag full of goodies. Thankyou! F18Apr08-11.20met,Norway,Bergen,Bibliotek PC8,Dell,acer,Logitech I got the ferry from Newcastle/NorthShields/Royal Quays last Tuesday and left it at 11pm, on Wednesday night. Luckily, I found a quiet spot behind an electricity transformer, which hummed all night and did not keep me warm against the frost. Yesterday I checked out the Domkirke, which has a big West tower and the Mariakirke, the oldest church in Bergen - 1140-1170, Romanesque. "Bryggen" which seems to be the old wooden buildings round the harbour, is a World Heritage Site. Today, I had a look at Gamle Bergen, Old Bergen, which is a couple of kilometres from today's Bergen. It is a small village, but I think it was where Bergen was before it moved to where it is now. A fairly steep slog took me up to Sverresborg - King Sverres castle - which is now a grassy patch,(no drugs, no alcohol or the military will throw you out) 20yards x 40 yards, at the top of some threatening stone walls. It is the oldest bit of the castle of Bergen, built 1150?. This castle saw only one battle - in 1665, the battle of Vågen. A Dutch fleet of merchant ships was fleeing from a flotilla of English warships and sheltered in the neutral harbour of Bergen. The English tried to follow them. The battle was short! Then a look at the Korskirke, church of the Holy Cross, which is also early. All these churches have been burned down several times, with the fires of Bergen itself. Then a quick visit to the Jernbane stasjon, Railway station and to the library nextdoor. Sa19Apr08-11.40met,Bergen lby,cmpr PC7,Dell,acer,Logitech I've found a good spot, so far so good, among some trees in a kind of triangular roundabout, for skippering. This morning I walked along the other Southern side of Bergen harbour. There was the Klosteret - cloister - a small building with a tower. Then came Nykirke - New Church - of 1761. It is bigger than the older churches with a high tower. At the end of Nordnes - North Headland - was the Akvariet - the Aquarium with seals and penguins. There seem to be a lot of university buildings here and the Aquarium is one, though it is also open to the public. The weather is warm and sunny, though the clear skies have given a light ground frost in the morning. I have to say that a given temperature, say 10C, seems colder in Bergen than in London, which may be the breeze coming in from the sea. Tu22Apr08-09.30met,Bergen library,cmprPC2,Dell,hp,Logitech The buds of the ash are beginniing to swell in Bergen, but the beech has not started. Blackbirds sing a lot - April is their month. The crows and jackdaws have their northern feathers, which is a lot morre beige than black. The magpies seem to be the same. Herring gull are everywhere and noisy. This morning I walked most, but not all, of the way up Fløyen which is the nearest of Bergen's seven mountains. I think there are more than seven. Fløyen also has a funicular which runs to the top, and I followed its line as best I could. Lower down there were mainly beeches, some of which had been planted. Towards the top there were more birches and Norway spruces. I did not see many Scots pines. There were wonderful views over Bergen harbour and towards Askøy. And I started in the dark around dawn and watched the woods slowly become light. F24Apr08-10.50met,Bergen lby,cmpr8,Dell,acer,Logitech,? This morning, I've just got back from a three day walk round a loop East of Bergen. O Wednesday, I walked North through Eidsvåg, and found a skipper in a Norway spruce plantation. It was roomy because the slow trees had been cut off when young, and the ground was covered with needles. It was not far from a cycle path and I was interviewed in English, by two friendly young ladies of 7 or 8. Had I enough to eat? Did I have to drink? Do you speak Norway? The second day I walked through Arna, which has a big railway goods yard and some industry. I found another good spot by Haukeland, a bit of old woodland by a stream and a lake, that had not been cut down. Today, I was lucky to find a footpath to Bergen for the last 10km. Sharing tarmac with lorries on narrow roads, with a cliff on one side and a drop on the other, is not such fun. Sa26Apr08-11.20met,Bergen lby,PC2,Dell,hp,Logitech,? I was sitting in my favourite square,near the station and library. I spread some crumbs where I was sitting for the birds. Instead a brown field mouse crept up. He looked healthy with glossy fur. He looked a bit bigger than a house mouse, but too small to be a rat. He saw me and hopped it. But I did nothing, so he came back to take the crumbs, and when he could find no more, he was gone like a flash. Su27Apr08-14.00met,MIX internet caff,?,Brilliance,Key Tronic,? The National Fishery Museum, Norges fiskerimuseum, is in Bergen. Unlike many museums it is not in old no longer needed buildings, but in the middle of busy fishing companies. I was walking by on Saturday when I heard two oyster catchers "pipping". They were quarreling and the loser walked off. The winner was left however with a tougher foe. He saw his reflection in the museum door! He pecked it with his long beak, tried to outrun it to and fro, flapped a foot into the air. This could go on some time, I thought and left him to it. M28Apr08-09.40met,Bergen lby,Dell,hp,Logitech,? Bins in Britain are mostly outside a bus shelter, whereas in Norway they are nearly always inside. I think that says something about the Norwegian winter. W30Apr08-11.40met,Knarvik lby,Norway,cmpr1,Dell,Fujitsu,Fujitsu,hp I have left Bergen and am now in Knarvik library. The weather has been rain since last Saturday. There are two long bridges on the way to Knarvik and I thought you couild not walk - wrongly I now believe. I caught the bus but missed the stop! I went too far to Leknes and had to walk back along E39. After going through a tunnel, I was met by the Politi and invited back to the station. Luckily I had done nothing wrong and they let me go. I bought a radio-controlled clock at Argos in Daventry, Northants. It sets itself at midnight every day to the split second. It even knew when Summer time came in, thouigh it waited till midnight that Sunday before resetting itself. But it doesn't know I am in Norway, and Middle European Time is one hour ahead. I set it one hour ahead but it reset itself to BST at the next midnight. Such is life! W14May08-12.00met,Høyanger lby, cmpr I have not been on a computer for over two weeks, so sorry for the gap. I am now in Høyanger, one of the biggest towns on Sognefjord, with 1200 dwellers. It has an Aluminium smelter, and how many towns in Britain can say that! The water comes down from a lake on the other side of the Western mountain, turns the turbines, makes electicity, and electrolyses the bauxite, or whatever the ore is. There are two freighters unloading now. I would guess about 5 - 10 thousand tons each. Otherwise Høyanger is a small town in great beauty, form steep mountains to long fjord. The sentrum has two supermarkets, library, apotek,... The weather is fine, with lots of sun, some clouds, a very small shower, and quite warm. The insects are beginning to show up. A queen bee looking for hole, another getting nectar from violets, a range of flies, and some stag beetles. W21May08-13.00met,Byrkjelo lby,?,Samsung,Logitech,hp I have walked North from Høyanger. The aim was the biggest glacier in Northern Europe, Jostedalsbreen. So far, it has stayed hidden behind mountains as high and higher, than Ben Nevis. Instead, yesterday, I strolled up Stardalen,from Klakegg which is a wide flat glacier valley floor. It's surrounded on all sides by glaciers, and in the summer, there is a daily walk on Haugabreen (bre is Norsk for glacier - short for "isbre", or "ice broad"). The valley has high snowy mountains all round, so you can't see the glacier - that's life. I took some photos as it is all so beautiful. Another major item of breaking news is that in Vadheim, I saw a white slug. Not albino, I think, but very light grey. I have put a name to a new for me, tree - the bird cherry. They are easy to find now as they are lit up by candles of cherry blossom at all angles - the tree book says "drooping racemes". My downy birches with shiny brown bark, forced a rethink by sprouting rowan leaves. Weevils have been crawling over me - at least three species so far. Ant are starting to go but not in big numbers yet. I think I found a big anthill but there was no ant to be seen.. Best wishes to all, Robert flickr photos http://flickr.com/photos/the-reindeer |
posted by madelk at 5/21/2008 12:11:00 PM
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