Gallery 5 -- Sweden and Norway--

Before traveling to Scotland, Paul and I spent a day and a half in Goteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden where we caught our boat to Newcastle, England. While there, we did a lot of walking, and eventually ended up on a small hill overlooking the city. This was a throw-away shot. I never expected to get the effect I wanted with my very basic camera. I was very pleasantly surprised!

On the way to catch our ship to Newcastle at the port in Goteborg, I noticed these cranes and immediately thought "Dinosaurs!!" -- I was quite taken with the contrast with the sky and in the sky.

After returning from Scotland, I took a 2-day hike along the trail called the "Rallarvegen" from Finse, Norway to Myrdal, Norway, a distance of about 40 kilometers. I have to say it was one of the most spectacular hikes I have ever taken. the trail follows the route of the Bergen-Oslo railway line, and passes through the Hardanger region of the Norwegian Alps. These two shots were taken in the immediate vicinity of Finse, Norway, near the glacier, Hardangerjokulen, the evening before I started the hike. (just a couple notes of trivia, Hardangerjokulen was where George Lucas filmed the ice planet Hoth scenes in The Empire Strikes Back. These pictures were also taken on the same day as the well-publicized solar eclipse) The original intent was to hike from Finse to Flam, on the coast, but as I approached Myrdal, the weather got pretty nasty, so I decided not to risk soaking everything I owned and stopped at Myrdal, about two-thirds of the way to Flam. I will finish that hike someday!