Greetings from South of France....

Spring is a super time for grown people to spend in the very South of France. A bit off season - not to warm - perfect...
..and then those rental car agencies who promised you something like an Opel Corsa but then ends up with giving you this yellow color dot called Opel Adam - a car more for teenagers - asking me.... But why not...

Oslo Central Station - Covered. Oslo, Norway

Interesting effect and details from the front of the Central Station under reconstruction - behind the building coverage.

From the net:

Oslo S is Norway's busiest hub. In a few years is anticipated that as many as 100 million people will be visiting Oslo S during one year.

Oslo S is Norway's main hub and the largest and most important hub in the common Norway. Both now and in the future. While the station is fully operational, planning room a new Oslo S which will be by far the largest drive for both trains and all other public transport.

Boys & Boats - Easter day by the Oslofjord, Norway

We had a fine day at the Easter Day along the shores of Oslofjorden, (Nesodden) Norway.

After the winter some even had their first dip in the water even with no more than 9 deg Celcius out in the blue, while others was more engaged in looking at the passing boats and ships - as here when the colorline passes in the distant on way between Oslo and Kiel in Germany.

Norway, Oslo Town Hall - I was there at Holy Saturday

In Oslo today on the Holy Saturday. Lots of people strolling around in the city.

And of course have a souvenir photo in front of the Town Hall on the way to some ice cream on the popular Aker Brygge is just perfect at such a fine day....

Poland, Podlaskie - One day to be like you....

"One day to be like you.."

Easter procession in an Orthodox Church in a village in the Podlaskie region of Poland.

Photo from some years back when visiting this interesting region with some photo friends.

Norway - Valdres. Easter days with the last chance for cross country skiing

Mountains in altitude 800 meters or higher still have snow and ski tracks available. For many Norwegians the Easter days is their last chance for some days off now in the end of the winter season.

Presented here a small traditional mountain cottage in the popular low mountain region of Valdres (3hrs NorthWest of Oslo).

 

Norway Easter days in the Mountains

Last chance for some winter and snow holidays is in the Easter days in Norway. Many take some days off up in the mountains to enjoy i.e. Cross country skiing and spending some days in their mountain cottages.

This photo is from Golsfjellet and Valdres, alt. 850meters, where there still is just enough snow to use the cross country track (to be seen in the middle of the photo).

Norway Arctic, Stokmarknes - the Hadsel bridge / Hadselbroa

Tour Norway Arctic. Day 10 Stokmarknes

This photo is a stich of 4 photos shot from the deck of the coastal express MS Nordkapp. To the left some coast guard vessels at their naval base in Stokmarknes. To the right (hardly visible) the local airport. Klick the photo for a larger version..

From the net:

Hadsel Bridge ( Norwegian : Hadselbrua) is a cantilever road bridge on Norwegian County Road 82 that crosses the Langøysundet strait between the islands of Langøya and Børøya inNordland county, Norway . Together with the Børøy Bridge it connects the island of Hadseløya and the town of Stokmarknes to the neighboring island of Langøya .

Hadsel Bridge is 1,011 metres (3,317 ft) long, the main span is 150 metres (490 ft), and the maximum clearance to the sea is 30 metres (98 ft). The bridge has a total of 27 spans.

Hadsel Bridge was opened in 1978. It was one of 4 bridges that were built in the 1970s to connect the islands of Vesterålen to each other. The other bridges that were built during that period are Sortland Bridge , Andøy Bridge, and Kvalsaukan Bridge . Together with Tjeldsund Bridge near Harstad these bridges connect the islands of Vesterålen to the mainland.

Before the bridge was built, a ferry carried passengers across the sound between Sandnes on Langøya and the town of Stokmarknes on Hadseløya

Last sunrise in Norway Arctic

Tour to Norway Arctic - Day 10, Sunrise South of Harstad

My tour lasted for 12 days. Todays photo is from day 10 on my way South with the coastal express - and the last morning with such a fantastic Arctic sunrise as late as 09.12AM.

The position is somewhere South of the Arctic town Harstad.

Norway Arctic - afternoon in Tromsø / Tromso

Tour to Norway Arctic. Day 09 Tromsø

Probably the most remarkable with this photo from Tromsø is the time it was shot: 4.30PM in the afternoon. I think that should illustrate what we talk about when we call this time of the winter for a "dark time".

At day 09 of my travel I was going South with the coastal express, Hurtigruten, and had to wait in Tromsø until midnight before I could board the ship.

From wiki:

Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway.

It is the largest city and the largest urban area in Northern Norway, and the second largest city and urban area north of the Arctic Circle in Sápmi (following Murmansk).

Most of Tromsø, including the city centre, is located on the small island of Tromsøya in the county of Troms, 350 kilometres (217 mi) north of the Arctic Circle. Substantial parts of the urban area are also situated on the mainland to the east, and on parts of Kvaløya — a large island to the west.

Tromsøya is connected to the mainland by the Tromsø Bridge and the Tromsøysund Tunnel, and to the island of Kvaløya by the Sandnessund Bridge. The city is warmer than most other places located on the same latitude, due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream.

The city centre of Tromsø contains the highest number of old wooden houses in Northern Norway, the oldest house dating from 1789.

The Arctic Cathedral, a modern church from 1965, is probably the most famous landmark in Tromsø.

Norway Arctic: A car ferry in Lyngen, Troms

Tour to Norway Arctic. Day 08 - Lyngen in Troms

Selected photo for today a typical fjord landscape in Lyngen, Troms county, where a car ferry is out on her surely busy day.

Later in the day I will end up in the next largest city in the arctic region: Tromsø (BTW the largest city is Murmansk in Russia).

I will arrive around 4pm in Tromsø and have a very long wait before my southbound coastal steamer MS Nordkapp arrives at midnight.

Some info from Wiki:

The Lyngen Alps are a mountain range in northeastern Troms county in Norway, east of the city of Tromsø. The mountains dominate the Lyngen Peninsula, which is bordered by the Lyngen fjord to the east, and the Ullsfjorden to the west. The British climber William Cecil Slingsby was the first to climb many of the peaks

Lyngen was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838.

Lyngen have app. 2,225 residents.

During the Cold War the Norwegian Army planned to abandon Finnmark and halt the Soviets along the European route E6 highway at the choke point between the Lyngen fjord and the mountains. However, there were always great worries that the Soviets would also advance through Finland and the very sparsely defended extreme north of Sweden (north of Kiruna) and attack the Lyngen position from the rear via Signaldalen.