From a global perspective, Svolvaer may be just a little town, but in regards to the Lofoten islands in Northern Norway, Svolvaer, with its 5.000 inhabitants, is truly a metropolis. The people of the region come here for shopping and for administrative duties. Moreover, it is a cute town with lovely parks and many colorful houses. Some impressions from a walk in July 2019.
The beautiful country of Norway on photography. Shot in July 2019.
When traveling north to Scandinavia, you begin to gather an understanding of the vastness of our planet and how many places there are still without any human population. Nature can roam freely here. At the same time, the human-made infrastructure, being roads, tunnels, or even high-speed internet, is superb and links even the most faraway places to the population centers to the south. The beautiful bridges seem to integrate perfectly into nature but make no mistake, nature itself is the undisputed star here.
In twilight, things become vague. There is a glimmer of something on the horizon, but it may well be just fog in the dusk. Stories we tell each about the Highlands become tales, and through the dusk of the valleys, they become myths. (The Bloodshed of Glen Coe)
Beyond a mighty wall built by the Roman emperor, Hadrian used to be a country called Caledonia with brave inhabitants who liked to color their faces and didn’t fancy their southern neighbors very much. In the end, nothing changed in a dramatic way, and the country is called Scotland today. The blue face paint became the color of the flag, and you still don’t want to argue with a Scotsman.
Sure, the easy way to discover a country is to use the road network and make photo stops. If you want to get to know a place, though, you need to make some detours without a vehicle and start to wander. Ensure you have a map, but also be prepared to get lost. Only if you discover on your own will you see true beauty and make the journey yours.
Michael Hoffman Photography 