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.
Norway is a country of immense wealth. Of course, this concerns national income and, more importantly, national resources. The most important one is simply .. water. The Norse people lived for eons from the water; they were fishermen and used water to sail to foreign countries (sure also rob and make war here and there) and return safely to the fjords. Today, water energy is the primary power source in Norway, and there is capacity for many more renewable power plants. The reason for this wealth in water lies in the country’s geography. During the last ice age, the government was covered by kilometers of ice. 10.000 years ago, the ice melted down in the ancient valleys beneath. The water began to fill these valleys and stream into the sea, creating the fjords. Due to the extreme tides in these fjords, there has been immense energy in these bodies of water up until today.
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)
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 