Quote of the Day

A woman seldom asks advice before she has bought her wedding clothes.
- Joseph Addison

Quote of the Day

Of all the systems of religion that ever were invented, there is no more derogatory to the Almighty, more unedifying to man, more repugnant to reason, and more contradictory to itself than this thing called Christianity.
- Thomas Paine

Quote of the Day

Musical people are so absurdly unreasonable. They always want one to be perfectly dumb at the very moment when one is longing to be absolutely deaf.
- Oscar Wilde

Quote of the Day

I worry that the person who thought up Muzak may be thinking up something else.
- Lily Tomlin

Quote of the Day

There's many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.
- Flannery O'Connor

Quote of the Day

Education has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading.
- G. M. Trevelyan

Quote of the Day

Every man paddles his own canoe.
- Captain Frederick Marryat

Quote of the Day

Self-pity gets you nowhere. One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world - making the most of one's best.
- Richard Willard Armour

Quote of the Day

I find every sect, as far as reason will help them, make use of it gladly; and where it fails them, they cry out, "It is a matter of faith, and above reason".
- John Locke

Quote of the Day

The only fence against the world is a thorough knowledge of it.
- John Locke

Quote of the Day

New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.
- John Locke

Quote of the Day

It is one thing, to show a man that he is in an error, and another, to put him in possession of the truth.
- John Locke

Quote of the Day

Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has any right to but himself. The labor of his body and the work of his hands are properly his.
- John Locke

Summer evening on the lake

Last Friday, the school had its summer party for teachers and various school staff. We boarded a small boat, which I think had previously been used as a ferry and set out across Randsfjorden, which is the 4th largest lake in Norway. We made landfall for less than an hour and then went back again. I stuffed face and had a pleasant evening and took a shitload of pictures; some of them even made it on here.

It was a grand time to be out on the water.


The lake is dotted with cabins all around. And that honeylike Nordic light.


As we were sailing back, the full moon rose behind us. T'was magic, people.


A typical Norwegian summer night. I think the picture was taken shortly before midnight.

Quote of the Day

I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.
- John Locke

Ish going to Engerland

Friday, an old friend emailed me. He was stuck with three spare tickets to Monty Python's live performances in London this July, and did I want to go? Did I ever! By Monday night, two other friends had taken tickets too so we'll be having a jolly good time in London July 3-6. But going to London got me thinking that I couldn't waste a perfectly good plane ticket on such a short trip, so I went ahead and planned two weeks on the road in addition.

So here it is for your bemusal; my itinerary for England/Scotland in July:

July 3-6: London.
July 7: Driving from London up to Carlisle, on the Scottish border.
July 8: Maybe a quick detour to Caerlaverock Castle, before heading up to Stirling.
July 8-11: Stirling. I'll be doing Stirling Castle, Bannockburn, Castle Campbell,etc.
July 11: Driving to Oban. Doing Doune Castle and Dunstaffnage.
July 12: Going up to Inverness by way of Fort William. Ben Nevis, Urquhart Castle, Culloden.
July 13: Driving down to Inverurie, not far from Aberdeen. Probably doing assorted things and bits around Aberdeenshire.
July 14: See the above post. Driving to Pitlochry.
July 15-16: Staying in Pitlochry, seeing some stuff in Perthshire.
July 16-17: Driving to the English city of Lincoln.
July 17-18: Staying in Lincoln. Seeing the castle, the cathedral, etc.
July 18-20: Going to Bury St Edmunds. Trip to the archaeological field at Sutton Hoo.
July 20: Driving down to Gatwick to fly home. Heart rendering scenes of desperate farewells with ole' blighty.

Quote of the Day

To love truth for truth's sake is the principal part of human perfection in this world, and the seed-plot of all other virtues.
- John Locke

Prillarguri and Sinclair

The last story & pics from my drive Sunday 8th is the memorial for the Battle of Kringen, between Norwegian farmers and Scottish mercenaries on August 26. 1612. The soulless gingers Scottish troops were on their way to Sweden to fight in the Kalmar war against the twin kingdom of Norway & Denmark. Although the officer George Sinclair has become famous, the leader of the ginger cunts Scots was actually lieutenant colonel Alexander Ramsay.

They were ambushed by local farmers just south of Otta and the vast majority of them killed; most of them on the day after the battle. Not an occasion to be proud of, if you ask me. According to legend the sign to commence the attack was given by a local girl called Prillar-Guri, who blew her horn when the Scottish were in the right position. Guri is an old Norse name and "prillar" is a type of cow-horn you could play on. Hence the carving over the wording on the monument.

Also, according to legend, several of the Scots stayed on locally in the area around Otta. Some local names hint at Scottish origins and it is said that there are more redheads in Gudbrandsdalen than any other place in Norway, but then again people say the strangest things.

The text reads "In memory of the battle at Kringom 26 August 1612.


It's a bit up in the hillside.

Quote of the Day

I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown.
- Woody Allen

Rondane

Rondane is yet another national park with sweeping vistas of huge mountains and long highland plains. As previously mentioned, I took a little detour up there from Otta, before continuing on toward Lillehammer.

I never get tired of looking at mountains.






Looking back, towards Otta.

Quote of the Day

Mary: Well tell me, why did you get a divorce?
Isaac: Why? I got a divorce because my ex-wife left me for another woman.
Mary: Really? God, that must have been really demoralizing.
Isaac: Well, I dunno, I thought I took it rather well under the circumstances. I tried to run them both over with a car.
- Woody Allen in "Manhattan"

Quote of the Day

Lester: If you play your cards right, you could have my body.
Halley Reed: Wouldn’t you rather leave it to science?
- from Woody Allen’s "Crimes and Misdemeanors"

Otta

Having made my way down from the mountains, I had to admit one thing: I had no fucking clue where I was. So I stopped at a gas station to buy a map and to stuff face on ice cream. Mmmmmmm, ice cream.

I looked at the map and quickly made the decision to drive towards Otta, whence I could go south to Lillehammer and then over the local mountain to Dokka. So here are my pictures from the lovely Otta. Well, to be precise, from the hills above Otta; the village itself sucks ass and is nothing to take pictures of.

At Otta the river by the same name meets the river Gudbrandsdalslågen.


I had taken a little detour towards Rondane National Park. The roads were swingy up here.


But the views were so nice.

Ridderspranget

Ridderspranget (Knight's Jump) is a ravine some miles farther on. According to legend, in the 13th century a damsel was in distress. She was supposed to be married off to Ivar, an older man who she did not like. So a knight named Sigvat decided to fetch her and run away with her. He so did, also burning and pillaging Ivar's farm and getting all his men killed in the process.

Ivar came after them, but he and his followers stopped when Sigvat took the damsel under his arm and jumped across the river Sjoa at its narrowest point. What gave them pause was not so much that the jump itself was a great physical feat, but that Sigvat proceeded to shove his trusted squire into the foaming waters, demonstrating that he could hold them off if they were inclined to follow.

The legend, like most stories of its kind is utter bullshit, as the two men didn't even live in the same time. But it's a nice place and a tourist attraction all the same.

At it's narrowest it's maybe 2-3 meters across.


Still, being pushed down here might not end well for the pushee. (Is that even a word?)


View downstream.


View upstream.


We laugh at security measures.

Quote of the Day

Max: Who is the boss between you and mommy?
Lenny: Who is the boss? You have to ask that? I’m the boss. Mommy is only the decision maker.
- Woody Allen in "Mighty Aphrodite"

Valdresflye III

A couple of miles down the road I happened upon this extremely cozy landscape. Apparently I wasn't the first one to have thought so as there was a parking lot cleaned of snow with several cars there and some Swedes (hissss) were having their lunch.

This.


A bit to the left.


Furthestest to the left.


Cute.


There be people down there. My guess is that this was originally a "seter", meaning a kind of shepherds' hut in use only in the summer, when they would be there to protect the animals that were let out to pasture. It's still a common occurrance in Norway, although these days the farmers won't pay anyone to go stay out in the boondocks for a whole summer, when they can sit back and get cash from the government for every animal lost. Sigh. Anyway, once a seter, this is now either a home or a cabin or possible a set of cabins for hire.


Where I was going.


As I was pulling out of the parking lot, two really old cars came in. You can tell by the licence plates - iffin it has only have one letter, they be ooold.

Valdresflye II

A little further along, the road straightened out and there was a long, straight stretch with some parking lots scattered here and there, only some of them cleared of the considerable masses of snow still in existence.

This is what it looked like in one place, but there were areas where the snow was twice this deep. I've seen pictures from earlier this spring where the snow apparently was piled something like 15-20 feet high.


More mountains.


Driving into a postcard.


Close up.

Valdresflye I

Right after Beitostølen, I began driving into the high mountain plateu known locally as "Valdresflye". There were some very purdy areas along the way. Again, I could have stopped and taken pictures just about anywhere.

This was at a place called Båtskaret (Boat Canyon).


A little further up the road I crossed a small bridge and came upon an almost completely snowed in parking lot. The space that had been cleaned of snow allowed for maybe two cars. Perfect place to take some pics.


Not much chance of parking here for a couple of weeks yet.




"...and the rivers sweat from the melting hills."


The stream was making its way down to the lake.




As you can see, it made a fork around the big stone in the middle.

Quote of the Day

"He's a wonderful guy and a terrific doctor. Never lost a patient. Got a couple of them pregnant, but never lost one."
- Woody Allen in "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy"

Beitostølen

Beitostølen is one of Norway's most famous winter sports areas, with all manner of hotels, cabins, alpine centers and whatnot. There's often world cup competitions in skiing or biathlon up here and one of the resorts is owned by the national federation for the handicapped, offering the blind and the crippled some wintery fun (as if they didn't have it difficult enough already).

I made a stop just after the village with all its hubbub and maddening crowds, and stuffed face on svele with sour cream and strawberry jam in relative tranquility at a small kiosk. I had some stunning views while chomping down.

The very end of the cabins and the beginning of merciful solitude.


Ok, there are a handful of cabins down in the highland landscape too. But my, what beautiful mountains, eh?




I believe the goat has something to do with famous playwright Henrik Ibsen's story about Peer Gynt.

The road to Beitostølen

As I reached the village of Fagernes, I had to decide between going west to Bergen (and the coast) or north towards Trondheim (inland). I opted for the latter and was rewarded with majestic views of tall, snowcapped mountains and deep, green valleys. It was like driving through a postcard and if I'd been so inclined I could probably have made a stop just about every mile of the road to capture the scenery. This is from the area between Fagernes and Beitostølen. All pics here.

I believe this lake is called Heggefjorden. I think the mountains at the back are the first beginnings of the Jotunheimen National Park. Jotunheimen literally means "home of the giants".


A little further up in the hills I saw this very purdy scene.


In the same spot, looking back.


"The hills are alive... with the sound of muuuusic"

Quote of the Day

Kleinmann: I've never paid for sex in my life.
Prostitute: You just think you haven't.
- Woody Allen in "Shadows and Fog"

Valdres

The inspiration for Sunday's drive was a trip I took a couple of weeks ago to be the external examiner at a high school in Valdres, almost an hour northwest of Dokka. The views when you come over the mountain and look down upon the valley and then the lake on the other side is stunning. So more pics will definitely come from this area.

The vegetation has already made it harder to take pics of the valley. I should have done this a month ago.


Very pretty.


Further along, the hillside kinda slopes a little and you get this tranquil, pleasant field. Ahhh.

Etnedal

A few pics taken way up in the hillside over a valley called Etnedal, just a few miles northwest of Dokka. A very pretty place and one I am sure I'll be photographing more thoroughly at some later date.

It's idyllic, isn't it?


Closer up.


More to the south. The landscape forms in this part of Norway are largely long, narrow valleys with tall, wooded ridges.