Norway landscape
Sweden: Riddar Island is part of the oldest area in Stockholm, Sweden. It is known for its historic sites and architecture
Finland landscape: There are over 180,000 lakes in Finland.
8 years ago
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Scandinavia
Norway landscape
Sweden: Riddar Island is part of the oldest area in Stockholm, Sweden. It is known for its historic sites and architecture
Finland landscape: There are over 180,000 lakes in Finland.
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I don't think most of you know this but I lived in Norway for 5 years. I was very young but i still remember quite a bit about it and these pictures remind me a great deal. I loved how Annika pointed out on Wednesday that artists where inspired by the fact that the year is split into two chunks. When it is ALWAYS light and ALWAYS dark. It's a very bizarre atmosphere to be around. It definatly changes a person
ReplyDeleteWhen I first was married we spent a year together in Sweden, and my husband David had a very difficult time during the dark months. It's pitch black when you get to work or school, and pitch black when you get back. It's only light for a few hours. Often it goes from black to dark grey, and you might not see the sun for a while. Then the opposite happens, the night never gets dark. As the sun starts warming everything, people spend as much time as possible outdoors. In the spring David was quite surprised to see many older women sitting in their bras in parks downtown Stockholm. I had never thought of that as being strange. It's warm, you get out, throw off your clothes and try to go swimming as much as possible. These extreme light differences really affect the people. In the country side and smaller communities there is even less light, or no street lights. Depression is common.
ReplyDeleteThese pictures are absolutely gorgeous and really make me want to visit these countries. In response to Annika's comment, I find it challenging to imagine a place whose seasons consist of either constant light or constant darkness. It is incredible how we take our light cycles so completely for granted to the point where the thought of it being any other way is difficult to fathom.
ReplyDeleteIt's very beautiful. There is quite a bit of crystal-looking water and it's very expansive and open (which I feel we can hear reflected in Scandinavian music)
ReplyDeleteI'm always amazed by how long these countries are (except Denmark). They're like California--they cover a lot of interesting geography.
ReplyDeleteRiddar Island looks incredible! It looks unnatural, so I had to look it up. It's totally natural! It started out as a place to graze goats.
Now I'm itching to visit something that's almost 1000 years old again. Maybe I should pay a visit to the library's special collections.
The previous comment is mine. It's been forever since I commented on a blog. :-P
ReplyDeleteOne of the most awe-inspiring landscapes to me is vast sea with mountains and sky in the background. The nations of Scandinavia seem to be full of this setting, in addition to much more breath-taking scenery. As such it is no surprise that depictions of the beauty of nature are omnipresent in Scandinavian music.
ReplyDeleteOne of my college teachers came from Finland. He told us that walking by the sea, if you just catch up with the twilight, you will definitely see the most beautiful scenery. Nature inspires artists, which may be the reason why there are so many artists and musicians there.
ReplyDeleteComing from Wisconsin, I guess I never really questioned why all of us were of either Norwegian or German descent, but I can understand it now from a land and weather perspective. The upper Midwest is probably one of the areas most like Scandinavia in terms of weather and landscape - lots of lakes, valleys and ridges, harsh winters and incredible summers. Other than the First Nations who lived there, who better to know how to use land in an area like that to their full advantage?
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