[dhanushmenon]

Oh My God!
I am rendered speechless!!!

What a fantastic work of literature and photography.
The pictures and captions told a story in itself. Each one of them.

No wonder they say, A picture is worth a thousand words.
You just underlined it and converted it to bold CAPITALS

One of the best I have ever gone through till date.
And that's truth and not a hyperbole

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Wow, you are truly lucky!
Where in Norway? Bergen area?
Fjord norway is truly extraordinary

Yes, usually Bergen-Stavanger area. But on Friday, I was in Trondheim area. Back in Finland now.
note to self - Should try to take some time out of work when I'm there.

[deetjohn]

Wow! Breathtaking captures tsk! And the narration is very light but without missing any detail. Thank You for sharing this great TL.

I just cannot imagine how well these pictures are going to look on a HD TV, if <1 MB can look so good.

[sunny310c]

Have just seen the pictures so far and I just have to say WOW!!!!! There are some stunners in here. And what a beautiful country. Can't wait to read the rest of this travelogue. Thanks for sharing tsk1979.

[VineetSoni]

Hi tsk
Your literature and photography both are a treat for us.
I have question for you though weather your creative writing was the inspiration for the entertaining photographs or the talented photography the inspiration for the lovely writing.
Either ways thank you for sharing your TL.

[avisidhu]

Awe inspiring travelogue Tanveer. Rated a well deserved 5 stars.

You didn't like the angry kid? Apparently it's so popular it has been stolen a couple of times
Frogner park was the only place I visited when I visited my relatives in Norway over a weekend few years back. And the park was fully covered with snow in Feb, all my energy was concentrated in ensuring I do not slip and fall

[himadrimondal]

I have no words to describe the feeling, your photographs are simply intoxicating.
I just have no words.

OT: I generally convert my raws to tiffs through Nikon Capture NX now a days.
It used to be LR or ACR before but after reading this, its been always Nx.
Tiffs are then tweaked using both PS and Nx using the best features of either softwares.

[noopster]

Oh man...Tanveer, the pics are rivetting enough but the writeup is what makes this TL special. Possibly the best I have read. Rated 5*.

Always wanted to visit Scandinavia, even as a kid. Sadly work never took me to that part of the world. Even more enthused to plan one now!

And maybe it's just me but I actually heard a melodic death metal soundtrack to the whole travelogue as I browsed through it. Will certainly come back to read this again on a wintry day with some hot cocoa.

Edit: Clarifying, Norway is the home of melodic death and other extreme forms of heavy metal.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by noopster

Oh man...Tanveer, the pics are rivetting enough but the writeup is what makes this TL special. Possibly the best I have read. Rated 5*.

Always wanted to visit Scandinavia, even as a kid. Sadly work never took me to that part of the world. Even more enthused to plan one now!

And maybe it's just me but I actually heard a melodic death metal soundtrack to the whole travelogue as I browsed through it. Will certainly come back to read this again on a wintry day with some hot cocoa.

Edit: Clarifying, Norway is the home of melodic death and other extreme forms of heavy metal.

You are right. Nobody does metal like the scandanavians. Heck even their pop is worth listening.
After all, its this video which strengthened my resolve to go to Scandanavia.
And the travelogue title pays a tribute to the band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1zkXdqcajk

[Roshun]

Being October, how much daylight did you have there? I'm sure it gets pretty dark quite early. Of course, that works to your benefit - more stars to capture! Loved the photographs and the write-up.
Putting Scandinavia on my bucket list of places to visit!

[sach.sri]

Well, I know - i am a little too late for this, but just read the first page, saw the pictures and....

Man, this is not ok! some guys have all the fun.

I am stuck here in EU since Oct 15th, hopping countries - and what do i see -- my Hotel room and the office!

And you! I tell you - not fair. Not fair at all - i am almost green like the Aurora lights!

But then - heck of a TL, looking forward to the esoteric narration and the lovely pics!

Bring them on.

[keshavarora]

Tanveer sir, your leh guide was the reason i finally became a member and of team-bhp and it is because of TL's like this that i stay glued.
Incredible story and pictures.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Roshun

Being October, how much daylight did you have there? I'm sure it gets pretty dark quite early. Of course, that works to your benefit - more stars to capture! Loved the photographs and the write-up.
Putting Scandinavia on my bucket list of places to visit!

Around 10 hours of sunlight + 2-3 hours of twilight. So not too bad. Twilight lasts very long in high latitudes.

[tsk1979]

Its well past noon and its time to turn our attention to more pressing matters. "Us"
You see its now afternoon, local time, which means food.
Normally that would entail going to a restaurant, but not for us.
For us its the sandwitch, with cheese.

I am told even if you go to restaurant, you get sandwitch with cheese, with some meat perhaps, but then you pay a lot more.

After experiencing a variety of European food during our previous trip, I have come to a conclusion. "Do not bother", unless you are going to Eastern Europe.
As you move from East to west, food becomes less and less interesting. Of course, Spain is an exception, and food there is cheap, because there life is all about food.
And Britain is also an exception, because all they eat is Indian food. British food is not just found in PJs.

Some say, Italians make great Pizza and Pastas. Well I don't like Pizza, and I think I make better Pasta than the Italians(or so I think).
Anyways, we are in Norway, and even British say food is not particularly tasty. So no point experimenting with local restaurants. Nevertheless, purchasing raw materials and cooking is a different matter, but for now, its our tiffen and sandwitches.
These will have to do till the night, coz this is all we have.

This worries me. Food is as important to us as the air we breathe. Well little did we know, it wasn't going to be a problem. This is Norway, where you never go Hungry.

For now, before I bore you further with the taste qualities of Fun foods bread spread with oregano, let us turn our attention to the the other inhabitants of the park. The flying living things.

The birds.
Unlike Mr. Hitchcock visioned them, these ones are content and calm. All they ned to do is sit and eat, because they are being continously fed all kinds of food by the locals and tourists.

My Birding friends tell me, for Birding, you need the longest lens ever made and then some.
And now I can say to them Bah.
I will shoot birds with a wide angle


I went close to this one, and it did not budge.


I had to literally shove the camera into the face to get it to move


And this one, just a walk in the park sir.


Meanwhile after taking two steps the walker sits again. And this time I decide to go even closer


These are more photo friendly than your pet cat or dog or whatever.
I guess there are no cats here.
But I did see some duck roast on a menu at the airport restaurants.

Now the question is what next?
Well the next is always the question. And its best resolved by lying down on the grass and closing your eyes and enjoying the cool breeze.

Finally, siesta done, we decide our next attraction for the day

inky pinky ponky?....

[@tombum]

'It is said, there is no bad weather in norway, only bad clothes. I guess they were right. We forgot to pack a hang glider.'

Wow. This line hooked me! What a start and what a deluge of colors. Pure poetry and awesomeness. One of the best travelogues in a very long time!