Week in Geramny (Hamburg & Berlin)

As some of you may know, last week I made my way to Germany to visit my good friend Daniel over in Hamburg. It was my first time in the city and I have to say I was quite impressed. With its many large lakes and rivers Hamburg has quite a bit to offer bird lovers, even within a few blocks of the downtown area. Another nice thing about the city is that it is quite easy to cycle around the many paths and dedicated bicycle lanes... always a plus! After a few days in Hamburg Daniel and I made our way to (arguably) my favourite city in all of Europe, Berlin. Since I have spent quite a bit of time in Berlin over the past several years, we did not really spend any time sightseeing, but rather just enjoyed strolling around, chatting in the parks and kicking back cheap beers (particularly cheap for those of us based in Norway!). The one major down side of the trip is that my good Canon SLR died on me on the first day, so I had to resort to buying the cheapest point and shoot I could find in a local shop, alas. Anyway that is all for now!

Mini-Cruise to Frederikshavn Denmark!

A couple days ago I found out from my friend Sofia about a last minute deal to take a free cruise to Frederikshavn Denmark from Oslo. Since I am in between courses and Jeanette was able to take the day off we jumped at the opportunity. The cruise itself was not super fancy, but we had our own cabin which was actually quite nice. The cruise was mostly made up retired Norwegian folks, so its not like the bars on the boat were not exactly rocking... but with the tax free alcohol flowing freely, it was ummm, well, quite lively to say the least. We did not have tons of time to visit Frederikshavn, but the town (the most northern in Denmark) was actually quite charming. The sunrises and sunsets from the boat where really nice and I had quite a good time snapping away. Anyway hope you enjoy the photos!

The birds are back!

Well with the thawing of the city the birds are back building nests, singing and hanging about Aker Brygge. Jeanette and I went out for a nice Sunday walk and shot some photos of the re-surging wild life, the grounds of the royal palace and the dock. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Cautiously optimistic! Spring is here!

Well its only February, but the weather here in Oslo seems to have taken a change for the better. I do not usually post photos taken my celphone (an old banged up iphone 3g), and although the camera is far from great, working within the limitations of such a basic camera is always a fun exercise. Sure the colours are not as rich and manual controls are non existent, but this in its own way forces for more attention to composition. Anyway I hope you enjoy the photos.

Hanging arround Grünerløkka

Yesterday Jeanette and I went out for a nice walk around some of the paths in the Grünerløkka district. Oslo is a nice city but its not exactly known being "hip". I guess Grünerløkka could be said to be the one exception as it has some kinda nice cafes, and a little less mainstream shops and stuff. It is also located on the Akerselva river (which flows through Oslo) and is a nice spot for locals to go for walks on lazy Sundays. That´s all for now!