Sunday...bloody sunday...

After packing all our belongings we waited to see if the boats were going out today, the waves this morning were 8 meters in height, so the skipper was waiting for the winds to calm a little.

The snow was pouring down, thick, wet snowflakes fell heavily on the ground.

We did go out on a boat trip to search for the orca one last time before we had to head home to Denmark.

On the way out, still in the harbour, we saw an eagle that probably gave up flying for the day due to bad weather

Unfortunately, today was a very dark and very windy day, as you can see on this picture:-)

...and the visibility was very poor, so we didn't find the orca at all.

But we found some eagles instead, white tailed eagles.

And seagulls...lots of seagulls:

We were treated with the fantastic sight of them grabbing fish from the water.

What an amazing creature! It is huge and yet it can still turn 180 degrees in the air in a split second if something catches the eye.

The eagles were circling around us, looking at us, and all of a sudden they just dived toward the water and grabbed a fish. Amazing!

The light was almost gone, but I managed to get a few pictures that worked a little bit. well...you can see what is on the picture, let's say it that way :-)

After that eagle experience I felt some energy coming back into my system that I had been lacking the past few days. I really needed this, and I am thankful that I got to see it.

Even though I didn't get the pictures I came to do, I also learned a very important lesson:

Wildlife is not here for the sake of people,

sometimes you have to wait for it

and sometimes it doesn't show itself to you at all.

And after all, I did get to see some things I had never seen before and some truly amazing sights:

Northern Lights - Eagles fishing -4 Orcas doing spyhops at the same time -a very young baby orca less than a month old - Storms raging - Myself in a drysuit north of the polar circle in the middle of November !?! - postcards that cost 2$ - and a buffet in a restaurant that cost more than 100$ (!!!)

...And for those things - I am thankful!!

The trip home was a fun ride:

The first plane was cancelled because of the snow (same as the eagle from this morning...)

So we went on a busride for 1½ hours to another airport where a DASH-8 plane was waiting to take us from Leknes to Bodö. (We hoped)

Needless to say we were a bit worried that we were actually getting on board one of these infamous planes

(these are the type that has crashed quite a few times due to not functioning landing gear..eeeek)

Just before we took off, I saw a disturbing sight! Huge sparks stood out of a box right next to the plane and 20 seconds later they said they were having technical difficulties...double eeeek!

2 minutes later, I guess they said what the hell, and we took off and had a fairly bumby ride for the next 1 and a half hour.. We landed in Bodö in a snowstorm, and right after we landed they closed up the airport so they could clear the landing strips for snow...

A couple of hours later, realizing that we would never make the flight from Oslo to Copenhagen, we got on a plane to Oslo where we apparently were spending the night at a SAS hotel.

11 pm we sat down to have dinner, slept in the coolest designer rooms for about 3 hours, got up at 4:30, on the first plane to Denmark and straight to work...

The first thing we saw when we landed in Denmark was SNOW!!!

Thankfully a few hours later, the sun was shining...

And that's when I realized that we hadn't seen the sun at all in Lofoten.

Next time I am in Lofoten in the middle of November to swim with the orca I will book a ONE-WAY ticket and not come home until I have tried it..

That's all for this trip, I hope you enjoyed it..

Thanks to my fantastic parents that came along on this crazy trip.

It was a blast...Thank GOD for Gin & Tonic!!!

Until next time...

Winter storm

What a day!

This morning we were actually wondering why we couldn't go out on a orca safari on the ocean today... the wind wasn't bad at all and it seemed really calm..

An hour later we were very very relieved that we didn't go out on the ocean :-)

The waves in the sheltered harbour were pretty hig and all the boats were jumping up and down, back and forth so rough that we almost got seasick just by watching them..

all the boats, ferrys and charterboats were cancelled today, but WOW it was beautiful!!

Mother nature showed herself today, fierce and powerfull!!

So of course I had to go out and take pictures on the most windy place I could find, behind a construction site, up a cliff, and I had the most spectacular view of the ocean where I also got some powerfull shots...

All in all, today has been a fun, different day, and I will keep a positive mind for tomorrow on my final orca safari on this trip..

We will be going straight from the boat tomorrow afternoon to the airport (hopefully we will make it in time for our flight!!)

Keep your fingers crossed for me so I can get some good shots and sightings of the orca's!

I am starting to look forward to coming home and see the sun..!! It hardly get up over the horizon here.. :-)

Let it snow let it snow let it snow

Once again, the day brought strong winds, snow, snow and more snow!

Damn it is cold up here!!

The days here are very very short and the sun hardly gets up before it starts to go down again. The nature is striking, rough, and very beautiful! The daylight begins at around 9.30 am and at 2-2:30 the darkness will come sneaking up on you again so it's all about getting the most out of the light while it's here.

In a few weeks, the sun won't come up at all..

All in all I am a bit disappointed of the lack of orca sightings, but it is still a good experience and i am making a lot of networking for the next time I am coming here :-)

We went out on a bigger boat today, fingers crossed, high hopes, and positive minds... Memories and the disappointment of the past day erased and really feeling it: today is the day we see the Orca's playing around, jumping out of the water, showing themselves off to anyone willing to watch.

That is the reason we are here..
Not long after leaving the harbour the waves were getting pretty wild and we realized quickly that this was going to be quite a lively day on the ocean..

After a couple of hours with snowstorms and strong wind, we finally found an Orca pod...
Unfortunately the pod was either searching for heering or they were resting, which means that you will only see a fin once in a while and very scattered..

They can stay underwater for about 10 minutes at the time..

The seasickness began to hit a lot of the passengers, the boat was lying 'still' for about 45 minutes to locate the orca, but they diasappeared just as quickly as they turned up..
So no orca photos today but a lot of beautiful scenery with dramatic clouds and a rollercoaster ride in the boat...

We have cancelled our orca trip tomorrow beacause the forecast says snowblizzard,

with hardly any visibility, no reason to go on the ocean..
We will catch a trip sunday just before we head home, so fingers crossed for sunday everybody!!

I tried to upload a movie...it will have to wait til my return to Denmark..

Day 1 - Snorkeling... or not...

Today has been a very interesting day...
We started the morning with watching a video learning all there is to know about Orca and... heering!?!
We then went to the 'suit station' where the snorkeling team had to get suited up..
It was a very difficult task to actually get the drysuit on..
I was lucky to get a size Large so I had room for another person in my suit...
a very hilarious sight for everybody else!!
We left the harbour - full of anticipation, hope and normal body temperature...

And looking like this!!

We searched and searched, no Orca's, no whales, no fish no birds...just water and more water...

After about 3 and a half hour on the wavy ocean in a zodiac, we were all wet, cold, and not so optmistic anymore...
On our way home to the harbour, we were told that the orca was here but another direction so we held on to our hats and snorkeling gear and full speed ahead!

We reached the orca swimming around the fishing boat with tons of heering splashing on top of the water, just before the sun went down and caught a few glimpses of them and all of a sudden - out of nowhere - we were attacked by a fierce snowstorm!
Needless to say that we DIDN'T go in the water (to my big disappointment!!! - I WAS READY!!)
and all that was left to do was to find shore..
Our GPS was broken so we had to follow a rescue boat to find land..in a blizzard..in a boat filled with people that looked like we were in a James Bond movie.. It was hilarious to...and only tpo me...I was laughing my head off while the other people on the zodiac were almost apathic from the cold..

A bit disappointed we came to shore, got out of the drysuits that were a bit wet, and had some Gin&Tonics to get warm..

Thankfully I discovered that the northern light wish was a bit easier to fulfill, so I got some great aurora borealis shots (with 13 seconds shuttertimer) and that kind of saved the day that I was lucky enough to see that.. I will attach a selfportrait :-) and the aurora borealis on top...


I am hoping for better Orca search tomorrow, I will be ready with my camera!!

The trip goes to..

From now on I will be writing in english on this blog since
my english speaking 'audience' has grown..

It's time again..Another adventure..

This time the travels will lead me to a place far up north in Norway, north of the arctic circle (between 67. and 68. latitude) to a group of islands called Lofoten.

And perhaps you are wondering what could be interesting that far up north this time of year...The answer is very simple; Orca - you may know them as killerwhales - Northern Lights which I have never seen with my own eyes, and a rich fauna of wildlife. It is well known for its exceptional natural beauty within Norway.

I am hoping that the weather is on my side so I can jump in the water and swim with the orca and experience how the act in their own environment instead of only seeing them when they jump, skyhop or flap their tales.

Many people have asked me if this will take place in a confined spaced controlled by people and to that I can happily say no. This is the wild mother nature that I will be taking a part in, if only for a short period of time. That's why I can only hope that the weather will be on our side.

I will post pictures if I can find a computer ind internet connection, or else you will just have to wait..
If you want to know more about the place I am going to: www.orca-lofoten.no

Cross your fingers for me!

Chinatown

Hmmm..habla chingchang??


Idag fik Little Italy, Chinatown, Soho og The Village besøg af mig..
Soho er det fedeste sted i hele New York, fede typer, fede forretninger, fed stemning..mmmm

Little Italy er jo meget lille men det var det sted vi valgte at gå ind og spise frokost, da chinatown ikke lige tiltalte vores smagsløg..der er så mega beskidt alle steder og det hele ser ud som om at tiden er gået i stå, men at skrald og slid bestemt har været med i udviklingen..

Men at spise frokost i Little Italy viste sig at være et lidt dårligt valg.. Sandwichen kom..meget skrabet udgave af en sandwich, men den havde dog et ekstra tilbehør..et laaangt fint og sprødt hår.. Jeg kalder på tjeneren, ja jeg ved godt jeg er lidt sart, men, men...
De tager sandwichen tilbage, står og diskuterer den et par meter fra hvor vi sidder, kommer så tilbage og det eneste der kommer ud af tjenerens mund er: CHANGE OR CANCEL..? det siger hun så et par gange og jeg tænker mig om et sekund eller to og siger så bare cancel..

Hmm tænker man så og siger til sig selv at man alligevel ikke var sulten..
Go frokost jeg fik idag:en iskold øl på en tom mave i en varme der er ren dyremishandling.. Skål! Jeg skal lige huske at nævne at Jannie her blev ualmindelig fjollet efter den frokost..
I øvrigt så jeg et skilt som fik mig til at stikke i et grineflip med tårer.
Skiltet sad på væggen ved et udendørs cafe bord.
'Please smoke quietly' hvordan gør man det???
Anyways, her er en stribe billeder fra idag,Midtown,Soho og Chinatown, set gennem en halvfuld Jannies øjne.. Enjoy!

Ville man overhovedet turde købe en tromme af ham her??


want to buy bling bling..special price for you..We hab rolex...you want??yes?wher you from?
we hab dvd movie...com inside store...

hmm..dufter goooodt, ik?
kvaliteten stråler jo ud af al den...plastik...
en lille tur til Washington Square garden... hygge med springvand og badende under og unge mænd langt ude på stoffer...

En kinesisk festival... ville ønske i fik lyd med på dette billede...

Namnam...
udsigt fra lejligheden i New Jersey: Empire State Building er den til højre...
et eller andet sted midt i byen...

familien med på arbejde...det var se-hvor-far-arbejder-dag.. juhuuu
Empire State:
Mindetavle fra 9/11 lavet af en lokal kunstner...
chinatown:

City that never sleeps..

Så gik endnu en dag, og man kan sige meget om NewYork, men her sker altid noget spændende!
Christian og jeg tog ind og legede turister og tog en dobbeltdækker bus rundt om i uptown og Harlem...
Vi så hvor John Lennon boede o hvor Yoko Ono stadig bor, vi så hvor Bono og Mick Jagger, Michael J. Fox, bor..men vi så jo selvfølgelig ikke nogen af dem..
Det her er hvor J.Lennon boede:



Nåh, men her er nogen stemningsbilleder fra dagen idag, jeg vil lade de fleste billeder tale lidt for sig selv, men blot fortælle hvor de er taget.


Harlem:

Her var der i øvrigt ikke nogen hvide mennesker, så der var en black dude der synes det var det mest oplagte at gå hen til mig og spørge hvor jeg var fra..

Og efterfølgende blev jeg ellers inviteret ud til både soulfood, rundvisning af hans hjem, romantiske alle mulige ting...

hehe, det var vist godt at jeg sad på toppen af en åben dobbeltdækkerbus...ellers havde det nok været en lidt anden oplevelse..
Udsigt fra Hoboken, New Jersey. (til Manhattan, hvis nogen sku være i tvivl)

Der var for lang kø til at komme op i Empire, hvem f... gider osse det??, så vi snuppede en tur op, 70 etager op, i Rockefeller Center.. Som osse hed Top of the Rock.

Der er åbenbart ikke mange der kender til det, for kø...det var der ikke noget af..

Her er udsigten derfra:

Empire State Building i forgrunden og Downtown, Greenwich Village, Soho, Meatpacking District osv..

Her er det så udsigt til den anden side, med Central Park og bag den er Harlem... Hov det er jo mig.. ;-)

Her troede vi at vi skulle til at se en rigtig vigtig person, for der stod en masse politi iført maskingeværer, mega knive, håndgranater, tåregas...You name it, Der stod ESU på ryggen af dem Emergency Security Unit som normalt tager sig af gidsel dramaer , men vi gættede på at det var en politisk vigtig figur...

Det fandt vi så aldrig ud af, da de lige pludselig fik en melding over radioen og så smuttede de igen efter vi havde stået og ventet i en halv time..

Mødte også lige en Paparazzi fotograf så ja chancen for at det var noget interressant, en Hillary Clinton agtig person var der altså..men politigutterne var mega cool..
Speed Hump???

Godt jeg ikke har hund her..jeg ville få bøder hele tiden..hvem gider samle op?!?

Nogen dansere de var vildt gode, inde ved Central Park.. selvfølgelig til Michael Jackson musik!!

FEDT!!

New York New York

Hey alle der følger med på min tur..

Så blev det tid til NewYork, og wow snak om et kultur chok jeg lige fik!

Jeg har tilbragt en uge i det mest vidunderlige naturparadis..med vilde dyr og bjerge og 41 graders tør varme...

Pludselig finder jeg mig selv midt i NewYork City med sirener,blinkende reklameskilte, dythorn, vejarbejde,,30 grader og 80 % luftfugtighed, og lidt flere sirener..hmm



Min første dag i New York:

Jeg startede på Times Square i myldretid hvor jeg ubevidst kun styrede efter Central Park og de mindre befolkede gader.

Jeg fandt Central Park og lige pludselig begyndte det at blive meget mørkt..

Der var ikke gået mange minutter før det begyndte at småregne..nåhnåh tænkte jeg og gik videre..

Ligepludselig kom der et brag der lød som om alle skyskraberne knækkede på en gang.

Og så kom der lyn og så kom der regn som jeg sjældent har oplevet før..

Typisk amerikansk, alt skal bare være større og vildere..

Jeg optog en videofilm af det, men den kan jeg ikke lægge ind her..

Det blev ligesom ved med at regne så jeg gik ind i en forretning og fik en plastikpose til min taske og så gik jeg ud for at få en taxa, bus, helikopter eller bare et eller andet der ville dække for regnen.. men der var bare ingen transportmidler der kunne komme frem.

ud over måske alle politi og brandbilerne..og dem var der mange af..

Alle storskærmene gik ud på skift og hver gang det lynede, knitrede det i alle de elektriske apparater rundt om mig.. GYS..

Det er svært at se på billedet herunder hvor slemt det var, men det her var midt på dagen..





Og det her var en lille time før...





Anyways.. jeg går ud mod færgerne der går til New Jersey med min plastikpose under armen, i 28 graders varme og en regn uden lige, i en halv time, hvor det på det tidspunkt er ret ligemeget at møde en der sælger paraplyer.. Jeg havde en hvid top på og når sådan en blir våd...ja lad os bare sige på den her måde..der var eddermame mange der dyttede af mig.. hmm

Jeg kommer endelig ind til færgeterminalen hvor der er fuld knald på aircondition...brr og tager så åbenbart den forkerte færge.. som godt nok ender i New Jersey men...ja..

så man kan vel rimelig nemt fare vild herovre, men jeg får jo set nogen forskellige ting.

Min anden dag :
Jeg tager tidligt ind til byen og går ned mod Greenwich village, Soho, og Downtown..
Pyha jeg kom til at gå ind i en Virgin forretning...og pludselig havde jeg brugt en masse penge på musik..men det var jo så billigt..hehe..
Det var så fedt at gå rundt i den bydel..små markeder alle steder, billige mærkevarer, ja de er nemlig helt ægte rolex og gucci og dolce gabbana...hehe..og når man så bliver lidt træt i kroppen så får man da bare en omgang massage af en kineser.. skønt!
Jeg giki stå ude foran Ground Zero og synes jeg havde gået et marathon... Christian kom og mødtes med mig og vi fandt en superhyggelig cafe, fik noget mad og et par øl..i den larmende stilhed af sirener, skraldebiler, dythorn og aircondition maskiner..

Subway og togene er repareret ved World Trade Center og de er nået rimelig langt med oprydningen.
da jeg var herovre i 2002 kunne man se mange etager ned i et hul og nu kan man kun se en stor byggeplads...Problemet med at komme rigtigt i gang med det nye byggeri er nok at man stadig med korte mellemrum finder knogler..


Dette var en gammel Lincoln der var blevet speciallavet til en ny vodka promotion..

Der er altid en politibil med sirener og lys..Specielt når man beder politimanden om at tænde dem..hehe..Det har sine fordele at være blond.selvom han var meget bekymret for om han ville ende på forsiden af en avis med policebrutality eller noget der sagde noget grimt om politiet.. det lovede jeg så at jeg ikke ville..
En reklamefilm for American Express..Desværre ingen kendte mennesker..
Og så bare lidt stemning.. Man kan ikke tage et billede i New York uden der er en taxi eller politibil på..

billeder oliver -vancouver

så er jeg på banen..med billeder, og på en dansk computer. egentlig underligt at man kan savne at skrive æ ø og å..det gør det i hvert fald lidt nemmere..Hermed nogen billeder fra de sidste par dage i Canada.

Dette aftenfoto af en BaldEagle er taget i Kamloops.
Jeg sad og ventede på at den skulle komme tilbage til reden i halvanden time og da jeg lige var ved at køre hjem fordi det blev for mørkt, kom den flyvende i tusmørke lige over mit hoved og landede derefter i et træ lid længere væk,
Man kan lige ane den på det billede til venstre næsten helt øverst i træet.
Skønt syn at se den blå og lyserøde himmel og en kæmpe ørn.

På vej til oliver i Okanagan Valley er der en milliard frugt boder langs vejene. De er lettetre udvidet i forhold til vores vejkantsfrugtsælgere..

Velkomsthilsen når man kører ind i Oliver. Det ser mega hyggeligt ud..

Forskellige natur scener fra Oliver:

Vinmarkerne:

En fiskeørn (tror jeg) det hedder Osprey på engelsk..find en ordbog..hehe

Nåh, men den havde bygget en fin rede på toppen af en pæl i Oliver. De lokale ser dem slet ikke mere, det er lidt ligesom os og svaler..de er der hele tiden og vi lægger ikke rigtig mærke til dem.. herovre er de helt vilde når de ser en svale, jeg synes måske nok der er noget lidt mere imponerende over en stor rovfugl, men det er måske nok bare mig der er lidt underlig?:

Grouse Mountain i North Vancouver,
Grizzly ungerne jeg så sidste år er blevet lidt større..

Grouse Mountain, en masse forskellige rovfugle, som jeg jo er ret fascineret af..

Jeg fik lov at komme ret tæt på dem, så det var en stor dag for mig:-)

Burrowing owl:
Bald Eagle. De bliver først hvide på hovedet når de er 5 - 7 år gamle, så det ER altså en kongeørn..

Udsigt til Vancouver skyline fra Granville Island, Vancouver kl 23.30, hvor vi boede en enkelt nat da vi kom til Vancouver.