Fort St. Elme in Collioure. Sud de France

Majestetic placed on this hill overlooking Collioure and Port-Vendres: Fort St.Elme.
The fort have a long history with the Spanish, the Catalans as with the French.

From the net, some "newer" historie:
Despite the latest modernisation and its adaptation to the artillery, on 13 April 1642, French troops of king Louis XIII achieved to take the fort. After the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, the Spanish threat remained. When Vauban, military architect of King Louis XIV, made a reconnaissance of the defensive structures in 1659 in the region of Collioure, he decided to build a counterscarp, which forms with the ramparts base a ten-meter pit where infantry and cannons could easily operate.

Around 1780, the fort’s facade was whitened to serve as landmark from the sea, with the Massane Tower, to better situate the port of Port-Vendres.


During the French Revolution, more precisely during the War of the Pyrenees, between 1793 and 1795, the region was the center of violent fights. The Fort Saint Elme was conquered successively by Royalists and Republicans. In 1794, the Spanish army took the fort. Six months later, the general Dugommier crushed with 11 000 cannonballs the garrison which surrendered on 25 May 1794 after a 22-day siege. After the revolutionary period, the fort, unified with the municipality of Collioure, was transformed in military warehouse. (Ref: WIKI)

Vine yards after the harvest. Banyuls. Sud de France

4 photos stitched.  From the road going up to the Madeloc tower and summit in South of France - close to the Spanish border by the foot of the Pyrenees.

After the harvest there is plenty of work waiting. Cutting branches, clean up fallen leaves etc. Where you see the smoke in the upper left you are also in the maximum height of vine fields in this hilled region. Above this level it is simply too cold for the wine roots to thrive.

BTW a fantastic day in November for a hike up to the Madeloc tower with a perfect vista to all sides when you finally are there - on the summit.

As the wind Tramontane blows at the small St. Vincents Chapel. Collioure. South of france

Just another day in November down here in the very South of France.
This day of the year we often have some wind from the Tramontane also whipping the sea as here right outside of the harbour in Collioure and the little chapel St. Vincent.

From the net:
The tramontane in France is a strong, dry cold wind from the northwest (in lower Languedoc, Roussillon, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands). It is similar to the mistral in its causes and effects, but it follows a different corridor; the tramontane accelerates as it passes between the Pyrenees and the Massif Central, (WIKI)

St. Vincent Chapel. Located on a former island where, according to legend, Saint Vincent suffered martyrdom in 303.
The chapel was built in 1701 for the arrival of new relics of the saint.
At that time, hermits and religious retired in remote locations were accessed through the population who had regularly searched for advice from them.
Architecturally, the chapel is very small. This is a simple rectangular piece with an arcuate portal .
A large wooden cross bearing a martyr Christ can be seen behind, facing the sea

The bambou forest in Jardin des Plantes. St. Cyprien. France

Do not get lost in the Banbou forest in this garden.
Many metres high you walk in the shadow of the Bambous in this Park in popular St.Cyprien in Languedoc-Rousillon in South of France. And be aware of the peacocks that is wandering all over the place...

November in Collioure, Sud de France

Back in Collioure. This time complete off-season with few people around, only a number of visitors in the weekend.

Regard all the kayaks out there. Some EU Marines training along the shores of the popular beaches in this small Catalan village close to the Spanish borders.

 

Photo by iphone6+ (uploaded from ipad)

After the summer season - burning some debris at the mountain cottage. Valdres. Norway

After the summer we are up at our mountain place and cleaning up i.e. burning some debris from trees and plants. At the photo is the Madam in full swing. After starting this (rather large) fire it burned for 3 days.

October offered some really fine days for outdoor activities.  To the left in the photo our small guest house.

Flying South from Valdres. Norway

I made this stitch of 7 photos when visiting a small summit near our mountain cottage. Look at the shadow in the lower left - seems like a bird is sailing above the landscape - in a way like we are departing from this landscape - and in fact we are going to the South of France and our apartment close to the Spanish border this weekend.

To the left in the photo you will see some white buildings which is one of the most popular high mountain resort hotel in this part of the country: Storefjell Hotell.
Then the flat landscape to the right which is a big flat high mountain plain: Fløtenhovda. BTW right in the middle of the landscape is our mountain cottage situated.  In fact from that place we have looked over to this summit we are visiting for almost 30 years - without never hiking here (it looked so small and we preferred some more challenging summits time after time until this day in October).

A fine weekend to all of you - next posting sometimes over the  weekend...

Sunset at 5pm at our mountain cottage. Valdres. Norway

In the end of a fine autumn day 

October night at the cottage with a touch of Northern Light. Valdres. Norway

I have this mountain cottage in the Southern part of Norway. App. 1000km South of the Polar Circle.
It is very rare that we have the Northern light at this place and in fact this was the first time for many years that we happend to be at the cottage when we also could see the Northern light.

My camera position is a bit to the NorthWest and mostly the green color tells us that we are in the outskirt to register the special Northern light.

For those with interest for the tech: Camera is Lumix GX7 with a 20 mm pancavke lens (1.7). Shutter is 15sec. F-stop 5.6. ISO 800.

Northern light - Auroroa Borealis. Valdres. Norway

Situated some 1000km South of the Polar Circle it is a rare occasion to spot the Northern light - Aurora borealis.

We was up there in our mountain cottage when we could see the green light at the sky to the north.
So for once it was very fun to just step out of the cootage, setting up the camera and tripod in the dark night and try out some photos.

For any one interested I used my Lumix GX7 with a 20mm pancake lens. Manual setting for sharpness.  F. 15 seconds and A 5.6. ISO 1600

Maybe not the most dramatic patterns - but good enough so far South.

Autumn in the mountain. Valdres. Norway

We have this week had some fantastic days up in the mountains here in the South Part of Norway.

Above a small summit - a crossing point for many paths crisscrossing this large mountain plateau in the small valley Tisleidalen. BTW this point is only some 30 minutes walk from our cottage up here.

Have a fine weekend.

October Sunset. Spydeberg. Norway

I was sitting in my room and editing some photos one afternoon in October. And then as I turned around there was a great sunset play right outside over the houses on the nearest hill. Enjoy.

This photo is an iphone6+ shot from the terrasse at my home.

Large panorama view of Oslo, Norway

6 photos stitched (klick for larger version) - presented from the best place to do photos like this in Oslo - the Ekeberg Hill.

Should you be in Oslo go to the Ekeberg restaurant - make your pano and after that enjoy a lunch or dinner in the newly refurbished Ekeberg Restaurant.  I f you want even more take a stroll in the new Sculpture park in the Ekeberg Park - a tribute to women.

In the foreground you have new apartment buildings in the old quay Sørenga. right behind to the right you may see the Oslo Opera, the sentral station and the new office-buildings close by. In the hill in the far back you may be able to identify the Holmenkollen Ski-jump. The ferry to the left is going daily to Copenhagen in Denmark, while right behind that one there is another in the far back: The daily ferry to Kiel in Germany. And of course many other landmarks can be seen.

My last photo from Oslo was called "a glimpse of Oslo" - this time you have the whole city in one glimpse surrounded by the hills of Oslo to the West and North (Nordmarka). The photo is taken from the hill Ekeberg in the east.

From a walk in the Ekeberg Park in Oslo, Norway

Ekeberg and the park is one of the hills that surrounds Oslo. It is in the east part of the Town. A long time ago the Ekeberg Park was established as an offer to the East end of the town as the more "upper-scale" West end already had the Holmenkollen etc.

There are some good walking paths around  - even a sculpture Women Park included. To not mention some interesting restaurants up at the Ekeberg hill. Presented here in a 2 photo stich.

The Madam enjoyed her time in the Ekeberg hill this fine sunny day in October

Barcode buildings in Oslo, Norway

The seaside of Oslo East is changing these days. As here with this row of new office buildings right behind the Opera.  The reference to a barcode is absolute there.  Unfortunately this front will later be hidden behind another new row of buildings hindring the present view.

(Photo: Tilt-shift in PP)

Meeting WALKING WOMAN in the sculpture park - Ekeberg. Norway

Who knows what or whom to meet when you take a walk in the Women Sculture Part at Ekeberg in Oslo.  In the afternoon well inside the park we met this woman - another sculpture at this place.

Read more of this work WALKING WOMAN BY SEAN HENRY here:

The British sculptor Sean Henry (born 1965) models his figures in clay before the are cast. 

Then he paints them. This artist's work has helped revive the age-old custom of polychrome, i.e. multi-colored sculpture. The tradition stems from Antiquity, when marble statues were painted in colors.

Henry's technique is striking and vivid. In public spaces, his naturalist figures are conspicuous, just as his sculptures are both lifelike and theatrical. They are reflections of ourselves and enhance our experience with life in our own world.

Sculptures such as Walking Woman are the artist's attempts to heighten our awareness of art and the nature surrounding it. The person in Walking Woman strides through the woods with purpose.

A glimse of Oslo, Norway - from the Ekeberg Hill

Ekeberg Hill one of the first places to be populated in Oslo - already just after the last ice age when the sea level was app. 200m higher than today.

At this photo we look down to the new apartment buildings at Sorenga - right beside the new Opera (situated behind the green vegetation to the right). The big ship in the back is the ferry daily departing for Copenhagen.

Some more from WIKI:
Ekeberg is a neighborhood in the city of Oslo, Norway. The painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munch is painted from Utsikten ("the view"), a part of Ekeberg.

In the area are a number of old Iron Age grave mounds and Bronze Age ritual sites. This establish the area of Ekeberg as one of the oldest inhabited places around Oslo. During the Middle Ages, the farm of Ekeberg belonged to Hovedøya Abbey. The area was later taken by the crown.

From 1760, the farm of Ekeberg was run by an appointed owner, and his relatives owned the farm thereafter. In the area, a number of small homesteads under the main farm was erected the following century. The first suburban settlement came around 1900, and the early suburb was raised in the years prior to 1935. Many of the early houses are still present in the area. Ekeberg belonged to Oslo from 1947.

Autumn afternoon by the lake Vannsjo in Moss. Norway

Tranquilly afternoon in October by the shores of the lake Vannsjo in Moss, Norway.

Some more from the net:
Vansjø is a lake in the municipalities of Moss, Råde, Rygge, Våler in Østfold county, Norway. The lake is fed by the river Hobølelva. The lake has an area of 36.9 km² and an estimated coastline of about 250 km. Wikipedia

Mamma Moose and her Siblings. Valdres, Norway

I often claims that we have visit from many bypassing wild forest animals at our mountain cottage. As the other day Mamma Moose bypassed with her 2 siblings. A bit away app. 200m from our terracce so I had to crop the 300mm lens shot in half (in a way faking a 600mm).

Anyway it is always a pleasure to have these big animals in the neighboorhood. 
The mamma to the left with a 1 year old calf. With the other calf to the right. Regard his mini antlers.

September saturday in Oslo, Norway

A fine day where the main street Karl Johans gate is crowded with people. 

In the far back: The royal castle.