Olafs cottage in the winter. Valdres in Norway

I think there is some 400 000 cottages in Norway. Some by the sea but also many in the mountains. Most of the cottages is family owned and used inn all seasons.
Here represented by one of them. Placed in the central Mountains in Norway North West. Situated by a private road that is kept open every weekend throughout the winter.
This year there is plenty of snow  - very idyllic photo-wise.

Winter panorama landscape in Valdres, Norway

Our small cottage for our guest to our mountain place. A fine place for 2-4 persons for an overnight stay. Click in photo for larger version.

iphome6+ with 4 photos stitched. PP in Corel PS pro

Removing snow from the roof in Valdres Norway

With app. 1 meter of snow on the roof at our mountain cottage it is time for the family to remove most of it. Still the snow is dry but later in the season with warmer weather the snow will fill with water and become several ton heavier maybe more than the roof can carry.
Good alternative removing snow versus just skiing 😃

Traditional Winter cottage in Valdres Norway

After some snow in January it is a pleasure arriving at our cottage dressed for the winter.
This is in the central part of Norway only some 3hrs drive from Oslo. We build this place 31 years ago. It still have the standard of that time. IE no electricity but 12V current from 2 solar panels. Water from an outside well (working the whole year also in the winter as we get the water from ca. 6 m under the soil surface (under the frost level)). Via SMS vi can before arrival start up our Wallas oven and arrive to a warm and cosy cottage even when there is -20C as it was this day.

Along the private road it is in all some 17 cottages along the 3km distance in here from the public road. In the winter the road will be plowed an open all weekends and the winter holidays season.
There is fresh ski tracks for cross country skiing right by the cottage opening up for a net of ski tracks for many, many kilometers in the region.

Winter Road trip along E16 in Begnadalen Norway

A beautiful day along E16 on my way from Oslo to my mountain cottage 3 hrs Northwest of  Oslo in the popular region Valdres.
Up here there is plenty with snow on this rather cold day with some -25C / -13F.
Lot of ice and snow in the road - but no problem for my small 4 WD Suzuki SUV.

Refrigator cold morning in Østfold / Ostfold, Norway

Typical January morning in this little village SouthEast of Oslo. At this morning there was some -5C - app. the same as you have in your refrigator.
This season the snow and the temperature is going up and down from day to day like a lift, Part of our new winter season under the present environment changes.

Winter SightSeeing in Oslo Harbour. Norway

Even in the winter there is several opportunities for a sigthseeing in our capitol. Being at sea or at land.  Here a photo from Aker Brygge where an old traditional small freight ship is coming back from a one hours tour in the Oslo Harbour.

Oslo Townhall seen between some anchored boats at Aker Brygge

Camera: iphone6+ PP: Paintshop Pro

Winter harbour at Aker Brygge in Oslo Norway

Many sailers have their winter harbour along the small marina at Aker Brygge in Oslo City.  It looks cold but we guess they have sufficient with electrical heaters and insulation to have it cosy inside, in spite of the cold outdoor climate down by the sea. At least they have a very central place both to shops an restaurants right here in the center of Oslo.

Camera: iphone6+  2photos vertical stitched  PP: Panoramamaker and Paintshop Pro.

From Aker brygge: A pano of the Oslo Town Hall and Akershus Castle in Norway

A mighty panorama from January with 4 photos Stitched covering the Oslo harbour as seen from Aker Brygge. To the left the Town hall with its 2 towers. To the right Akershus Castle that in its time stopped a Swedish invasion of Oslo.

You can see more details of the Akershus castle in the pano made of 3 photos stitsched here:

iphone 6+ photos stitched (4 and 3 photos). PP in Panoramamaker and Corel Paintshop

Grey and colorless days in January. Ostfold. Norway

Clouds and overcasted sky means no sun and no real daylight up here in the North. Some moods from the countryside East of Oslo at 60 DEG North in January 2018.

Photo: iphone 6+.  PP: Paintshop pro

Happy New Year - Godt Nytt år from/fra Norway / Norge

Happy New Year - Godt Nytt år

from/fra Norway/Norge

So this is Christmas. Norway Southeast

Christmas morning 2017. Spydeberg in Ostfold Norway

Merry Christmas
God Jul

The small mini church: Hovin Kirke in Spydeberg, Ostfold, Norway

December sunset already at 2:19PM in Spydeberg, Norway

The days are very short this far north in December. The sun is rising 9:11AM and as you can see the sunset is already a little after 2PM.
But no reason to complain. I.E. North of the Artic Circle there is no sun at all.

Photo: Iphone 6+. PP: Corel Paintshop.
Location: 59° 37' 51.68" N, 11° 7' 16.51" E

Towards Christmas in the winter landscape of Valdres, Norway

Some 200km out of Oslo there is some snow and a typical winterlook these days before Christmas

Camera: iphone6+. PP: 2 Photo stitched. Corel Paintshop

Fantastic winter landscape in Tisleidalen, Valdres, Norway. Stitch of 6 photos

Incredible what you can do with an iphone6+. As here with a stitch of 6 photos. (Recommended: Click on the photo for a LARGE version)

The winter landscape is to be found in the Southern part of Norway now in December.

Camera: iphone6+. PP: Photo stitcher and camera+ in ipad.

Make room for a buddy! Lauvskrike / Siberian Jay in Valdres Norway

Lauvskrike / Siberian Jay hunting frozen bread in -18C

Up at our mountain cottage for some winter days. After putting out some old bread it takes less than 5 minutes before the Lauskrike / Siberian Jay is arriving. Even frozen bread served in the cold outside  temperature at -18C seems to be most attractive this morning.

Camera: iphone6+. PP: camera+ in ipad.

The Siberian jay (Perisoreus infaustus) is a jay found in north Eurasia. The species has a wide range (estimated global Extent of Occurrence 10,000,000 km²) and a large global population (estimated 680,000-1,400,000 in Europe). It is one of three members of the genus Perisoreus, the others being the Sichuan jay, P. internigrans, restricted to the mountains of eastern Tibet and northwestern Sichuan, and the gray jay, P. canadensis, restricted to the boreal forest and western montane regions of North America. All three species store food and live year-round on permanent territories in coniferous forests. The Siberian Jay is known to wilderness travelers as a very inquisitive and fearless species, which can be seen near camps and fires, and which will even take food if some is left nearby.
Ref: wiki

Flashback: A rainy day at Golsfjellet in Norway

Flashback to a very rainy and cold day in the autumn. From Southern part of Norway - Golsfjell

Camera iphone6+. Stitch of 3 photos, PP: Corel Paintshop Pro

Flashback to a spring river in Valdres, Norway

Flasback to a spring river in May. From Southern part of Norway by the central mountains.

Camera: iphone6+. Stitch of 3 photos. PP: Corel Paontshop Pro

Was it in the Garden of Eden or was it just in Valdres, Norway?

..anyhow it sure was quite an idyllic setting with the sheep mother and her lamb when we passed them a day in the summer.

FLASHBACK to July. Camera: iphone6+. Stitch of 2 photos. PP: Corel Paintshop Pro

Moody November under the Tramontane (Northern wind) in Collioure, South of France

The Tramontane makes the waves out in the Mediterranian and contributes to quite some mood in the Catalan village Colliore right there at the beginning of the rough landscape along Cote Vermeille

Both photos with iphone6+

The first a stitch of 3 photos shot from the entrance to the hotel 3Mas

The next a stitch of 4 photos in direction of the small chapel: St. Vincent