Finally my summer vacation and three whole weeks that I want to use to its fullest; get up in the mornings, grab my gear and get out and get some fresh air and hopefully some decent photos. So far so good. Eight days passed with the clock set at 6 in the morning. That didn’t use to be my idea of a holiday, but it actually feels very good. Elsie and I have managed to travel around in our local area every day, to some places that were familiar to us and to some new places as well…
Semsvannet is a lovely lake that we have visited several times lately. This first day we had a very enjoyable stroll in the morning sun and finished it with ice-cream and waffles at the nice café Smia.
The second morning we took a hike up along the Lomma river that goes up through the valley Lommedalen in northern Bærum.
The next morning we decided to check out a nearby lake we haven’t been to before. It is called Ståvivann and is situated in an area with a few farms around. We found this beautiful old ash-tree on our trip. The ash (ask in Norwegian) is what has given the name to the Asker district.
Onwards and up. This steep path leads up to Bergsåsen which is the highest hill-top in Asker (459 m / 1500 ft). The blue marking on the tree is the what the Norwegian Tourist Bureau (DNT) uses to mark its summer routes all over the country.
The view from up here is beautiful and well worth the hike.
The view from the nearby Hagahogget. The closest lake is Semsvannet with Skaugumsåsen just behind. Further out we see the Oslo Fjord that leads into the Norwegian capital.
The fifth morning we wanted to do some bird-watching, and went to Oslo and the lake Østensjøvannet again:
June is the month for bird-watching I’m told. But what we see now in July is all the chicks taking their first trips out from the nest. Charming creatures.
But I guess handling 19 of them must be a mouthful. The tufted duck can lay up to 12 eggs, so I wonder how this poor mother got herself into this situation.
Mmmm, yes I splashed the cash for a new Canon EF 400 5.6L and BIF (Birds In Flight) photography have suddenly become much more enjoyable 🙂
The sixth morning saw us passing by Semsvannet again. This time we took a longer hike up in the woods to north of the lake.
One thing I love about the woods is how all the natural shapes evokes the fantasy. Rocks, trees, moss, anything can conjure up images of the mythological beasts we know from the old fairy tales.
Our hike took us up to a beautiful place called Fløyta.
A bit stiff-legged from the previous day’s hike we decided to take an easy morning stroll around Kalvøya island just outside the city Sandvika where we live.
Some peaceful plant- and bird-watching at Kalvøya this morning. Well rested we went for a long hike on the eighth day:
After a long trek around Brunkollen and Haslumseter we came down to Øyervann lake which used to be much bigger when it was dammed up a few hundered years ago. This was an area where iron-ore used to be mined in the old days.
We finally came back to Burudvann where we started our hike this morning. Like the guys in Tour de France we have decided to take a rest tomorrow. 😉
Up North - Photography by Trygve Høgebøl 