Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #73 – Cold

23 november, 201920 februari, 2020 / Leya / 73 kommentarer

This week Tina is asking us for something Cold – and cold it is in Sweden now. But where I live it almost never gets below -20C. In recent years the climate has changed and our winters send us very little snow, and temperatures mostly around zero (+-0C). Gone are my childhood days when skiing was a winter joy.

For some real cold, I must go up north visiting friends or my daughter in Umeå. For many years we went to Dalarna to ski, but not anymore. So Tina, I will venture up north and to Iceland – for the real thing. In the header, Gullfoss, and I believe the coldest moment ever in my life.

What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.

– John Steinbeck

My old apple tree and a Bullfinch. And yes, I do love winter – when it is Winter.

To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold.

– Aristotle

A warm house in a cold winter night is another name for paradise!
― Mehmet Murat ildan

It’s too cold outside for angels to fly.
― Ed Sheeran

Keeping the warmth

And last, of course, the beautiful Tännforsen, Jämtland, Sweden. Our highest fall, 37 meters and 60 meters wide.

Many thanks to those of you who responded to Amy’s “waiting” challenge. Our waiting was well rewarded…we so enjoyed your creativity! As always Amy, Patti, Tina and I greatly appreciate your support of our challenge.

Finally, for those who celebrate, we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by those you hold most dear. Next week it will be Patti’s challenge #74 – so stay tuned.

WPC: Unlikely

2 maj, 20182 maj, 2018 / Leya / 21 kommentarer

When visiting a blogging friend, Maria, some years ago, (being a tree lover just like me…) she wanted to show me a tree she loved to take photos of. We hit the icy roads and found the tree. The sky looked great, and I took a photo of the tree too, standing alone there in the open, snowy field.

When we turned back to the car, suddenly a plane came into view – totally unexpected and rather spectacular. I was lucky to catch it with my camera. A very unlikely moment.

Travel Theme: One colour

10 april, 201510 april, 2015 / Leya / 12 kommentarer

For Ailsa at Where’s My Backpack? One Colour is the theme. My entries are from Jämtland, Skåne and my garden.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Water or the Season of Winter

12 augusti, 201412 augusti, 2014 / Leya / 34 kommentarer

Nothing in my photo stream fits this theme of Water and Winter better than Tännforsen in February this year!

Weekly Travel theme: Unexpected

7 juni, 201410 juni, 2014 / Leya / 20 kommentarer

This picture was entered once before, but it still is one of my greatest surprises…totally unexpected. I was shooting the tree and the long cloud, when suddenly, out of nowhere, the plane turned up. Almost touching the snow, and without a sound to reveal it was coming. Quite suitable for Ailsa’a travel theme as well!

One Trip EVERY Month Challenge: Östersund and Maria

6 mars, 20146 mars, 2014 / Leya / 28 kommentarer

Marianne has begun a new challenge where you take one trip every month, near or far, and take photos or write all about it. Join her here http://eastofmalaga.net/2014/01/20/new-challenge-one-trip-every-month/

Here’s how:

Each month, visit somewhere and then write about your trip or describe it using photographs – whichever suits you best.
Don´t forget to title and tag your entry ’One Trip EVERY Month Challenge’, and link back to this page.
Display the Challenge logo on your post or in your sidebar.
HAVE FUN!

I should have gone before Christmas, but a storm closed down all transportation in the southern part of Sweden. My flight was cancelled only a couple of hours before take-off. I was finally going to meet one of my blogger friends, Maria, living in Östersund up north, and I can’t say how disappointed I was. And Maria too. We had been planning this for about half a year, and we both laughed in the phone at the disaster …there was nothing else we could do…

I had to book another flight – not until February was it possible for us to meet. I was looking forward to a lot of winter, snow and fabulous walks on their big lake, Storsjön. The trip turned out to be … something quite different, but maybe not less wonderful!

My room

The real thing – Yarri!

One good way of transporting yourself on ice

Östersund – on wet ice

Åre and the mountains

Studio glassworks – Storsjöhyttan

Hot chocolate and …..

Östersund by night

For more on Jämtland, see my previous posts: https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com/2014/03/02/en-pa-miljonen-one-in-a-million/

https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/frozen-gems-ristafallet-och-tannforsen-a-john-bauer-and-j-r-r-tolkien-dream/

And MariaYarri who is the true source of Jämtland pictures and stories!

Frozen Gems – Ristafallet och Tännforsen – A John Bauer and J.R.R. Tolkien dream

4 mars, 2014 / Leya / 28 kommentarer

Maria guidade mig till två underbara vattenfall som jag bara sett sommartid, som ung i slutet av 70-talet. De är bedövande vackra båda – Ristafallet och Tännforsen. Och vintertid är de något helt annat – fullständigt förtrollande. Därav rubrikens Bauer och Tolkien.

Maria guided me to two wonderful waterfalls, Ristafallet and Tännforsen – the two of which I had only seen in summertime when I was young. During winter they are maybe even more beautiful, enchanting and enigmatic. Like something from the famous Swedish illustrator John Bauer or J.R.R. Tolkien. For more facts about Ristafallet, click the link to Maria’s post: Ristafallet

Vi började med Ristafallet, det mindre av de två. För utförliga fakta och fina sommarbilder, klicka på denna länk till Marias blogginlägg: Ristafallet

Fantastiskt vackert, men än mer fantastiskt skulle det bli vid Tännforsen. Tännforsen som ju är Sveriges största fors, fryser också till på vintern och bildar de mest spektakulära formationer.

Even more beautiful was Tännforsen, the largest waterfall in Sweden, when frozen into spectacular formations. The falls are iIlluminated in the night, but we visited in daylight. The path down to the water was very slippery and we had to use spikes to get there.

Länk till sommarforsen från Marias blogginlägg – Link to summer pictures and more facts from Maria’s post: Tännforsen

Avslutningsvis besökte vi ett litet iskapell vid Tännforsen. Mycket stämningsfullt och vackert – en plats att gifta sig på.

Finally we visited a chapel here, built in snow and ice. Very beautiful and popular to get married in.

En på Miljonen – One in a Million

2 mars, 20142 mars, 2014 / Leya / 44 kommentarer

Två och en halv dag i Östersund med Jämtländsk gästfrihet av varmaste slag. Maria och Yarri bjöd både på sig själva och på det allra godaste i jämtländsk mat. Ren och älg, röding och västerbottenpaj… med mera. Frukost med hjortronsylt (egenhändigt plockade bär och hemgjord sylt) varje dag. Maria är också en mästare på såser. Nätterna tillbringades i en prinsessan – på – ärtensäng. Det går helt enkelt inte att beskriva mina dagar där med något annat än himmelska. Maria är En på Miljonen av värme och omtänksamhet. Tack än en gång, Maria! Jag vet inte hur jag ska kunna återgälda detta, men jag ska göra mitt bästa!

Maria öppnade sitt hem och vackre Yarri satt gärna hos mig på soffan och myste…Han vet att ta vara på livets goda den mannen. (Yarri – du är precis den man du är på bloggen du!) Jag blev guidad till allt vackert som finns att se både nära och långt bort. Vi började med Frösön och vackra Frösö kyrka (började byggas på 1100-talet), Wilhelm Peterson -Bergers ”Sommarhagen” och hans grav. Peterson-Bergers “Frösö Blomster” är i mitt tycke det vackraste en svensk kompositör någonsin har gjort.

Kyrkor är ett måste, men alla hanns inte med eftersom de vissa dagar inte är öppna och andra dagar stänger redan tre. Men, man ska inte hasta. Bättre att njuta grundligt i stunden av den man besöker. Stora kyrkan i Östersund och fina Hackås kyrka, den enda i sitt slag i Jämtland, är pärlor som jag hoppas få chansen att besöka en annan gång. Men, först vill jag ju visa Maria lite av vad Skåne kan erbjuda! Få en fin presentation, från Marias blogg, av Hackås kyrka här.

Fler poster kommer att handla om mitt besök i Marias Jämtland. Men, för att verkligen se och få veta mer om detta vackra landskap måste du gå till en äkta jämtska – besök MariaYarri!

Two and a half day in Östersund with the warmest hospitality I have ever met. Maria is One in a Million of warmheartedness. Maria and Yarri treated me with the most excellent, typically Jämtländska food: Reindeer, moose, char and Västerbotten pie. Cloudberry jam every day… (In the southern part of Sweden, where I live, these berries are very expensive.) Of course Maria picks the berries herself and makes the jam as well… My days in Östersund cannot be described as anything but heavenly. Thank you again, Maria!

Maria (and Yarri) guided me to so many beautiful spots in the vicinity – and far away – that I was afraid she might get tired of driving me around…but she insisted…We both like churches, so Frösö church (12^th C) was our first choice. My favorite Swedish composer, Wilhelm Peterson – Berger, was buried here. His most famous compositions are “Flowers of Frösö” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Peterson-Berger

Unfortunately the churches are not open every day, so the eldest and most special church in Jämtland, beautiful Hackås, and the church in Östersund, were not visited – hopefully I will get the chance another time. It’s better to enjoy what you see, slowly and thoroughly. But first, I hope to show Maria something of Skåne too! Visit Hackås from Maria’s blog here.

More posts will be about my visit to Maria’s Jämtland – but the best way to get to know this part of Sweden is to visit MariaYarri!