Baltic 6 | Norway
I’m back after a two week break and excited to be sharing a whole lot of creative posts with you! Over the past fortnight I have travelled across the Baltic sea, stopping off at a number of Scandinavian Countrries. Not only was this an eye-opener to the Scandinavian way of life but I was enriched with culture, architecture and spectacular views. I am extremely thankful to my parents for allowing me to come along on the cruise and celebate their 25th wedding anniversary with them…
Without further ado, I introduce you to the Baltic 6 – a series of photography posts from each of the 6 destinations: Norway; Poland; Russia; Finland; Sweden and Denmark. Every Wednesday we will tour another place! Today we are hitting Norway – sit back, relax and enjoy the views!
Our Norwegian destination was Oslo – the country’s capital. Upon first setting foot here we took the tram out of the city, up to the Vigelandsparken sculpture park in a more residential area of Oslo. The journey was very scenic winding in and out of architectural buildings, up hills and past some very pretty, typical Norwegian homes. The park itself is the world’s biggest sculpture park made by one artist. It was great to walk around, enjoy the fountain view and explore the sculptures, that all seemed to depict humans wrestling with each other.
We then headed back to the city centre and took a walk through the main square towards the palace and back again. I noticed that in Oslo the streets are very clean – there is little pollution (only electric cars are permitted) and no litter. It was beautiful.
Following this we visited the city hall – I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the beautiful interiors! The walls were lavished in marble, mosaics and paintings which brought the place to life. The first floor gave way to a vast open space where people could sit, walk, think, and simply be. It was exactly what a city hall should be. Upstairs there were more decadent, smaller rooms that looked out onto the harbour and even openings in the inner walls for peeking down onto the space below. It’s free to go in and I definitely recommend it if you’re ever in Oslo!
Finally, we payed a visit to the Opera House designed by the Architect Snohetta. It opened in 2008 so is a reltively new piece of architecture and its modernity stands out. I think you’ll agree, the sharp angles combined with water reflections in the glass work make it look like some kind of scandinavian ski slope. Except it’s an opera house! I didn’t get chance to go in but I’m sure the acoustics are amazing.
In fact the roof of the building was designed so that people could walk up it and view the city from the top. It was quite a surreal experience to do this since I’m really interested in architecture that interacts with citizens.
I had the most amazing time in Norway and look forward to going back one day. However I have to say that due to citizens there being generally higher-paid, everything is very expensive! Thankfully we got away with just buying tram tickets and some snacks in a supermarket (which was extortionate at £25 for some crisps and biscuits) and I’d hate to know how much it would cost to stay overnight! Despite this, it’s a beautiful place and a must visit! 
Thank you for coming along with me! Is Norway somewhere you’d like to visit?
Eleanor ♥
P.S come back next Wednesday for our trip to Poland!
Day-tripping Durham
Can you believe it’s the 12th July already? The days are flying past and filling with endless events, jobs and meet ups. Last week I was lucky enough to be able to spend an entire week with my best friend Imogen and it was amazing to catch up. Not only that but we spent a couple of days exploring. Our friendship is long distance and she’d never been to visit my home before so I made sure to show her the sites! Yesterday we decided to drive further and take a day trip to Durham…
To avoid tourists we arrived at 10am and went straight to the Cathedral. You’re not allowed to take photographs in the main part of the building but we also took a walk around the courtyard – spot the Harry Potter location! It rained all morning but the cathedral provided coverage and with almost no-one around, it felt like the place was ours to truly explore. Just the two of us…
We then spent our time walking through the city, venturing down side streets and stumbling across coffee shops. We are both coffee lovers and eventually came across the Claypath Delicatessen. The interiors were cosy, the soft brunch music created a good atmosphere and the service was excellent! The bar area was enchanting and the barista was more than happy to engage in conversation and let me take some photographs. It was the best cup of coffee (Imo got a latte and I an americano) I’ve had in over a year!
I’ve had the best time this week and our day trips have made for some great photographs! Heading out to a city with no plans, early in the morning is incredibly liberating! And if you’re on a budget, Durham will meet all of your needs. I spent a total of £2 on coffee and only £3.30 for 4 hours car parking! I wont see Imo for at least a year now due to future life changes – our day trip will be one of our best memories yet.
Hope you enjoyed the photos!
Eleanor ♥
New Street
I’ve spent a lot of time on trains recently… I’m at that decision-making, opportunity-grabbing, university-visiting time of my life and it involves a lot of travel. The past few weekends have called upon me to travel alone cross-country to a number of places. On one visit I ended up at Birmingham New Street Station and with an hour to fill, I got out my camera and explored a little bit. The architecture is quite something! The light also creates a warm and inviting atmosphere! Here are the photographs from the trip – if you ever get the chance, be sure to wander round this place!
Eleanor ♥
Palma Cathedral
Whilst in Mallorca, I visited Palma Cathedral which stands just above the port, and looks out to sea. It was interesting to see how such a gothic cathedral, could be made to look beautifully holy, through the use of light. In fact, Antoni Gaudí actually installed some of the candelabra here.
I couldn’t help but play around with my camera, and capture such beautiful moments! The camera doesn’t do it justice!
Eleanor ♥
Perspectives
I’m back again, after a spontaneous day trip to Leeds. We visited (my family and I) the Leeds Docks (before heading to the Trinity Kitchens of course!) where I was able to wander around the Leeds Royal Armouries – it’s such an awesome building and the architecture gives some great perspectives! You can look out over the city, and the rest of the docks! With free entry, I highly recommend a trip – even if just for the views! The exhibitions were also great!
I decided to experiment with alternative perspectives – looking at angles, focusing the sky rather than the whole image, trying to view the building differently etc. It was a lot of fun!
Eleanor ♥
King’s College
This week I had the opportunity to travel to King’s College in Cambridge. I stayed in the university accommodation, surrounded by beautiful architecture and these are some of the shots I got!
Eleanor ♥
Barcelona
Last week, I travelled to Barcelona and took so many photographs! I found that being surrounded by architecure, good weather, and city life, really inspired my creativity! Here are some of my favourite photographs!
Photographs copyright – please do not use / save / publish without asking permission and crediting Distinctivemode
Eleanor ♥
Llandudno
Last Tuesday, I went on a day trip to Llandudno in Wales; the views were beautiful! I spent the day wandering along the beach, drinking coffee with my Grandparents, as well as eating fish and chips. This was the first time I’ve had in a while to really go out and capture interesting photographs, that aren’t still life shots, or whatever I can find in my garden!
Eleanor ♥
