Wednesday, May 23, 2007

CAN YOU SAY WHITE KNUCKLES?

NOTE: Thank you to DAVID for the wonderful review of Lottery (and posted on my birthday! How cool is that?) David acquired a copy of my ARC from EBAY (I noticed someone put two more up for bid!) They have gone for as high as $68 and as low as $26. My offer still stands. I will sign any ARC that someone mails to me and I will send it back!

7 AM and back to being cold as we are high up in the mountains. We drove from Otta to Stryn with a stop for a snack at Grotli where I got a chance to play in the snow


and take a picture of a reindeer crossing.


I would have taken more photos but I was required to scrunch up in the far corner of the car so we would not tumble over the edge of the thousand or so sheer cliffs that we flew around.
Our survival was a testament to the incomparable driving ability of my cousin Helge.

This is where we are staying. Hopland. Randabyda. Clinging to the water's edge of stryefjorden

We took a short walk up the hill (read steep mountainous vertical climb) to an old ski jump.

You make one miscalculation and you are water skiing.
We have this view all the way down the fjord.

I woke up to mountains glistening with snow towering over me and the sharp smell of the sea over a thousand feet below.
My next character will have these experiences.
My writing will reflect this.

16 comments:

Mindy Tarquini said...

I want to go to Norway. I want to stay in that cabin.

Holly Kennedy said...

Oh, Pat, I'm so green.
What gorgeous photos.
What a fanatastic old ski jump.
And that cabin! D-r-o-o-l...

You are a lucky girl.
Travel safe.

David L. McAfee said...

I didn't know it was your birthday, Pat! Happy Birthday!

As always, wonderful, wonderful photos! That place is so beautiful. I will have to take my wife there someday, she would love it!

Kim Rossi Stagliano said...

Happy birthday! We'll celebrate next month in NY - these photos are amazing. Are you keeping warm??

Tyhitia Green said...

Great photos, Pat. I would love to visit there one day!:*)

Kimber Li said...

m.g., You don't have to go to Norway to stay in that cabin. It's in Alaska too. In fact, we have lots of them all over the state.

Happy birthday, Pat!

Sam said...

Isn't that Beautiful????
Thanks for sharing!!

The Anti-Wife said...

Wow! I'm impressed you can even spell all these names. Are they pronouncable?

Happy Birthday!

Lisa R said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lisa R said...

Happy Birthday! What a great place to celebrate. I love the photos! I'm printing them all out. That's it Norway is my next European trip. Does everyone speak English?

Gay said...

I want this vacation. I am so jealous. You need to have double-the-fun, since you are travelling for two (unless there are more in line besides me). :wink:

P.S. Happy belated birthday!

Therese Fowler said...

Fab photos!!

Much envy.

Great (and very clever, articulate) LOTTERY review. I'll have to send David one of my ARCs (and then cross my fingers that he likes love stories).

Happy, happy birthday, and many more!!

LadyBronco said...

Happy Birthday, Pat!

I love living so close to the mountains. I don't have the smell of the sea, but when you are up there, the smell of pine and fresh air is such a wonderful experience.

Enjoy it!

Heidi the Hick said...

Thank you for sharing this with us! I may never get to Norway in my real life but it's fun to see it through your eyes. This is one of the things I love about blogs!

Anonymous said...

Ooh, it's so pretty! And Happy Birthday, by the way. Travel is a great way to stimulate a story. I used a part of Chichen Itza in Mexico in a story of mine.

Holly Kennedy said...

What a great review, Pat.
Happy birthday buttercup!
I plumb forgot *red faced*
I know we shared b-dates before, but... I must've forgotten to jot it down. Us May babies, aren't we just the oddest bunch? :)