Friday, August 21, 2009

Geotourist landscape hotel



HOTEL JUVET™

At the farmstead of Burtigard, Alstad, in Norddal municipality, a tourism enterprise has been established that is quite out-of-the-ordinary; a landscape hotel that offers a short-stay holiday concept based on geotourism.


The landscape hotel is comprised of the farmhouse, the barn, and initially up to ten detached hotel rooms that have been sited separately in practically virgin scenery. Each room has its own unique view of this craggy Norwegian landscape: the farmstead, river, valley, mountains or the ravine. The rooms are of modern design that blend into the landscape, creating a harmonious marriage where Nature and modern design bring out the best in each other.


In the high season our guests are offered a five-day stay that is crowned with activities and experiences organised in the Western Norwegian fjord landscape. Professional hosts take care of guests’ needs, accompany them on trips, prepare their food and inform them about the landscape, culture, geology and history of the area. In this way, guests depart from there with a distinct feeling that they really have experienced a bit of Norway.


Outside the summer season the landscape hotel holds theme stays, and directs its marketing at companies and organisations. Weekends are largely set up for weddings, birthday celebrations, family gatherings, mystery trips etc.


The farm is situated by Gudbrandsjuvet (Gudbrand’s ravine), which is the most popular natural attraction on the road between Trollstigen and Geiranger. This stretch of road is soon to be accorded status as a National Tourist Route. The hotel concept, due to open in 2008, is a result of a co-operation between the National Tourist Routes association, architect firm Jensen and Skodvin (JSA) and landowner Knut Slinning.

Read more at...
Link: www.juvet.com

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Mystery flower in Stavanger



My photo of the 'mystery flower' - taken in the neighborhood
of Stavanger, Norway (somewhere in Tasta on Bomloveien)
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Read more about the mystery flower...
Post from June 15, 2009 Monday
by SallyMandy

"The Mystery of the Double Dahlia" (*ahhh...mystery solved?!)
Note: with a lot of great photos of Dahlia's, like this odd one in black & white...
(all the rest are in brilliant colors)

Dahlia II Print by Caroline Kelly
borrowed from www.eu.art.com

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Sunday, August 2, 2009

Puffins, Clown birds of the sea


Photo credit - naturephoto-cz.com

The Puffin Festival...

is a culture and nature festival where participants are given an update on the state of seabird stocks.

It is also a family event for young and old with a concoction of performers and artists from near and far who create a positive experience and festivities.

Welcome to happy festival days in Røst.

http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Product/?pid=62885

The Puffin Festival (Thurs 25th - Sun 28th June 2009)
NO-8064 Røst (aka Rostlandet)
http://www.lundefestivalen.no/

Note: numerous photos & drawings of puffins on this webpage that are copy protected, so you'll have to just go there & see for yourself...

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Photo credit - worldculturepictorial.com

From the Times

May 20, 2006

A bird's eye view of puffins in Norway

It’s 5.45pm on a remote Norwegian island. Time for the puffins to arrive, says Caroline Hendrie

In the far north of Norway legend has it that on the same day each year, at 5.45pm precisely, puffins — hundreds of thousands of them — return to their breeding ground, a steep craggy island off the fishing hamlet of Gjesvaer.

Last year they were 25 minutes late, so just in case they were early this year, there we were, a crowd of locals and tourists, binoculars pointed out to sea and necks craned for the first siting...

Read more of the article at the following link...

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/cruises/article721210.ece

Need to know:

Caroline Hendrie travelled with Norwegian Coastal Voyage (...www.hurtigruten.co.uk).

A six- night voyage north, leaving Bergen between July 25 and August 29, costs...
including full board, flights and transfers.

The bird-watching excursion to Gjesvaer costs...

When to go: From now until September — the puffins are particularly visible until mid-July.

Next year’s Return of the Puffins escorted tour, with an onboard ornithologist, leaves on April 9, 2007. (Note when article was written in 2006)

The cost...per person, includes the six-night voyage, one night’s half board at a hotel in Honningsvag, onboard lectures, Gjesvaer bird-watching trip, North Cape excursion, flights and transfers.

Reading: Norway (Lonely Planet...)


Photo credit - birdfinders.co.uk

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Photo credit - mypets.net.au

And sadly (or not for past survivals sake) they bred a special dog, the Lundehund, to hunt them (puffins) in the winter for food, read more here about this rare breed...

http://www.damninteresting.com/the-norwegian-puffin-dog

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Note: All photos above borrowed from Google Images...

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Rost Travel Guide:

Bird Nesting Colonies
The steep and towering islands southwest of the populated island of Røstlandet, are "home" for the largest number of nesting birds in all of Norway, - with approximately one fourth of the country´s seabird population. A "census" taken in 1992 shows a population of 2,5 million adults birds.
During the summer, there are daily boat trips to the nesting colonies. On the island of Vedøya, you can see the remnants of early settlement, showing that the island was probably an old fishing and hunting station. Bird lovers and researchers, both at home and abroad, regularly visit these ornithologically important islands. Moreover, a book about the birds on Røst has been published in Norwegian, English, German and French.

http://www.world66.com/europe/norway/lofotenislands/rost

Note: I'll be on the lookout for this book, in English...

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Ten Things You Should Remember When Touring Norway
By Jonathan Williams

...

9.) Bird Watching
If you're into some nature viewing, then you should go to Norway and see nature unfurl or rather stretch its wings. Find your way into the islands of Lofoten and admire some 87 species birds that flocks its marshes and other bodies of water. Visit the towering island of Rostlandet, home of Norway's nestling birds, and see some 2.5 million adult birds right before your eyes.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Ten-Things-You-Should-Remember-When-Touring-Norway&id=1005861

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More little, most likely entirely, unknown facts about Rost/Rostlandet, Norway...

UFO sighting In 1986 Rostlandet, Norway

Note: while I was looking, why not check out Stavanger too--so here in 1958 a UFO sighting...

4 January 1958 14:30 - Stavanger, Norway - Woodcutter incident.
An object landed, and a very tall man stepped from the machine.

http://www.ufodna.com/uf15/uf2/152285.htm

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