Norway winters are no joke and I have a whole new understanding to the words cold and dark. The honest truth is I struggled with arriving here during this time. I thought I would be ready to take on the winter as I have lived most of my life in the northeast of the States. I survived many Boston winters which were quite intense and also had struggles (I’m looking at you street parking space savers…). But here’s the thing - I also grew up in Florida. And there’s a side to me that loves heat and humidity. When there is a snow storm up north I get a phone call from my dad (still in FL) quoting: “there’s a reason why birds fly south for the winter Lizzy.” How true that statement feels to me now after one Norwegian winter. Sometimes I would think I was getting the hang of it here. But inevitably I would get smacked in the face with frigid wind, slip on ice, or loose in a game of hide and seek with the sun. Winter days here bring out a lot of curse words and make you wonder why the hell you aren’t somewhere warm and drinking out of a coconut.….
Thankfully, I have a Norwegian friend group that has been unbelievably welcoming and are well versed in surviving winters. With encouragement from these amazing people, I spent a lot of the winter months walking around the Botanisk Hage (botanical gardens). The plants and flowers quietly tucked away in the warmth of the greenhouses gave me hope. Hope for the spring. Hope for the sun. And hope for the winter covid surge to turn a corner. Through my time here, I’ve learned how Norwegians value sunlight (especially in the winter). Even if it is freezing out, you better get outside for a walk and “get the sun on your face” while you can. I am grateful that as a photographer, I have visual representations of my memories and experiences. Looking back through these images I made of the Botanisk Hage, I love seeing how I was chasing the sunlight and following the very wise Norwegian’s advice.
And while the winter was an adjustment, I discovered a new fascination with photographing ice. I also learned how quickly camera batteries drain in the cold….
So here’s to surviving a Norwegian winter and learning things along the way! Next winter though, you better believe that I will be following the birds and flying south, (I will also be drinking out of a damn coconut…. )