The next time I am able to take some time off from work, I will try to travel to some exotic locations around the world. I would especially love to go on vacation to some countries outside Europe. The countries that are on top of my list where I want to go is Japan and USA (especially to New York and Los Angeles), but I need to save some money for that kind of long trip. Japan is on top of my list because I have been intrigued by their culture for many years and I also love the Japanese food. I can not imagine how great sushi at the best restaurants in Tokyo must be. Going to USA would also be interesting because it is influencing our life in Norway in so many ways like pop culture and music.
There are also several countries and towns in Europe that I want to visit. I have heard so many good things about Barcelona, in Spain, when it comes to its food and music festivals like the Sonar Festival. I hope to go there next year with some friends during the summer, and visit other parts of Catalonia too while I am there.

When I lived in Northern Norway I used to a bit of mountain climbing to get in shape and experience the adrenalin rush. During that time I went on several climbing trips to Italy and France. All I did during those trips was climb and sleep. I did not have any time for exploring the countries or experiencing the local culture in those countries (except for the great cuisines). I wish I had put aside some time to do this and will definitely be more open minded the next time I go abroad.

Olympus PEN E-PL1

I’m thinking about buying a compact point-and-shot camera that I can bring along my Olymus EP-1 on trips. Many of the travel cameras have very good zoom ranges that can be useful when you don’t want to bring different lenses. Even though compact cameras have a somewhat bad reputation when it comes to image quality, there are many cameras that is able to produce pictures with good image quality (this also depends on how good the photographer is with handling the camera settings). Many camera models also have cool features such as HD video recording, face recognition, art filters and GPS tracking. I used to think these kinds of features were a waste, but after trying them I found them quite useful. One of the most important factors for me when selecting a camera is how it feels in your hands. I use to visit camera stores where I can handle the camera and then maybe purchase it online where I find the best prices.

There are also more specialized websites like the highly proclaimed (and my personal favorite) dpreview.com that has in depth reviews of the best cameras and lenses. When it comes to selecting your camera I also recommend that you go by a camera store to check how it feels in your hands and then go back to the net to find the best prices.

Olympus PEN E-PL1

I own an older DSLR from Olympus called E-500, but after moving to the city I found it too big, especially after I started reviewing restaurants and doing street photographing. After much research I ended up with the smaller Olympus Pen E-PL1 (pictured to the left) that has smaller camera body and lenses, but keeps the big image sensor from DSLR cameras. This camera is perfect for photographing food when there are not much light around as it take pretty good pictures at higher ISO levels.

I have painted quite a few houses in my life and even done some carpentry work, but my skills are far from perfect when it comes to large construction- and renovation work. Some of my relatives and friends could probably help out, but if the stone roof on the boat house were to be replaced it might be a better idea to get some hired professionals. When it comes to hired workers there are many possibilities from local carpenters to cheaper Polish workers. There are even consultation services online that let you post the job you want to get done and get offers from professionals. The most important factor is to get quality workers and the price needs to be right.

Here is a picture of how our old house and barn looks like this winter. Let us hope they will be able to withstand some more winter storms coming in from the north and that we are able to keep property in good condition in the years to come.

Check out the video below made by a director called Doug Pray who is a part of this project. In the video several people from Longyearbyen talks about how it is to live there during the winter. If you want to know how my accent sound, just watch the video

There will be several videos released later on that will document the progress of the Philips project.
This is a sponsored post.

A camper van is cheaper than a hotel, while being much easier to set up than a tent. It also provides better protection should the weather turn bad, so you can take advantage of off season travel.

You can find camper vans that will sleep anywhere from two to six people, so it’s easy to accommodate any number of people who wish to travel together on Holidays. They generally come fully equipped so you don’t need to worry about bedding, cooking utensils, dishes, et cetera. Some even have showers.

If you’re flying into Norway, some rental agencies will even provide transportation between the airport and the rental site. It’s also possible to pick up your camper van in one Scandinavian city or country and drop it off in another one so you don’t have to double back on your route.

Looking for adventure? A Camper Van hire in Norway may be the ideal solution for your next family vacation. You can also check out this New York Times article about when you should travel to Norway.

The big question now is what I should do with this blog and I want some input from my readers about it. Since I live in the south I will rarely have the opportunity to photograph scenes from Northern Norway. I will still take pictures from where I live now, but I’m not sure if I should post them here since the blog is called “Photos from Northern Norway”.

One option would be to make a totally new blog and just leave this blog alone. Another option is to change the name of this blog and start posting pictures from the south too, but I’ve heard that Google and the other search engines don’t like namechanges like that and will “give you” less search engine traffic.
A third option is that I just keep posting on this blog as it is and add a note in each post that the photos were taken in the south and not in the north.

I would love to hear if anyone got opinions about this