In 1995, I had the opportunity of a lifetime. At least it was the opportunity of a lifetime for this Indiana girl who'd never been further west in the US than Kansas City. After school ended in May 1995, my college choir made the trek to Chicago and boarded a plane for the first leg of a three-week tour of St. Petersburg, Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Norway. It was a trip that I only could have dreamed about.
For the last leg of our trip, we headed to the Hardanger Fjord region of Norway. These pictures were taken on our way to the fjord - with a 110 film camera, no less (for those unfamiliar with this type of film and camera, it was a pretty basic camera back in the day).
I recently pulled the tote in which these resided out of my office closet and went through them. I came across these and decided to scan them into my computer. As I did, I was struck by the rugged beauty of the landscape, the water tumbling down the rocks, the evergreen trees in various shades of green adding a stateliness to it all.
And I find it just as beautiful now as I did nearly 30 years ago.
It is said that nature can soothe and heal the spirit. So true. Just looking at these photos, remembering being in that beautiful setting, eases my mind and heart. The grandeur of it all reminds me how very small I am and yet reminds me how powerful I am.
Beauty is all around us, whether it's a magnificent fjord valley, a striking structure, or a child's smile. We get the opportunity to experience it all if we dare to look.
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