Norway

I can never get enough Aurora Borealis postcards. Thanks go to Trond for feeding my hunger for Aurora Borealis cards :) In Norse mythology northern lights were believed to be the reflections of the shields of the Valkyries racing across the sky on their way to their resting place, Valhalla. There is something magical in this phenomenon indeed...

Norway

Here comes a card with several shots from Oslo, the capital of Norway. The city was founded around 1000 AD, and became an important trading centre. It was losing and getting on importance during the history, was burnt in a fire in 1624, but today it's the economic and governmental centre of Norway. The city is also a hub of Norwegian trade, banking, industry and shipping as well as an important centre for maritime industries and maritime trade in Europe. Interestingly, the city was renamed in the 17th century in the honor of the King Christian IV, and  Following a spelling reform, it was known as Kristiania from 1877 to 1925, when its original Norwegian name was restored. Thanks, Trond!

Northern Lights, Norway

Cathrine sent me this gorgeous postcard of northern lights in Norway! It is such a nice surprise as I have only one postcard showing northern lights so far! 

An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere. It's quiet complicated process, but I I think the result is just gorgeous.

Aurora Borealis or the northern lights was named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas, by Pierre Gassendi in 1621. The Europeans in the Middle Ages believed that it's a sign from God.

There is also similar light in the south called Aurora Australis or the southern lights.

I'd love to see the northern lights myself some day, but even Cathrine who lives in Norway says that she can rarely see the norther lights in Alesun because of the clouds. Thank you, anyway!

Norway

Here comes a postcard from Norway, the land of the midnight sun! Cathrine sent me the cute map card shown above, with all small pictures showing the beauties and uniqueness of Norway.

Norway (probably  meaning "the northward route" - the "way north" or the "north way") is a Nordic  constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and the subantarctic Bouvet Island. Norway is a unitary parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with King Harald V as its head of state and Jens Stoltenberg as its prime minister. The capital city of Norway is Oslo. The total number of inhabitants reises up to approximately 5 million.

Norway's extensive coastline, facing the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea, is home to its famous fjords. The rugged coastline, broken by huge fjords and thousands of islands, stretches 25,000 kilometres.

Thanks, Cathrine!

NO-51368

I have problems with arranging direct swaps with people from Scandinavian countries, so I am very proud to have this Norwegian postcard in my collection. This official postcard reached my mailbox long time ago, but I haven't collected any new Norwegian cards since then, so it is my only one for now. I hope to add some new cards in my Norwegian collection soon.

Tønsberg is a town located in the southern part of Norway, around 25 kilometers far from Sandefjord.Tønsberg is generally regarded as the oldest town in Norway. If you plan to visit Tønsberg, this is what you should see: "Slottsfjellet" , the tower standing on the hill. It was erected in 1888 as a memorial to Tønsberg Fortress, the old fortress, of which just fragmentary ruins remain today. You can also see ruins of St. Olav's Church, Haugar Art Museum and the site of Oseberghaugen, a Viking era burial mound. Thanks to unsigned sender for this beautiful night view with a nice stamp!