Along the Frozen Lake

Snow, Ice and a Winter Wonderland

The winter bridge in Brekkedammen park.

Today the sun was shining and it was just a chilly -1˚C (30˚F), so no better time to get outside and take in the sunshine and beautiful snowy landscape.

View of Maridalsvannet.

I walked up along the Akerselva to Kjelsås, through Brekkedammen park, and around Maridalsvannet.

Maridalsvannet frozen lake.

The view of Maridalsvannet was absolutely stunning. Finally, the lake has frozen over, making it the perfect place to go ice skating.

View of the lake.

I had a nice walk through the forests, where now there are a couple of cross country ski paths too. Fortunately for me, there hasn't been much snow lately, so apart from being quite slippery in places, it was easy to walk the paths. Maybe later on in the season if there is a lot of snow, the trails will only be for cross country skiing.

Winter hiking adventure.

The nice thing about this time of year is that it is slowly starting to get lighter and lighter each day. By now the sun sets at 15:20pm which may still seem very early, but with the snow it doesn't feel too dark when you're outside.

Winter trails through Sander farmland.

Sundays are always so crowded in the city, so I enjoy trying to get out in nature away from the busy paths of the city center. The further I walked, the more trrails I had completely to myself which was nice.

Frozen plants.

The plants were lovely with the little spiky bits of ice and frost glinting in the sunlight.

Winter wonderland.

With the snow covered foliage, the land looked so beautiful and peaceful. 

Frozen landscape of Sander Gård.

The land was quiet apart from my boots hitting the frozen earth. In Norway they don't use salt on the roads, but rather have rocks, or nothing at all once you are out on the trails. It can be quite slippery at times, so it takes a bit to get used to the rhythm of having to walk on the ice.

Frozen river to Maridalsvannet.

Through one snowy farms and across the bridge to another. At this time of year even some of the rivers have frozen over, allowing people to ice skate up and down them.

Nes Gård.

All was quiet on the farm, as the hard work has been done until springtime. As I passed Sander Gård, I noticed two horses outside in the snow. They weren't moving at all, so I wondered if they were frozen. As I passed by, they moved slightly but remained mostly still just bathing in the sunlight. 

View of the lake from Nes Gård.

I had walked around Maridalsvannet once before back in November, but it was nice to get to see how everything now looked with the snow rather than the autumn leaves.

Sunset over the snowy countryside.

Besides taking in the fresh air and getting to explore new areas, one of the reasons I enjoy getting to go outside and walk around is that it gives me the chance to clear my mind, think things over, and get aware from the stresses of school and so forth. I absolutely love nature, so being outdoors is by far where I feel the happiest.

Sunset from the frozen lake.

I got so excited when I was up above hiking around the lake and noticed all of the ice skaters dancing down below. Because Maridalsvannet is the main drinking source for Oslo, there aren't many access points to that lakeside, so it took me quite awhile to actually get down to the ice.

Looking southwards over the frozen lake towards Kjelsås.

If you want easy access to the lakeside but don't feel like walking from Kjelsås through the forests, you can take bus #51 in the direction of Maridalen, and get off at the stop, Kirkeby, which is right after the ruins of St.Margaret's Church.

Footprints over the frozen lake.

Despite not having any ice skates, I didn't want to miss out on getting to experience the frozen lake so I braved the lake in my shoes. I just didn't have too much trouble walking, but just kind of shuffled along exploring the northern shore.

Sunset over Maridalsvannet.

The sunset over the lake was absolutely stunning and I just wanted to stay out all evening taking it in.

The thick ice near the lake shore.

In a couple of places the lake had some thick cracks in the ice where you could see the ice's thickness (at least a few inches in some sections). Even with these cracks, the ice was completely solid, minus some small areas along different sections of shoreline which were still liquid.

Sunset behind Margaretakirkeruinen.

As the sky was painted with rainbow colors, I basked in the beauty of Norway, of earth's natural wonders, and of life itself. With the last day of 2018 arriving tomorrow, I am reminded of how precious each and every day is. As this year comes to a close, I am grateful of all of the opportunities I have been granted this year, and I look for forward to exploring more and continuing to grow as a person come 2019.

Wishing everyone a safe, happy, and healthy new year full of many adventures! 

A Walk Around Maridalsvannet

From City to Lake

Dam and bridge over the Akerselva at Brekkedammen park near Kjelsås.

With the end of daylight savings time, the days have quickly gotten much shorter. By 16:15 the sun has set, making the rare moments of sunshine all the more precious.

Path around Maridalsvannet.

Lately, we've had a lot of rainy days in Oslo. Last Saturday, I had to take advantage of the decent weather and daylight by going hiking to check out a new area. It was only 37-39˚ F, so I put on my layers and headed out.

A garden 'deer' near Maridalslvannet. 

I really didn't have any plans where I was headed for the morning. I just started walking and ended up wandering along the Akerselva north towards Kjelsås. I walked through Brekkedammen park and then decided to explore the area around Maridalsvannet.   

Forest pathway.

Normally Brekkedammen park would lead directly to the lake, but currently there is on-going construction to drill a new tunnel into the side of the mountain. Fortunately, there is a path that goes up and around the construction site and turns into beautiful hiking trails.

Looking northwards over Maridalsvannet.

Oslo has 170,000 acres of forest parks in the municipality, meaning there are lots of places a short trip from the city center to go hiking.  It was about a 45 min walk from where I live to Maridalsvannet, but it is also easily accessible by tram or bus. 

The north end of Maridalsvannet.

It was my first time walking around Maridalsvannet, which is the largest lake in Oslo. Maridalsvannet stands for Lake Maridal, and is Oslo's main drinking water source. Everywhere you walk there are signs warning that the lake contains our drinking water, so most all activities are prohibited to protect it.

Photo-op by Maridalsvannet.

I actually didn't even notice any areas where you could go down to the shoreline, but of course there are lots of little streams carrying water down into the lake.  No complaints though, because the views looking down across the lake were breathtaking.

Approaching Sander Gård.

As you follow the trail along you come to Sander Gård, or Sander's Farm. The area was first mentioned in texts dating back to 14th century, where the farm was originally divided between one church and monastery. In 1726, Sander Gård grew into a single farm, and was later purchased by the Nordmarka estate in 1806.

The fields of Sander Gård.

Today, the farm has a central house and a couple of barns surrounded by sprawling fields.  In some areas, the fields run all the way down to the lakeside.   

View of a river that feeds in Maridalsvannet.

Once you pass through Sander Gård, the hiking path disappears and becomes a road. This road then goes the remainder of the way around the lake and back into Oslo. Unfortunately, there are no sidewalks on the road, but quite a few other walkers and bikers travel this way.

View of the lake from Nes Gård.

Just around the corner from Sander's farm is Nes Gård, or Nes' farm.  Just like Sander's farm, Nes' has been mentioned in texts since the 1300s. It too belonged to the church and was also split amongst private owners. In the late 1700s ownership once again changed hands, before becoming part of the Nordmarka estate in the 1800s.

The fields of Nes Gård beside the lake.

To protect Oslo's drinking water, the city purchased the farm in 1923. Since then, several farmers have occupied and worked the land.

Margaretakirkeruinen (Ruins of St.Margaret's Church).

Margaretakirken or St. Margaret's Church was built around 1250. The church is named after Margaret of Antioch, who is the patron saint for pregnancy and childbirth, peasants, exiles, etc. The church was widely used until the Black Death which killed 3/4 of Oslo's population in 1350. During the 1500s, services were held in the church only a few times a year. The last service took place in 1643, leaving the place to fall to ruins.

Side view of Margaretakirkeruinen.

In 1934, archaeologist Gerhard Fischer began the church's restoration efforts. Despite being relatively small and still in ruins, St.Margaret's is considered one of Oslo's best preserved medieval buildings.

Maridalsvannet.

As it was coming up on 3pm, I decided it was time to try to get home before the sun set. I walked 3/4 around the lake, but since it was getting dark and the only place to walk was on the road, I didn't want to take my chances by walking much further. I had a little walk down to Hammeren where finally I found a bus stop that would take me back into Oslo.

River flowing down from Hammeren towards the lake.

It was a long, but beautiful walk. If only they had trails along the western side of the lake I would have walked the remainder of the way home. As I was waiting for the bus, I took a look around Hammeren which also has lots of hiking trails. Can't wait to explore more!