Elvelangs i fakkellys - candlelight walk along the Akerselva

There is an annual event in autumn during the cultural week called "Elvelangs" where the whole banks of the river Akerselva in Oslo are illuminated with candles. From around 8 p.m. hundreds or better thousands of people drive up to Kjelsås and walk then all the lightened up way down to the city centre. All along the way there are artists playing music, presenting some art works or performing something artistic etc.
I've heard about this event when I arrived in Oslo - it sounded interesting - and every year I planned doing that 2,5 hours walk (or longer due to the enormous traffic). However, I finally never managed in the previous two years. Last year Moritz actually did the whole walk and took some fantastic pictures (click here).
This year we (Audrey, Jana, me and Eric who was over from France for guiding another tourist group) decided to really go there. The plan was to meet up at Jana's place, have something to eat and then drive up to the starting point for the walk down. However, due to some overtime in the office that evening and also due to some other delays we only arrived at 7.30 p.m. at Jana's place. Until we had prepared dinner and until we ate time passed. Additionally, we were so sunk in good conversations that it was only around 9.30 p.m. that we realised that it had become so late and we asked ourselves if we were still in a mood for that walk. It was anyway too late to start on the top. So at last - while Jana remained at home - we (Audrey, Eric and I) decided still to go, but just for the last part as we only had 1,5 hours left until everything would be over at 11 p.m.

We joined the masses of people on the last third of the Akerselva walk, that is at the Ringnes Park. We stopped to listen to a talented guitarist singing beautiful songs. When we proceeded we passed the cascades in front of Wallman's Salonger and since it had been raining a lot recently the waterfall was - as you might guess from Eric's and my pictures - so impressive and powerful.

  

 

 

 

Further on a long the river we listened for quite a while to a group playing some irish/celtic oriented music. I think they kept our attention for at least half an hour. They were pretty good!

 

 

 

No comment on this piece of "art"!

 

At the end of the walk, arrived in the city centre of Oslo, we all split up in the various directions, each one of us back home. It was already pretty late for a Thursday evening; we all had to be back at work the next day.

I'm happy for finally having done this, as it is indeed an interesting cultural event.