From Norway with love – Free as a Bird
Showcasing photography from global travels at the Norwegian Aviation Museum
5 December, 2025, by Cross CountryA seven-month exhibition featuring images of flying trips around the world has seen 50,000 visitors at the Norwegian Aviation Museum, Bodø.
The exhibition, Free as a Bird – Paragliding Around the World, features the work of pilot and photographer Ole Dalen and photographer Merethe Leirvik, and ends at the end of this year.
Through images and film clips, Ole and Merethe show that paragliding is more than just a sport — but a lifestyle, a form of travel, and a unique way to connect with people and nature. From dramatic mountains and rugged coastlines to serene glides over valleys and jungles, their images capture the feeling of freedom and the pure joy of flight.
Ole and Merethe, who both come from Bodø, which sits just north of the Arctic Circle, flew in locations all over the world, from the Austrian Alps to the USA, Africa to Abu Dhabi, Indonesia to China and many countries in between.
The exhibition also features three films: one showcasing flying in Norway, another capturing paragliding adventures from around the world, and a short film by Ole titled Paragliding Passion, which focuses on female pilots and their passion for flight.
The exhibition, which opened at the end of May, closes at the end of December 2025 but the pair are in discussions to bring it to Oslo.
