Weekend Wanderings

Saturday morning, having fought and won the dreaded Battle of the Shower* against the boys, we made our way to Oslo for a change of scenery. After parking our little Golf near Aker Brygge, we grabbed our coats and walked up towards Karl Johan Gate. It was a chilly morning, but we didn't feel cold thanks to the sunshine and brisk walking.

Karl Johan (so named after King Karl Johan) is the main thoroughfare in Oslo, connecting the Central Railway Station in one end with the Royal Palace in the other, passing Stortinget (Parliament) and the National Theatre on the way. The lower part of the street is a cobble stoned pedestrian only walkway, and this is where you'll find all the upmarket boutiques that Oslo has to offer. The upper part of the street is a wide boulevard with a park and the National Theatre on one side, the University of Oslo's Faculty of Law on the other, and, at the very end, the Royal Palace.



During the summer, Karl Johan is bustling with people shopping or enjoying a drink or meal at one of the numerous cafes and restaurants lining either side. In the wintertime, the park between the National Theatre and Stortinget is turned into a skating rink, to the amusement of children young and old. The street is truly the heart of the capital, and it is my favourite place to visit in Oslo.



Our boys are particularly fond of playing in the Royal Gardens, but this time around, we decided to walk down towards the Central Railway Station. The street artists scattered along the way provided the necessary amusement to keep the boys going, despite my occasional pit stops into various clothing stores.

Next to the railway station are a couple of newer shopping centres, where we managed to pick up a new pair of indoor running shoes for Christopher. I was shocked to find that he now has bigger feet than me. My feet are on the small side, but having your child outgrow you in anything is nevertheless a milestone. And yet another sign that they are growing up much too quickly.

After a gourmet lunch at McDonald's for our nugget-deprived boys, we leisurely strolled back to the car along the Oslo fjord, passing the infamous City Hall on our way.

As we left Oslo, we happened to see the Color Line cruise ship that we are scheduled to go to Kiel on in a fortnight. The boys were extremely impressed with the sheer size of the ship, and are now looking forward to our mini-getaway.

Sunday morning was yet another crisp but beautifully sunny day, allowing us to meet up with my sister and her boys for a good 7 km trek on forest trails. Christopher has been a good walker for some time, but I am noticing a big change in Benjamin, who now keeps up with his brother and cousins, and does not complain when walking for several hours. I'd forgotten just how pleasant these walks can be without continuous whining and whinging about feeling tired, having sore feet, being cold, hungry or thirsty.



Today's walk took us from Landfalltjernen to Tverken cottage, where we stopped and purchased freshly made waffles from the city-run cottage. And truly, there's nothing like eating waffles and drinking home-made hot chocolate on a lovely fall day.

Compared to last weekend, when I was ready to give my boys away for free, getting out and moving around did wonders for us this weekend. I am still noticing signs of teenageritis in Christopher, but I'm happy to report that the fresh air improved his symptoms somewhat.

I'll sign off with this final piece of happy news. Remember my plans to sneak off with this Object of Absolute Cuteness?



Well, as luck would have it, I no longer need to: Ann and Per have graciously asked Mike and I to be Godparents for baby nephew Emil. We are both honoured and extremely excited! I also believe this grants me rights to access at all times, which will come in handy whenever my children are acting, you know, like 7 and 10 year olds.

*To be addressed at a later date, as I currently do not have the energy required to describe - in sufficient and necessary detail - the amount of persuasion, coaxing, threatening and bribing required to get my children to SHOWER.

Saturday Scramble

Saturday morning we were finally able to hike up Lauvdalsbrea, one of the most unusual peaks around our cottage. We'd been hoping to do it for years, but I am glad we waited. Christopher and my nephew Joakim were finally old enough to join us, and that made our trip so much more enjoyable.

The weather was pretty good on Saturday. The temperatures hovered around freezing when we got up, but rose to a balmy 5 degrees by the time we set off. The cloud cover looked to be high enough not to be a concern, although lower clouds did seem to blow in and out at a rapid pace.

Lauvdalsbrea is the peak to the far left

We had to drive a bit to get to the foot of the mountain, and as we got out of the car, we realized just how windy the morning was. The cottage is somewhat sheltered from the elements, but out in the open the wind gusts were surprisingly strong.

Christopher, Joakim, Mike and I

My favourite picture of the day is the one below of Christopher and Joakim taking a break on the way up. I love their rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes. In the background you can see towards Hemsedal, a famous ski resort in Norway. This picture gives a good impression of just how cool the day was, and how barren and harsh the landscape is in the Norwegian mountains. And yes, the white stuff is snow.



We'd been taken aback by the windy conditions at the foot of the mountain, but were even more surprised by the gusts at the top. Here's my dad braving the elements, as the rest of us enjoyed our hot chocolate while taking shelter behind one of the cairns built to show the way.



Upon descending, we picked a slightly different route, and it turned out to be a fair bit rockier. I am not ashamed to admit I was down on all four occasionally, in order not to slip on the wet and icy rocks and break a limb.

Mike and Joakim on one of the larger rocks

Here I am in all my elegance...



...and can I just say it seemed a lot harder at the time than this picture indicates!

There is something innately serene and calming about walking in the mountains. I have to be vigilant and concentrate at all times, to not put a foot wrong and slip and possibly hurt myself. By focusing 100% on the present, I forget about those pesky little problems that often seem to be nagging at the back of my mind.

I look around at the mountains and marvel that they've been there for centuries, and will be there for centuries to come. My issues and anxieties become insignificant and melt away in the presence of such stoic tranquility. It is such a peaceful experience, with the added bonus of giving my body a bit of a workout.

Returning from the hike, I felt like I'd used my body and mind the way they were meant to be used. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday morning.

We did it!

Having said goodbye to the Yims early on Saturday, we did not want B boy and Christopher to spend the day worrying about starting a brand new school on Monday, and were therefore looking for a distraction for both of them. We asked my sister if Benjamin could visit his cousin Mathias, and since older brother Joakim was away at a weekend soccer camp, Mathias was only too happy to have company.

Christopher, meanwhile, was enticed into joining our second attempt to conquer Gaustatoppen, the highest mountain in the county of Telemark, some 2.5 hours drive from here. My parents also joined us for the trek, and we set off immediately after Mike returned from dropping off HY and kids at the airport.

Gaustatoppen is famous for offering an impressive view from its summit. Under ideal circumstances, this view encompasses some 60 000 square kilometres, roughly one sixth of Norway. While driving towards the mountain, we did notice cloud cover, but nothing like what we had experienced on our first attempt to do this trek two weeks ago. In fact, in between clouds, the sun would actually peek out for a while. We were optimistic!

As we reached the starting point for our trek, we quickly realized that we were not the only ones taking advantage of the good conditions of the day. The parking lot was full, and a steady stream of people could be seen walking up a very well-marked path. Clearly, hardy Norwegians do not consider this hike to be much of a challenge, as several young children, some even younger than Christopher, were bouncing up the path next to their parents.



The path started out easy enough, in lush green landscape with a few rocky outcrops here and there, and the odd sheep with accompanying bell. Nothing much to it. Sure we had to jump a stream or two, but it was all in a day's work. Our destination for the day was the radio tower visible in the far distance in both pictures immediately above and below, and at this pace, we believed we would reach it very quickly.



As we came around the bottom of the mountain, however, the path changed to become more rocky, and only continued to do so for the remainder of the trek. Christopher loved jumping from rock to rock, but this was a little harder for older hips and joints, so we saw quite a few hot and flustered faces on our way. The pace slowed quite a bit, but we still soldiered on.




My father - an ironman who gives the impression that he could run up the side of Mt. Everest without losing a stride - showed his impressive Norwegian genes and tackled the rocks with the energy of a much younger man. We expected nothing less, as this is the same man who often plays 2 x 18 holes a day in the summer, and has been known to ski 50 km cross country in the winter time.



My mother, on the other hand, is from Denmark. For those familiar with Denmark, that should say it all when it comes to mountain trekking. For those of us who are not, suffice to say that the highest "peak" in Denmark is 170 metres. Although she has lived in Norway for several years now, this was actually her first real climb, and with Gaustatoppen's 1883 metres, she picked quite a big one to start with! We were all surprised at how rocky the trek was, but she persevered without complaint and made everyone proud!

Seeing as our pace had been slowed by the rocky nature of the climb, we decided to stop for lunch half way through our hike. Cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, and grapes provided a great break for us. Not to forget the chocolate. There can be no trip for our family without chocolate, and we had brought a double dose this time. Chocoholics should take note that chocolate tastes even better in fresh mountain air! Hae Yung should also pay attention to the very snazzy coffee cups used by my parents for the first time on this trek, and visible in the picture below. They worked perfectly, and were just the right size for a quick cup of coffee on our way up.



The Norwegian Trekking Association keeps a staffed cottage close to the summit of Gaustatoppen, where people who are hiking over several days can spend the night. Those of us simply doing a day trek can also purchase a cup of hot chocolate and deliciously home-made waffles to get a little sustenance before starting the trip down the rocky path again.

I had wondered whether those working at the cottage cafe had to climb up the mountain every morning, only to hike down again at night. Can you imagine climbing a mountain as your daily commute?! That's a little different from the DVP...However, the girls at the cottage actually hike up once and stay for two months at a time. That makes more sense, of course, but it does mean that they have to hike up with a 15 kg. backpack on their backs, so they have clothing to last them those 8 weeks. Still, I cannot imagine a more beautiful place to work and I am sure they think it is absolutely worth it.



The weather had been steadily improving during our climb up, witnessed by our gradual shedding of clothing, and when we finally reached the cottage, the sun was shining and the views were truly spectacular. I got quite a zen-feeling looking out at the amazing vistas. Everywhere you turned, you could see rugged snow-covered mountains, glaciers, mountain lakes, valleys with huge rivers running through them and little towns perched on hillsides.

The peak at Gaustatoppen is another 20 minute hike from the cottage, and consists of climbing a ridge of fairly large rocks. Since the difference in height between that and the cottage is minimal, many hikers simply make the cottage their destination, and I would not recommend the actual peak for those with a fear of heights, as the drop on either side is steep in places. As such, we left Christopher and Mormor at the cottage while Mike, Bestefar and I hiked the final few metres. I was happy Christopher had not come along because I found the final stretch quite challenging, but at last we did it!



It was another great adventure, and best of all, I woke up today without feeling sore! Maybe the morning runs up those pesky hills around here are actually doing some good! Speaking of which, I should probably go for one...!

Hiking it...

First full day at the cottage, and all the kids, with the exception of Nathan, were up early! B boy was persuaded to give sleep another try, but Samantha and Christopher were rearing to go, so they joined Mike and I for a drive down to the small town of Ål, to pick up a few provisions. After all, one pizza can only get us so far. Even with kids who do not eat...



In town, we stocked up on essentials such as bread, bread and bread. Throw in a bit of bread, and we were all set. The kids had an ice cream while we waited for the local sports store to open. Nothing like a nutritious breakfast to kick off the day! As soon as the doors open, we marched in with a mission: Christopher received a small scouts knife from his grandparents three years ago, and B boy had been waiting for his own ever since. We told him he had to wait until he was 7, foolishly thinking that by then he would have calmed down and become responsible enough to handle one! Well, he was now holding us to that promise! After all, it had been a full two days since he turned 7.

World beware. Benjamin is now armed! Fortunately, the store had enough knives for B boy, Nathan and Samantha. They even had a special girl knife for Samantha that we got pretty excited about.

Well back at the cottage, everyone was now up. We had breakfast - bread. Then we packed our bags and got ready for the goal of the day: Hiking up a mini-mountain. Benjamin, Mike and I had hiked up this hill a few years earlier, and we thought it would be a good challenge for the kiddies.

So into the car we went again, as we felt it safer to drive to our starting point. True trekkers would have walked there, of course, but who are we kidding...! Besides, we didn't want to completely discourage our kids from ever hiking again.



I think we were all a tiny bit worried about how the kids would react to this adventure, and perhaps especially Nathan,who is not known to be the most outdoorsy type. And in fairness to all the kids, we are not talking about some manicured, grassy hill you simply skip up. This is a rough part of the country, with loads of bushes to push through, streams to jump over, and rocks to climb over. But we needn't have worried. Just as in past situations, the kids all rose to the occasion, and Nathan in particular shone as he was the first one to start the trek uphill, and the first to reach the "summit". Much to the pride of his mommy, and totally well-deserved!

In fact, I suspect Hae Yung at one point thought we had bitten off more than we could chew, as she hiked up the rocky side of the hill. She is adamant in her claim that she had to use both hands and feet to hang on to the side, and believes that at that point the hill had an incline of at least 75 degrees. Interesting that no one else had that experience, but perhaps she took a more advanced route to the top :)



After our arduous hike, it was time to put our newly purchased scouts knives to use, so we organized a picnic lunch and proceeded to walk to a place where we knew there was a fire pit created out of rocks. The kids all sharpened their sticks and grilled hot dogs over the fire, followed by dough that is baked on the same sticks into (somewhat burned) bread, and finally marshmallows.






The evening saw the weather changing a bit from sun to rain, so it was spent indoors. After that much activity, the kids were only too happy to be allowed to spend some quality time on the couch, with their beloved Nintendo DS's. And we were quite happy to sit back with some wine and a couple of good books.