Moving North - Senja

After we left Anne and Eric's wonderful home, it was time to stretch our wings again and head north.  This move marked the start of the second half of our time in Norway; it was hard to grasp how quickly the first half had passed!  While our goal of the first half was to travel and hike in Norway, the goal of our second half was to stop, regroup, explore and experience Norwegian culture in a single location.  We rented a house on the island of Husøy, a small fishing village of 150 people near the larger island of Senja above the Arctic Circle.  We flew from Trondheim to Tromsø and then rented a car to drive and ferry our way to our new home. 

When we landed in Tromsø, it was early in the morning and we had some time to explore.  We first made our way to the essential local (and truly amazing) information center. I always feel like a kid in a free candy shop when I walk into these Norwegian centers; they have the nicest people to help you plan your visit with suggested itineraries, maps and advice and they can translate any website you are stuck on. We had a delightful breakfast in a downtown cafe and then headed to the library for hours.  The kids had really been missing the feel of real paper and real books, so when they spotted the town library, it was all they wanted to do. Little One learned to read via the "Piggy and Gerald" books when she was young. We found the same books in Norwegian and it was a blast trying to read those books and another favorite, The Giving Tree. Then we went off to a Walmart-sized grocery store to stock up on food for the month before we drove down to our new island home. 

There is definitely a different feel to the North.  It is a lot cooler, older, the roads with pot holes felt more like home. Small villages dot the arctic wilderness.  It took us two hours to arrive at the bridge to our small town. We found our cute little new home and settled in contentedly for this next phase of our journey. 

Traverse took this from the deck this morning while he was making coffee - "this is the Norway I had always imagined" he said.

So excited by her find in books

The libraries remind me of how much better off we are together. This free, warm, welcoming home, filled from top to bottom with stories, adventures, and knowledge for anyone to enjoy was a welcomed stop on this rainy day of travel.

On the ferry to our new home.

Moving into a small rural village of 150 practical Norwegians, I was worried about standing out like a sore thumb. Well, a snafu in our rental car reservations resulted in us being the proud drivers of this "subtle" ride for the next month. I had to abandon any hope of blending in- which was probably obvious anyway. So here is to standing out, letting go and moving forward!

My view as I type this blog: the family working on school work and bills while I look out over the fjord.

Home

There was something magical about the past few days.   I needed to hold every moment, not blog, not do anything but be totally present in that very moment because.... we were home.

The first night I tucked the girls in they said "mom I have been craving something this whole time, I thought it was water, salt, fresh food, but I realized it was just that I was craving home and for the first time since we left, I feel like I am home here, even the pieces of paper in the trash feel like home".

In Alaska we have no family, many people do not, and so the group of us  have functioned as family for each other, passing down clothes, celebrating holidays, supporting each other though tough times and celebrating the joys.  This trip would not have happened without the love and support of that group, watching our dogs, caring for our house and giving us the strength to actually go.  They challenged us to make the most of each part and eased our fears when another obstacle would arise.

One of my dearest friends who I have known since that first week in Alaska also grew up in Colorado, has 2 kids, similar work and similar loves.  I won't even begin to describe her role in my life here, but it is relevant because she has a brother, sister-in-law a niece and nephew that live in Norway.  For years I have been hearing about their bread, their crazy adventures, their amazing 2 kids, her running and triathlon career, his professional biking career and their intense love for the mountains and each other.  My friend's generosity knows no boundary and she made sure we were connected and basically knew each other before we had meet in person.  

Over a year ago when we started to plan for our trip, Anne (her sister-in-law) helped us with every step.  She gave us recommendations, helped with planning and helped put all the pieces of Norway together.  As their plans and ours came together it looked like we had one weekend that our paths would cross and they invited us into their home with the warmth and love of family.

The first day their kids were at camp, but Anne and Eric began the weekend long session of feeding us every Norwegian traditional food, made by scratch.  Anne has these magic hands and even before she takes off her running pack, bread is in the oven or she is stirring together berry sauce from berries she just collected and making you feel like you have always belonged. 

The next day, Anne was going to running this "Opp" - a Norwegian race and I tagged along.  As I  huddled in a remote mountain cabin near the Swedish boarder out of the rain watching these incredible fit, excited Norwegians vibrating with excitement to start a technical, soaking wet mountain run that ends with a 700 meter boulder head wall, I felt like maybe this was the first time I was seeing the real Norway and I was in over my head.  Despite my impressive head start (I left over an hour before Anne started) I got to the top not long before the elite finishers and watched Anne pull way from another runner half her age like she was standing still.  Everywhere we went, I was clearly with the the mountain racing communities' star who has won that race 7 times, set the record for Norseman Xtreme Triathlon and makes it all look effortless.  The race itself was wonderful, but it was spending the day with someone who lives so deeply, openly and honestly and who welcomed me in so fully is what I will remember the most. 

When we returned home, the kids and dads had their own adventure, taking a canoe and stand up paddle boarded through the center for Trodenhiem past all the major attractions.  All were happy and content with a day of exploration.  That evening we sucked out the best parts out of Norwegian shrimp at dinner and shared the days adventures.

Sunday came and we started by the Norwegian tradition of "friluftsliv" or walking in the mountains, swimming in the lake in a downpoor and picking berries, but the afternoon brough Anne and Eric's children home from ski camp and the families felt complete.  The kids picked berries, played cards, jumped on the trampoline, swapped stories about their favorite candies and both families stayed up way too late before school and an early flight.

The only thing that made it easier to leave this new home was our mutual family, theirs by blood, ours by friendship that brought us together in the first place and will bring us back together again.  We are so grateful for this home away from home. 

The beauty of this race - much of the start was along the boardwalks up and down the hills as we made our way to the head wall.

Just before the race I started thinking to myself, "what am I doing here?”

Anne pulling away in the final stretch. The rocks are slick, steep and uneven to the final flag above a glacier.

All the racers headed down the headwall after the race. It is hard to appreciate this 45° slope here, but it was so great to be among this amazing mountain crowd, all full of smiles and laughs enjoying this challenge in the hills.

The dads and the girls had their own amazing adventure on the water seeing all the highlights of the city on their own power.

Not a bad way to travel

Anne at home with her running pack still on, whipping up more amazing food and telling a great story all at the same time.

A walk in the woods has usually involved sheep in this country. This Sunday was no different.

Kids really wanted to swim, so off we went and Anna threw on her wetsuit to get some laps in.

As soon as they got in the water a downpour started; you can actually see the rain on the lake here.

All four kids finding berries for dinner.

These red currents were amazing and a perfect way to end a great weekend.

A tale of two valleys

The last few days have found again some quite and routine to our lives as we were in the same place for 5 nights. We got caught up on the blog (thanks for all the kind comments and those following along) and began to get caught up on work and school related items.  Each afternoon we have headed out to explore the surrounding valleys and again the more you see and know, the more there is to see and know. 

The most memorable part for me was the two small valleys that came off of the fjord, one going to the Briksdalsbreen glacier and the other, Lovatnet Lake with the Kjenndal Glacier at the end.  We live in Alaska, we have seen glaciers, beautiful valleys, emerald green lakes, but all I can say is WOW.  I feel silly even putting pictures up as they did not do justice.   

The valley headed to Brikesdalsbreen was a beautiful countryside with red barns among florescent green fields and emerald green lakes nestled below the hanging glacier and thundering waterfalls.  The owner of our current Airbnb is a third generation photographer and his grandfather grew up in this valley.  His grandmother lived in another town, over the top of the ice field and sold cheeses and milk across the glacier.  At that time there were no roads so people traveled via the fjord or over the glacier.  One day she came over the glacier and into the valley to sell cheese, meet his grandfather and never left, swearing it was the best valley in the whole world.  Driving up I could see why.  

The road up the valley is just big enough to get tour buses (if you drive very creatively) and we happened to pick a day where three large ships were in port.  The road essentially changed to a walking path near the ships and masses of tourist swarmed the streets.  Less paid to take a bus up to the glacier, but plenty still made it and many we overheard saying it was the best day of their trip so far.  The trail up to the hanging glacier itself was only a few miles and a great trail, but many took a cart that would take them to the top.  The car full of tourists smoking and taking iPad videos passed as we made our way up the trail.  However, the forces of nature left no-one alone drenching everyone from the mist of an incredible waterfall you had to pass, like a troll taking its price for using their bridge.   The water is very high this year due to the high temperatures (highest ever recorded) and the glacial melt comes pounding of the glacier with awe-inspiring force.  Despite the crowds, it was well worth the visit.

The following day we got a slower start and headed up towards Lovatnet Lake out of the town of Loen just passed where we started our climb up Mt. Skala. This valley is much steeper and the road (most of the time one way where you had to back up if another car comes to your direction until someone finds a wider spot) feels barely big enough for our tiny eco car and too small for buses.  It too had a fascinating, yet tragic history.  Twice in the early 1900's huge rock slides came off the surrounding cliffs, landing in the lake below creating a wave so great, wiping out the town and some 135 people living there.  There are no permanent residents but the rock slide created this huge underwater sandbar so the lake almost looks like the water magically is milky on one side and deep emerald green on the other.  

The valley had a power to it and I was craving a longer road run, so off I went.  The rest of the family rented a rowboat and I headed up the road where it ends essentially in a terminal moraine at the base of another stunning hanging glacier.   As my feet rhythmically pounded the pavement to the sound of the surrounding waterfalls, sweaty, tired and completely content I breathed in a deep breath of gratitude for all in the world that has gotten me to this point.  How lucky I am to have a body that moves, a family I love, a mind that works, meaningful work and space to only think about my breath and let the surrounding valley hold me.  

Kids headed up to the first glacier with waterfalls everywhere.

Here the girls are crossing the bridge under an amazing waterfall near the base of the glacier. The sign said it can produce 10,000 liters a minute and there was so much spray that the whole area and everyone who came near were drenched.

Coming back through you can see the waterfall from a different angle and its eternal rainbow.

Big One’s favorite picture of the day. I think they are getting tired of us saying, "hey smile" so this is what we got this time. You can see the wind in their hair from the force of the nearby the falls.

Once we got to the glacier and the lake - off went the shoes and on went the imagination.

One more waterfall (I am not even sure I the noticed the one in the picture when I took it)

Near the end of the road at Lovatnet Lake. You can see the glacier in the background, rent a bike or a boat or have a very bitter cup of coffee here.

The girls and the boat

Little One helping to pull the boat in.

The end of the road: a place with few people, incredible views and I think the best "turn around" point for a run ever.

A welcome site: my family rowing back (with the car keys!).

On the left you can see the large section of broken rock with no trees where the rock had fallen almost a hundred year ago.

Mt Skala

After it was recommended by a friend, climbing Mt. Skala was high on my to-do list.  I watched a video of the Skala Opp (race) and I found out that the original summit hut was created by a physician Hans Henrik Gerhard Klouman in late 1800’s for unclear reasons.  I read that it was built to treat tuberculosis but there are no reports of TB in this area until the 1990's and it would be have been very difficult to access if you were sick.  

Regardless of the age of the hut, its history and the fact it is the longest uphill stretch of climbing Norway was enough to make me want to come to this area and explore. We hiked the first day after we arrived; at first the weather looked promising but then it got windy as a storm moved in.  The way up was filled with blueberries and raspberries and we gradually climbed above tree line.  Just above the lake, we started to feel the wind and by the time we reached the pass, I thought we might be turning around as it was becoming hard to stand.   However both the kids seem to get more determined as the conditions got worse and they continued to scramble upward.   Isabelle talked about how well "Alaska" had prepared them for bad weather adventures and she proceeded to recite a long list of times when we had run out food, water, clothing or other essentials.  She also talked about the many times one of her "other moms" (i.e my amazing friend group) had to step in and help her as her "temporary mom."  It made me smile to think that she looked back at these obstacles as positives; I hoped this wind would be one more such story.

The last stretch to the top of any mountain in Alaska would have been an endless boulder field, but in Norway, it was a beautifully terraced pathway of flat stones-even the trails are engineered to perfection!  We went into the beautiful old two-story shelter for awhile before making our way down as the crowds picked up.   On the way down, there was a beautiful lake where we had filled up with water on the way up. This time we stopped and had lunch, a nap and a swim in the glacial water.  Eating berries, telling stories and feeding cows filled the rest of the way down. We all agreed that Mt. Skala was not as hard as we had feared and it was a wonderful hike all around.

Lily climbing to the top.

The top, just above a glacier. The summit hut was built over a 120 years ago - a welcome shelter to many-especially this day.

Inside the shelter there was a wood stove, supplies and beds (if you chose to stay the night).

Time to brave to cold and get ready to head back down.

The sense it was cold didn't last for long; after a warm lunch the girls went swimming in a very cold lake!

Isabelle telling me how awesome these stairs are as we approached the summit.

The cows were a hit, and very friendly. This one gave Lily’s arm a full bath when she reached out.

One more waterfall on the way down

Lily missed all of dinner and was out cold; you wouldn’t have known she was that tired!

Airbnb, a different way to travel

The last time I traveled extensively, I had a backpack, a Lonely Plant Guide and a vague sense of a plan.  I ended up in hostels most of the time, met fantastic people, figured out new places and saw great things.  My journal was in a beautiful notebook which I still have and treasure. But times have changed… now I record the passing of our days on computer and Airbnb has become our family version of a hostel.  It is often cheaper for our family of 4 to rent space in an Airbnb than it is to all stay in a hostel;  it is WAY cheaper than a hotel and it provides experiences that I have come to treasure much more than I expected. It also has allowed us to find places to stay off the beaten path and to get to know people from the area.  The last two places  we stayed are good examples. 

In Odda, I chose a place because it was close to the hiking we wanted to do. It had a good price and the owner got rave reviews; it looked like she cared about the small details.  It was run by an Australian women who was married to a Norwegian man (who was always smiling or laughing every time we met him and was beyond delightful).  They had a beautiful patio (where we had almost every meal), a park outside the door, locally grown tomatoes and a local swimming hole which we took advantage of again and again. After three nights there, the kids wanted to live there permanently.  They wanted to come back in a year or two and be her nanny as she is expecting in October.  We lingered at the end of our stay, not wanting to let this charming town, this apartment or our hosts go.  

The following place we stayed in resulted from a change in plans. We had planned to go to Flam, a more popular area of Norway, but after seeing the crowds, we found an Airbnb on a raspberry farm in a different valley.  It was a good decision.  The old house was built by the grandparents of the current owner.  The upstairs apartment greeted us with bowl of fresh raspberries and over the next two days we probably picked and consumed 1-2 gallons of berries.  After a lovely conversation with our hosts on their patio about kids, education, foreign language, schooling and much more, they gave us nice walking directions to the city center past an old Stave church (built around 1100 AD) and back.   We saw only a few other people the entire day and loved exploring the country side and a great museum about climate change. 

Staying at Airbnbs in the States has seemed far more impersonal than these lovely visits which have been a real highlight of our trip so far.

One more bowl of raspberries!

After an incredible thunderstorm that started a small fire near us, the sun came back and our whole family (now listening to the Alchymist as we drive) said the rainbow must be an good omen. You can see their "old" raspberry farm in the field.

The old Stave church, one of 26 still standing, was constructed with no metal (including nails).

Enjoying breakfast on the shared patio with our lovely family in Odda.

Getting the most out of the local swimming hole.

The many moods of Norway and the many moods of these two.

Finding small treasures along the way.

Glacial science experiments, hydroelectric modeling and climate change were the focus of this great kids museum on the way to central Europe's largest glacier.

Exploring a model ice cave, including frozen bodies.

A haunting exhibit on the effects of global warming. It made me miss my grandfather Al's wisdom and say a prayer for the next generations.

Trolltunga, Odda and other adventures with people

After we left the Skapet huts we drove North. The plan was to hike Preikestolen (a relatively easy hike on the north side of Lysefyord where we had just spent 5 days) on our drive day. However, the trails have been packed with tourists this July-in the sunniest summer on record in Norway.  Also, if there are good Google images, everyone goes there.  We drove up to the trailhead and the crowds for parking and hiking were enough to make us bag the hike and move on. For what its worth, we are from Alaska and we are just are not used to hiking with lots of people.  

Our next plan was to go to the town of Odda and hike Trolltunga (Troll's tongue).  While very popular, it is rated a much harder hike and so we were hoping that would keep the crowds down a bit.  The hike is 17.3 miles long with 4,435 feet of elevation gain (starting from the highest parking lot).  When we got to the trailhead at 7 am, the upper parking lot was already filled and the lower lot was almost packed.   We paid $40 to park the car and we were off with the rest of the crowd to see the famous rock. It was a stunning day and the hike was beautiful;  it was mostly above tree line and overlooked lakes and fjords. The crowds were impressive.   There were no restrooms along the trail which made every nature call a bit of an adventure; it got renamed "turdtunga" by one member of the family.  

The end of the trail by the famous “rock" was crazy! There was a line and it took about an hour to get your picture taken on the rock.  People were kind and taking turns so you could get your own picture on the rock; it was spectacular but it just seemed silly to wait so long for a selfie.  Instead, we took a video of everyone else doing the same selfies over and over again.  Then we walked about 5 minutes away and found a very similar rock where we got our own pictures and we were able to sit off on our own and enjoy a beautiful quiet lunch.   Our family views on the crowded hike varied from "the saddest abuse of nature and utterly disturbing" to "isn't it great all these people out enjoying a hike and this beautiful day". Regardless, it was great to get exercise and a reminder to always look beyond the obvious as there is much more there.

Family selfie on our own version of the famous rock.

The view most of the time hiking.

Lily with her shirt matching the incredible blue water. The pictures really did not capture the water and the sun. This was our version of the real Trolltunga which you can see in the video below. The real one is cleaner and a little longer but this area was filled with these harder layers of rock sticking out over the lake below.

Other Skapet adventures

As anyone reading this for any time can tell, I got behind on posts as we had no WiFi for over a week and then we basically overwhelmed the system when we were online while uploading and editing pictures.  We finally got back to a good connection and we are trying to get caught up while the kids get catch up on school work.  I debated a lot about this blog.  Things like FB or Instagram make it way easier to share, but then they can have access to your photos and I really didn't want to dominate people's feeds. Also, I am a terrible speller and so writing publicly without an editor is always intimidating.  I did, however, I want a way to keep a journal of the trip, mostly for myself.  I find that when I can sit down and write or reflect about an area, it makes me see and remember it differently and it helps me to get the most out of each day.   I also wanted a way to share with friends and family what we have been doing; I thought there would be others who might want to do a similar adventure someday. I got great help from many family travel blogs when we were trying to decide what to pack, where to go and what to do, and I am grateful for their shared time and experience; it felt like we should do the same.

One of the challenges with a blog are those random pictures of adventures that don't fit into any category or any given trip.  There were many such moments for me at the Skapet huts: yoga on the rocks, dancing with Lily, a hard trail run on my own finding myself on the edge of a cliff or in a downpour so strong I might as well have been swimming (which is exactly what I did after the run with all my clothes, socks and shoes on).  I hope to always carry these small moments that make the trip special with me (some caught on camera, some not).

Animals have always liked him. This one came back that night looking for him again and making a ton of noise wishing he would come play again.

Dancing with the Lily after the rain had passed.

Her crow pose is getting better.

Morning fun. They clearly love doing two person yoga.

Looking up during my run to see the huge cliffs I was running along. Well, "running" may be a stretch for what I did most of the trail as it was full of boulders, twist and turns, but it was beautiful and soul fulfilling.

The rocks might as well have been a thousand dollar playground. Here they are kings of the mountain not ready to come down for the night.

Happy camper.

Trying to roll the rock on our way in.

Not sure the kids think we can ever get enough pictures of these guys.

Time to leave and the weather fit our mood as we were sad to see these cabins go.

4444 and counting

While we were at the Skapet huts we took some needed downtime along with time to explore.  Our biggest day trip was a loop where we hiked from the huts down the fiord to a town called Florli. In Florli, they had a cute little cafe where we all inhaled homemade lasagna or burgers with a wonderfully fresh salad. We returned up a staircase that supported the old hydroelectric plant called the Florli 4444 stairs and then we had to go back down almost to the fjord where we joined the trail which took us back up to the cabins. I had estimated that it would be about a 10-mile loop but my watch told me it was 16.6 miles with about 5000 feet of elevation gain.  We have been on longer hikes and hikes with more elevation gain before, but for some reason, this one felt long (maybe it was because you start by going down so much and then have to climb twice after lunch;  maybe it was because the hut master said it was too much for one day).  The beautiful stairs where the main highlight of the day; they take you practically up a rock face at times and they were a totally different way to climb mountains.  The sign said that there were 4444 stairs- but that plaque comes before the top and the girls thought the count was 4526- close! 

Over all, the day was a big success; a fun adventure from our home for the week.

I followed these cute feet up all of the stairs. It definately made me appriciate her choice of socks for the year!

Here you can get a little sense of the height of the steep stairs and how they hug the mountain. This shot was taken early on while we were still below tree line. You can see the fjord where we started below.

Kids charging ahead

The trails are incredibly well marked even if the trail itself doesn't really exist. This one went up around and around.

This T has now been showing up in my dreams. It is the red T painted on all of the trails that lead to all of the huts in Norway, and it also marks essentially every major trail we have been on in the country. Finding and following the "red T" is like finding blueberries. After a day or two of straining to see them through the rest of the visual noise, it is what I see when I close my eyes at night.

We are getting used to the fact no one purifies water here and you just drink out of the creeks. We have had many hours of discussion questioning if the water is really cleaner here or if we are just more paranoid in Alaska. I guess we will see.

Singing a sweet song as she heads home.

Everywhere we go, fjords dominate the landscape, the culture and the environment. This is the famous Lysefjord near our cabin and you can see a little town supported just by boat in the distance along the water..

Saunas

I would be remiss if I didn't post something specifically about the Norwegian sauna.  (And Rebecca - your comment last night made me post this and the next one, thanks for following along!)  The sauna at the Skapet hut was epic: beautiful, easy to use, and right by a river by a lake with an attached shower which you could turn into a heated shower.  The sauna stove had a front water chamber for heating the water.  What was really epic about this sauna were the conversations. The first time we used the sauna we had just returned from a long (16+) mile hike and the sauna was already being used by 2 Norwegian couples.  We had an amazing conversation that evening, One man had left Jamaica when he was 17, lived all over the world, and then went to school in Norway. He is now happy here with his wife/girlfriend who told us fascinating stories about local foods. We discussed the strength of the middle class, his Tessla, and his love of travel.  We also covered taxes, culture, cars, languages, and educational systems. At the end of the evening, we shared a large stew with some local berry sauce.  The girls played endlessly and said that they had never had so energetic (when hours before they said they could not hike any further). They were in love with the other couple's 5 month old who tagged along the whole time, cuddled in a duffle bag-type portable bed. 

The second night at the sauna, we met a naked German theology professor, his sweet wife and his former Norwegian student who had hiked up with his own wife and their three kids about the ages of our girls. Conversations about the reasons Norway started NATO and didn’t join the EU were interspersed with topics such as cultural nationalism and the importance of a having a sense of belonging (through religion or cultural identity), as well as the importance of these things for kids came pouring out in the sauna.  I found the conversation fascinating and I literally left only when I was about to pass out because it was so hot in there.  The girls ran in and out of the conversation and the nearby lake.   The kids were not sure they were ready for using the alder branch to slap themselves during the sauna like the theologist did.  We all agreed that if this sauna was Norwegian "hot" (and everyone says Finnish saunas are much hotter), we would not survive a Finnish sauna.

The conversations and company were as beautiful and warm as the sauna itself. 

Getting the stove running the second day. That day, the solar effect of those windows gave us a head start.

Enjoying some quiet time as the sauna was heating up.

Lily’s face the first time she got in the lake!

Enjoying the warm water the sauna produced for one final wash before bed.

Off the grid....Skapet Huts

When we thought about what we wanted to include in this year and what we wanted to get out of our time together as a family, one place kept calling to all of us: the Skapet Huts in Norway.   It was a Google image that first attracted us and we all kept coming back to the idea of visiting these huts. In the end, I planned most of our time in southern Norway around these cabins.  

The Skapet Huts are a series of 6 cabins near a main cooking/dinning area with another outbuilding (containing a latrine and supplies) and a sauna down a path to the lake. The Skapet Huts are either 2.2 or 6 miles in by hiking trail (depending on which way you come) and they are run by the incredibly efficient Norwegian Trekking Association (https://english.dnt.no).  They help maintain over 500 cabins and have over 23,000 active members providing access to remote cabins in Norway which range from rustic accommodations to full service.  These particular cabins were unique because they won an architecture design competition by the architects of KOKO; they are truly stunning! There were many reasons we placed these huts so high on our list. First, as a family, we seem to do best in the mountains with smaller crowds; by hiking to the huts, we could get into the mountains and have a home base from which to explore with less people around.  I have also found it rewarding to stay in cabins with shared common areas while traveling with kids.  You can have your own space, but you cook and interact in a main cabin area, getting to meet people from all over the world.  The last reason we chose the Skapet Hutswas was because of  their simple, stunning architecture which brought the outside inside. The cabins did not disappoint.  They were more comfortable and more well thought out than we appreciated from the pictures and the cabins were filled mainly with Norwegians from around the country who graciously shared stories, stews and saunas with our family.  

As the light changed, so did the way the huts blended into the surroundings. This was our front door, with clothes drying from a run and a fern the girls has been playing with earlier. It felt like if this was in the forest you would miss it all together.

The common room was a great place for cards, cooking and company. The bright red and black wool blankets and the incredible view make it hard to leave when the rain came.

Cooking breakfast pancakes; a 5-year old quickly informed us in Norwegian that we were cooking them all wrong; our pancakes were too small-they needed to be big and round.

Inside one of the 6 cabins. This is the one we had rented for 5 days. There is sleeping space for 40 more in the main cabin and they always try to keep some space open for last minute members who need a bed.

I think Lily could have stayed inside all day enjoying some down time playing in her own world.

Looking towards the inside from the outside

This was the shower that was connected to the sauna. You could heat the water in the sauna, poor it into the shower tank and take a warm shower outside. It was also surprising how often the lake was used as a bath!

Here is a view of the main cabin as you approached it with our constant neighbors - the sheep.

The gray of the huts fit the clouds when they rolled in and cooled everything off.

We left Norway and headed to Greece

Ok, maybe not, but seriously this is great beach! Who would have thought of these pictures were taken in Norway! The weather has been amazing-sunny with temperatures from 65-70 (not 100).  This is the perfect beach for these Alaskans; you can wear a bikini or sweater - everything goes at this temperature. 

How can Traverse and I take the same picture but his looks like this!?!

I’m not sure if they were joking and stood like this to look cute or if really meant it, but hey, we’ll take it. Joking aside, it is so great they have each other on this trip. They have been great with each other and they are so glad to have someone to play with.

They could have played here all day

On the road again moving towards Stavanger, the oil capital of Norway.

The ferry system connecting the major roads in this part of Norway is pretty great; maybe I will get used to it and maybe I won’t. It took about 2 hours to get to Stavanger and there we checkout out a huge food festival going on. It was a beautiful day, but man, there were a lot of people! I think we do a little better as a family with less people and less moving. We are already looking forward to the mountains and eventually the arctic region where we will be in once place for a month and have a chance to really settle down for a bit. Tomorrow we are off to a backcountry cabin for 5 days which will be a nice change and hopefully work as planned.

On the road again

It was time to launch and start our journey south to explore more of the country.  The morning stared with a spectacular run and then off to the airport to pick up our car and make our journey south.   The drive was incredible.  Smooth, twisty country roads with road bikers, sheep, sharp cliffs down to the sea and amazing engineering.  Noway has been able to connect the dots of islands and fjords with incredible bridges look like the golden gate in the middle of the country side, tunnels that go forever under the ocean and sometimes contain a round about right in the middle under the sea.  The day brought us to the Island of Karmoy know for its white sandy beaches in this oil producing part of the country.   For this night we stayed, basically as guest, with an incredible welcoming Norwegian women's home.   She made us feel right at home in her beautifully restored 4th generation restored fishing home on the edge of the water and a short walk from a stunningly beautiful white sandy beach with incredible water.  It was a great reminder that no mater how much you love something, sometimes letting go and seeing what else is new, you might find even more treasures.   This also happened to be mistake gone well, as I had messed up a previous reservation and so this addition was a last minute change and wonderful surprised. 

All packed up and headed to the train station to get our car for the next two and a half weeks

My early morning run which I was dreading as I have not been running hills much recently but the scenery and my favorite running app - Active - motivated me the whole way and as I sprinted down, briefly making strava segment leader of the day and reminding me of why it is so good to get out on my own and push myself for me.

On the incredibly efficient ferry between Bergen and Stavenger. This major highway between two city includes a ferry that leaves every 15 minutes and was a welcome break from the car.

Dinner (well appetizers) on the coast in the is interesting half resort town, half sea industry town but decently a slower pace and distinctly sea side feel.

Who knew the water could be so blue in Norway. Beautiful quite beach we could have stayed at all day.

Having fun with the lowering sun and the spectacular water.

kids stole the camera!

sisterly love.

sleep well sweet world.

Last full day in Bergen

We had set aside this time in Bergen to get our feet under us, to get over the jet leg, and make sure we were ready to launch.  It reminds me of when we bought an ocean boat and took it out on a lake first to make sure the thing wouldn't sink.  Well I guess we are afloat and tomorrow we launch but it was great to have one more full day in Bergen.   Run, email, school work and reading filled the morning.  It was then time to explore and we were off to the KODE museums, as series of 4 art museums in the heart of Bergen that were fun, approachable and had some amazing art.  I loved this quote that I placed in the pictures how Munch "wanted to paint the basics themes of the modern inner life: love, anxiety and death" and that was the late 1800's.  Is that not always the them of inner life, modern or not?   Love, anxiety and death.  He sought to display these inner emotions upfront, in plane view on the canvas so these "moments could be communicated across space and time."   How beautiful it is to embrace and share our inner life.

I have so many pictures like this from toddlers to now teenagers. I am always in awe of these three.

Little one in a big world. She found this center point in the room that was amazing, if you taped your foot it echoed again and again like a series of dominos hitting each other but going further away. It really did not echo your voice however and the room somehow basically muffled all the sounds.

Reflecting on Picasso's use of the high pony tail.

This quote about Munch's work stuck a cord with me and the museum filled with is work was a powerful sight.

I loved how in this one is the person who died is light and every one else is in black and each with their own ghostly quality with the room almost melting around them.

The kids part of the museum was a blast. I loved how they used natural light, physical expressions of balance and the unexpected to tie together all they had just seen in the rest of the museum. This was right after a sweet dream theme kids exhibit.

Two sister Picasso style self portrait.

These two, after school work and art museums they were ready to run free. While we were distracted talking to another couple from the Washington DC, these two were planning out a whole play with nothing more than what we had with us and which used the whole front steps of the local theater.

Ok, I just can not get enough of all of these potted plants. You know it is the little things in life, the potted plants, the colorfully painted walls. They are like small treasures or little gifts each of these residents have left by the door step to greet us as we pass by. They are not elaborate, no landscape architect needed, but they bring such great joy each morning. I want to find more ways to share those little bits of joy for no other reason than to make someone else day.

Creating routine

The difference with this year is it is just that, a year.  Not a vacation, but a chance to try and live differently for long enough to create change.   To set routines into place that are harder to do in our normal life and live life as intentionally as we possible can.   There is a challenge to that.   What do we need to do to make each day the fullest but not have this pressure to have everything perfect?   We decided before we left that everyone would have the mornings to do as they want but that we will all get together for 7:30 yoga / strength lead by a different person.  Following yoga is breakfast, planning the day and then days without a big hike or plans, school work until mid afternoon with an evening jaunt.   Today was just that sort of day.  We are both clearly not school teachers and so that part we will be learning with them as we go.  Today after we got our work done, and explored and by mid afternoon we were super hot.  We ran into our very kind airbnb host who recommend a local swimming pool that goes into the ocean and off we went.   The clouds were starting to build, but we headed down and after much deliberation everyone jumped into the ocean before a huge rain storm hit and the very Norwegian sauna saved us!  

Little one working on her book report as she has already finished the two assigned books for Norway.

Little one joined me this morning on a walk instead of a run, she wanted to see the morning before all the people started to come out. It was really nice to just have one on one time.

She just wanted to see the green church on our walk, so we found it.

Ok now they are just making stuff up ;-)

"Are you kidding me? There is no way I am jumping in the ocean!"

15 min later they were both in the water without life jackets

Why let the kids have all of the fun?

A long walk home: Ulriken to Floyen

The weather has been beyond beautiful.   Warm (70's!), sunny, clear and beautiful sea breezes.  One thing we were worried about was leaving a cold, rainy, Alaska and coming to cold Norway, but we lucked out.  It has been fabulous to have a warm start to the trip and as a result we decided to take the day to play in the mountains.   There is an 11 mile hike from the top of one cable car, to another funicular (car type thing that goes up the moutain) and then back down into Bergen.  It seemed like a great to do it as we are starting to fall into a pattern of one day adventuring, one day rest and school.  Today was a great day for an adventure.  

Everywhere we go there is another obstacle course. This one was at the top Ulriken Cable car. We had a large family debate if we hike up and skip the cable car or take the car and then start the 11 mile hike. Lingering jet lag and the new adventure of being able to take the cable car won at the end of the day, up we went and let the hiking begin.

Glacial smoothed granite with sparking quarts filled the plateau that connected Ulriken and Floyen with the Fløibanen funicular that comes right out of downtown Bergen. Around every corner at the start was another hut, some small and rustic, others amazingly modern looking. I believe these are all run by the Norwegian hut association and their incredibly useful app provided a topo map as we went.

Trails, trails everywhere!!!

Lunch breaks are the best!

The kids loved the trail, the variation, the views and the amazing lakes kept them going.

About 7 miles in we had these fabulous views of the town of Bergen and the surrounding coast. What was crazy to me was the density of the city, but then the vast amount of surrounding open area that really felt like a local play ground. It was a partially beautiful day so the hills were full of people, all ages and abilities, running, hiking, playing in the mountains.

Crystal clear water and small beautiful lakes dotted the landscape.

Not sure what this was all about, but I guess we will remember?

The whole hike was seriously like this. The girls were excited to see from above all the places in Bergen they have grown to recognize and put them in a larger context.

A big treat for some big hikers. I have spent a lot of time asking myself what this year is really about, why we are doing it and today was a great reminder of part of what I was hoping to get our of the year. Just taking time to spend time with the family, leave behind the "gottas" as they are called in our family, we just "gotta" do this or that, but instead take the time to really be together, work on our individual weaknesses and instill habits that will serve us all for the future.

What time is it?

My little bird looking at this larger than life bird. 

Traverse always has a great eye for the unusual.  

The view from my morning run.

Jet lag has us all awake and asleep at different times and so today was a beautifully mellow day of walking, reading, yoga, and resting after a lot of packing, traveling and much anticipation.  It was also a chance to finish the school curriculum and finalize some more of our plans in Norway.  Truly a day of rest.

Norway gets an 11.5/10

We started the day walking the streets of Bergen. Flower pots spill over street curbs, doors painted brilliant colors, cats purched on windows.

Isabelle could not get enough of the bikes. Bike flower pots, bike door handles, bikes hanging above door ways

Down to the fish market. We left out some of the pictures of the craziest ones, but the kids loved the diversity of fish and huge crabs.

Exploring the downtown. Bergen is a fascinating city, for a long time it was the largest city in Norway and a major port throughout all of Europe. The town suffered many fires (and no surprise why walking though these all wood building / walkways) and towering on the edge of the water. It has gone through booms and buts and occupied by the Germans during WWII.

More bikes in the oldest school in Norway as we made our way up the hillside.

Up and up we went taking trail after trail, not sure really where we were going but loving the sun, the views and the beautiful path

Obligatory selfie at the top. It turns out those trails took us to the top of a cable car and the place was packed. The views were incredible, you could see in every direction, waters, ships, mountains as far as the eye could see. Languages from around the world floated through the air as we ate the lunch Isabelle made and soaked up the sun.

And let the fun begin! The top was amazing. The girls spent about 4 hours playing through a troll forest, running through a giant obstacle course, playing with the local sheep and goats. They said it was the best playground they had ever been on.

But hands down, the highlight of their day was this Robinson Crusoe style obstacle course / tree house and promises to come back were the only way we got them down.

And back home we came, exhausted but filled with gratitude and wonder. Our first full day on the road.

Home!

Finding our first home was like a treasure hunt.  Bergen is full of small windy streets with crazy unmarked names and our directions had us hunting from one city treasure to the next. We finally found the “little red one stuck between the yellow ones” which resulted in an envelope with my name on it, a hidden key and bottom door.  

Finally making our way in!  This picture has no adjustments! It is so crazy bright here and of course we rented a red house.

Walking to the groceries store though more colors.

My daughter who loves windows found her corner in no time.

Jet lag

I love kids. They stayed up in every flight because they were so excited and when we finally landed the passed out on the beautiful light rail in.  I love how she fell asleep even with her hair across her face! 

Drifting in Iceland

Iceland greets us like a friendly face.  Skyr yogurt, Joe and the Juice, beautiful bathrooms that the kids run to like an old friend.  We are suspended in time Iceland, a place that seems suspended in reality.  The stormy skies where you can not tell what is land, sea or sky, we too can not tell if it is time for coffee or beer as we drift through the airport before we board again.    This windy island in the middle of the sea welcomes a new wave of travelers seeking new horizons.