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| View of Tingvoll Fjord from the mountain behind Marion & Erik's house [photo by Kevin Joy] |
Hello again after a lengthy absence, in part caused by both Kevin and I finally succumbing to Covid after more than two years, during which - by some miracle (we live in a school, remember!) - we had managed to avoid it. However, the timing could not have been more perfect; if we were going to get the virus, then getting it about a month before we were due to travel abroad for the first time since December 2019 was the best scenario. We were therefore able to stride confidently forward through crowded Heathrow, in the security of having been triple-vaccinated and possessing antibodies from our recent positive status.
Perhaps it was the length of time since we were abroad, or perhaps it was that Norway is such a beautiful place it doesn't matter how many times you've travelled there - you just want to take photos. So the story of this ten-day holiday compels me to split it into two parts.
Part 1 will focus on the time we spent at my cousin's house and cabin, and surrounding areas.
But firstly, let's get the subject of Covid out of the way.
The most astonishing thing about this trip to Norway was that we entered another world. A world devoid of pandemic paranoia. A world that bore a striking resemblance to the one that existed prior to the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in late 2019.
Now, my regular readers will know that throughout Covid I have proudly flown the flag of compliance with lockdowns and regulations, happily and proactively worn a face mask even when it wasn't required by law, and promoted vaccination and regular home testing with rapid antigen kits. However, after more than two years of living a very limited existence - what with the UK's appalling case numbers and death rate - bloody hell, it's been pretty defeating.
So to arrive in Norway and see *literally nobody* wearing face masks was a shock. The only indications that Covid even existed were the pump bottles of anti-bacterial gel available everywhere, the occasional sign encouraging people to keep a modest distance from each other and a Covid testing booth at both the airport and Oslo's central railway station.
Whilst staying with Marion and Erik we had very limited circulation with others and spent most of our time in the fresh air so Covid was very far from our minds. However, by the time we travelled by train from Oppdal to Oslo we were so relaxed we didn't even give face masks a second thought. This was partly due to the statistics:
Covid deaths per million (as at mid April 2022):
- UK: 2,521
- Norway: 498
- Australia: 256
I'm not sure we would have been so cavalier, had we not had Covid ourselves just prior to our trip, and therefore in conjunction with being triple-vaccinated, were probably as protected against the virus as we are ever going to be. But let me tell you - arriving in Norway and being able to just 'be normal' again was incredibly liberating.
The day after we returned to the UK the death toll was a staggering 651 in a 24-hour period (refer graphic above). I wanted to race to the airport and head straight back to Norway.
Anyway... let's move on from that steaming pile of poo.
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| On offer at Oslo's international terminal: a range of men's toiletries that plays on the meanings of 'bad' in both Norwegian and English. The word means bath in Norwegian 😄 |
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| Yes, with our connecting flight cancelled (read on below), we were considering drowning our travel sorrows in Norwegian gin. We resisted the urge. |
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| Renowned Norwegian singer Aurora has her own brand of organic, vegan chocolate! |
Our first trip abroad in well over two years was not off to the best start when we arrived in Oslo at about 21:30 to a message that our connecting flight to Kristiansund had been cancelled and SAS had re-booked us on a flight early the following morning. An urgent message to our hosts ensured they did not have a wasted journey to Kristiansund Airport (they live about 45 minutes' drive away), and after clearing immigration and collecting our luggage we made our way to the SAS service desk with some trepidation. We had been travelling since about 11:30 that morning, and we were tired.
Of course we needn't have worried - this was Norway, land of efficiencies where all buses, trains, trams, ferries and flights run exactly to their timetables 99 per cent of the time. No queue at the SAS service desk, where we were immediately handed a voucher for the shuttle bus to take us to our overnight accommodation, about 10 minutes from the airport. Upon arrival at the hotel (modern, gorgeous, spotlessly clean) we were promptly checked in and invited to have a late supper. The hotel had been informed there were a number of people like us whose flight had been cancelled, so they had refreshed the buffet and we partook of as much food as we wished from a selection of eight hot dishes (including three vegetarian), a selection of salads, cheeses and smoked fish, bread, plus three desserts. All this at 23:00. Not for the final time during this trip (and every other trip to Norway), I exclaimed to Kevin, 'This country is so civilised.'
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| Are you now hearing the theme tune to the TV series Get Smart inside your head? Heading to our pristine hotel room for a few hours' kip |
We only managed five hours' sleep as we had to leave for the airport by 05:30 the following morning, but the bed was one of the most comfortable I've ever slept in, there were no hitches with our flight and by 09:00 we were hugging my cousin Marion and her husband Erik at Kristiansund Airport. By 10:00 we were at the house, in the hamlet of Gyl, just outside Tingvoll in the county of Møre og Romsdal.
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| The entrance to the old wing of the house, which dates from 1841 |
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| Endless snowcapped mountains over the Tingvoll Fjord, at sunset |
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| A long walk in the fresh snow was one of our first priorities on arrival |
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| The stream behind the house |
Norway often gets a lot of snow in spring, but Easter falls very late this year and it's rare for it to snow quite so much well into April. I like to think the weather gods were smiling on me particularly, because regular readers will know how much I love winter and despise summer. During the first six days we were to have a combination of crisp, sunny days and lengthy periods of snowfall, with temperatures usually hovering a few degrees either side of zero. *bliss*
This won't come as a surprise to those who know me personally, but one of the things I was most excited about for this visit was getting to meet the 'wild' cats who had just started to adopt Marion and Erik around the time we were last in Norway, in August 2019. I was not to be disappointed. Big Puss and Little Puss (as Kevin and I nicknamed them) made frequent appearances on the deck outside the dining room, patiently waiting for tidbits as the snow fell - see video below.
Mealtimes were very entertaining as the cats performed various feats of gymnastics to attract Erik's attention. However Marion and Erik have been careful not to indulge the cats too much; they are periodically away at their cabin in Oppdal and at their house in far north Norway in summer, and these fluffy creatures need to be able to fend for themselves.
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| Big Puss performing amazing feats in exchange for treats |
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| Patiently waiting... Little Puss on the left, Big Puss on the right |
What a beautifully relaxing time we had for the next few days, going for long walks in the forest behind the house and around the village and visiting favourite haunts such as the magnificent Tingvoll Church. Built in Romanesque style, it dates from somewhere between 1150-1200 and is one of the few remaining stone churches in Norway. Tingvoll Church also played its part in Norway's development as an independent nation, being one of 300 churches across the country that acted as a polling station for the Norwegian Constituent Assembly in 1814, a group which wrote the country's Constitution.
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| Beautiful Tingvoll Church, dating from sometime in the 12th century |
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| The splendid 'ribs' of the roof structure at Tingvoll Church |
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| Sunlight casts pretty coloured shapes through the stained glass windows of Tingvoll Church (and those walls are 1.8 metres thick, by the way!) |
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| The elaborately decorated altar piece at Tingvoll Church |
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| A frigate, probably dating to the 18th century, is suspended from the church ceiling of Tingvoll Church |
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| End-of-pew decoration at Tingvoll Church |
Whilst staying at Marion and Erik's house we took a day trip to the island of Smøla, about two hours away by car, including a couple of short trips by car ferry between islands.
The island is a hub for deep sea fishing and - fun fact - grows a significant proportion of Norway's carrots! It also has one of the largest wind farms in Europe. It's a beautiful place dotted with charming fishing villages and is rich in viking history. Just a couple of years ago archaeologists uncovered traces of a ship from the Viking Age which is deemed of international significance. Additionally, it was the site of a standing stone dating from 1034, the oldest artefact confirming Norway's Viking Age conversion to Christianity. The stone was removed to a museum in Trondheim in 1913 but a replica has been installed where the original stood for 900 years.
Smøla has a flourishing white-tailed eagle population, and we saw several in the short time we were driving around the island.
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| One of the multiple car ferry trips we were obliged to take in order to reach the island of Smøla, not far from Kristiansund |
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| Another ancient stone church - in Edøy in the municipality of Smøla. It dates from around 1190 |
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| Kevin and Yours Truly in front of Edøy Church, with dramatic snowcapped mountains behind |
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| Norway has a reputation for striking architecture in unusual places. I spotted this tiny cabin as we were driving around |
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| Colourful fishing huts and boats in abundance on Smøla |
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| Charming fishing villages are dotted all over Smøla |
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| Some of the mountains surrounding the island of Smøla |
After four nights at the house, Marion and Erik drove us up to their cabin in Oppdal so that we could get to meet the newest members of the family, their daughter-in-law and first grandchild who has just celebrated her first birthday.
We took the scenic route, spending much of the day meandering through a beautiful wintry landscape, with the snow becoming more abundant as we climbed altitude into the mountains. A very welcome pitstop was made at one of several towns in Norway whose names consist of a single letter - the last letter in the Norwegian alphabet, Å (pronounced phonetically 'aw'). The most famous of these is in the Lofoten Islands above the Arctic Circle, but we were very happy to stop momentarily in the lesser-known, more southerly version, in the county of Trøndelag.
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| Quaint coffee house in the town of Å in Trøndelag |
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| How pretty are these cups? ♥️ No matter where you go in Norway, the filter coffee is vastly superior to that you'll get anywhere else. We think it's the water. |
It was a tad chilly when we arrived at the cabin mid-afternoon: minus 6ºC and snowing, but with the wind chill making it feel like minus 10ºC. Marion and Erik quickly set about getting the fire blazing and heating up food, so Kevin and I girded our loins and headed out for a bit of exercise. It was invigorating, to say the least! We tried to walk up to the top of the road but despite Norway's amazingly efficient and regular snow-ploughing, about two-thirds of the way up the snow became too deep and we abandoned that plan. Some time later we saw the plough making what was probably its second or third circuit but it was too late in the day for another attempt.
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| So, just a teensy-weensy bit of snow up at the cabin in Oppdal |
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| Icicles decorating the side of the cabin in Oppdal [photo by Kevin Joy] |
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| In front of the cabin, driveway recently ploughed Ignore my facial expression - not a grimace, I'm loving it... [photo by Kevin Joy] |
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| ...as you can see from this pic of the two of us. This is me in my natural element ❄️ |
The next morning we were up bright and early to catch the train to Oslo, where we'd be spending a few days before flying home. It had snowed through the night and we were slightly reluctant to leave both that environment and of course Marion and Erik, however the metropolis beckoned.
For some reason, when I booked our tickets months ago I uncharacteristically decided to splurge and purchase First Class tickets for the train journey from Oppdal to Oslo. I think I was probably worrying about the volume of people who'd be travelling around Norway in the week prior to Easter which is a hugely important holiday in Norway - second only to Christmas. I didn't want to be sharing a crowded carriage with rambunctious students heading home for their spring holidays. Yes, I have reached the age where such things are intolerable.
Well, what can I say - I am now ruined for economy train travel! We had so much space, incredibly comfortable seats, ability to charge our phones / laptops, and free coffee, tea, bottled water and chocolates (yes, you read that correctly - free chocolates!) for the entire journey. The free refreshments made the additional ticket cost worth every penny, as in horrifyingly expensive Norway you pay about GPB 4 for a takeaway cup of filter coffee. We got our money's worth on this train journey!
And best of all, there were only about 20 passengers sharing the toilet facilities.
Aside from the creature comforts, the five-hour journey was a delight, with stunning scenery when we weren't shimmying along tunnels through massive mountains, and of course we arrived in Oslo exactly at the scheduled time.
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| Icicles at Oppdal train station |
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| Norway's regional railway stations are historic and beautiful [photo by Kevin Joy] |
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| Not the greatest photo through a sleet-spattered train window, but for about two hours it was an endless vista of frozen waterfalls and lakes, and snowy mountains |
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| The self-satisfied grins of two people making the most of the FREE COFFEE AND CHOCOLATES on the train from Oppdal to Oslo |
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| Another of Norway's beautiful railway stations, through a sleet-drizzled train window. This one is Konigsvoll, not far from Oppdal |
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| A bit less snow and the landscape becoming more agricultural after leaving the higher mountains of central Norway and heading south to Oslo |
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| Views across the Tingvoll Fjord, en route to Oppdal |
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