Norway 2014

By Helen

So I’ve been back in England for 4days now, and I’m missing Norway and the travelling lifestyle a little. I thought I would use this blog post to review some of my personal highlights of the trip, and to share some of my photographs.

We’d only been at Nordvoll farm for 2 days when we went fishing on a lovely sunny day and got surrounded by dolphins. They were so close and it was perfect. One of those “wow” moments!

The many sunsets that we saw were always beautiful, especially when watched from the beach.

 

“Swimming” in the sea. It was so cold that I couldn’t get further in than my ankles. And there is no photographic evidence, so it might have not happened anyway!

 

I enjoyed all the work on the farm, even when it got tedious sometimes. One particular memory is lining green boxes with toilet paper to dry the strawberries from the rain. But also how can one forget the waterweed! Guess which carrots are the smallest and pulling up the biggest! Weeding salad and not knowing what was a weed and what was a plant. Sitting in the strawberry fields in the rain getting very wet and cold and losing all feeling in my fingers to the point where it was painful.

Running back from Snarby beach through a thunder and lightning storm was pretty impressive. Then getting a lift home in the neighbours car, being soaked through with no power until next morning. Roger had to cook burgers on the BBQ in the rain. But he was wearing a cool hat, so it’s all good!

Getting a lift to the beach

We climbed the mountain behind the farm one evening after work. The view from the top was awesome!

 

Topless Tour

Another highlight would be climbing Ullstinden. We did this on the hottest and sunniest day of our time there. The climb was very long and we were scrambling over rocks and through forests. But I felt such a great sense of achievement when I got to the top. Definitely worth the climb!

Dream team: Helen, Joe and Alice

From the week traveling:

The first day was definitely the longest. Spending 11hrs on buses was challenging. And reaching the hotel room in the evening was the most welcome thing ever! I remember the kind bus driver that, even when his shift was over, let us back on his bus so he could drive us to our hotel! Thank you so much!

 

Bus selfie!

There is a bench in Bodo that is right on the sea front. I enjoyed sitting there and watching the ships and the German boys jump into the cold sea!

Bench

I enjoyed spending a nights on the sleeper train. It saves time as you go to sleep in one place, and wake up in another. Boom - accommodation and travel in one!

Trondheim was a busy student city and we had a great time exploring it and getting lost when trying to find the university! They also had a really great charity shop.

Posting a postcard

Couchsurfing would have to be something else I include here. We had two great hosts who shared their houses and couches with us. So many great laughs! We also got more inside knowledge of Norway than you would if you had stayed in a hotel room. I recommend it!

Couchsurfing

I enjoyed exploring Oslo really early in the morning when it was deserted. Oslo has so many beaches you wouldn’t guess it was the capital city! I also enjoyed dressing up and  going out in the evening to the Irish Pub and talking to the Oslo locals who are all very friendly! However, spending £8 on an Alcopop is a bit expensive! Eating ice creams the next day on the sea front was awesome too!

Beach with 2 shores :)

Double the ice cream, double the fun.

In Bergen I enjoyed climbing up Fløyen with our couchsurfing host. You could see the entire city from the top!

Getting caught in the rain in a business industrial park was also really funny!

Our WWOOFing experience and travelling has just wetted our appetite and worsened our travel bug for seeing more of the world and creating more life lasting memories. 

 

WWOOF tshirts

8 beds, 9 days part 2

Bed 5:
Being rudely thrown off the sleeper train at 7am meant an early start in Oslo. After storing our bags we wandered around the city finding the parliament building, the palace and the national theatre. We then went down to the harbour front, which was very pretty, and  watched commuters arrive in on a ferry.
Definitely a nice way to get to work. We found a bathing area and a little beach you wouldn't expect in the capital city. After sunbathing here (in the shade of a block of flats) we decided to go and find the real beach. We braved the Oslo buses, managed to walk on without paying and then got caught by a ticket inspector. He was very friendly though. Once we were there we found a really nice park with a beach. It was very peaceful for somewhere so close to the capital. Alice paddled in the sea and we sat on the beach for a while enjoying the sun. While we were eating lunch we could see the rain start to come in across the mountains. It soon got to us and so we ran for the bus back to town.

Beach and flats

Joining the artic crew

Alice paddling

 

After searching the entire city for cheap frozen pizza and retrieving our bags we headed to the hostel. Once we were there we unpacked a bit and the two girls we were sharing a room with thought they had been robbed when they walked back in as it was such a mess. We didn't think we were that bad! Later in the evening we decided to head out for a drink in the city. It took us over an hour to get into the city, becuase we missed the train, couldn't find the bus stop or decide which tram to take. Eventually we hoped for the best and got on a tram that wasn't mentioned in the hostel instructions. When we finally reached Olso we wandered around the streets looking for the best place to go to get a drink. After a short walk we stumbled upon an Irish Bar that looked busy. We showed our IDs and somehow got in for free by saying we were part of a Staff Work Do. Success! At the bar we ordered our drinks. Helen spent £8 on a Alcopop! We claimed some seats from a couple on a date and were shortly joined by some Olso locals. He told us how amazing the train ride between Olso and Bergen was and how we shouldn't fall asleep or he'd come and find us! After one drink and not being able to afford any more we returned to the hostel. 

Helen enjoying an expensive Alcopop!

Bed 6:
The next morning we were awoken early by our dorm friends. A couple of hours later it was our turn to get up. We graced breakfast, and stole lunch despite the numerous signs informing us that food was not to leave the breakfast area and a packed lunch was 45Kr. We hurridly packed and checked out of the hostel on time. We stored our luggage again and set off to explore Olso for the last time. We stumbled upon a fort with an event for children. There were woodwork workshops, bee art and craft, exploding balloons and karaoke - whoevers idea the karaoke was, our ears still hurt! We then sat and had lunch on the water front before indulging in ice cream to enjoy the hot weather. We enjoyed our ice creams too much, leaving us short for time and running across Oslo to catch our train. The train journey was long. We were awarded with some lovely views of fjords and glaciers in the later part of the journey that were often swiftly obscured by long tunnels and bridges. No fun. When we reached Bergen we wandered around until we found the place were we were meeting our couchsurfing host., Eva. She showed us the way back to her flat, which was small but so lovely!

Ice cream!

Just ran through the city centre to catch our train selfie!

 

This is so true of Norway

Bed 7:
The next day we had a well deserved lie in. Then we set off to climb the mountain behind Evas flat. It was very steep but we mananged it! The view of the city was worth it. We then walked back into the city to have lunch with her sister and her sisters boyfriend, they were both lovely. Then we went for coffee at this cafe that looked like it had been decorated in the dark - such a clash of colours! We then went for a walk around the city. We ended up getting caught in the rain in a business park sheltering under a doorframe until it had passed! In the evening we went for a roast dinner with Eva at the bar where she works. Her boss was so lovely that he waved the cost! When we got back to Evas we watched a Norwegian film called Kon-Tiki which was really good. Eva then showed us some Norwegian comedy music videos that were very funny!

Bergen

Scone and Jam

Weird cafe

Last full day in Norway selfie

Bergen fountain selfie

Last night in Norway selfie.

The final day dawned. We got up and packed our suitcases for the last time. How we won't miss it! We then went to explore the rest of the city. We wandered around Bryggen, which is the old wharf of Bergen. It was very pretty. We visited the fort where we sat and wandered what to do with our final afternoon. We splashed out on lunch with our remaining NOKs and continued to wander round the city before returning to Evas to pick up our bags and make our way to the Airport. Bergen airport is small and doesn't have a McDonalds much to our disappointment. Soon we had boarded our flight and were on our way home to bed 8. 

Bryggen

Cake. So Good.

We really didn't want to leave Norway, we'd had such a great time and met many great people, but we made many memories that will last. 

Airport, WWOOF tshirt selfie :)

                     Thank you to everyone that we met and that made our trip to Norway so special!

8 beds, 9 days

Bed 1: we awoke at 6.00am (well Helen did) on Monday to finally leave Nordvoll farm. We had 10 and a half hours on buses to do today in order to get from the farm to the city of Bodo. We were traveling for 15 hours in total but we worked out we only covered around 200 miles. Norwegian roads are very mountainous and slow! 

We had said goodbye to everyone the night before as they were all still in bed, so when we left the farm was pretty empty. It was very similar to how it was when we arrived. After an hour in Tromso it was onto the next bus to Narvik which took 4 hours. Neither of us where particularly impressed with Narvik. The air felt thick and unclean, probably due to the fact that it is still a massive iron making town. We spent most of our time in the shopping centre where we ate our lunch with an incredible view of a sports shop. Then it was onto our final bus to Bodø. We were on this one for 6 and a half hours and it included a ferry ride across a fjord and randomly changing buses for no apparent reason. We hit a low point after around 12 hours of travelling where Helen was almost sick. The feeling when we finally got off that bus was amazing. Once we got to Bodo we had no clue where our hotel was and less than half and hour until check in closed. We showed the bus driver the address on Alice's phone and amazingly he told us to get back on the bus and he drove us to just outside the hotel. We were a bit shocked. we did however later meet someone else who had had this happen to them. Maybe it's a Bodo thing. It was finally time to collapse into bed 2 after a pretty long day. We felt like to still moving way into the night. 

Bed 2

Having breakfast in the hotel just the two of us was a bit strange after eating with at least 7 other people for the last 3 weeks. Not having to do the washing up was good though. We managed to eat and then steal enough for Lunch. It turns out that Helen is an expert at this and even came prepared with sandwich bags and a hoody to hide it in. 

After breakfast we were set loose on Bodo. It's not the biggest city in the world but it was certainly large compared to what had got used to on the farm. We wondered around taking in the harbour where we found a bench right out on some rocks at the end of a jetty. We watched the ferry traveling to Bergen which would pass our farm everyday come in and saw some German men jumping into the water. It was 'Sehr Sehr Kalt' apparently. We also visited the nordland museum which had an exciting dry aquarium which was basically stuffed fish behind glass. There was free tea however which no one can complain about. Before dinner we saw some boats racing which excited Helen. All too soon it was time to get our sleeper train. We had a luxurious cabin where if you sat with your back to one wall you could touch the other with your feet. It was good enough though and we got into bed 3 as we travelled further south 

Bed 3: we awoke on Wednesday morning magically transported to Trondhiem. We got off the train and attempted to find our hosts house. We were couchsurfing which means strangers offer you a couch or a space to sleep in their house for free. Luckily eduroam (uni wifi) in the station saved us again and we downloaded the instructions and made it to Catherine and  Tarjei's Flat. After a mistakenly trying to get into the neighbours house we were finally there. We met Catherine who made us breakfast and then headed into town. We ate lunch watching some people dressed as Vikings dance. Apparently this doesn't happen everywhere but it was a bit weird. Later we managed to get lost looking for the university and walked in completely the wrong direction. We are definitely not studying geography... 

Trondhiem's versions of freshers week was taking place whilst we were there and so there were loads of students dressed as pirates wondering around which was cool. After visiting the university we lay by the river for a while before heading back to the flat. On the way back we decided to follow some people in fancy dress to try and find the party but they kept going into houses. I think we were a bit early. 

Back at the flat we met Tarjei who was very nice and Pi, their very fluffy cat. The evening was spent having dinner and wine with them and a few of their friends. One of them offered us her mums house in Oslo to stay in as we couldn't find a couch surfing host. Unfortunately we had already booked a hostel but it was a nice offer none the less. It was great to meet some Norwegian people even if Alice did mange to spill wine all up their wall. 

Bed 4: Helen was awoken on Thursday morning by having Pi, the cat, lick her toes. It was certainly a different wake up call. This was the first day in almost a month where we actually got a lie in. We stayed in bed (well sofa) until nearly 11am. It was beautiful. Once we were up We headed out and found the students association which is their equivalent of our students union. Our two hosts are very involved in it and it was in fact where they met so we were curious to see what it was like. It turns out it wasn't open until 5pm and was a huge gig venue and restaurant, it looked pretty cool. We had been give the keys to our hosts flat and so had to be back to let Tarjei in from work. In the afternoon we just sat and chatted to him about everything from the Norwegian school system, when we first drunk alcohol to what we would do if we swapped sexes for the day. That evening we were invited to theirs friends flat for dinner which was very nice of her as we were almost strangers. We met 2 more Norwegians there, Norman and his girlfriend. They were all lovely people and we got on well. They were curious about Nordvoll and the difference between Norway and England. We also discovered there is a big rivalry between the north and south of Norway. It was a great evening but unfortunately we had to leave early to get to bed 5, the night train to Oslo. 

Norway part two

On Friday 8th we had big plans for the whole group to take a day off together and climb Ullstinden, a nearby mountain. However when we awoke after our amazing lie in (we got to stay in bed until 9am!!!) it was raining and foggy. So we decided to change our plans and go into Tromso instead. Once there we were back in the library (Helen really can't keep away) to try an sort out accomodation for our trip to Oslo.The Chess Olympics is currently taking place in Tromso and there were a lot of people walking around in team jackets with huge passes around their necks,very much like the 2012 Olympics in London.  Who knew chess was such a big deal?!

After lunch we went to the polar museum. It was a strange place that didn't really teach us much. Howeverwe watched some seals perform in their aquarium. Of course It wasn't quite as good as The Deep in Hull!

When we finished in town we broke off from the rest of the group and got the bus to Oldervik which is right at the end of the line. It is a tiny collection If houses which feel like they are on the edge of the world. To get back to the farm we attempted hitch hiking for the first time. We were a bit unsure about this but we got lucky and got a ride straight away. They were a lovely French couple that even rearranged their car to make room for us. We would definitely try it again. 

After work on Saturday we climbed the mountain behind the farm. It was very very steep but the view from the top was incredible. It was higher than The Cross which we sometimes climb in the evening. We had to climb through woodland and there was no path at all. It was worth it though. It was also good practice for the next day when we finally climbed the mountain we had been planning too since Friday. Roger gave us all the day off and we set off about 9.30am on our big adventure. It took us over an hour to get to the bottom of the mountain. It was around 1,100m high and we climbed in from sea level so it was a tiring day! Like Saturday there were no footpaths and for around 2 hours we were pulling ourselves up over steep rocks. The view from the topwas incredible though. We have honestly seen nothing like it before. Alices crappy photo does it any justice. 

The way down we took slowly as it was very steep and we were enjoying the view.  That was our excuse for arriving at the summit 1 hour after everyone else and not getting back to the house until 9.30pm when everyone else was home by 7.30pm. It was worth it though, however exhausting. It was also a good bonding excercise to get to know Joe that had arrived the day before. We were all ready go to bed straight after dinner and Alice wasn't too impressed to be on washing up duty that night! 

On Monday we were back at work pulling and sorting carrots. In the evening Allison, another WWOOFer here, read our cards. So now we are at least we are now prepared for the future. 

Since we climbed the mountain a lot of people in the house have been ill. Helen was struck down by the deadly Nordvoll flu and had to spend some of Tuesday afternoon in bed. Alice thinks she was only doing it to get out of work. She managed to soldier on and make to the bonfire we had up mountain that night. We cooked sausages (slightly better than last time) and played pictionary by drawing in the dirt (we so cool) until Helen fell asleep on the grass and we headed back down to get warm. As we were sitting back at home we saw the Queen Mary II sail past. We think it's the biggest boat we've ever seen. 

On Tuesday evening it started raining and didn't stop until Sunday. This resulted in us having to don some incredibly sexy orange outfits and plant strawberrys and pick carrots. We managed to get out of going back outside in the afternoon and cleaned the house instead. On Thursday we weren't quite so lucky and had to pick the orders for that day and the day before. That's a lot of strawberrys! The strawberrys couldn't be left to get wet once they were picked so we had to line green boxes with toilet paper and spread them out on these in order to dry them. It was a very strange site. After a full day picking in the rain we were rewarded by some Norwegian waffles which made it all worth it. We also watched Into the Wild with everyone that night which was very good film.

Friday was even colder and it was a actually straying to feel like we were in the Arctic. We lost all feeling in our hands and feet which wasn't pleasent. Roger put the fire on later which got the inside

of the house up to 30 degrees. We don't think he's ever heard of moderation. 

Over the next few days we completed out last hours if work. We picked many more orders under time pressure in the rain. We cut and planted strawberry runners and almost completed planting the new field. We are now on our last night here and can't believe how fast the time has past. This place really has become home over the last few weeks and we can't imagine living anywhere else anymore. We worked out we have met 18 new people over the last 3 weeks and they have all contributed to our special time here. Nordvoll farm is a very unquie place. 

Norway Part 1

For our summer trip this year we decided to WWOOF on a farm in Norway. WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms. You pay for your flights, and you gain accomodation and food in return for your labour. Our chosen location was Nordvell Farm, around 30km out of Tromso and 200km into the arctic circle. This is the first 2 weeks of our time here. More to come hopefully! 

After a good flight (with a slightly abrubt landing) we arrived at Tromso airport, where we were slightly surprised to be able to connect to university internet. Not the first thing you expect when you arrive in the arctic circle. Unfortualty the flight was late due to lightening storms in London and this meant that we missed the last bus. We had no choice but to attempt to get a taxi. While doing this we managed to confuse the taxi driver by not actually knowing the name of the place we were going and It didn't occur to us until we were halfway there that we had the address in our bag. I blame the (non-existent) jetlag. After forking out 700 NOK (about £70) for the taxi we had finally arrived at our new home, Nordvol farm. Our host, Roger, was waiting for us and I think he was a bit worried that we weren't going to make it. I don't think anyone had every got cab up to the farm before! All the other wwoofers were in town for the night and so we had the house to ourselves. The view from the house was incredible, we just couldn't quite believe we were finally in Norway. The midnight sun takes a while to get used to though.  

The next day was our first day on the fields, where we discovered our new hatred for the worst plant in the world: water weed. The carrot fields in Iceland last year didn't have this problem. As you can see there seems to be a pattern forming in our summer holidays. 

After our days work we were invited fishing. Helen managed to catch a lot of seaweed before eventually catching the biggest fish of the day. It was defiantly a new explerince being in a rowing boat out into the Arctic Ocean. Although Alice's poor attempted rowing left a lot to be desired .

 In the evening we also climbed to 'The Cross' which is on top of a steep hill. Helen was in her pjamas, perfect climbing gear! 

 On Sunday we were back to weeding with more fishing in the afternoon. This time our luck wasn't in, however it didn't matter as at one point we were surrounded by dolphins. They were so close to us and we think one even touched the boat. It was incredible to see them so close. 

While here we have also tried some interesting new foods. Whale was a highlight and tasted like steak which is fine by us. We also had reindeer sausage from Sweden on pizza and dried reindeer. While chewing on our reindeer we could see  dolphins swimming in the sea again. Pretty special. 

On Tuesday we it was apparently National Norway Day which was a perfect excuse for a bonfire. We still aren't completely convinced this day exists, but we aren't complainig. We built a huge fire and attempted to toast sausages on it. They didn't really cook through but we are still alive. Just.

 

When we were back at the farm the two women who set up WWOOF Norway were there. We were amazed at just how young they were. They are the same age as us and had set it up in their spare time whilst at university. I don't know what they thought about us rowdy lot though as We spent most of the meal feeding each other and chocking on wine. It was hilarious. Later that night we went down to the beach to in the midnight sun and had stone skimming competitions. Obviously ours bounced the most, It just happened when no one was watching! 

It is incredibly relaxed here. We work all day 9am-5pm and then have the whole evening to do your own thing. You never feel like going to bed as it is still light and you can spend hours just sitting and watching the view. The mountains seem different everyday. 

On Thursday we finally took a day off. We caught a lift into Tromso and spent the day wandering around town. Of course we visited h&m because what else would you do when you go abroad but go in the shops you have at home? We crossed the bridge to visit the arctic cathedral but didn't go in as you had to pay. We are students afterall . It was still impressive from the outside though. 

Tromso looks very much like you would imagine an arctic town to be, The only thing missing was a bit of snow. There is even a cable car which was the one thing Alice's mum remembers from her trip here when she was 20. It can' have change much as this was nearly 40 years ago now (sorry mum). We had to leave earlier than we would have liked as the bus doesn't go all the way the farm each trip it takes. We did have time to pop into the library though which was very nice. Helen can't stay away from the library for too long! It's surprising she didn't do some work on the banned D word. 

Helen almost put her suitcase over the limit on the way over here by bringing over 1kg of food. She didn't need it though as we eat feasts every day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all huge meals with loads of bread and potato.  I don't think we could ever risk going hungry. And we thought we would

Loose weight here. 

By Friday, a week after we arrived we were still weeding, it never seems to end! In the afternoon however we were cutting runners in the strawberry fields which was a bit different. It's nice to be working basically on the beach. The weather was amazing, defiantly not what you expect in the arctic circle. That night there was an incredible 'sunset' ( you can't really call it that as it doesn't actually get dark) which turned the entire sky red. It was stunning. 

On Sunday It was just strawberrys. All day. So many strawberrys. We started off  picking them in the morning which quickly turned into a rotten strawberry flight. We then went in to cutting runners in the big field which was a daunting task. After we had finished we decided it was time for a dip in the arctic sea. It was so cold but amazing. Even if Helen didn't make it all the way in. 

On Tuesday we were finishing with a couple of friends of our host. For ages the engine on the boat wouldn't start which was a bit annoying. It was also an interesting moment when he handed us a bowl and said if we needed to use the toilet he would look away. Luckily we manged to hold on as going on a tiny boat would have been interesting to say the least. In the end Alice caught one of the biggest fish and we also caught the a huge Cod. 

 Tuesday night was sad as we lost out 4 German wwoofers. The farm is now so quiet without them. I don't know how Roger goes through people leaving so often. It must be very hard. 

We started a new job of planting new strawberry plants on Wednesday. This involved using fertiliser which was a mixture of sheep shit, soil and water. As a city type, Alice was not impressed with an afternoon shovelling sheep shit. It's not how most dream of spending their summers. Alice also found a strange shaped bite on her leg. We rang the doctors to see if it might beed attenion but it turbed out to be ok. A trip to Tromso a&e dedinatly would have been an interesting experience. That evening, after work, we walked and cycled to Snarby beach. Alice got a lift sat on the back if a bike which was like being 13 again. The beach was beautiful with a white sand shore, even if it was a little chilly. On the way back we it caught in a massive thunder storm . The rain was so heavy and the lightening so close. You could actually feel the thunder shaking through you. When we about half way home the neighbours, who had seen us leaving the house, drove to pick us up. It is honestly one of the kindest things anyone has done for us. To come out for no reason in a thunder storm to pick up a bunch of semi- strangers is amazing. When we returned, the house had lost power so we had BBQ dinner in the rain. Definitely noy what you would expect after a storm. The power was out for over 12 hours in the end. 

As we write this another thunder storm is taking place. We all sat on the porch watching the really heavy rain. Hopefully there won't be anymore powe cuts!

This blog was written on a phone with really dodgy wifi. We have no idea what it looks like on a computer. So ignore the dodgy formatting and spelling!