0323 A few days around Austrheim

7^th – 12^th Aug 2015

War relics, crabs, and fishing

The first morning with Reagan and Grete was warm and sunny and we planned to go fishing with Grete’s brother Bjorn and his friend Nok who live nearby on the island (as do many other relatives), and also buy some local crabs for lunch.  So first stop was to go down to one of the nearby boat jetties where we found the man who was selling crabs.  As you can see, he had plenty of good sized ones, and we picked a dozen or so for the group of people who would be there. From there we set off to Bjorn’s place and his boat moored down below the house.

0322 Kinsarvik to Austrheim, N of Bergen

7^th Aug 2015

Tunnels, bridges, and sunshine.

We managed to get a short spell when it actually stopped raining so we could pack up in the dry, but it was a very damp and overcast morning.  We said our farewells to Jos and Ricky as they set off to explore Bergen, and then we set off NW on a different road to Bergen, via Voss, which we had been told was a scenic way to go.  Unfortunately it proceeded to rain most of the way which was unfortunate, but it was still pretty interesting.

0321 A Break in Kinsarvik

6^th Aug 2015

Trolls, forests, and hydroelectricity.

We met Jos and Ricky for breakfast up at their cabin, taking some of our own supplies up with us, and afterwards went off to do our own things for the day.  We spent the morning relaxing and catching up on wifi etc, and then after a quick sandwich for lunch we set off for a walk at about 2.30 pm.  The weather wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t raining, so we decided to follow the rushing Kinso river behind the camp site up towards a waterfall.

0320 Hardangervidda to Kinsarvik

5^th Aug 2015

Sun, rain, and a big fjord.

Next morning when I woke up at 7 am it was an almost clear sky, and the photos show how different it was from the night before – I could hardly believe the difference.  But clouds were rolling in fast, and fairly soon I had to tell Janet to come outside to see the view because it looked as though it could be raining again soon ! By the time we set off an hour later, it was totally overcast again, although not yet raining.  A few kms up the road we found a big dam with a parking area beside it – With several campers there who had obviously been there overnight – But I preferred our spot up in the wilds ! Below the dam were lots of small cabins which would have been in real strife if the dam ever burst !  Whether they were winter or summer cabins I am not sure, but there were plenty of them dotted around the countryside. 

0319 Larvik to Hardangervidda

4^th August 2015

Rain, snow, and wild camping

After a great nights sleep, we woke up to find that Torunn had a great spread on the table for breakfast, and hot coffee brewing !  Perfect. It was quite overcast, and the weather forecast was not too promising with heavy rain for the trip north.  But with a start like that breakfast, we were in good shape, and eventually managed to stop chatting, pack our stuff back into the car, and head out down the narrow track. We really enjoyed seeing Rolf and Torunn again – It is always good to catch up with friends.  And their little summer retreat is just gorgeous.  Thank you both very much.

0318 Oslo to Larvik, via Drammen

1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd August 2015

Sunshine, Aquavit, and narrow lanes.

After having an easy drive just 30 kms from Oslo to Dramman yesterday, and with only a short distance to Larvik, we were in no hurry to get moving this morning – And since it was my birthday, Janet offered to cook me up a full eggs and bacon breakfast – Which, like birthdays, only happens about once a year, so I jumped at the offer !  By the time we finished and had cleared up, the sun was shining, it was beautiful beside the river, so I decided (MY decisions today !) that we would have a lazy day here – So we did.  Sat in the sunshine, had a long walk down the path beside the river into town, and just

generally chilled out – Perfect way for an old man to spend his birthday !! The whole stay at Drammen campsite was made even more pleasant by Alexander the camp manager (or son of !), and we had long chats with him about our travels, his travels, and so on.  He made our stay much easier and more enjoyable – Thank you Alexander, make sure you let us know how you get on fishing in New Zealand.

0317 Exploring Oslo 2

1^st August 2015

So good we came back for more !

We had enjoyed our taste of Oslo yesterday, so we decided to come back for seconds today.  The museums looked pretty interesting, so we picked 3 and prepared to spend most of the day in town. 

The camp site in Ekeberg is on a hill overlooking the city and the fjord and surrounding hills, just 2.5 kms from the centre. Once again they had a lot of mud and soft areas due to all the recent rain, but we managed to find a suitable place, although as we were to find out during the night, it was a little close to a road !