Norway: High Adventure with High Prices

Thank goodness for salami and cheese sandwiches, because we have lived off them completely while in Scandinavia. The scenery is worth the cleaning out of our wallets though! Buckle your seatbelts boys, because you are in for quite the ride!

Our northern adventures started on a train to Sweden, where our train was ferried across the sea towards Mälmo at 4 in the morning. We discovered risifrutti...basically rice pudding and fruit. Heaven heaven heaven!

And after delicious pudding, it was on to Norway!

Oslo.

Where to stay in Oslo?? We took a ferry to the island of Langøyene, home to many campers over the summer, as you can camp for free on this island!

Langøyene. I do believe many nomads call this home...

Smooching at the old fortress in Oslo.

The Oslo Opera House. The roof slants and runs right into the ocean. You can even walk on it! I do believe I have found the best sledding hill!

Trying to find the church bldg on Sunday and lo and behold! There's a sign.

Church in Oslo. We were blessed for going too because met Emma! She invited us over for some salmon and spoiled us with goodies and a couch. We were even introduced to our new favorite food, plantain chips! 

Salty dried plantains... Amazing. Not to mention organic.

And Emma took us to meet her sister Sandra! We are now tight.

Hopefully we can meet up when they visit Utah!! :)

Our Oslo adventures sent us happily away to Stavanger, where we enjoyed the worst night train yet! Can't complain though, as this one was free!

Stavanger. Why? 2 reasons: Preikestolen and Kjeragbolten. This is where you with queasy tummies may want to sit down...

PREIKESTOLEN

1.5 hour hike, sweat scale of 3

Altitude: 600 m

Yup, those bright shirted lovelies are yours truly and Harmful Newhouse!

No, we did not fall off the edge. Harmon didn't faint and I didn't try to BASE jump off the edge. 

And as if that weren't enough...

KJERAGBOLTEN

2 hour hike, sweat level? Too cold to sweat.

Altitude: 1000 m 

We arrived at the parking lot below after a long and expensiveeee bus ride to find fog, rain, and cold. I could hardly see 20 feet ahead of me. We hiked up the rocks, holding on to chains and looking for the wizards that marked the way.

My hands were numb by this point, but what else is new? These pictures of the way up were taken during the better parts.... When it was clearer. Imagine a snowless blizzard. About sums it up.

We hiked up and down a few small mountains, until we reached it. This is the place! Only.....it was so dang foggy you couldn't see. Thing!

We waited until the last minute, hoping we might get some sun through the thick clouds... Just as I was ready to give up and turn to begin our descent, I thought I noticed it get lighter. The sun? It exists here?? Heavenly Father answered my little plea for sunshine :) and the result??

Beautiful.

Clear views all the way to the fjord!!

The hike back was a cake walk in comparison! And what a landscape! Too high up for trees, I loved the rocky landscape, covered by small mosses, with shrubs popping up as we descended. Definitely worth every second.

That far above the fjord... Awesome.

Our wee lil rock pyramid. 

We enjoyed a long bus ride back, snoozing and finishing up Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets... Back to Stavanger.

Port of Stavanger.

Deciding if we wanted to treat ourselves to some fast food, but not only does it taste just as greasy as in America, it costs a titch more....100 krona = $17

But we DID get some ice cream

And we felt SO good after a long hike that we went back for seconds. (Also the popsicles were about the cheapest thing at COOP)

Our time in Stavanger other than the hikes consisted of sleeping and having our very own movie party in the coolest lime green tent around.

My life is good. REALLY good.

Traveling wisdom: 

Check the weather before going on long hikes to somewhere specific. It might be worth it to wait an extra day.

REMA 1000 is definitely the cheapest grocery store we encountered. Also cookies costing only 14 krona (about $2) might be your only affordable sweet staple.

Salami and cheese sandwiches can last you until you stop using krona and get back to euros...

Find out where you can camp for free, then you may be able to buy more than salami.

Rest days are necessary now and then... Especially when in between awesome hikes!

Make friends at church.

Sometimes a rail pass can get you a free chair on a night train.

Emergency blankets can make someone like me sleep nice and toasty warm all night!! Meet Brookito.

Thessaloniki and on to Italy!!

We spent the night in Meteora with our wonderful "room wrangler" Totti....

Here is Totti's shop! We stayed above and on the right...it was like staying at the Marriott. 

From Meteora we moved on to Thessaloniki, where I learned many things:

1. Sometimes people will pick you up on the side of the road and drive you the rest of the way to your campsite because they know how hot and uncomfortable you must be

2. Sometimes you have to stick out your thumb I that universal sign to get a ride to the bus stop that is 7 km from your campsite to get to the airport in time...

An old Greek man in a small Toyota pickup might just give you a lift!

3. Campsites can be like resorts...like Akti Retzika!!! (www.retzikas.gr)

 4. They have peelable banana popsicles. Need I say more??

5. I love sitting in hammocks on the shore of the Aegean, watching the sun set and thunderstorm roll in

 

6. Ryanair is the budget traveler's best friend!! But don't expect your orange juice at 10,000 feet.

And with that we are in Italy! After a looooong day trying to get TO the airport (thank you Greek man with the pickup), waiting for our flight, waiting to get to the train station in Rome, almost (but not quite) getting pickpocketed in Roma Termini, and THEN crowding on to a very, VERY full train to Naples (I can still smell the sweat and cat dander), we made it to Pompeii. It was worth it to stay for €10 that night at Camping Spartacus!! 

Traveling Wisdom

Greeks are nice, they help you get on and off the train or bus at the right time, and they even give you rides! My lifelong dream to hitchhike was a success! And yes Dad, I was the one sticking my thumb out and flagging down the old man.

Do NOT let just anyone try to help you buy tickets for the train at the automatic ticket booths, they have a friend behind you standing a little too close and slipping a had into your pocket....