Yesterday was a beautiful day. The weather forecast for this weekend showed an icon with a sun, a cloud, and rain drops. It was determined that either the forecasters are lazy, the weather changes frequently, or the entrusted site doesn’t monitor this part of Norway. I came prepared with sunglasses, sweaters, and a rain coat. I certainly used all of them, although the rain coat came in more handy for wind blockage or warmth than for repelling rain.
After updating the blog Saturday morning, I headed downstairs and asked the receptionist if there were any markets open today. She pointed in the direction of a farmer’s market and off I was. The market consisted of half a dozen stands: breads, honey, cheeses, and tortillas with sweet flavored cream cheeses? That last was an odd one, but that’s what it tasted like. There was a saxophone playing over a sound system, and an all-women percussion team marched up a few streets. They were supporting some event, although it was unclear to me what. I purchased a sesame loaf and a semi-hard cow’s cheese and continued on my way.
I went in a few stores… blomster (florist) where they had a neat stick display (see pictures) and in a chain store of furniture and house décor. They had some lampshades on sale ($3/piece) that are perfect for a lamp I purchased from a flea market last time I was here. The shades in the US were $15/ea and I’ve been holding off on buying them because it’s silly to pay that much. At this Norwegian sale price, it was a steal. I got 6.
At this point, town was checked off the list. It was either head South to where there might be a flat seaside stroll, or head North to the bordering hills for a view. I chose North and WOW. After dropping off the lampshades in the hotel room and grabbing a map from the tourist office, I journeyed up a main road, past a Hurtigruten ship (Jamie & I had taken Polar Lys Hurtigruten ship Southbound through this town... however the stop was from 1am-3am so we didn't disembark the ship, the Northbound ship docks from 12pm-3pm), through a residential area, and at the dead-end onto a non-marked weeded trail. Without the map in hand, one would think the trail was only used by teenagers to escape at lunchtime. The nameless trail started steeply uphill and sometimes had questionable footing from dirt on cement. Or maybe it was that my nice sandals had no grip. Either way, I took it slow and still managed a light sweat. Once at the top, the view was teasing through the trees. I was stoked to get on the ridge and hike along it West towards the sea. I arrived at a radio tower and had a 280 degree view. I could see the colorful town to the South below, that peak resembling Half Dome, some saw-tooth ranges, up the entry of a fjord, and the islands along the Northern coastline. At the next hill the 360 panorama was complete with views West of mountainous islands in a distance, known as the Lofoten Islands. All the mountains in view at snow capped peaks. It was quite scenic.
Out of my backpack came the loaf of bread, cheese, peanuts, and water. It was a fantastic picnic. I hung out as long as possible. When the breeze started to pick up, I headed back for the shelter of the radio tower building. I sat on a protected bench, de-layered (it was warm out of the wind!), and called Jamie for a long chat. There was no wind break because there were few trees. The largest trees in town are no taller than a house, and once up on the hills forget about it. The trees were a maximum of 15 feet and sometimes only brush. The treeline in Norway is around 3,000 ft (compared to around 10,500 ft in Cali).
A solid two hours had passed, Jamie & I had caught up (Moxie doesn’t like the phone) and so I headed down. It was a faster return walk to the hotel, likely because I knew where I was going this time. I took a good rest in the hotel for a bit before cleaning up and finding nourishment at a Thai restaurant. I got the last available table (there were only 3 tables occupied, and the rest were reserved). Despite there being only 1 vegetarian item on the menu, the food was great. I was hoping for a few more veggie options, it being a Thai restaurant and all, however it’s a Thai restaurant in Norway. It is relatively difficult to be a vegetarian in this country (especially if one didn’t eat seafood), and nearly impossible to be a vegan. Norwegians like their eggs (hard or soft boiled), and their cheese. I skipped dessert and returned to the hotel for some knitting and TV entertainment.
It was just my luck, the movie The Departed was coming up on a TV channel next. It is tough to find English-speaking shows, let alone a free movie, so I was quite happy. It would keep me awake to midnight, at another chance to the see the midnight sun. At midnight, I took a trip to the top floor of the hotel (the bar was much less crowded than the previous night), and no-go. The sky was more cloudy than the previous night. It was still plenty light, just no sun in view. Aw shucks.
I finished up the movie, read a book, and had difficulty getting to sleep. The caffeine from the Jasmin tea at the restaurant stuck with me longer than was welcomed. After a couple hours, slumber finally had its way and I awoke at 9:30am. After a hotel breakfast, packing up my stuff, and checking out at noon, here I am. I’m going to have a relaxing day, and take a “day-off” from both working and from playing tourist. It’s a typical Sunday; the stores, restaurants, and tour centers are closed. There is nothing to do but entertain oneself. I have the internet, knitting, and a good book so I’m in good order to conduct a Sunday Norwegian style (minus the family time), until my flight this evening.
