*Warning- this is quite a lengthy blog post- I recommend you get comfortable (maybe get a cup of coffee or tea?) before you start reading because , due to my inability to summarise, you’ll be reading for a while 🙂 *
As I am now on my Summer holiday I have decided it is due time for me to knuckle down and write about my experience on Norway Tour, the major Rotary-organised event for exchange students in Norway. Norway Tour was from the 1st to the 10th of June and to be completely honest the main reason that I haven’t written about it earlier is because to do that would be to acknowledge that it had actually come and gone. One of the best pieces of advice you get as an exchange student is to find things to look forward to, when nothing good seems to be happening it really helps to know that something really cool is coming up. Since I arrived in Norway this tour had been the thing I had been looking forward to. It was in June which seemed a lifetime away back in February and would be happening when I was almost halfway through my exchange. But now it is finished and I have had to say goodbye to the oldies that I had grown so close to as they go back home. Norway Tour was our last hurrah as an incredibly tight-knit group and to accept that it is over is a little difficult.
This might all seem a little depressing but that isn’t my intention. It is just what happens: you get comfortable with certain people and just as everything seems perfect it changes all over again. I am almost an oldie and I am confident that one of the main pieces of advice I will give to my newbies is to go on Norway Tour. Sure, it feels bittersweet to reflect on it but that doesn’t take away from just how incredible it was. So now I will get to the intended subject of this post: what happened on Norway Tour.
I’ll get some basic facts out of the way first. Norway Tour consisted of 10 days, 23 students and 3 rotarians. We traveled around the Western part of Norway in a bus and on many occasions were hosted by Rotary Clubs for lunch or dinner. It was the most jam-packed 10 days of my life but it was 100% worth it.
Day 1: The first day of the tour consisted of us all meeting at our accommodation in Oslo in the mid-afternoon before heading into the city for dinner. Admittedly I had the easiest job getting there considered I lived a 30 minute walk from the place, that doesn’t mean you should be surprised when I say it took me an hour from when I left home to arriving at the hostel (I have only mastered the Oslo bus routes in the last week or so and am much more knowledgeable when it comes to the trains and the tube). We enjoyed a typical Norwegian ‘Grilling’ (their way of saying BBQ) on the roof of an apartment block in Oslo, overlooking the Oslo Fjord. We were hosted by a member of the Oslo International Rotary Club and were truly blessed with the view that we had. As we ate and caught up on what had happened since we last all got together in March, the Sun set over over the rooftops creating a truly breathtaking image. The Rotarian who was hosting us also happened to be an exceptional piano player and treated us to a small concert featuring some of his favourite pieces. When he turned to us for requests we got to hear the tunes of Piano Man, Land Down Under and Africa. It was the perfect start to the tour.
Day 2:
We drove to an animal park in Flå where we were able to learn more about the various predators you find in the Norwegian mountains as well as see brown bears, reindeer and moose. It was an incredibly large park that was also hoe to wild pigs, tortoises, snakes and crocodiles. We then traveled to Nesbyen where we had our Wintercamp way back in February. It was shocking to see everything without the meter deep snow coverage and we were surprised to learn that we had been walking and skiing over fences on a fairly regular basis. We were hosted for lunch by the Nesbyen Rotary Club and it was great to be able to see the Rotarians that we had met on Wintercamp again. This venture was highly nostalgic and many photos were recreated. It was the place we had all met for the very first and to be back again almost five months later made us all realise just how much time had passed. After departing we drove to our accommodation in Myrland. We were split into groups and stayed in little cabins or hyttas. This was the first time I used a lakenpose. A lakenpose is a staple in every Norwegians travel bag. It is essentially a sheet sleeping bag that allows you to use a pillow, mattress and doona without making contact with anything other than the lakenpose. When you stay at a hytta you are provided with a mattress, pillow and doona but no sheets. It is presumed that you have an use a lakenpose for hygiene purposes. We had a fair amount of dinner so, after being informed of a nearby lake, we all went for a dip. Let me just say that it was very, very , very cold. We swam in a glacier later in the week and I honestly believe that this was colder. This did not stop us from enjoying it though but we did call it quits after we realised we had begun to lose feeling in our toes. After we had eaten we all hung out around a small stream, skipping stones and taking pictures before retreating back into our cabins for more games.
Day 3:
The third day was, in my opinion, the biggest day of the trip. We drove to Flåm and then took the world famous Flåmsbana . It is one of the steepest train-lines in the world, 80% of the journey has a gradient of 5.5%. From the train we were able to take in some stunning scenery of the surrounding mountains and fjord. The train took an hour and went from sea level to 836m above sea level. The Flåm railway was actually names us one of the top 10 train journeys in Europe by National Geographic Traveller Magazine and was also named the best train journey in the world by Lonely Planet in 2014. From the to station we cycled for 20km back down to our starting point, riding down the Flamsdalen Valley. The first part of the cycle was on incredibly steep gravel paths and had 21 hairpin turns all within relatively quick succession. Riding a bike is something pretty much everyone assumes they can do, if you asked me if I could I would say yes without hesitation. However, before this bike ride I cannot remember the last time I rode and a very bumpy and steep course is not exactly the ideal way to get back into it. I can tel you with no embarrassment that I walked my bike down the first part along with the rotarians and a couple of other students. I found you could take in the view just as well without risking potential injury (no over exaggeration as a boy broke his arm there on the last Norway Tour).Once the steepest part ended I rode the rest of the way and, after 2 and a half hours, got back to the starting point. We were able to enjoy lunch on the shore of the Aurlandsfjord before driving to Voss Active. Voss Active is a bit like the NSW Recreation and Sports Camps that you do in primary school (Great Aussie Bush Camp sort of thing) in the sense that there are different activities to do but also because the instructors come from all around the globe. We started with Team Building Exercises that we absolutely nailed. The instructors claimed to have never seen them done so quickly and so well (admittedly they apparently get a lot of bucks parties though) and it was pretty impressive considering we had only got together as a group on 2 other occasions. We were then driven to their main camping site where we were able to complete high ropes courses and go ziplining before finally having dinner at 9pm (it was a grilling and food always tastes better when you are hungry). We spent the night in two large teepee type tents, one for the 17 girls and one for the 6 boys, with a drop toilet and no showers. We probably all stank considering it had been another 30 degree day and we had done a fair bit (cycling, high ropes and ziplining) but we were all just grateful to be able to rest.
Day 4:
This was definitely one of my favourite days of the tour. After packing up and eating breakfast we drove back to the initial Voss Active site and got kitted up to go white water rafting. In the process of getting organised we discovered that two of the instructors were fellow Aussies and another guy was a Kiwi. After putting on various layers of wetsuits (it might have been 28 degrees but the water is still very cold) we were driven to the practice rapids. We were taught a number of commands/instructions and what to do if you fell out of the raft- a truly terrifying prospect. WE all had to undergo a ‘test’ of sorts to prove we knew what to do (we had to willingly fall into the rapid and then get out) before we were allowed to get into the rafts. I was at the front with another Aussie and this meant that even on the practice run we caught a fair amount of spray. However, we hadn’t seen anything yet. The main rapids were a lot larger and a fair bit scarier. Before the start of every rapid we were briefed by our instructor on what to expect and which way to swim if we did fall out. Whilst slightly terrifying, white water rafting was also incredibly fun. The bumps and major rapids were exciting and it was cool to work as a team to ensure we didn’t capsize. After the main rapids were over we were allowed to jump out of the raft and just float around, enjoying the water and the view. When we got back we had to shower quickly before eating lunch and heading to Voss Vind- an indoor sky diving center. For those of you who haven’t been indoor skydiving before it is a lot harder than it looks. You have to make sure your head, legs and arms are all in the right position to be able to be be lifted by the massive amount of air coming your way. It was really fun and definitely dried us all off from the rafting if we weren’t already completely dry. After we had all had a go we started the journey to Bergen. It wasn’t an overly long drive and I spent most of it glued to the window, taking in the views of the fjords we were driving past. Once we arrived in Bergen we had a pizza buffet for dinner before being given free time for the rest of the night. One of the rotarians told us about a walk that started just near our hostel that we could do with him if we wanted. Saying yes to that was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. The walk he was referring to was to the top of Mount Ulriken, quite a popular hike. The walk took around an hour and a half and the last part was incredibly steep, we relied on the metal railing provided to keep our footing. It was definitely not easy but I held on to the hope of a beautiful view at the top and I was not disapointed. By the time we got to the top it was around 10:30pm and the sun was just starting to set. Words cannot describe how beautiful it was. Around half of the exchange students came on the trip and we spent around 45 minutes taking pictures and in awe of the view we had gotten. The walk down was lit by phone lights and it was a bit like we still couldn’t believe what we had seen. We were a bit giddy with excitement and joked and chatted the entire way down. It was around 12:10am by the time we got back and I went to bed relatively soon after.
Day 5:
The 5th day of the tour was primarily spent enjoying the sights of Bergen. We were given a guided tour of the historical parts of Bergen by a Rotarian. We got to see Bryggen, one of the oldest parts of Bergen and also World Heritage listed. Many of the buildings we saw were built before the British came to Australia and they all had a beautiful charm to them. The tour we received was highly informative but admittedly a little harder to understand as the dialect used in Bergen is distinctively different to the one I am used to in the Oslo area. After the tour we walked halfway up Fløyen (a small mountain) to get to a ¨Shrimp Party¨ organised by the Bergen Rotary Club. A ¨Shrimp Party¨ is essentially a meal where you shell prawns before eating them with white bread and butter. It is a pretty common thing to do in Norway in Summer and it is quite interesting to observe the different ways people go about the shelling process. After the lunch we went back down into Bergen and were able to enjoy some free time. We did a fair bit of souvenir shopping and just general wandering around the city. We were able to see the fish markets as well and notice the differences in the food you could buy there. As you would presume you could buy fish, oysters, crabs and seafood like that but whale, reindeer and moose were also on offer. We took the metro and a bus to a Rotarian’s house in suburbian Bergen. We were able to enjoy another grilling in what was a very enjoyable evening with very pleasant weather. Bergen is renowned for being rainy. In fact, Bergen is the rainiest city in the world (I’ll admit I didn’t know this until I googled how many rainy days it gets for this purpose of this blog- I just knew it rained a lot). Bergen gets 240 days of rain every year but somehow we managed to spend a two days there with 0 rain, it is practically unheard of.
Day 6:
We did a fairly large amount of driving on day 6 but if you have to drive long stints then Norway is a pretty good place to do it. The view was amazing as we drove towards Geiranger. We took a ferry across the Sognejord before driving further to Forde where we were hosted for a taco buffet lunch by the Forde Rotary Club. I don’t know if I have explained this before but tacos are a very commonly eaten food in Norway (I have heard that Norway is the world’s second largest consumer of tacos but I have no clue if this is actually true). We then all went to a local convenience store and got softis (sort of like self serve ice cream) before piling back onto the bus for a 3ish hour drive to the Briksdalen Glacier. We walked for around 45 minutes to reach the glacier and passed many waterfalls that gave us a bit of a taster of the freezing water. When we reached the glacier we stripped down to our swimmers and went for a dip. I don’t use the word swim because we were in the water for around 1 minute before getting out again. Within that singular minute the sheer temperature of the water meant that I could not feel my feet and I was sort of grateful that the Rotarians were so strict on only being in the water for a minute or two. We dried off before heading back onto the bus and being driven to dinner- a fairly typical meal of meat balls, mashed potato and tyttebær jam.
Day 7:
Day 7 was the day we actually saw the Geiranger Fjord and it was better than I could have expected. The view was spectacular (I know by this point of the post you are probably getting sick of reading that statement but it is definitely true- Norway is like New Zealand on steroids). We caught another ferry and enjoyed svele (sort of like a pancake) with bruno st- a fairly typical Norwegian ferry food. We drove to Fjellstova, our accommodation for the night, before being given a couple of hours to do what we wanted with. Some Rotarians, other exchange students and myself chose to walk to the top of a nearby mountain to take in the view of the surrounding area. The walk to the top was only around 45 minutes and it provided a pretty solid view of the different mountains in the area. We had another grilling for dinner but, as it was one of the American student’s 19th birthday, we also got to enjoy cake and the evening was all very festive.
Day 8:
The 8th day was the only day that we experienced less than perfect weather. It was considerably cooler as we got to Ålesund and took a walk around the city and scenic points. Ålesund is a beautiful city and at the time we were there various cruise ships were also in the harbour. We then drove to Kristian sund taking the very scenic Atlantic Ocean Road. This road features many awe-inspiring bridges that have been featured in many movies over the years (The Snowman for example). It was also voted Norwegian Construction of the Century and is the second most visited scenic route in Norway.
When we got to Kristiansund we took the Sundbåten across to a Klippfisk museum. Klippfisk (sometimes called Bacalo) is essentially salted, dried cod and has been a very large business in Kristiansund for many years. At the Klippfisk Museum we were able to learn about the history of the klippfisk production in Kristiansund and also about the process of said production. After our tour we drove to our accommodation and then were able to try klippfisk for dinner. Despite the fact it does not sound overly appetizing it is actually really good. I can now add klippfisk to the list of typical Norwegian food I have tried.
Day 9:
The second last day of the tour was essentially a day of long driving. We drove from Kristiansund to Hunderfossen which ended up taking around 8ish hours. Admittedly the scenery found further away from the coast is not as good as what we had experienced on the first couple of days so we ended up watching The Greatest Showman and Shrek as we did the long drive. We stopped at Trollsveggen along the way and got to take photos with trolls and just take in the extremities of the landscape. Trollsveggen is essentially a very large rock face that stretches along for a fair distance. When we arrived in Hunderfossen we had pizza with a Rotarian at their farm before being allowed to have a look at the animals that were kept there. Once we got back to our accommodation we all hung out in a room signing flags, t-shirts and books as well as exchanging leftover pins and business cards. We stayed up to around 2am because no one really wanted the night to end. The tour had gone by incredibly fast and it was difficult to process that it was our final night together as a group for a number of years.
Day 10:
On our final day we walked to the Hunderfossen Amusement Park. This was a fairly small park with only one roller-coaster however we used the 2 hours we had been given to make the most of it. We had tacos for lunch before hopping back on the bus for the final drive back to Oslo. There were many tears on that final bus trip and as we dropped people off at the airport and then finally stopped at Oslo S reality all sort of came crashing down. The goodbyes were incredibly hard and if you had told me when we first all met in February that we would be so close I would not have believed you. But saying goodbye was devastating because there is no guarantee we would ever be together as a group again. It was also hard to hear all of the oldies talking about going home and seeing their families again. I love it in Norway, don’t get me wrong, and I don’t want to go home but hearing everyone talk about something that is still 6 months away is pretty hard. Long story short, that last day was pretty hard and going to school the next day was even harder. It was like my entire word had changed completely but everyone else had no idea that anything was different.
Norway Tour was truly amazing. It was definitely one of the best weeks of my life and I came out of it feeling like a different person. I know this has been an incredibly long blog post but it either had to be a complete day-by-day description or nothing at all.
Until next time,
Alicia
