A Berry Good Day

Vinterbro, Norway -- Day 2

Meg here today.  Thanks to Cam's forethought and a weather checking, we decided that staying close to home would be a good way to spend our first full day in Norway.  When we awoke in our little cabin, we were surprised to find the outside thermometer reading 10 C (50 F).  Dean and I were happy to be indoors as it had rained most of the night and was still coming down.  Cam came over later in the morning and made us tasty waffles with lingonberries, cream and/or maple syrup.  Yum!  

While we enjoyed the lovely meal, Cam shared with us his ideas for the day, which included a walk in the woods to pick blueberries and Chanterelle mushrooms once the rain let up and the ground dried a bit. We loved the idea.  Meanwhile, the kids were happily playing with the pearler beads, yarn, coloring books and eying the candy jar.  

Since Dean and I still hadn't figured out the rest of our time in Norway, Cam thoughtfully offered a couple itineraries for us to ponder. After some discussion, web searches, and phone calls (thanks to Cam's excellent Norwegian) we had it figured out. The final plan was for us to leave on Friday, make our way northwestward by train and bus ending up at Leikanger by the end of Saturday, then board the ferry that would take us through beautiful Sognefjorden -- the deepest and longest fjord in Norway -- to the west coast city of Bergen.  

Back in my Houston days, I worked for a company called Odfjell Tankers, headquartered in Bergen, and I distinctly recall the pictures of the hillside homes under blue, sunlit skies... come to find out that Bergen has about 360 days of rain a year!  I've always considered myself a lucky person, so we'll see how it goes with the rain. We'll get a couple days there to explore in and around the city, before making our way back to Cam and Jan's and our flight to London very early on the 18th.  

Having finished the planning, we were ready for a little lunch.  The weather had indeed cleared up... or, at least it had stopped raining.  So, we all donned our wet weather gear with Dean and I happy to make use of the rain pants, purchased way back in Italy.  They were perfect for our berry picking expedition, as things were still wet.  I'm amazed at the amount of wild berries, and Cam confirmed that this was the height of the season.  No kidding!  The kids proved to be excellent pickers and enjoyed finding new patches here and there.  Cam, Dean, and I were able to talk while we worked, and, in the end, we all collected at least 5-6 cups of wild blueberries.  Kylie and Dean, however, showed definite signs of enjoying a few as they picked.  

Next up was the mushroom hunt.  Cam was hoping to find some Chanterelle mushrooms, a bright yellow fungus with a frilly underneath.  Alas, there were none to be found, but we enjoyed the walk in the woods with the moss taking over the undergrowth of the forest.  It was silent, spongy and beautiful.  Best of all, the sun came out while we were tromping around, and we made it back in time for Jan's return from work.  

View of Oslo and shiny ski jump

Jan, being a proper Norwegian with strong Finnish family ties, had worked with Cam to build the sauna in the small annex behind the house.  He got the wood fire going and gave us instructions on how to use it. Once it had warmed up to 60C (140F!), we could enter and add water to the hot rocks to help boost the sweating process.  On top of the furnace was a large pot that provided hot water for mixing with the barrel of cold.  The Family Hoornaert quickly got to the business of bathing.  Dean added a few scoops of water to the hot rocks, and I was sure I was going to melt or my lungs were going to burn up.  So, with haste, I washed and got back outside where I was grateful to feel cool air rushing over me andy my bronchial passageways.  Dex was next out, while Kylie and Dean seemed to relish the experience.  Gutsy Kylie would pour the cold water over her head and not bother with the warm.  I should have tried that.

Once we were all clean and refreshed, Cam set the outdoor table with champagne, snacks and cheese. There's nothing like being outside to help boost ones appetite and thirst.  We had a wonderful time catching up with Cam and Jan and hearing the story of how they met.  Both grew up on sheep farms, though Jan was from the far north regions of Norway, while Cam was from southern reaches of Australia.  Luckily, they both loved travel and hiking and it was through a mutual Australian friend that they had met in 2000.  To their credit, they've made the "Ozlo" relationship work, getting married in 2006.  They share their time between Australia and Norway, keeping winter at bay when they can.  

Cam had prepared an excellent meal of fish patties with garden grown veggies and dessert of warm, fresh berry cobbler with ice cream.  Hard to beat this kind of day.