Norway 2002
Ok, so it was early on a Saturday morning. We are all at the hut in our uniform getting everything ready for yet another expedition to Norway. It was my first time, I was dead excited, and I think everybody was, even if they had been before or not. Another excuse for yet another T-shirt, but this time it was to be a special occasion. 25th anniversary of the exchange, and last year of Venturing as we know it. A long coach ride didn't actually seem that long thanks to Tom's Tours making the journey that much more enjoyable. As expected, chaotic people going off on holiday at the Airport, but all things went smoothly. Yep, got that special picture of the plane wing above the clouds with crystal blue sky above. Classic. Arrived at Oslo etc. Then another long coach journey where we go to meet the Norwegian Scouts at the camp in the mountains. Insect repellent was definitely required as we got off the coach. Hate those little midges. The camp was very picturesque and the hospitality, was just spot on.
Before Monday, we relaxed, played volleyball, went canoeing in the fresh river, sang songs around the campfire and played some more volleyball. Then Monday arrived. All those in the unit were destined to 4 days of agony in the mountains. Except for the lucky few. (Carts, Birdy, Darren, etc) although they did miss out on the views, but I’m not sure if they mind that much!!! But seriously, it wasn't as bad as I have made it sound. It wasn't bad at all. It was all good. I can't really explain how good those four days were; I will just let you look at the photographs!!!
But to start, it was another coach journey, followed by a magnificent boat trip across a fjord in the nicest colour water I have seen. Then...up. and up. Then along a bit, then more up. Then down. Through the valley, passing a scenic waterfall by crossing a bridge (in many different ways!). Then along a bit more to our 1st camp.
What better way to end a day walking than to cool off and relax in some nice cold glacier water? It's not as easy as it sounds, in fact, the blue coloured skin and the constant shivering, might be an indication of how cold it was. But I loved every minute. And I know everybody else did as well!
A little bit of rain in the evening, but nothing problematic. Then an early start in the morning for another long day walk. This time crossing a bigger bridge over some more ferocious water. Exciting! Today is the first time we got a sight of Mt Glittertind. It's awesome beauty shining in the sunlight. We went up some more hills and then over a ridge down to base camp glittertind. Ahh! Luxury! They have showers! But I chose to pass on the showers and instead bathe in some more glacier water. I think the locals were shocked, but it's all part of the fun!
I gave in to the luxury though and decided to book a breakfast for 8am. Sure enough, I got up and had the most I could eat. Yum. Plane crash and chocolate spread sandwiches with jam and cheese. And in my other sandwich, salami and liver pâté. Nothing quite like a Norwegian breakfast! Then today (Wednesday) some of us ventured up the Glittertind just because we could. It was awesome. The Views, the thrill of doing it and everything. I think I used half a camera film just on the glittertind. It was worth it. Well, I did have 6 cameras, so why not?! We then met everybody back at base camp before we did that day’s walk. A long road to nowhere. That's what it seemed like. It would never end. The pouring rain didn't help, and the tiredness started to kick in, but we still carried on.
We eventually reached our third camp sight in the evening. Getting bored of eating jelly from the packet, we decided to make some real jelly and then put it in the river to set so that we could eat it for breakfast. It was great! (Not quite set enough, but still nice!) The next day was to be our last day of walking. For my walking group it would be a day that we will never forget. But it sure was interesting. Arriving back at the campsite was luxurious. Eating the Norwegian food we longed for. The Tinned Fish, the chocolate spread, the cheeses and cold meats were all shoved into my empty stomach as quickly as I could allow it.
The next two days we learnt more of the Norwegian way of life. That is.... very relaxed! I could get used to it, or rather, I would like to have gotten used to it, but it was not meant to be. We were taken away from the camp almost as quickly as we had arrived (or so it felt) as on the second Saturday, we started our travels around the country. We were taken from the camp by coach to the get the 4-hour train journey to Oslo. From here we then caught a local train to Høvik where we were due to be hosted for the night. Høvik is a magnificent little town. Very friendly and peaceful and quiet! I had my first shower in over a week, which was heavenly. We went for a quick swim in the fjord before we all met up and had a party on the local beach. Hot dogs and all! They were the nicest hotdogs I have ever tasted. The fried/dried onion sprinkle things were lovely. I ate about 11 hotdogs that evening. I didn't regret it the next morning either! A wonderful experience! Then the next morning, we all met at the Høvik station to get the train into Oslo. Here we were able to look around the city. It was magnificent!!! The whole city was crammed with atmosphere. People playing music on the waterside, entertainers in the street. So many people and the weather was so hot! It was just fabulous. Then we got another train and visited the Ski jump centre just outside of Oslo. Mighty, that was high. We got to see some people doing practice jumps on the little slope and then got to see the views of Oslo from the very top of the Tower. I can't remember how high it was, but it was high!
After our brief encounter with the Capital city, we had to get another train to Flåm. Except, I didn't mind this train journey. It seemed like first class. Leather seats, radios in the seats, personal coffee machine, a lounge area. Need I say more?! It was ultimate luxury. I’ve never been on a train like it. The time seemed to pass very quickly. This was made clear when I order a pizza on the train and have 1 minute to eat it before we were due to get off. Of course, I managed it very easily! After we got off this train we had no time to waste, as we were due on the next train immediately. This one was the very scenic Flåm Railway taking us through some extraordinary valleys passing hamlets you would only see in fantasy stories. Cottages with horse and cart. No sign of modern day in sight. Beautiful. Half way down, the train stops so we can get out and take pictures of the waterfall. It was a very pleasant ride. Our campsite in Flåm was ace. But we weren't there for very long, we had to get the first train back up the valley in the morning so that those doing glacier walking could, and those that weren't would get a ferry and meet us in Bergen in the evening. So we get another train to Finse where we see huge glaciers in the distance. We meet up with our guide and he takes us up onto the glacier. It was purely spectacular. The risk of falling down a crevace was nothing compared to the thrill of doing it. There were quite a lot of us all roped together just walking with our crampons across some very icy terrain. Great photo opportunities were had, I assure you.
Ok, so now after that thrilling event, we head off to Bergen. The train journey was pretty much the same as from Oslo to Flåm. That is, very posh! On arrival of Bergen, we have to get a bus through the city to our campsite (about half an hour away) and this is very late in the evening. 11pm ish. We then put tents up and stay the night. So next morning we get the bus back into Bergen (changing buses half way that is) so that we can explore the city. Bergen cards were essential to have Very cheap and you get all buses, trains, most attractions, museums etc all free! So I think we then went to Peppes Pizza, which apparently they always do and ate. Then ate some more, and some more. 23 pizzas in total. No, not all by me, but all of us together. The employees were working hard to get us pizzas in time. I think they were shocked! Not sure if they were any miss-haps this time, but I just about managed to walk out of there. But then we went swimming. Or was it before Peppes? I can't remember. Anyway, we got into the swimming pool with our Bergen cards (great) and used the diving boards and inflatable, as you would expect. We also went up the hillside on the tram to get a very nice view of the city. It was awesome. The sky was clear and you could see for miles. Quite brilliant. We then went back to the campsite. Ate, then went back into Bergen in the evening to go up the tram again to see the city in the dark. It was dark as expected. But quite fun.
So next morning (7th august) we get a train to Voss. Here we go white water rafting. Now that is the most fun I have had in a very long time. It was awesome! I would do it everyday if I could. Just brilliant. The waterfalls, rapids, and the crazy instructors just added to the effect. A brilliant day out. I'd recommend everybody to do it. Great fun. The people that didn’t go White water rafting threw themselves off a cliff instead. Paragliding, of course. Looked like fun, but I wouldn’t have swapped. So the next morning we head back to Oslo to have another look around and this time I saw the Volvo Ocean Race Djuice Dragon yacht. It was awesome. I have been following their journey around the world, but didn’t realise they were stopping in Oslo, and especially not when I was there! It was a great surprise. For that, I love the place! I was meaning to get some gifts for my family whilst here, but totally forgot due to the excitement. I hope they didn’t mind! So then we get another train back to Høvik to meet our hosts for the night. There were 6 of us that stayed with Christopher. I knew him from when he came over 2 years ago when I was in scouts, so that was a nice surprise to see him again. As soon as we arrive, we get changed and all go down to the beach where we went the Saturday before. We also meet up with two Ventures staying with Ed, who I also know from 2 years ago. Then by the time we get back to the house, our hosts had cooked some hotdogs, which was great! Again, I had lots of those onion things. They sure treat their guests very well!!! On Thursday evening, everybody including the scouts were due to meet about a mile down the beach to have a barbeque. This time, people from 25 years ago were there and it was a very big event. But what made it better, is that our hosts decided they would take us there in their boat! This was pretty cool. Everybody that attended signed the flag that I made for the unit. Then as the night grew old, we went a bit further down the beach and partied all night. The next day 10 of us met up to go into Oslo with a guided tour from Ed and Chris. Here we ate lots, and looked around for a present to give our hosts.
This evening (Friday 9th), the Norwegian Ventures booked a cabin far away in the woods for us ventures to spend the night and have fun as our last night in Norway. When we arrived, I was very shocked. It was mind-blowing. There were horses just wondering around the place, they had bells around their neck. There was a flagpole, but we had no flag with us, so used someone’s T-shirt. It was great fun. There was lots of drinking and music. It was a brilliant night. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend our last night in Norway. With only half an hour sleep, the horses turned into sheep and we had to take a walk through the woods to our coach. The coach took us back to Høvik where we picked up the Scouts and departed from the Norwegians. I was sad that we were leaving, but my dogs at home needed feeding, so I guess it was for the best. We arrived at Oslo airport and had to wait a long time for our flight. I think I fell asleep at one point, but I can’t really remember, I was so tired. But all was well, we were on a different plane than last time, but I enjoyed the food on the plane. It was very nice. I was disappointed that this plane didn’t have the little screens that showed us a live image from underneath the plane so you can watch as we take off, pass coast lines and forests, and more excitingly, watching the plane get closer to the ground as it lands. Wow, the fun! Yes, I’m easily amused. So we were back in England. Yes, it was cloudy and it rained. Better it did that here than in Norway though. I mean, everyday it was very hot and sunny. I had some embarrassing tan lines, but it’s all part of the fun! It felt boring being back here, but I suppose it’s that feeling that makes going away so much more enjoyable. I will look forward to going back again. And when the Norwegians come here in 2004.
There was so much more I would to have said. This is not even 10% of my experience in Norway. There are a lot of pictures that can explain some of the fun. But you would really have to be there to enjoy it. I was waiting a very long time to go to Norway. I missed the opportunity before, and I regret it. But I am glad that I have been now, and I will continue to do so in many years to come. Sorry for boring you with this. But I hope I may have given you a slight insight as to what my experience with Norway was like. Thanks.
Adam Thomas
Keynsham Venture Scout unit