With our flight being mid day we didn't have to get up stupidly early, and as I like to be early we defiantly had time for a coffee before the off!
Arriving in Norway I always feel the burst of fresh pollution free air, that seems to have disappeared from England these days.
We had booked a car hire so after promptly picking up our exactly 15kg bag (that's what i call good packing) we headed to pick up the car ... after having a 'winerpolse i lompe'
Finding the car was a surprising difficulty, we knew it was black and it was a Citroen and as I had only paied for the economy car, we were all expecting to find a tiny compact car!
Little did we know we had been upgraded to a beastly 4x4, it was huge! We unlocked it and threw the baggage in the boot and we then had to figure out the Norwegian driving logistics, for starters the driver getting in on the opposite side, many tiny hurdles to cross!
Then as we set off we all had to try and put us in the mindset of driving on the right side of the road, which is easy enough if you have cars to avoid or follow in the road. After a fairly simple two hour drive with only one pit stop to get crisps and chocolate. We were at my grandmothers house, we weren't greeted by the same enthusiasm this is because she's gotten older and more tired but she was still happy to see us and dinner was ready.
I attempted to get a square pano shot of the view from my grandmothers window, came out a little weird but you get the gist!
The house is always the same, the few extra pictures that we've sent to her from the past year, but there is always a comforting familiarity that I get from being there.
We were there for five days and two of which were mainly travelling but in the short time we were there because of the car it meant that we could see so much more!
Saturday: Arrived ate dinner, unpacked gave gifts, took a little walk down to the cabin then made our beds and went to sleep.
Sunday: Walked up Hanto Valen and looked out at the view, drove to the cabin to see what work was being done to it.
Then we took my grandmother down to the jetty (brygge) as she hadn't been down there in years!
Later on Sunday we went to some world war II trenches which my father used to play in when he was a child and me and Matt found it so fun to go through little tunnels to discover all sorts of massive under ground rooms and one turret room!
After all that exploring we went to dinner with some old friends from down the road, who are some of the loveliest people I know in Norway Kari and Erling were so welcoming and so happy to have us we ate elk drank wine and beer and had altogether had a delightful evening!
Monday: The next day we rose early as you always do in Norway when the weather is good, had our typical breakfast of open top sandwiches with cold meats.
We took my grandmother in the car and we drove down to Langvann, Matt had borrowed a rod from Erling and used that to fish in the lake then Matt and me found the little red boat and took that out across the lake we went arriving back at where my father and grandmother were sitting, patiently waiting for us to fall in the water with the poor use of the ores, lets just say our rowing skills are bellow par and our combined efforts did keep us dry and get us back to land!
After this adventure on the high seas lake, we thought we'd get back to some civilisation with a trip into town, we went to the big shopping centre for some coffee, sausages, chips, and cake! and of course as we women do we did a spot of shopping and then headed to the super market to pick up a few bits which included, almost, one of everything in the shop, when we had gotten half way through the shop which at my grandmothers pace, is a good hour to hour and a half trip, my father had decided he had had enough and we'd bought enough so time it was to pay and leave!
When we got back we had found that my cousin had found some rods which would work much better for fishing in the lake, and with the right rods and some proper spinners we were sure to catch something!
so after dinner which was a tasty ... something and before desert we went out to do a little evening fishing.
We ended up all three of us getting in the boat and sitting silently in the middle of the lake with two rods and one keeping us in one place. This was pretty tedious until, at around 9pm we caught a Trout, of a lets say less than large size. we tried for more for another half an hour but our efforts were fruitless/fishless and so we went back home with our one and only catch.
At a little after 9.30pm we arrived home to find my grandmother still up and waiting to have coffee and ice cream with us, as we had promised earlier to have with her. So cute.
Tuesday: Upon us came our last day! and at like 8am we were awoken by my father who said my cousen needed a lift into town he had a meeting that he had to get to, so we rushed off out of bed and made our way to Arndal.
We'd found a parking space with a very large sea view, and we headed to Jorgensen for breakfast!
Two lattes, one coffee, two school breads and one ham and cheese sandwich. perfect!
After this we took a little walk into the shopping centre took a typical trip to clas olson, and bought a little berry picker for my mother. Then it was back to Tvedestand to take my cousin to work, and then we headed off to Risøy to meet Erling.
When we met Erling we learnt that we we're going to be pulling up some fish nets to see what species were in them, we found so many varities of fish one of which was a female plaice which is bright red! Then Matt and me got out some kayaks and went round Taterholmen.
Then it was back to Tvedestrand where we needed to park the little red boat in Langvann back where we found it, then Erling came home and we went on his old boat Flink for a drive down to Kvastadkilen, very relaxing and a lovely way to end a lovely trip!
Oh, but after dinner of meatballs and potato Matt and I decided we couldn't just sit here we had to do something, so out we went on a last ditch attempt to catch more fish!
Back to Langvann we went with both rods, we started on land but that didnt seem like a great spot the best spot is on the other side, so out in the boat we went on out fishing expedition.
after half an hour of being in the middle of the water no catches no bites (from fish, the mosquitoes were plentiful) we decided to move back on land but on the other side of the lake just so we werent to disrupt the fish as much, Matt on one side of the rock and me on the other.
An hour passes almost time to get back, all I hear is Matt on the other side of the rock, "erm TAT!"
Perplexed thinking he's probably just cold or something, "I've caught a fish!"
I run over, catching my rod in a tree, then getting it loose and catching it in another tree, I ditched the rod and ran, finding Matt standing with one fish in one hand, now I guess you wouldn't win an award for it but a fish is a fish! It was a small perch with orange fins!
We gave it another 15 minutes and then we left to go home for some fish and coffee.
when we got home with our massive catch we were ready to eat! gutted beheaded and detailed both fish and threw them in the frying pan with some good old butter, and a few minutes later they were ready to eat, i spent some time de-boning the fish, I only ate the trout and it was a good fish I recommend if your not much of a fish eater trout is great! not many bones I pulled out the spine and along came the other bones, perfect!
Then on Wednesday we took a looong drive back, or the scenic route, to the airport as our flight wasn't until the evening. Popped in to a shop on the way to get supply of chocolate coffee and sausages!
and even more chocolate in duty free!
and just as our flight was boarding we bumped into my aunt and uncle from the other side of my family! getting on the same plane as us! What a coincidence!
flight was fine, baggage took over half an hour! not fun! greeted Mother at mid-stay and head home back on the left!
