travel

Two friends and their furry companions

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Kristen

Although Damien has already recorded his thoughts on our time in Nannestad with Lillian and Ove I feel it would be remise of me not to record my impressions of what has been a highlight of my trip to date.

We arrived at Gardermoen airport on a delayed flight which was fine as we still had plenty of time to make it to Lillian and Ove’s place in daylight. However, as other passengers removed their luggage from the carousel one by one it became apparent that my bags were nowhere to be seen. After trawling the baggage area for a while we eventually located my wayward backpack beside another carousel in the lost pile. The interesting thing I noted was how unfazed I felt about the whole thing. I didn’t feel stressed about it and I reflected later that nearly two months of not working has definitely chilled me out! My luggage did the same disappearing act here in Tromso too – it was doing the rounds on another carousel. As long as it keeps appearing in the long run, I’ll remain chilled!

Unfortunately for us these delays meant that the darkness was catching up with us so we would be arriving at their place in the night. The instructions seemed sufficient when daylight was factored in but as we disembarked from the bus in this town it became quickly evident that this was not going to be a straight forward exercise.

We had scribed on a piece of paper the emailed instructions from Lillian:

When you come to Gardermoen you go out and take the bus all to the right, bus 855.
You say to the driver you want to go to Preståsen skole.
Then in the back on you you have a carparking and a school.
Go beside the school on the sidewalk to you come in to a small willage.
Loock at the left for house nb.2 a light blue one, Gaupeveien 17 and you are here:-)

Armed with a torch (there was minimal street lighting) and the instructions we set off…but not knowing where. We eventually found a large expanse of snow which I summised could potentially be the said carpark…now where was the school…ah ha! We found what seemed to fit the bill, along with a group of young kids ice skating in the dark near the buildings. Finding the sidewalk was a tad more tricky and I soon began to feel like I was in the midst of some orienteering expedition gone wrong, or maybe we were contestants in the Norwegian leg of the Amazing Race! Again and again we peered over the instructions, then into the darkness with our trusty little torch, then back to the instructions… it didn’t seem to matter how may times we read over it, the way forth was not miraculously appearing out of the dark!

We even asked a few locals, who kept materialising out of the darkness. The first one seemed to walk away faster the more I screamed out behind him, “Hey mate! Excuse me! Excuse me!!!!’ Then we asked another woman and young girl if they spoke English to which they replied ‘No” and walked on. We didn’t even bother asking the next contenders who walked past. I think we both silently felt that it was better not to suffer the disappointment of another conversational dead end. At this point I was musing that if things went pear shaped and we couldn’t find their joint that I would be not very comfortable knocking on a random door to ask for help. I decided that the entrance way to school house looked sheltered enough and if I had enough layers on maybe we could camp the night there and we wouldn’t freeze to death. Oh the stupid things you think of!

But of course we got there in the end and our reward was to be welcomed into the home of the most wonderful people who I know we will remain friends with. Lillian has such a big heart and is a great cook like my Mum. Damien has spent time on the food delights already but I have to mention the deluxe pizza she made – complete with the most tasty sauce with the secret ingredient of star anise! Oh and that kaviar in a tube – what a great Norwegian gem that one is! The tube is like the ones condensed milk used to come in and which I used to stand at the fridge door with as a kid and unload straight into my mouth! I’m not suggesting I’d do the same with the kaviar tube but it was damn fine!

Ove is a gentle and funny man who looks as Viking as they come! I loved being taken to the clubhouse to check out all the Harleys and hear him start up that engine! I can only imagine what it must be like to go on some of their massive bikie rallies through Europe. He told us that one they went on had 25 000 bikes!

I fell in love with their little dog, Scott. He is a Lhasa Apso. I am more of a cat person usually and generally am not too partial to smaller fluffy type dogs, but Scott, well he’s the exception! He had so much character and I think if I was ever to get a puppy it would have to be one of those. Evie the little black and white cat was also affectionate and had the biggest fluffy tail (Pepe le Pew style) which always is a winner as far as I am concerned. However, I didn’t really make friends with their last furry companion, the stand offish Bin Laden!

I really can’t say enough how much I loved my stay with Lillian and Ove. Such good people, such a great time.

I am now really looking forward to our next Globalfreeloader experience in Oslo with Elin. Wish us luck with that though as we are meeting Elin while she waits in line to purchase tickets for a talk by an American photographer she wants to see….should be a piece of cake 😛

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Norwegian hospitality

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Damien

We’ve just spent three days with two wonderful, warm-hearted people near Oslo: Lillian and Ove. Thanks to Globalfreeloaders.com we were able to meet this great couple and enjoy superb Norwegian hospitality, giving us what will surely be one of the best memories of this leg of our adventures.

From the moment we found their house – which was a bit tricky walking around in the snow and darkness – we were welcomed as old friends, which is exactly what we have become in just three days. On our first full day there we went on a couple of guided walks around their home, located in a small village about 15 minutes drive from Oslo’s main airport. The countryside is spectacular in winter, and we were graced with perfect weather as you can see from the photos above. Ove is a senior member of a local motorcycle club, Pilgrims Millennium MC, and in the afternoon he took us to both of their clubhouses and showed us all of the Harleys in various states of winter rebuilding. He also took us to his workplace where he is a highly specialised crane operator, and showed us one of his steeds: the largest wheeled crane in Norway. Capable of lifting 500 tons, the crane itself weighs more than 100 tons and can extend 184 metres at full stretch – an amazing piece of machinery!

During the day we met several of their friends and family, who underlined just how generous a couple they are. Most telling is Alex and Noella, a young Spanish couple who stayed with Lillian and Ove for the first time several years ago when they came to Norway seeking work. Lillian and Ove helped them find work, then took them in again later for an extended time while they found somewhere to live. Now the young couple have their own place, and a young child, and the four are close friends. That night family and more friends arrived, and great fun was had well into the night with beer, locally made spirits such as aquevit and berry liqueur, and good cheer all round 🙂

One of the highlights was undoubtedly the food. Though we were prepared to buy and cook our own, Lillian insisted we share their meals and served us some luscious dishes such as fish and pasta stew, homemade pizza and my favourite: venison and pork stew with rice. Flavoured with pepper, cream and local chanterelle mushrooms that Lillian picked in the autumn and froze for use during winter, the stew was a triumph of rustic country cooking. We also had the chance to taste a number of Norwegian breakfast staples which we’d never have experienced otherwise: fiskpudding, a white sausage of fish akin to a roll of devon; caviar in a tube; cheese spread mixed with with shrimps; cheese spread mixed with ham; brown cheese, which was like processed cheddar mixed with peanut butter (yep, it’s an acquired taste); elk salami; a super-sweet caramel spread; and the national dish, tinned mackerel with tomato sauce, along with more familiar options such as cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pate, bread, jam and milk.

We can’t say enough how thankful we are that we had the opportunity to meet and stay with Lillian and Ove. If we ever return to Norway we will certainly see them again, and if they are able to make it all the way to Australia we look forward to extending good old-fashioned Aussie hospitality their way. I wonder how they’ll go with Vegemite?

Categories: food, friends, Norway, Oslo, Scandinavia, travel | 2 Comments

A man and a woman, a dog and two cats.

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Kristen

This afternoon we are leaving Helsinki to fly to Oslo, Norway. I am excited to be inching closer to those Northern Lights! However, this evening will be my first real taste of being out of my comfort zone…or maybe not, it remains to be seen!

The reason is that we will be living in the home of a Norwegian couple who live about an hour out of Oslo for the next three nights. They are in their 5o’s and have a dog and two cats…and that’s about all I know! How did this come about, I hear you ask? Well, I joined Globalfreeloaders when we were still living in Cronulla and although we didn’t get anyone interested in coming to stay with us we planned to use this site once we got o/s. Although we sent requests to people in Finland, it has been the Norwegians who have answered the call. We will also be staying with another woman and her daughter in their small unit in Oslo on our return from Tromso, where we hope to see the Aurora Borealis.

I am hopeful that this will prove to be a memorable part of our Scandanavian adventure (for all the right reasons of course!). I truely believe that it is getting to know the locals and how they live their lives that adds a depth of understanding to anytime spent in a foreign place. If you don’t talk to the locals you can only view their lives through your own lens. I have vivid memories of times like this when I stayed with a local Hill Tribe village in Northern Thailand or the nine hour boat ride to Battambang in Cambodia where Damien and talked literally for hours to a young guy who gave us insight into life under the Khmer Rouge. The interesting thing about the Hill Tribe village stay was that I spent a night hanging out with these people and we all laughed and genuinely had a wonderful night together despite that most of our conversation was through body language and smiles.

Here’s to the next leg of the adventure and the surprises it will bring!

Categories: Cambodia, cronulla, Norway, Scandinavia, Thailand, travel | 2 Comments

Porvoo? Not in winter…

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Damien

They can’t all be winners.

On paper, the medieval town of Porvoo has a lot going for it: second-oldest town in Finland, site of the 1809 conference with Czar Alexander I where the future of Finland for the next 50 years was decided, home of famous artists and writers, a picturesque wonder of beautifully coloured wooden buildings densely packed on the east bank of the Porvoonjoki river. It sounded like a worthy day trip from Helsinki, and was our first and only foray out of the capital within Finland.

Perhaps we shouldn’t have gone there after Tallinn. In summer it must be lovely, with crowds thronging the tight streets and the buildings shimmering brightly in the sun. Kristen liked it accurately to Berry in NSW: a pretty town trading on its history that has become a mecca for antiques, art, food and relaxation. B&Bs prosper around Porvoo in the warmer months, and it has a reputation as a top gourmet destination. In winter, it’s dead. The handful of people we saw on the streets of the Old Town had looks of either bemusement or bewilderment at our presence, and we quickly began to share their mirth and confusion as we trudged along.

With snow falling steadily and adding to the deep drifts piled up against the walls, we followed the suggested walking route through the Old Town and read aloud the descriptions of the “highlights” contained within the free town guide. With commentary gems that informed us of important facts such as ‘this building is famous because the Finnish national poet spent the night there when he first arrived in Porvoo’, ‘that building houses the oldest continuously operating department store in Finland’ and ‘the well-loved Runeberg cake is thought to have been developed over there’ we couldn’t help but laugh at the whole experience. The river is frozen over and covered in snow, the colours muted, most of the shops closed, and there we were bang in the middle of it all. Unthrilled.

The biggest disappointment was that the bus fares there were exorbitant for such a short journey, and as we’re on a budget it felt like a big waste of money. Time was not the issue – we have plenty of that 🙂 To help us overcome our mixed feelings, we decided a bottle of wine and some cheeses back in our cosy apartment was the right course of action. That required us to make a visit to the state-run alcohol store, the exquisitely named Alko.

The idea that alcohol in Finland (and the rest of Scandinavia) is massively expensive is a bit of a myth. It’s true that drinking at a cafe, bar or club is pricey and not recommended for more than the occasional drink. However prices for take-home alcohol at Alko are broadly similar to what we would pay in Australia – or in some cases considerably cheaper. By law any drink with an alcohol content higher than 4.7% can only be obtained for consumption at home via the government-owned network, whose opening hours are strictly controlled. However drinks of 4.7% alc or less are widely available at supermarkets and convenience stores. This includes most beers, ciders and “long drinks” (what we know as pre-mixed drinks or alcopops), and their prices can be much cheaper than in Australia.

The Alko in Kamppi Square had an extensive selection of wines including a healthy range of quality NZ and Australian drops, but we let our wallet prevail and opted for a reasonable but cheap Chilean chardonnay. Perfect with the wedge of Castello Blue and French camembert which we bought at the local Aldi clone for next to nothing. What’s that about Porvoo? I’m already thinking of our next stop: Oslo!

Categories: Finland, Scandinavia, travel | 2 Comments

Photo Tallinn

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Damien

Kristen has covered our antics here very well earlier, and I agree that Tallinn is a fantastic place to visit. some of my favourite pics from our three days here