Hallingskeid Again

Went back to Hallingskeid over the weekend. It was a bit spontaneous - there are very few trips this semester that you can go on if you're not good on skis, and this was probably the second, and the last, one that worked for me. It was a funny feeling to leave Bergen now that it's getting warm and summery even for the interior of Norway, where reports said it was still well frozen over. And it was - still a winter wonderland of white like frosting over round mountains as far as the eye could see. But very different this time.

Last time we were 18 crammed into the tiny cabin, a tiny hive of frenzied life with the deadly wind and snow and ice just outside. This time the weather was much better - just below freezing, and largely sunny. We were only four which made the cabin luxurious and spacey. I even got to sleep one night in the reindeer skin sleeping bag! :D (Very traditional and cool, but hairy and not as warm as my down sleeping bag haha).

There was more work to be done by each in a sense, but that was good. I got much better at making the fire, I learned a lot of the basics of how to keep a cabin clean and warm and working. I helped cook. I walked down to the half-frozen river to fetch drinking water. Together with Alex I dug a hole fully eight feet deep to the latrine. We put up new curtains and painted half the cabin bright Vestlandsrød. It was a dugnad trip, after all!

And there was also time for skiing. I still can't turn hardly at all, but can't figure out if that's the fault of the mountain skiis, or that they're just far too big for me, even with the four pairs of socks. Probably both. Other than that, though, I'm improving. Climbing up to the station with skins on was a no-brainer this time. And I came down that whole hill in one movement as well. Getting better at bending my knees. I felt the extra and strange weight of the backpack, but I was better able to manage it this time.

After three times on downhill/alpine/slalom skis, I'm starting to feel confident saying that I'm no good, but I know the basics. This was my third time on crosscountry/mountain skis, and I guess it's about the same. On a normal path I think I'd have no real problems now. Even off-piste I'm managing, but the failure to turn means I can't tackle real mountains because I don't have enough control. Plus, I'd get exhausted pretty fast, if my hikes to and from the train station are any indication!

On Sunday people streamed out of cabins on skiis and snowshoes in solemn lines to the train station for the only train of the day at 4 pm. As we all stood there on the ice-covered platform, the announcement came on that the train had been delayed. For an hour and a half. Because of problems with the hot water supply. Do trains REALLY need hot water? The whole thing seemed ridiculous after a weekend of primitive cabin living. And having dragged ourselves all the way up the hill with all our stuff, we were sort of ready to be headed home. But it wasn't a bad time to be stuck.

Those with nearby cabins went home for a few more minutes. The rest of us headed to the sunny wooden roof. Sheltered from the wind, the warm sun was actually so intense that I stripped down to just jeans (with long underwear underneath), and a long sleeved shirt. The snow was melting quickly from the roof and falling in splatters and drops, which we dodged. The three boys started out reading and ended up napping. I mostly just leaned back and stared at the snowy, mountainous panorama stretched out in front of us. Yet another 'how did I get here' moment.

Photos and Other Stuff

Study days from the university. I need them both for studying and general organization and mental health. The Faroes took a lot out of me - in the best possible way.

And yet it's a sunny day and that's not fair - all these days have been sunny and it's Bergen for crying out loud - I'm sure it'll be nasty and awful now when my friends visit. 

Today I need to do laundry, clean my room, make a blog post or two on the study abroad blog. And STUDY.

But it's hard. :) I've still only sorted 1/3 of the photos from the Faroes. If that makes me sound lazy, consider how many I took -

Eysturoy (Where Uni lives, plus the highest mountain, the natural harbour Gjogv, etc) - 2,527
Streymoy (The capital, the mountain road, Kirkjubøur, Saksun...) - 2,149
Suðuroy (Southern Island, cliffs and stuff) - 1,715
Vágar (Western Island, waterfall and islets) - 626
Norðuroyggjar (Northern Islands of Viðoy, Kunoy, Kalsoy, and Borðoy) - 3,512

The Faroe Islands in 25 Pictures

I wouldn't go so far as to call this my '25 best pictures from the Faroe Islands'. I haven't even looked at half of the pictures yet! But this was the summary I threw together to show my Norwegian class, and I think it gives some idea of the spirit and diversity of the landscapes and villages. :)

The Faroese Forests

Sometimes I have this funny idea that I want to make really misleading travel posters. Pictures that were taken in the country but haven't captured its average, its stereotype, its feel, whatever. And I'm torn between just humourously misleading, and trying to showcase another aspect of the place that's too often overlooked. Snowy Italian Alps. Modern Architecture in Norway. The sunny beaches of Scotland.

And right now I have this desire to make a troll post about the "Faroese Forests" with pictures I've taken from their specially planted groves inside of towns. (the Faroes do not have natural forests, or even trees.) You can read about the 'tree situation' in the Faroes here: http://faroesestamps.blogspot.com/2011/04/europa-2011-forests.html They did a quite good job finding motifs for those stamps, but in fact I recognized immediately what both of them depict (I mean the exact place!)- that's how little forested area there is in the Faroes! :)