Warriorbern on the Move

Today I tried skiing for the very first time. Charles' neighbours kindly loaned me some ski boots and a pair of skis and I fitted into an old ski suit that belonged to Charles' son. I was hoping for warmer weather but it was -11 degrees! In the end I didn't feel the cold because I was all wrapped up in all the gear. So here follows some photos that Charles took. Starting off This is not so bad! They say pride comes before a fall - here I am in the ditch I landed in after Charles had untangled me from the ski poles and skis and helped me up. I have a banged up knee thanks to this little detour off the track. They say you should get right back in the saddle again ... or in this case on the skis! I could get used to doing this! Looking a little disheveled but happy. It was not bad for a first attempt! Despite having a bruised knee, I really enjoyed myself skiing. Not sure that I will tackle downhill anytime soon but will definitely give...

This morning my friend Margie commented on yesterday's blog saying "Cold nose or not who cares when your eyes are viewing that kind of beauty" and this morning before going out I completely agreed. Once I was outside in -10 degrees though it was a whole different story! We put on our warm clothes and trotted down to the railway station. I was frozen before we had gotten half way there! Fortunately we could wait inside for the train and it was marginally warmer there. The train arrived and we travelled for an hour an a half through the countryside along the edge of the fjord to Trondheim. We arrived in Trondheim at about 10h30 and all seemed good until we left the train station. The cold was despicable! I wrapped my scarf around my face to try and protect my nose but it didn't help much. Before long it felt like my entire face was frozen solid. Our first stop was the Nidaros Cathedral the building standing currently dates back to the middle of the 12th century. It is...

Today we decided that we needed to get some exercise, sitting in the car was doing us no good. We went for a long walk around the small part of the fjord on which Levanger is found. The red line shows our route. For me it was a strange feeling sweating away under all my layers of clothing while my nose and chin were freezing cold. The walk took a couple of hours and was really enjoyable. Last Sunday we had driven this way but it was good to see everything slowly. Norway, however, seems to be all uphills LOL! Below are just a couple of photos that I took along the way. It was really great to get home and out of the cold and to settle down on the couch with hot chocolate and marzipan cake. Tomorrow we will have an early start to catch the train to Trondheim for a day of sight-seeing. Take care everyone!

This is going to be a short blog today. This morning we went to Steinkjer to visit a store that has all sorts of electronics items. We had a good look around and I managed to keep my money in my wallet LOL! I will have another shopping opportunity on Monday though when we go to Trondheim. We had some coffee at the shopping centre and then went looking for moose along the edge of the fjord. This section of the fjord is the most northern part and it was really pretty. The water at the edge was frozen and a little further out was slush. Unfortunately we did not see any moose about. Either we are really bad at finding them or they are all hiding out in the forests. Maybe we are looking too hard and when we stop looking, then we will see lots of them. Have a good Saturday evening everyone!

There are times when one should really be with one's family but it just isn't possible. For a long time my family have been expecting to say a final goodbye to my grandmother and last night this finally happened. While I knew that this was inevitable and even had I known the exact day, I would not have changed my plans to be where I am now. My grandmother was such an amazing lady who wished me nothing but happiness and success. She always wanted me to have the best possible time out and to live my life to the full. Whenever I saw her she would ask me "so where are you off to next" with a huge grin on her face. I have so many good memories of her from when I was a little girl and all through my adult life. I will miss her but I know that she is now in a much happier place, free of the constraints of her frail body. The morning was spent quietly at home. Amazingly Charles and I had planned this before I received the news from home and it was good to have the quiet time...

Today's outing was to Sweden, to a small ski resort called Åre. Thankfully we didn't have to hear any ABBA songs on the radio LOL! The road on the Norwegian side of the border followed a river which is slowly freezing over. There were some lovely waterfalls along the way as well as some gorgeous landscapes. Crossing the border into Sweden was a non-event. I took my passport along just in case but it was not necessary. Below is the border post: In Sweden we also experienced the lowest temperatures: -17 degrees! It was quite chilly LOL! I was so grateful for the heater in the car every time I got back in from taking photos. The landscape in Sweden was a little different because we were up on top of the mountains and the conifers were no longer the dominant tress. I fell in love with it!   Åre was sort of what I expect Aspen, Colorado to look like. It is ski slopes and holiday houses everywhere. We stopped in a little cafe for some hot chocolate and ma...