Rocks!

Thursday 12 June

Kalambaka is a lovely small town nestled at the foot of an amazing collection of enormous rocks.  This morning I went out early and walked through some of the back streets where pretty houses and small apartment buildings are decked out with flowers - roses, geraniums, wisteria featuring prominently. As I walked my gaze was constantly drawn towards the towering rocks with the early morning sun shining on them.  At the top of a couple I could see buildings - no doubt the monasteries that we were to visit during the morning.  The puzzle was how we were going to actually get up the sheer cliff faces to access these places.
About the Meteora. Formed during geophysical upheavals some 60 million years ago, the sandstone rock columns were separated from the Pindos Mountains by erosion and today stand 400 metres above the Thessaly Plain making an astonishing sight.  Since the 11th Century hermits and monks have lived on these almost inaccessible piles of rock and it is generally agreed that without the continued activity of the monasteries here during the 400 years of Ottoman occupation much of Greek culture and history would have been lost forever.  Today, as we were to discover, a road leads up the hills behind the rocks and gives visitors access to the monasteries - still a lot of steps to climb but at least we didn't have to be hauled up in baskets or climb rope ladders as in times gone by.

Part of the Meteora viewed from the town of Kalambaka

After my early morning stroll and breakfast we all piled onto the bus and drove up to the first of the monasteries that were would be visiting - the Agios Stephanos which is actually a nunnery - not a monk in sight but 29 lovely nuns, including one Australian.   After a photo stop the bus let us out near the monastery with a relatively easy walk to access the main entrance.

Spectacular view on the road to Agios Stephanos Monastery

On arrival those of us women who were wearing pants or short skirts were obliged to don long wrap around skirts provided by the nuns before we were able to enter.  This monastery is stunningly beautiful, having been rebuilt quite substantially after war damage, but of course in the traditional style with lovely stone walls, tiled roofs, timber windows and gorgeous little courtyards filled with flowers - the roses are magnificent!  Our local guide gave us a short history and then we entered the chapel which is highly decorated with icons and frescos.  After absorbing the peaceful atmosphere inside we lingered on the terrace with its fantastic views over Kalambaka, the plains  and the mountains.  Breathtaking!  The gardens here are exquisite - I want to take them home!  The monasteries are self funding so we had the opportunity to buy some of the soaps, incense, oils, handcrafts and icons made by the nuns from their small gift shop.  They work tirelessly in between their religious devotions to keep the whole place in a pristine state.  Lots of cute little cats lolling about in the sunshine too.

Agios Stephanos Monastery

Beautiful courtyard at Agios Stephanos

And of course the views from the monasteries are pretty spectacular - across the Thessaly Plains and to the Pindos Mountains.  Perhaps a lovely area of Greece to explore in the future?

View down to Kalambaka with the Pindos Mountains in the distance.

Although suffering from sensory overload we continued on our tour of the Meteora with a visit to a second monastery, Roussanou, or St Barbara.  Only six of the original monasteries are occupied today.  This time we walked down through a beautiful forest path to the entrance - pines, cypresses and oaks and then emerged to more spectacular views as we had ventured further into the area of rock columns.

Another of the precariously perched monasteries of the Meteora

  The views were just as spectacuilar and the buildings just as charming but the landscape was even more rugged so not as many gardens.  We spent a pleasant time looking about this monastery which is older and has needed less restoration than Aghios Stephanos.  Again we were all quite blown away by the magnificent scenery of the Meteora - it is spell-binding.

View from the road which winds through the Meteora and back to Kalambaka

Reluctantly we boarded our bus and retraced our route south across the Thessaly Plain (with a truck stop lunch break again) to Lamia, stopping close to the motorway at Thermopyles, site of a huge battle between the Spartans and the Persians in 480 BC - greatly outnumbered the Spartans led by King Leonidas were defeated by the huge army of Xerxes.  There is a statue and a remembrance wall at the foot of the mountains.

The rest of the afternoon was spent travelling over a high mountain pass and then on to Mount Parnassus and the town of Delphi.  What a spectacular drive - not for those who dislike heights!  Such wild and rugged country with isolated villages here and there, clinging to the mountainsides.  One such village is Eleonas which overlooks a valley of olive trees, the oldest plantation in Greece.

Whizzing past Eleonas olive plantation after an exciting drive through the mountains

Delphi is also perched high on the mountain with great views out to the town of Itea and the waters of the Ionian Sea.  It is a small town, not particularly attractive and filled with souvenir shops.  Our hotel was very traditional with great views out to the coast.  We had a bit of a stroll around the village, another "tour" dinner and then fell into bed - a long day of sight-seeing and travelling.

Athens and Beyond

Wednesday 11 June

This morning we began the tour routine - early wake up call, bags packed and outside the door for collection, buffet breakfast (nice selection and great coffee) and then onto the bus with our 30 fellow travellers, Nikos the driver and the irrepressible Lisa who manages everything with charm and skill.  Our group is truly international, representing Australia, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia and the USA as well as a wide range of ages including two Singaporean schoolgirls.  The Divani Caravel in Athens is within easy walking distance of the main square, Syntagma, but this morning we visited various sites in the city by bus.  First stop was the Temple of the Olympian Zeus, located just below the Acropolis, and constructed over a period of 600 years from the 6th century BC.   Today the 15 majestic Corinthian columns that remain give a good idea of how impressive this temple must have been.   Our local guide, Maria, was very knowledgeable and we were well informed about life in ancient Greece and about the amazing feats of design and construction that went into completing such monumental structures.  The temple ruins are situated in a large field surrounded by olives, cypresses and other vegetation which largely block out the sights and sounds of modern Athens.

Temple of Zeus, Athens

At one corner of this site is Hadrian's Arch, an impressive portal which is Roman in orgin. 

Hadrian's Arch

Following the obligatory group photo we drove through the old Plaka neighbourhood to the Acropolis. From the bus park it was an easy walk up through the olive groves to the entrance gate of the Acropolis.  Although there were plenty of visitors, the crowds were not overwhelming  and as entrances go this one is pretty impressive and beautifully maintained.  Whilst the ancient marble ruins are breathtaking, so too are the 360 degree views from this famous vantage point.  Once through the gates, we were quite in awe of the magnificent Parthenon which even as a ruin so completely dominates the city of Athens.  Maria's interesting and expert commentary added to the enjoyment of our visit.  Her passion for Greek history was certainly evident and her fluency in English is admirable.

Parthenon

Today the Acropolis basked under a clear blue sky and we spent a wonderful hour exploring the various aspects of the Acropolis as well as discovering the layout and extent of the city, its surrounding mountains and seaside location.  Lisa had joked that the ancient Greeks built beautiful buildings and the modern Greeks now build ugly ones.  To be sure the square, white apartment buildings that cover the hillsides are not individually attractive, but somehow the uniformity of design results in a homogenous scene which seems to  blend with the landscape when viewed from above.  A fantastic experience!

Athens old and new - view over the Odeon on the Acropolis

Following a good browse around all that the Acropolis has to offer we descended to our waiting bus and enjoyed some comfort and air-conditioning whilst being driven around the streets on a city tour.  We did stop briefly at the ancient Olympic Stadium of Athens which was restored for the first modern Olympics in 1896.   Athens from a  bus is mildly interesting - one needs to venture into the tiny streets of the Plaka district which are only friendly to tiny cars and scooters in order to see charming old houses dripping with brightly coloured bougainvillea.  We will have time to explore this area on foot when we return to Athens in a couple of weeks.

 Leafy streets of the Plaka

Our final visit this morning in Athens was to the New Archaeological Museum which houses many treasures from the Acropolis, including of course what Greece has left of the so called Elgin Marbles.  It is quite criminal that they are still held in the British Museum and hopefully one day they will be returned to Greece.  In the meantime these fantastic carvings are replicated in a massive life size model of the Parthenon.  There are just a few pieces which are original - the rest are copies - so sad.  The Museum is brilliant and very well worth visiting with its stunning views to the Acropolis.
We took a vote and decided to head out of Athens instead of staying for lunch in the Plaka district - Lisa was keen to avoid the traffic build up so off we went on the motorway towards the coastal town of Lamia which is to the north of Athens.  The first part of the drive took us through suburbs and then agricultural lands before we descended to a bayside route with high mountains ahead, to the east across the bay and to the west.  This was the first indication to us of the extensively mountainous nature of the country. 

Mountains and sea - Central Greece

 By-passing Lamia we climbed over a mountain pass where the road was lined with bright pink oleander bushes and sullphuric yellow broom.   The rugged hills are dry and quite barren with low growing vegetation  and a lot of Mediterranean pine trees.  There was no evidence of agricultural activities up here.  Once over these mountains we descended to the Thessaly plain which is rich and fertile and covered with cotton and wheat farms as well as huge banks of photolytic cells producing electricity.  The Greeks certainly make very good use of the high sunshine hours.  The plains are vast and  very pretty, again with mountains in the distance.  A quick look at the map shows many peaks reaching well over 2000 metres and they are often very jagged looking.  Today in the hot sun they appeared hazy and blue in the distance.

Descending into the beautiful region of Thessaly

Our lunch stop was at a very swish and modern truck stop in the middle of nowhere - but lots of tasty food and good coffee.   As well travelled further north towards Trikala the agricultural land started to look scruffy and less cared for and the villages we passed through showed many signs of the financial difficulties being faced in Greece - abandoned shops and commercial buildings, half constructed buildings with weeds growing through them, uncollected rubbish - in fact a general air of dereliction.  At the end of a long drive the mountains suddenly were right in front of us and we were able to get our first glimpse of the remarkable rock towers of the Meteora.  Our hotel for the night was another of the Divani chain located in the pretty little town of Kalambaka.  There was time for a stroll around the town, a bit of a thunderstorm and then a typical "tour" dinner in the hotel - moussaka, souvlaki etc etc.  What a day of contrasts!

Just sitting on a plane!

Monday 9 June, Tuesday 10 June

Hopefully all the last minute chores have been taken care of - I seem to have been ticking things off lists for days (no one at home for the next few weeks so securing the house etc has been a bit of a mission).

Yesterday Alex, Zac, Mum, Benji and I had  delicious lunch at Elephant Rock Cafe.  We had the prime spot with lovely views of Currumbin Beach and the usual mouth-watering longboard,calamari and smoked salmon- very relaxing and enjoyable.  Yay for the Gold Coast City Council in now permitting cafes to be dog-friendly - Benji hates to be left at home!

Lunch at Elephant Rock Cafe - a lovely farewell.

So, this afternoon I was finally airborne - Singapore Airlines to Singapore, a bit of a wait and then Air France to Paris.   Both legs were great and I was pleasantly surprised with the standard of service and comfort on Air France - not usually regarded as one of the world's most superior airlines.  Not only was the food (and of course wine) amazing  and enticed me to eat dinner at 2 am which I usually avoid, but the cabin crew were charming, helpful and really pleasant.  This experience was repeated on Tuesday morning's three hour flight to Athens which followed something of a hike around CDG Airport in order to make the connection.   The flight to Athens took a route that had us flying over Lake Leman and Switzerland with fantastic views of the still very snowy Alps. The huge bulk of Mt Blanc and the distinctive peak of the Matterhorn, plus the whole expanse of the French and Swiss Alps sparkled below us in the morning sunshine.  Absolutely beautiful - such good luck to be seated on the right side of the aircraft.  Rather annoyed that I had packed my camera away - a sadly missed wonderful photo opportunity!  After being glued to the mountain scenery for a while I got to chatting with my travelling companion in the next seat - a lovely Thai man, a diplomat, with a great sense of humour.  When I next looked out the window we were flying over the sea and soon the occasional island began to appear - a sure sign that we were approaching Greece.
This morning in Paris I had been in touch with Caroline in London, expecting her to be boarding a flight which should have arrived in Athens a few minutes before me.  I must admit to being quite horrified to learn that British Airways had oversold Caroline's flight and that she had been "bumped."  If she was lucky  she would be rebooked on the next flight which would have her landing in Athens at around 7 pm.  So to British Airways I say "greedy, unethical and incompetent. - and to be avoided for ever more."  Apparently it is common practice with this airline - Caroline was not alone as a bumpee on this particular morning. There is even a whole desk in the terminal to manage disgruntled passengers.  I am pretty sure that overselling is illegal in Australia and so it should be.
Well Insight Tours was very understanding and promised that they would send a driver to collect Caroline, and I received a message from her confirming that she was about to finally board a flight to Athens.  Poor thing got up at some pre-dawn hour in order to make her 8.15 am flight from Heathrow and then spent hours hanging about in the airport while BA did their best to spoil her day.
Athens was a bit of a surprise to me as I didn't expected the city to be surrounded by such high hills or the roads to be so lacking in traffic.  After all 5 million people live in the Greater Athens area.  My driver was of the opinion that most people find it too expensive to drive and that a good public transport system and a plethora of scooters and motorbikes furnish the transport needs of the population.
I kind of collapsed for a bit  in my room at the Divani Caravel, then went for a little stroll before attending welcome drinks with our tour guide Lisa and getting to know some of our fellow travellers.  The view of the Acropolis from the roof terrace of the hotel was pretty and very atmospheric as the sun began to set. Caroline turned up just in time for a tasty dinner with all the group and then bed beckoned as we have an early start in the morning.

Evening view of the Acropolis from the Divani Caravel Roof Terrace

New Places, Old Places

Thursday May 29

As the days get shorter here it is time to think of long summer evenings in Europe and to look forward to setting off on another adventure in the Northern Hemisphere.   This morning we were on the road to the airport at 6.30 am and battled the peak M1 traffic on the south side of Brisbane in order for Caroline fly out to Bali, Jakarta and then London.  Some lengthy layovers will make this a long journey but will facilitate her Bali stay on the way home - however that is getting ahead of ourselves.  Her adventure begins with ten days of catching up with Jessica and other friends and relatives along with a little London retail activity no doubt.

Caroline - Brisbane Airport coffee 

My travels are to begin on June 9 when I fly to Athens via Paris (nothing like taking the long route!) where I will meet up with Caroline.  We will be embarking on a 2 week tour of "The Treasures of Greece and the Islands".   The first week involves a bus trip around some of the major sites of ancient Greece which is all very organised and scripted but should be fascinating.  We will be visiting places that have been on my "to do" list for a long time. The second week will be divided between the islands of Mykonos and Santorini where we have lovely hotels with the choice of doing our own thing or joining optional local tours.  Jessica is coming from London to join us for the islands part of our visit to Greece - what fun!

Greek Treasures and Islands Tour

After Greece we will go our separate ways and have our own adventures but it will be lovely to travel with Caroline on the tour.

Caroline will be heading to Amsterdam for a reunion with her girlfriends from work days, followed by a couple of weeks in Bali where she will be joined by Alex (school holidays by then).  Zac has gallantly offered to be the minder at home - Benji will be having his own little holiday chez Alex and Zac!  Wish I could take him - he loves outings!

My plans involve travelling back to Paris to meet up with my neighbour  Cheryl, her daughter Kristy and another friend (also Cheryl) and spending three weeks in France.  Neighbour Cheryl regularly travels to France and friend Cheryl will be making her first visit.  Kristy is 12 years old and also a bit of a Francophile. 

 Our travels will take us to Normandy, the Ile de Re (Atlantic coast), Burgundy and back to the Ile de France, near Fontainebleau where we will be joined by Cheryl's daughter Heidi and her husband Tim who currently live in London. Jessica may just pop over from London as well, depending upon work commitments.  We have the usual Peugeot lease 308 SW arranged and have rented three gorgeous houses for each week's stay (with the occasional hotel night along the way).  Looking forward to getting back to France immensely and to cycling on the island and along the canals - we have plenty of action planned!  Being gardening nuts we also have a few garden visits on the agenda.  The roses should be blooming in France! And to reward Kristy for enduring garden visits we will go to see the pandas at Zooparc de Beauval.

The final leg of my travels will be a week in London to spend some more time with Jessica and to hopefully catch up with several cousins from both sides of the family.  It will be a new experience to see London in the middle of summer - mostly I remember London as being rather grey and chilly.

For now, plenty to do at home before I leave.   

Paris - Journey's End

Thursday 29 August - Sunday 1 September

Thursday
We woke early to grey skies but didn't really have time to contemplate the weather as we were on the train by 8 am and heading for Gardemoen Airport.  A hassle free trip and by 1 pm we were on the ground at Charles de Gaulle.  Despite being warned about dodgy drivers at the airport, we took our chances, sharing with a young couple (Eastern European?), and were whisked into the city centre in a very flash and comfortable maxi van/people mover and deposited at the Novotel Les Halles by a very obliging driver.  It is much better travelling into Paris outside of peak hour.   I was glad to have splurged on a car as the whole of the Forum at Les Halles is undergoing massive renovations which are going to continue for another couple of years.  Some of the entrances to the RER and Metro are closed and it is quite a mission to get to the stations, especially with luggage to haul.  The wheels on Jessica's bag are nearing collapse so I think we will need to go suitcase shopping tomorrow.  The good old bag has travelled around the world a few times so  retirement looms.
Annoyingly we had to wait to get access to our room even though it was after 2 pm but the staff were very nice and provided orange juice.
After a week of socialising in Norway Jess was pretty whacked so declined all offers of outings for tonight.  We walked over to the Rue Montorgeuil and were fortunate to find an outside table in one of the many restaurants that line this great little street.  Sadly the food was not fantastic - but we enjoyed the ambience.  The evening was still light so we strolled down to the river and to the Pont Neuf to see the lights of the left bank and the Eiffel Tower.  Lots of people out and about as it was warm and balmy after a sunny day.  Back to the hotel and happy to have an earlyish night.

Paris lights from the Pont Neuf

Friday
Jess has many plans for her last days in Paris, but first on the agenda was breakfast at the Café Paris Beauborg by the Pompidou Centre and then a trip to BHV department store to purchase a new suitcase.  Without too much trouble and a hefty tax refund we were soon back at the hotel with new luggage.  When I inquired about the disposal of the old bag the housemaid asked if she could have it!  I explained about the wheels but "pas de problem"  - she seemed happy with her acquisition.

Paris breakfast 

Lunch time and on the Rue Coquillere we found a restaurant specialising in dishes from the Auvergne region.  The salads were ok, nothing special, but the accompanying  big chunk of Cantal cheese was quite delicious.  Another warm sunny day in Paris and Jess was off to spend the afternoon in the Jardin du Luxembourg with her friend Jonas.  I headed for the Rue de Rivoli and had a few happy hours browsing in the stores and actually buying a couple of tops at Mango (much cheaper here than in Australia).
Caught up with Jess again at the hotel - she was changing for a big night out with her ex Bond Uni Paris mates, Baptiste and Stan, and some of their friends.  She will be staying the night at Stan's home in beautiful Passy on the other side of Paris.  I think Stan's maman is accustomed to having overnighters - apparently they have a very large apartment.  I walked to the Metro with Jess, had a bite in the hotel restaurant and then was happy to relax with a book- the Novotel is surprisingly quiet despite being in such a busy location.

Saturday
Hard to believe that I am flying home tomorrow after two wonderful months in France and a great little side trip to Norway.  Jess arrived back from Stan's and we packed up our bags for the 12 noon checkout.  (A wonderful night out says she).  We left our bags at reception and headed out for a bite of lunch in the Chatelet district which was crowded with Saturday shoppers (it seems that the last Saturday of the month is always particularly busy as it follows payday!).  A final lunch of ham and cheese crepe with salad for me and croquet monsieur for Jess and then we did a little last minute shopping.   I said goodbye to Jess back at the hotel as she was going to stay with Jonas until leaving for London tomorrow afternoon.  I decided to take one last stroll around Paris before getting a cab to the Novotel at Charles de Gaulle where I would be staying the night.  It was very pleasant to amble through the streets between Place de la Concorde and Les Halles, including the Rue St Honore with its designer stores, chauffeur driven limos and paparazzi ( no celebs apparent this afternoon).  I spent a little time in the peaceful Jardin du Palais Royal where the summer flowers are still in full bloom and arrived back at the hotel in time for my pre-ordered cab.

Jardin du Palais Royal

The driver was a very chatty Cambodian fellow who has lived in Paris for thirty something years.  Another chance to practice my language skills and to have a couple of grammar lessons along the way!.   The Novotel is near Terminal 3 but the CDGVAL train stops right outside so it is easy to access all parts of the airport.  It is just as good as the Sheraton and half the price (including breakfast) so no complaints.  I went over to Terminal 2 to collect our stored bag from the Consignment Depot - what a good service - and then it was back to the hotel for an omelette and a sleep.  Glad to hear that Jess is all good and enjoying the hospitality of the lovely Jonas. Hope she has a successful week in London.

Jardin du Palais Royal

Sunday
A leisurely breakfast and then an easy transfer by CDGVAL to Terminal 1 to check in for my 12 noon flight.  Check-in was very quick so I had plenty of time to relax in the lounge before boarding - upstairs in the A380 with really comfortable flatbeds.   As I was originally travelling with Jess I had an empty seat alongside - so nice.  Always enjoy flying with Malaysian and fortunately only a short layover at KLIA. 
Looking forward to arriving home but equally thinking about returning to France next year - I guess I am addicted!  We have been blessed with superb weather and a fantastic trip through many wonderful regions of France - now where have I not been in this beautiful country?  Hmmmm - 2014 road trip anyone?

Not Your Usual Trip to the Farm! (in rural Norway)

Monday 26 August and Tuesday 27 August

Monday

We were all excited at the prospect of a road trip today to visit Synne's family home in Rauland - Jess and I would be seeing new sights and Synne was happy to have the opportunity to visit her parents, brother and grandma.  We only needed an overnight bag and it was just a few blocks to the Avis depot where we collected our sweet little almost brand new Fiat 500.  The girls were delighted -they thought the car was sooooo cute - and Synne was happy to drive which was great for me - I could sit back and enjoy the view.


Road trip anyone?

Our route took us on a motorway southwest of Oslo and to the port city of Drammen where we turned off to head west, through a long tunnel in the hills and then on to the old silver mining town of Kongsberg.  There is a mighty river here that roars over rapids through the centre of town.

River at Kongsberg

We stopped off for coffee at a pretty bakery which was being very well patronised this morning.  It was very cosy with a sunny courtyard at the back.  By now we had driven an hour and a half and we were almost half way.  We passed by farms with delightful red, white or mustard coloured wooden farmhouses and the hills began to get higher. 

Into the hills - farms and forests

Soon after Kongsberg the road narrowed and we were really in the woods and climbing towards the mountains of the Telemark region of Norway.  All along the roadside were lovely silver birch trees and further up were hundreds of kilometres of conifer forest covering even the steepest rocky slopes of the mountains.

Mountain road - heading for Rauland

What a sight and so many lakes and streams.  There must be thousands of lakes, big and small, in this part of Norway.  Many waterways are used for hydro-electricity production.
It was a long steady climb up through the mountains with occasional descents into pretty valleys and the higher we went the more lakes we encountered. 

The road skirts around so many lakes

Strangely enough there did not seem to be any waterfowl and although there were plenty of signs warning of moose crossing the roads we did not see any.  Synne says that they are more likely to emerge into clearings at dusk.  The final 16 kilometres was very steep and winding and the road was pretty bumpy - it freezes in the winter which causes undulations in the surface.

First view of Lake Totak

At last we reached the small town of Amot and then a little beyond that turned onto another road and the most spectacular sight lay before our eyes.  There was the Seltveit farm overlooking a huge lake (Lake Totak) - a stunning location with mountains in the distance. With not a breath of wind the water was like glass.

 Top spot - Seltveit farmhouses, Nesland, Rauland

 Synne's mother, Berit, was at home as she doesn't work on Mondays and she had a delicious lunch ready for us which we ate on the sunny deck overlooking the lake.  Synne, her brother, Sveinung, and two older sisters grew up here as her dad inherited the farm and unsurprisingly have very happy memories of their younger days in this blissful place.

Lunch at the farm

  The family lives in a restored farmhouse, part of which is very old and part is a newer extension.  Synne's grandma lives in another house on the property which was built for her - but in the same style as the original house.  Inside the house is modern except for the large living room which has been kept in the traditional Norwegian style with rosemaling paintings on the door frames and the original split log walls, as well as some furniture from the 16th century.  It is decorated in the typical shades of cream, dark red and green and is quite lovely.

Original furniture with rosemaling in the living room

 Berit and Knut both work and these days do not run any animals on the farm as they don't have the time.  Only part of the farm is here by the lake, the rest being higher in the mountains, where Knut has built a cabin.  Probably the most eyecatching thing about the houses in this area is that the roofs are covered with grass and wildflowers.  These planted roofs last around 25 years before they have to be replaced with new soil and seeds.  Maintenance is very easy - just the occasional rogue sapling to be removed apparently.

Grass roofs - Grandma's house and storehouses at the farm

After lunch and a bit of a siesta Synne drove us to the very mysterious sounding "Sherpa Steps"  - quite a landmark in the area.  We drove along the lake shore and then took a very bumpy narrow road to a high plateau north of  Rauland.  After about 10 kilometres we had emerged from the conifer forest to a wild landscape of low growing trees, grasslands, more lakes and a feeling of absolute remoteness.  We came to a small car park and there before us, leading up through the scrubby trees was a  path built of pale grey flat rocks.  It is very new, having been built by a group of sherpas from Nepal (with the aid of a helicopter) over a period of 7 weeks last year.

Sherpa Steps Trail

  The path and the steps form a 3 kilometre walk that rises to a height of 1096 metres and a high ridge called Falkenuten (falcon hunting place).  This is where falcons were trapped and then sold to the local gentry as far back as the middle ages.  We set off through the trees and noticed how boggy the ground is - and how many little brooks are tumbling down the slopes.  Standing on the thick grass, one sinks in to the ground and it is quite squelchy underfoot.  Most of the way the incline is not too steep and where it is there are steps.  We soon left the little trees and emerged into open terrain consisting of tussock type grasses, heathers and rocks.



Almost there - nearing the summit on the Sherpa Steps



  And the view!  We could see across the plateaus and lakes to far mountains with only the occasional sign of human habitation in the form of cabins and in the distance some power pylons.  At the summit where there is a small stone cairn and 360 degree views of this magnificent country, much of it encompassing the Hardangervidda National Park.  At the top it was cool and windy so we didn't linger.

Summit view - Falkenuten



Coming down the path we encountered some curious and quite friendly sheep - local farmers are allowed to graze their sheep up here during the summer months.

 Summer pastures for friendly sheep

By the time we returned to the farm it was close to 8 pm and we had very healthy appetites.  Just as well because Berit had cooked a wonderful meal  - mooseburgers with ligonberries and brown sauce, freshly dug potatoes and broccoli.  The mooseburgers were very good - not at all gamey - and the ligonberries (cowberries) were a delicious accompaniment.  After two helpings each we had a special treat - cloudberry cream.  Wow!  Cloudberries look like large pale orange raspberries and only grow wild in the arctic regions of the world - Scandanavia, Russia, Canada mostly.  They cannot be grown commercially because they require very specialised conditions to bear fruit and ripen.   

Cloudberries

Norwegians like Berit and Knut know where to locate them and apparently families have their "secret" places where they are most likely to find them growing.  Berit said that this has been a good year for cloudberries and she has plenty in her freezer for Christmas and other celebrations.  Some years there are very few to be found.  The popular way to serve them is stirred into a bowl full of whipped cream.  They are absolutely delicious and we felt very fortunate to have had this gastronomic experience.  The berries grow on little stunted bushes on the alpine meadows and are apparently very, very nutritious (not sure about all the cream though!).
Well after all this fresh mountain air and wonderful food we will surely sleep well tonight. It is so fantastic to be warmly welcomed into the home of the Seltveit family and to enjoy some Norwegian traditions and to learn about the life and culture in this lovely land.  Fortunately for us everyone seems to speak English quite fluently so no trouble communicating.  And what a fantastic place to have spent one's childhood!

 Synne and Jess on the Sherpa Steps trail

 Jess and Ann- a bit of a rest, halfway up the Sherpa Steps Trail

Tuesday

Another day of cloudless skies and stupendous scenery!  Even the bathroom has views to die for.

Bathroom window view!



  Synne made us a delicious breakfast with Berit's homemade bread, rolls and jam as well as a new treat for us - Norwegian brown cheese.  Sounds not so good and looks a bit funny but it is truly yummy.  It has a sweet, nutty flavour.   We had a plan for the day so it was into our little Fiat and off to our first stop, the middle school at Amot, a small town just fifteen minutes away.  Berit is a  counsellor at the school and she wanted to show us around the brand new school building which had only opened the week before.  Middle school encompasses the years 6 - 10 in Norway and the 150 students at Berit's school certainly do have a wonderful facility that has been carefully designed to maximise the learning and teaching experience.  It was mid break morning so we got to chat with some lovely, very tall young Norwegians who were keen to practice their English skills. We also met some of Berit's adult Norwegian language students - refugees from Africa who are being integrated into this small town with great success.  What a pleasure it would be to teach in such a lovely environment

Berit's uber-modern school

We made arrangements to have dinner with Berit later on and took a high mountain route to the town of Dalen, location of the high school for the area.  Sveinung has a 40 minute bus ride to school each day but we took a longer route in order to see an old stave church (dating from 1250) in the small village of Eidsborg which nestles in a lovely green valley.

 Eidsborg stave church

Beside the church is a small museum and a café, just the spot for a bite of lunch.  The church sits on a hilltop overlooking the valley and is very imposing - a dark wooden structure with very distinctive architecture and one of the best preserved of its kind.  Unfortunately it was locked so we were not able to see the interior, but we enjoyed strolling around the outside in the sunshine.  I especially liked the field of wild flowers below the church - tall purple coloured flowers that we have seen growing everywhere on the road sides.  Behind the church are some old medieval farm buildings - they stand at the edge of the forest and have a timeless feeling about them.  The silence of the place, interrupted only by birdsong, is wonderful. 

Ancient farm buildings at Eidsborg



We drove on through the mountains and forests, more lakes and lovely farmhouses and then made a very steep, hair-raising descent to Dalen which is located at the top of Lake Bandak, a large lake that looks very fjord-like  - in fact this part of the lake is apparently called Bandakfjord.

Bandakfjord - the road down  to Dalen

 Dalen is large for these parts with 800 residents and has a stunning and quite renowned bight yellow hotel on the lake shore.  We had a stroll through the beautiful old reception rooms and admired the lakeside gardens.  It seemed to be a real throwback to a bygone era - today it is popular for weekend getaways for stressed city people, although Norway is such a calm and gentle place, I cannot imagine the population being overly stressed.

 The old and rather curious Dalen Hotel

\Synne showed us the high school that she attended and the apartment where she lived from the age of 16 while she completed three years education in Dalen.  I cannot imagine many Aussie kids coping with apartment living while studying in senior school but it is not unusual in rural Norway.
As the day was getting on and we still had to drive back to Oslo it was time to return to the farm, pack up and then meet Berit and Sveinung at a little restaurant in Rauland village for dinner (Knut had to work late so he couldn't be there).  The Raulandstoga Cafe is small and cosy and serves the most delicious food using locally sourced ingredients so everything is fresh and very tasty.  Jess and Synne were over the moon to discover that cloudberry cream was on the desert menu today - obviously the owner has been out berry picking!

Raulkand Stoga Café



Just after six we said goodbye to Berit and Sveinung and set off for Oslo - an uneventful trip and downhill most of the way.

 Goodbye to the mountains, forests, farms and lakes of the Telemark region

It has been a marvellous two days and Jessica and I have loved our visit to the farm.  Norway is a beautiful country and the people we have met are gracious, hospitable and fun.  Thank you Synne and family!

Looking across Lake Totak to the Seltveit Farm