Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt



TRAVEL TEAM IN NORWAY


Thursday 2nd of November

13.33 The clothes are washed, the backpack is aired and I have slept in a bed. I am once again ready to travel. I will travel to Östersund from Sidensjö. Christer will reach the same town from Sundsvall and Roberth will join us from his home village Överbyn.

14.20 Time to once again depart, but this time from as mentioned Sidensjö.

18.56 I have reached a snowy Östersund. Here I will join forces with the rest in The Travel Team.

22.30 I’ve met Roberth and Christer. We’ve played a game of bowling, had coffee at "News" and talked. I was lucky having coffee and talking.


Friday 3rd of November

06.45 I just woke up from a good night´s sleep in Christer’s dad’s apartment. Now we just have to do the final things before we leave for the train station.

07.52 The three of us, Christer, Roberth and I just sat on the Nabotåget train. Nabotåget, means "Neighbour train". It is the train that will take us to Trondheim. I hope that we can buy a ticket on the train.

08.08 We are leaving Östersund and are estimated to reach the Norwegian city at 11.56.

08.34 The tickets are bought. Roberth got his for half price. He got student discount. He studies a course at the Mitt University in Härnösand, hence this advantage.

Roberth reading a Norwegian newspaper.

09.17 Our journey has brought us to Åre. It is a while since I last was here. I think it was in 1991.

10.04 It is thinning out with houses. Around our train are long and thin birches and spruces. We are getting closer to Norway. Next stop is Storlien. There I will go for a short walk on the platform. I need some fresh air.

NORWAY

10.23 Our tickets have been checked by a Norwegian lady. Two men from the customs have checked us. They asked about our origin and if we had anything to declare. Some other passengers have had their luggage checked.

11.13 We are leaving the troll forest like wilderness behind us. There are more houses and fields now. It remains around 45 minutes of the trip.

Hell

11.21 We have come to Hell. I just have to get out on the platform. Imagine to say that you´ve been in Hell. Go to Hell... Hell by the way is a small village just close to Trondheim.

12.01 We are standing at the platform in Trondheim, the third largest city in Norway.

Roberth and Peter pointing out the (wrong) direction.

Funny sign in Trondheim. Text in Norwegian explaining that they are sick and tired of the fact that the children is getting dog poo on the clothes while playing in this area.

12.57 We walked on Bakke bru (Bakke bridge) across Nidelva River and among other thingss passed a school in the part of town called Rosenborg and reached our room, number 223, at Trondheim Vandrarhjem. On our way here we saw two firefighter trucks driving by, and a pigeon that stood still on a zebra crossing and blocked the traffic. Just before we entered the hostel we saw a sign by a playground. There had been some small accidents regarding children and that stuff that dogs leave behind. Roberth’s student card gave us some discount.

14.00 We are on our way downtown.

Roberth in our hostel room.

14.28 We’ve just sat down at Rosenborg bakery in Solsiden’s mall. Soon we will get back outside. We just have to finish our coffee and pastries.

15.45 We’ve been and looked at the Nidaros dome. It sure is amazing. We’ve also founds some pubs we will visit this evening, among them a microbrewery and an Irish pub. Now we are looking for a bowling hall to visit tomorrow. We know the address. We just have to find it on the map and in reality.

Nidaros dome

Outside Trondheim microbrewery.

15.58 The time has come for a Norwegian bench break. We are sitting on a metal bench. The bench can be found in the Trondheim Torg mall.

16.43 Here everything runs smoothly. We found a free toilet and have booked bowling until tomorrow. Now we are back in the mall.

18.08 We are sitting in the Vietnamese restaurant Lille Asia. We are about to place some orders. Now it is done. We thought for a while but now we wait for food and drinks. Earlier we been at the cinema Nova and bought tickets for Saturday evening. Saturday the 4th of November is the big cinema day in Norway and all movies are shown for half price. We decided to see "Kunsten å tenke negativt", “ “The art of thinking negative”. A Norwegian comedy.

20.28 We’ve rested a while in our room and now just lie down and think and plan about the future. Soon we will return to the streets of Trondheim for new adventures.


Saturday 4th of November

00.55 We took a stroll in the city. We began with visiting Trondhjem Mikrobryggeri. There we tried some locally brewed beer. One can’t complain about the flavour. After that we searched for another pub. After lots of walking we reached Lille London (Little London) where we had a beer each. We sat down in the Churchill-room which was filled with pictures of Winston Churchill. In the pub they played lots of songs from 1996. Maybe a theme for the evening? Before we walked home we had some food at the kiosk MIX. Now I just want to sleep.

08.30 I slept well and just had a shower. Roberth just told me that he also slept well. All that remains is to get dressed and go and have breakfast.

09.16 The breakfast was delicious. They offered yoghurt with fruity flavour, raspberry flavour to the max, bread, cheese, sausage, juice and coffee. Now we just relax a while before we do something else. I had a marvellous view of the city during breakfast.

10.46 The only constructive we managed do to was to sleep more. The sky is grey today as well.

The hostel in Rosenborg.

Beautiful view of Trondheimsfjorden bay.

11.54 The clouds are bursting and we are making plans for the day. Shall we see more sights, just walk or what? What we know is that the bowling is at 16.00 and the movie is at 21.15.

The Norwegian flag at Kristiansten fortress.

Kristiansten fortress, Trondheim.

Christer with Trondheim in the background.

12.25 We’ve walked up to Kristiansten fortress. On the way up here a dog came towards me. It was around 15 centimetres high. Now the sun is shining and we are about to see more of the fortress. We got an amazing view of the city and the fiord from up here.

Roberth copying his "wall-picture" from Girona, Spain in January.

Bicycle lift, closed for winter.

12.51 We’ve walked down a steep slope that had a bike lift. You are supposed to sit on your bike with your right foot on the part that push you up the slope. We are now by the old town bridge and can smell coffee. It sure would be nice with a cup right now.

13.04 We’ve entered Baklandets Skydsstation. Here the three of us will have coffee. Christer and Roberth also take a svele, a pancake with butter and sugar. I am waiting for a waffle. The house that we are in is old and cosy. The walls are covered with leaning boards.

Baklandet Skydsstation

13.50 We remain in the café. It is raining again. Sure we can get out but it doesn’t feel right.

14.50 We are back at Trondheim Torg Mall. Right now one floor up. I was just about to write this as I was so rudely interrupted. My small backpack fell over the edge and landed among some flowers in a store.

Peters saving his bacpack.

15.36 We’ve after a short stop in a bookstore gone to Centrum Bowling. Now we are preparing for yet another noble game. I have a slight hope for a better result but still hesitate.

17.01 I guess it went fine to bowl. I can’t complain on my efforts. I won. The three of us had a poorer result then usual. I guess we had missed in checking how the oil profile was. Now we are hoping to find a place with good food to reasonable prices, difficult in this country.

17.31 We’ve found a place that serves food. We are seated at pizzeria Oska. It is time for dinner. My pizza is called Mǿllenberg, just like the quarter of the town we are in. To our pizzas we will have brus, which is soda.

18.30 The pizzas are consumed and after that we walked to the Central Station. We are here to check what a ticket home might cost in Norwegian currency. Right now Roberth is taking a picture of a man of Asian origin in front of a large model railroad landscape. It was the Asian who asked for it.

18.45 We didn't get to know anything about the price. But I guess we will get to know about it tomorrow. The time has come to return to the central parts again.

19.30 We walked in the pouring rain, seeking shelter here and there and now reached Mormors stue (Grandma´s hut). Here at this café we are having coffee and pastries. The prices in this country are no child’s play. A pizza cost more then $13 and a coffee and pastry above $7. The prices for beer and cinema are more reasonable.

20.48 We have reached the movie complex Nova. Time for a Norwegian movie. Kunsten å tenke negativt.

The poster for the movie "Kunsten å tenke negativt".

First in to the cinema seats.

21.02 The movie begins in less then fifteen minutes. Music is played and we are just five persons waiting for the film to start. This is strange. When we booked the tickets it was only a few seats left. Maybe the rest are out and buying snacks.

23.17 We are back home from the movie. As it started more had seated down. It was a quite funny movie, dark humour and filled with irony. Now we are making plans on when to get up tomorrow morning. Roberth has already entered his sleeping sack. I am about to slide under my blanket.


Sunday 5th of November

06.59 It is time to wake up. My cell phone told me that half an hour ago. That has been done and the belongings are packed. The time has come to depart. There will be no breakfast at the hostel this morning. The dining room opens at 08.00 on Sundays.

Peter waiting for the train back to Sweden.

08.00 Ok, once more seated on a bench at a platform. Christer and I have bought breakfast from Café Opus. We will have baguette and juice. Now we just wait for the Nabo train to Östersund.

08.16 Our waiting is over. Now we just have to sit down and relax for a couple of hours.

SWEDEN

11.09 Breakfast, sleeping and train riding is done. Now we are leaving Undersåker station. About one hour left to Östersund.

12.15 The time has come to part once more. Roberth will head home to Överbyn. Christer and I will make a short stop at his dad´s place before we around 15.00 head for the bus- and railway station. We also need to go home. Now it will take around two months before The Travel Team is united again for new adventures at distant horizons.

Roberth found out that the trip is over and he has to go back to work again.


You can see 37 photos from November 3 in this photoalbum.
You can see 29 photos from November 4 in this photoalbum.
You can see 3 photos from November 5 in this photoalbum.


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