Norway in a nutshell
5000 kilometers in 13 days may not sound like a lot. But it equals ten trips between the two major Norwegian cities, Bergen and Oslo (one trip takes seven hours). That is how GOOD the Norwegian roads are.
Our journey started off through the Western fjords, passing the beautiful Sognefjell’s Road and Galdhøpiggen, Norway’s highest mountain, and dramatic scenery with fjords, mountains and lets not forget plenty of tunnels, towards the typical eastern-Norwegian scenery of trees, red farms, tractors, more farms and more trees……..In a bid to save time, we turned east after Trondheim towards the Swedish border.
Here we were surprised by the beauty of lakes and trees, the cities of Åre and Østersund turned out to be beautiful! Unfortunately we arrived the day after Midsummer’s day, a major festivity in Sweden, so nearly everything was shut. However, we managed to find some kebabs and yet another Swede who pretended he understood Norwegian.
The Swedish roads however were straight where the Norwegian roads are curvy, and the speed limit refreshingly higher. So we sped through Swedish Lapland towards the Arctic Circle. We were forced to stop when a reindeer decided to pee in the middle of the road, and wait for it to finish. That is not how I expected my first encounter with a wild reindeer would be!
Through Jokkmokk (such a fab name), and dull cities with snowmobiles in the gardens and plenty of mosquitoes, we finally got to the Swedish city with a Finnish name, Kiruna (with the previous Sami-name of Jukkasjärvi, you gotta love the names) where we stopped for a meal. What a grim city.
Traditionally a mining town, I can only imagine the employment rate to be drastically falling. Seven menus were posted in a restaurant, but only three were available. Something I’d expect in India, but not in Sweden.
As we approached the Norwegian border, the mountainous landscape reappeared – and no mistake, a minute after crossing the border – the landscape CHANGED! Suddenly huts appeared in the middle of nowhere and the curvy road and low speed limits returned.
After a night in Narvik, we arrived on a rainy, cloudy and somewhat chilly day in the fishing town of Svolvær.
Lofoten – at last!
Here we managed to miss a ferry to a tiny island due to technical problems and instead went on a boat trip to what is boasted as the narrowest fjord in Norway, the Trollfjord. It really wasn’t that fantastic compared to the fjords of Western Norway, so I must admit I was a little disappointed. I was not disappointed with the taste of the fish we caught, nor was I disappointed when a sea eagle suddenly came close to our boat. That was one of the highlights.
In the tiny Henningsvær, the oldest fishery in Norway, I found some lovely designed handicrafts. The town itself was just lovely. The fishing boats I remember from my childhood are still in use in Lofoten, and what a sight it is.
We then stayed with my friend’s relatives at the absolutely stunning location of Hov. Ocean, more ocean and lovely beaches. Her relatives were sweating and wearing t-shirts and dreading 22 degrees, whilst I was freezing!
It was also interesting to know that hardly any new houses are being built in the area which suffers from decline in the population, so their kitchen was refreshingly another nostalgic feature: a typical grandma-kitchen!
We managed to watch a surf-competition and watch the midnight sun (well, unfortunately the midnight sun doesn’t actually appear until July, so this sun actually sort of disappeared into the ocean instead of remaining and rising again) and enjoying the light summer night 
Then it was time to sample some whale steak. It’s my second attempt, and I’m still not a fan.
Another highlight came when I ventured off by ferry to Røst, one of the bird kingdoms in Europe. Just off the 12 meters tall island of Røst there are millions and millions of puffins and other birds. I spotted five to six sea eagles at the same time! Amazing.
Il stoccafisso!
Well, the Italians were rescued and wrote interesting notes about the lifestyle on the islands which were archived in the Vatican. Apparently the Italians found the Norwegians to be more liberal (the women weren’t locked inside their houses and were recorded to wear less than their Italian counterparts at some occasions) in some ways, and stricter in other parts (religion). By the sounds of my guide, I reckon that archive must be an interesting read!!
Separate households at Skomvær lighthouse
Built in the 1880s, the manager of the lighthouse lived on the island with his family. In a house just next to the manager, his two assistant lived in – their two separate houses. They all had separate households…..! Insane.
A housemaid and governess also worked at the tiny island, but the housemaid’s role was really to keep the housewife sane. When the weather was at it’s worst, it was impossible to leave the island..
The best story was when the inhabitants managed to leave the island, and took the four-hour trip to Røst, only to return to realize the inhabitants at Skomvær didn’t think they’d return that day due to bad weather. Without their help, it was impossible to get ashore. They simply only had one shot at trying to get ashore – lifting the boat with a crane. So, then they had to return to Røst…and hoping they would be spotted the following day..
On our way from the land of stockfish, we stopped at Saltstraumen, the strongest tidal current in the world.. Only to notice it was TINY!
At the museum for South Sámi-population I met a girl who grew up with reindeers. Without thinking I asked how many reindeers her family had, and she answered without thinking, 3-400. My friend who didn’t enter the museum, was surprised I got an answer. It is just like asking someone how much money they have in the bank, my friend said. She was correct of course, but really, it was interesting to know.
Moscus Ox
At Dovre, a beautiful mountain, there are nearly 250 moscus oxen that were brought from Greenland in the 1940s. My friend and I went to the area we had been told where they were located: in Hjerkinn shooting field.
Just passing a grenade field, we spotted the ox, and were on our way when a car stopped. Out came a safari guide, and so we were lucky to follow his German safari for a little while.
He told us that there could be grenades in the area and that the army would be closing the road the following day. There were no warnings, and tourists were camping in this area! The guide also told us the army shoots with their canons towards the area where Norway’s only wild reindeers are, and at the moscus ox. Ludicrous.
And with that we left through some pretty wild waterfalls towards the steep Trollstig Highway (Trollstigen) and some amazingly majestic mountains, and the touristy but UNESCO-listed Geiranger-fjord before returning in Bergen, where I’m now getting my knees back into shape!
Healing fibroids
I feel that it is time to add some news. Whilst googling and searching for information on healing fibroids I have been overwhelmed. The advice on what to eat and what not to eat is conflicting. I do believe the diet has an effect on our health, but I am trying to take one step at a time and listening to the body. The most important thing seems to forget about the “must dos” and concentrate on living every moment fully. I hope that reducing stress and increasing joy in my life will help healing and shrink the fibroid. I still have some way to go before I see it as a blessing, but in some way I’m already grateful to it.
I hope my experiences can help others. What is helping beyond any doubt, is homeopathy. I wasn’t sure whether it would work and was sceptical, but its effect is so immediate it’s nothing but amazing. And the fact that I can go longer between the treatments proves that. However, some of the side effects have returned since I quit acupuncture. So, I have decided to complement foot zone therapy with acupuncture. At least I feel more energetic now than I did in November. That doesn’t mean I’m as energetic as my friends. On a recent trip, I realized I need more sleep, more time to just chill and watch the ocean, and that I have less energy than my friend who came with me. I guess that just gives me reason to continue going to the gym, continuing my quest to find the right diet. More so, it is a quest to stop eating the foods I know I shouldn’t. Why that is so difficult, I do not know! But I’m determined to do make it. In the meantime, I hope yoga will help and spend some time in the outdoors, enjoying nature.
So far I have noticed reducing caffeine helps. I’m trying to cut back on yeast and sugar, as well as processed foods….. And I’m taking milk thistle, although I can’t say I’ve noticed something yet. Then some say apple vinegar cider helps. So I might give that a go as well. But more so, I came over a book by Gillian Bowles, which I have some faith in, because I am a fan of Louise Hays.
Curing fibroids
As usual, I’m not satisfied with Western medicine. After having been given contradictory news from various doctors and no advice. Yes, you read it correctly. No advice. Just questions. And then nothing. – No, we can’t tell you why you have it. Yes, it can increase, and first no, then yes it can shrink, but we don’t know how. Come back in six months.
When you are told that you have a benign tumour somewhere inside you (you first are grateful for the fact that it is benign), but when you hear the size – equals a pregnancy’s of week 16, you nearly faint and wonder how on earth it got there without you noticing it.Why did you need to compare it to pregnancy, ms. GP, I wonder though? Was that really necessary?
According to various books and websites, a huge amount of women get fibroids. So, then, why don’t we know anything? A quick google-search tells me it is related to too much estrogen. Which leads me to, should not the doctors be interested in what I eat? More so, shouldn’t they be able to recommend a diet? The last GP I spoke to, said – despite other sources stating the opposite, that acupuncture has no effect. Right, why did I feel that it reduced my pain? More so, why didn’t that interest the doctor? Because it hadn’t been published. Now, how does stuff get published?
No, go and talk to someone else, is what I was told when I asked about alternative methods. I said, I don’t care if it has been published, I want to know what can help me. I don’t want to venture into the alternative jungle, I’d actually like to do it in collaboration with the doctors. Wouldn’t that actually be an advantage for the doctors if we could experiment? Isn’t that better than doing nothing?
I have actually found something that does help: homeopathy. And next time I see that doctor, I will be prepared and I will not give in before I get a collaboration going.. But most of all I wonder, how many patients believe their doctors when they say nothing helps and that acupuncture definitely does not help? That is what I am most worried about, because the power of our thoughts is amazing, and should be celebrated rather than limited.
Healing and the Norwegian Minister of Health
Recently the Norwegian Minister of Health, Bjarne Håkon Hanssen, announced that he had called the so-called miracle man from Snåsa.
Immediately the media exploded with stories, and started criticising Hanssen. It didn’t think Hanssen should say such things when he is head of the Ministry for Health Services. The Norwegian national association for GPs was particularly sceptical and harsh in its comments in tv debates. They claim that despite the fact that healing can work, they say, it will only work in nine out of ten cases, and they have the proof. Therefore, one should not give people false hopes.
I’m sorry. Did they not learn anything about Hippocrates, the founder of medical science, the and Hipocrates Oath? ,
I swear by Apollo, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath. To consider dear to me, as my parents, him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and, if necessary, to share my goods with him; To look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art. I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion. But I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts. I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners, specialists in this art. In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves. All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal.
If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.
How can they reject something which may work, and which is proven to work? We have an amazing brain, and a power to heal ourselves. However, you have to believe it can happen. And that has nothing to do with religion. The Snåsa-man said he doesn’t know how he heals people, but he does heal people. It is the power of positive thinking and love that heals. I feel sorry for the doctors, and I get frustrated and annoyed when they lie to their patients. Most of all, I loose faith and respect for them. As a patient, I want to know all possible treatments, no matter how obscure they are. I believe surgery indeed is the last option, and if you treat the body only, you have only treated the symptom and not the cause, which may be in your brain. So please doctors, can you not open your mind and realize that we are holistic beings and that the mind and body is connected? Thanks….
Reality hits
This morning I was hit with several flashbacks as I heard the newsreader announce a terror attack in Mumbai.
The Taj hotel in Mumbai near the Gateway of India where hostages were taken yesterday.
Please tell me it was a nightmare, and that the newsreader said something entirely different.
The same sensation struck me during the 7th July bombings in London a couple of years ago when, in my pre-caffeine state, I learnt about the London bombings via an e-mail.
Once, the news is slightly digested, the quest for news hits you. You want to soak up everything you can, and then once you’ve got the gist of it, you’ve had enough of the chaotic and repetitive news stories. Though, the instant the news hits you, most of all, you just want to know your friends are ok. Bearing in mind how the London bombings affected me, when suddenly friends from far fetched cornes of planet earth and friends whom I hadn’t heard from in ages, suddenly got in touch wanting to know how I was, made me reluctant to ask my friends in Mumbai how they were doing. I didn’t want them to feel the same surrealness as I experienced. However, most of all you want to know that they are ok.
- So far, we have no reports of Norwegians or Germans injured, says the newsreader.
Who really cares? Does it matter whether foreign nationals are affected? Naturally, but what I really care about is the native population. They have to stay where they are, and aren’t as fortunate as others – they can’t just get on the first place out of there. And why should they.
Most of all, I’m surprised by my reaction, and it just seems unreal that the places I felt safe in Mumbai, are amongst those places which were targeted. Juhu beach and the train station for instance.
It’s weird knowing that a couple of months ago I was there and everything seemed just fine and then – poof, the situation is changed. For a while. Then slowly, things return to normal. They have to. Otherwise, we’d let fear win, and then life becomes unbearable.
