Taz keeps an ear out for tall trekking tales

Saturday 31st July - Evje (pronounced "Evian"!!)

OOO its good to have wifi back.

Done a few kilometres on foot, bike and in the van since the last post and some of them were very painful! Near Stavanger in Southwest Norway there is a rock called Preikestolen (Pulpits Rock) that sticks out over a fjord and it is 600 metres above sea level. Its less than 5km each way but because of the climb it takes about 4 hours for a round trip. And unfortunately it was the one thing in Norway David wanted to do.

It didn’t start well. We’d checked into a camp near the start of the climb but it cost a bomb and was very crowded. We didn’t sleep well because it rained heavily in the night and we worried that the van would be bogged down and even if it wasn’t we would miss the view after the climb because of cloud. Crack of dawn (well 7.30) I trotted to the showers to try and beat the queue – didn’t work. Did feel rather self conscious in my white towelling robe (IKEA) with my little pink ….o dear can’t remember the name, but the scrubby thing I wash with, everyone else was in their hiking, cycling, being generally active gear. In the meantime David picked up the loaf of bread we'd ordered, £4. But from there on it picked up. We managed to negotiate our way out of camp without any knocks and made our way to the walk.

Walk? Well there might have been little kids, someone going up in flip-flops and a man carrying his dog, but that was no mere walk! It was an introduction to mountaineering. But well worth it even tho neither of us could manage to look over the edge and David had to lie down, hold his camera over the edge and blindly snap away! Lots to look at on the rock anyway. Like: Spot the Italians - the ones putting on suncream, Spot the "I like to travel light" couple in their 70s who had climbed up in all in one ski-ing/climbing/ fixing the radiator suits and stripped to their waists when it got too hot (black lacy bra on the woman), Spot the British couple with their thermos of tea and packed lunch (well you have to keep up the tea levels, don't you?).

Free entertainment last night. Just started cooking tea when one of our Norwegian neighbours began his Friday night keyboard session blasted through his speakers to entertain the whole camp whether we wanted it or not. So we all rocked through various Norwegian tunes and the odd (very) Tom Jones number. Bizarre in a fun way.

Taz takes fame in his stride

Sunday 25th July - Torpo

Taz is gathering a loyal following in Norway. As we stopped to admire one of the bridges along the Atlantic Road above Alesund a German approached David to ask if Taz was still alive! Seems like he is a topic of conversation amongst the campervan community.

Had an early stop tonight to recharge all batteries including our own. On our way to the Atlantic Road David had to ask a garage if we could recharge the camera while we filled with petrol. We had discussed alternatives eg stopping for a coffee and asking a socket on the side but luckily the garage agreed.

This is a good campsite tho - not only have we got free internet (bit hit and miss but what there is is free!) but we can get telly too. Worked our way through our dvds over the last week. It was David's choice last night and I thought we were in for a comedy when he told me he'd chosen Jugheads. Bit of a shock when I saw it was Jarhead.

Starting to get to grips with Norwegian now. I know that "duj" is a shower and that "privat veg" is private road rather then someone being precious about their lettuces. But with some words I'd rather stick with my own translation - I was very disappointed to learn that "loppis" is Swedish for jumble. I preferred to believe people were selling rabbits. There's a Norwegian sign I see now and again for "hagsenter" and I like to think its a place us ladies can check into when we've been too long on the road and need some tlc! But I really must check out a road sign we saw today - a warning triangle with an exclamation mark and the word "bom". A trifle worrying.

Back on the way down to Stavanger tomorrow and it looks like it might be back to rain after a couple of days of blue skies - which reminds me, yesterday it was so sunny we made the mistake of going for a walk in a nature reserve. Unfortunately we took Taz too and David ended up having to carry him after we got lost!!

Taz misses the internet

Thursday 22nd July Alesund

super quick blog since we dont know whose network we've jumped on and they need to boost their signal!!

RIB ride v good - took precautions apart from livesaver suit ie Quells and sports bra. Fantastic way to see fjords. Only problem was when we bashed past a ferry waving at all the passengers then lurched to a halt as the propeller broke. Didnt look quite so cool floating slowly along waiting to be rescued!

Quick thank you to Sharon as pc battery is dying, thank yu for offer of posting books and mags. Unfortunately dont know where we going from day to day or when! Thanks for the news too. Wish I'd been at the LDPB to see (without coming back from hol of course)x

Taz cruises into Greinger

Wednesday July 21st - Geiranger

David safely navigated us over what we're assured is a spectacular mountain route 1km above sea level with a 1 in 10 gradient down into the tourist town of Geiranger, basically a row of shops selling what Sir Alan would call "tutt" to cruise ship passengers. Unfortunately we couldn't see the view through the clouds and rain. But we did spot the original Ironman. Some nutter was cycling up the mountain in the rain!!!! Utter nutter. Actually there are quite a few psycho cyclists in the mountains. Tomorrow David has booked us onto something called a RIB to do a boat tour of the Gereingerfjord. Sounded lovely until he told me we have to arrive 15 mins before the start to get into our survival suits.

If there are no more posts for a while its hopefully because we cant find a wifi hotspot..........

Taz always uses a porter when undertaking train journies

Tuesday 21st July - Stryn in Nordfjord

Norway – breathtakingly beautiful but wearingly wet – guess those waterfalls have to get filled up somehow.

At another camp with stunning views but they’re filtered through rain as usual, but hey! we’ll take the Scandinavian approach and go for a walk whatever the weather.

The difference between Swedish ad Norwegian campsites seems to be that in Norway there are lots of teeny tiny tents and everyone wears hiking gear all the time. And there are never many showers – this campsite is lovely but only 2 showers each for men and women. Having said that they are always empty. Since we don’t make it to the shower block much before 10 that could be why, or maybe it’s because it costs £1 a shower. Why worry about being stuck indoors in the rain, there’s always something to think about. Especially helpful now we have finished the puzzle section in Closer magazine. We struggled with Spot the Difference between the photos of the Osbornes but I flew through the 90210 Word Search once I found the list that told you the cast names to look for.

Stocked up on food before leaving Sweden and had a very nice tin of Felix one night whilst watching some Danish people struggling to put up their tent in the rain and wind. Pretty sure it wasn’t cat food but not sure whether it was veggie or what.

That was on the “Adventure Road” which leads eventually (after “adventures”) to Bergen. David particularly enjoyed staying there as our Turkish neighbour told him his wife thought he looked like a movie star. Bit dangerous this as David wears his sunglasses all the time and now refuses to take them off even when going through tunnels – and we have driven through one that was 25km long and very badly lit!

In Bergen we took the tram up above the city and had a nice walk in the rain – we even gave directions to another couple a few mins before getting lost ourselves. (Tee hee) Did put us a bit on edge in case they followed us through the off-piste marsh lands that we are now old hands at. When we found a hut to shelter in we stopped for lunch and enjoyed watching some sheep harassing a dog. His owner resorted to hiding with the dog behind a tree but the sheep just waited for them to come out.

David is brushing up on his language skills. On the bus back from Bergen he asked the driver if he would let us know when we were at our campsite stop. He came back looking content with the answer but on sitting down told me the driver had said “ej coco” and he wasn’t sure if that meant yes or eff off. Was it the answer he wanted? Ej coco.

Then we headed north up roads that made sat nav look like the zig zag section on my sewing machine pattern selector. Stunning views round every bend. We stopped at a pretty town called Flam to take a train trip up the mountain – more stunning views. The train stopped at a waterfall where two girls danced mysteriously in front of the water as in a folk legend. Hope they were paid a fortune to twirl around in front of all that cold water. And the Turkish woman must have had second sight. This Autumn somewhere in Japan a family will be watching a film that includes footage of David scooping pooh off a railway platform on top of a mountain. The Japanese guy seemed to find it hilarious.

Taz wonders how Norwegian dogs go to the toilet up there?!*

Wednesday 14th July Hardangar Fjord

Finally found a site with wifi – not only that but we can get NCIS on our sat dish. "O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" Stunning scenery, just one concern: the group of tents in the corner look like they belong to a junior school trip. Wouldn’t want to be their teacher trying to get them to sleep at night when it stays light til all hours!

Won’t try and fill in all we’ve done since last post. Just a few updates……

Compare and contrast

The look on the English woman’s face in the Bobil park (campervan park – I love being a bobiler) at Oslo marina when I offered her Trainspotting in return for her Catherine Cookson book. But I did point out they are both gritty northern dramas.

When I took over the OK magazine that Caroline had brought out she looked mighty relieved and said “Oh I will read that!”

Tick off the list

Varingfoss waterfall coming down from the Hardanger Glacier – with beautiful rainbow colours playing across the rocks because it was so sunny.

Weird and wonderful

1. Coming back from a walk into town with Taz and meeting a woman going the other way taking her sheep for a walk. Sad thing was she thought Taz was freaky cos of his lumps.

2. Satnav took us to a deserted sawmill up an unmade road instead of a campsite and on the way we had to drive round a young girl of about 9 standing in the middle of the road wearing a grey fleece romper suit with absolutely no expression on her face. Very Deliverance.

Stone me

Driving round a fjord saw a beach full of stone cairns. Obviously everyone who stopped had made one. Is there a White one – but of course.

Taz can't get wireless internet connection - back soon

Taz needs to learn that certain bodily functions are not acceptable when sharing small living spaces

Tuesday 6th July - Alingsas

Caught up with Caroline in Goteborg today just long enough to get the gin, Branston and magazines. In the train on the way in we had debated whether we could read a magazine quickly enough on the way back to use it to dip in the pickle (washed down with gin of course) or if we should buy some cheese to dip in it - much more sophisticated. In the end we had to run to catch the train (not easy with bags of booze and gossip) and it took most of the journey for us to recover enough to think about food. Maybe the fish and chips we had for lunch came into it too.

Lovely to see Caroline but she did let the side down by commenting on how much weight David has lost and just telling me I looked well. Need to indoctrinate her into the ways of the sisterhood. But it was really lovely to see her. We're just waiting now to see if she will get any free time tomorrow to meet up for a bit longer.

Bodily functions? Taz is still adapting to the Swedish diet and apart from having to use an average of 7 poo bags a day we are occasionally woken during the night by poisonous smells drifting from his "bedroom".

Bit of a slip up with the photo. The sun was so strong (at 7pm) that I couldnt see to position the laptop camera to include the sauna in the lake behind. It can be so challenging some days.

Taz can't see the point in cous-cous

Varberg Friday 2nd July

Double dose of good news

Thursday - New great nephew - Oliver Jack, congrats to Paula and Neil

Friday - Our neighbours getting married, congrats to Shannon and Alistair

Bad moment for David tonight. He bought 2 new corkscrews cos he didn't like the Ikea one we brought but when he finally decided which one to use he discovered that all the bottles of red wine we've got have screwcaps! Took the obvious course of action and began to work his way through the corkless bottles. I'm being a good wife and helping him with this.

Engine fixed, Swedish/English dictionary bought finally so we know what we're eating and had a good free stop last night in pretty town on Lake Vattern and blew the money we saved on a meal out (and the rest). All is good.

Looking forward very much to seeing Caroline Tues/Weds when she's physio-ing for the GB under 21 handball team at a tournament in Goteborg. Also looking forward to getting the Branston Pickle, 1 Litre bottle of Gin and trashy magazines she's bringing out for us!

Taz marks out his pitch

Nora - Tuesday 28th June

Bit of a blip. We’re having to hang around city of Orebro waiting for a part for the van. Not a problem tho as we’ve happened on a nice little campsite on edge of a pretty wooden town called Nora on Lake Norasjon – which we cycled round today and ..snigger ye not, we didn’t get lost. We learnt a useful fact at tourist info when she told us it was 3 miles round the lake. I double checked cos it looked a lot longer than 3 miles and apparently a Swedish mile is nearly 10km – go figure. Lovely wild flowers - shame we never got round to that photography course

We’re only on our second evening but on our campsite walk tonight David was able to fill me in on the occupants of every caravan/campervan/tent. He has been known to go to the toilet block 3 times in one hour as an excuse to check on whats going on. But he and Taz have developed a good double act to stop anyone settling next to us. The last time someone came to look at the pitch next to ours the 2 of them walked out, David to say hello and Taz to walk up to them and wee on their prospective pitch.