Scratching the surface of Scandinavia

     Kathleen and I have always wanted to go to Scandinavia.  We are both drawn to big mountains and I especially have a calling for arctic environments.  We were somewhat nervous about going there as it has a (deserved) reputation for being very expensive.  Oslo is listed as one of the top 10 most expensive cities in the world.  Living off a tight budget for the next two years makes us reluctant to spend a lot, especially since this is the first couple of months of our trip.  We don't want to have to come home early because we have exceeded our allowance.  However, since we had some friends and family in Norway and Sweden and an invitation for places to stay we thought that we should take this opportunity while we could. 
     Jorunn was a foreign exchange student in my high school in Stowe, Vermont in 1984/1985.  We reestablished contact on Facebook several years ago and have often commented on each others activities but have not seen each other in 28 years. 

My old and new friend Jorunn

When she heard about our trip she invited us to come visit.  I thought that this was pretty brave to invite basically a stranger to come visit for a week.  The visit was a smashing success in my opinion.

Jumping for joy as we ran the trails north of Oslo

Jorunn is married and has two absolutely adorable little girls, Aleksandra and Maria.  We were fortunate enough to be there for Maria's 7th birthday and share some birthday cake.  Jorunn and her husband Egil introduced us to several types of traditional Norwegian meals.  Salmon, reindeer, and a Norwegian porridge were the highlights.  Egil is the Director of the National Archives in Oslo and was able to take us on a private tour of the Norwegian Parliament building. 

Plenary Chamber of Norwegian Parliment

They also lent us a car so that we could drive north and visit some of the mountainous regions.  We went to Jotunheimen National Park which was one of the most scenic spots I have ever been to.  It easily compared to any national park in the US.  The closest similarity might be to pictures I have seen of the Brooks Range in Alaska.

View deeper into Jotunheimen National Park, Norway

Rainbow was beautiful but a sign of deteriorating weather

Moving through this landscape was true adventure running.  A combination of running, hiking, and some rock scrambling inbetween. 

This wasn't even the steep spot

This visit was just a tease of what lies even further north.  Someday we will be back.
     We next went to Sweden.  We spent the first two days in Stockholm.  What seemed funny was that after being in Oslo the prices in Stockholm seemed cheap (even though things were still very expensive).  A bag of gummi bears was $3 instead of $5 for example.  It was a summer weekend in Stockholm with nice weather so everyone was out and about.  There was a sailing regatta going on so the harbor was full of fancy racing sailboats and there was a big expo associated with it. 

Djurgarden Park, Stockholm

RedBull was setting up  for their "Flugtag" competitition where people launch off a 30 foot ramp over water in homemade flying machines (most of them don't fly).  The outdoor cafes were full of both locals and tourists.  There was also an antique car show so the streets were full of tricked out old American cars from the 50s, 60s, and 70s revving their engines and laying strips at the stop lights with squealing smoking tires. 
     After getting our urban fix we rented a car so that we could get up to the High Coast and enjoy a little nature.  This is a UNESCO World Heritage site where the land is now rising from where it was previously weighed down by glaciers.  In the last 9500 years the land has risen 935 feet.  There are many small islands and bays here and would be an excellent place to explore with a kayak.  We spent a couple of days running here exploring the hills and coastlines. 

Rotsidans Naturreservat, High Coast, Sweden

Skuleskogens National Park, High Coast, Sweden

From there we went to the island of Yxlan where Kathleen's cousin Michael has a house.  They had not seen each other since they were young teenagers.  We met Michael there and were introduced to some of the Swedish traditional appetizers (a variety of different types of herring) and had a great night hanging out.  The islands around his house in the Stockholm archipelago also appear to have wonderful kayaking potential, especially with the Swedish law of Allmannsratten ("Every Man's Right") where you are allowed to camp anywhere (public or private) in the country for one night as long as it is not in someones yard or cultivated area.  You are allowed to pick flowers, mushrooms, and berries but hunting is not allowed.

Our last "Allmannsratten" campsite in Sweden

This law goes back to the Middle Ages but with it comes the responsibility to "Do not disturb, Do not destroy".  Basically leave no trace.  A great concept that would never fly in the US with everyone being so uptight about their private property.  You would end up with a shotgun in your face. 
     Both our time in Norway and Sweden felt too short and it was.  The visit did allow us to get a quick feel for these countries.  We know that someday if the opportunity would present itself again then we would like to be able to go even deeper into the backcountry.  The far north sounds amazing.
Now it is off to Germany for a few weeks to visit Kathleen's Mom's side of the family.