Back to being screwed.....

Just tried to pick up my passport expecting a new visa with revised entry and exit dates but there was a problem. Russians like to make it difficult for Americans to get visas, I think because we make it difficult for Russians to visit the US. So because I'm American, they would not change my visa and to visit Russia longer I would have to do the entire visa application process (6 days) and pay the full amount (75€) again. I said no thanks to that option. So I guess I'll be giving Russia a brief fly by and its going from being a major stop on my itenerary to being a minor one -- against my desires!! If I can get my Chinese visa tomorrow (1 August), paying the extra $50 for fast processing, I can hopefully take the train to St. Petersburg on Wednesday (2 August). Then I will have a brief 14 days to see the largest country on the planet..... My Russian visa is only valid until 15 August so I have to make sure I'm in Mongolia by then. This is really, really frustrating. I was planning to spend 4 days each in St. Petersburg and Moscow and then make a couple stops along the way, but not now.... This really sucks and I'm really pissed!!!!

Back in Helsinki

So I'm back in Helsinki and once again the weather is perfect, although a little cooler than before. Yesterday (Sunday, 30 July) evening I was cooking dinner at the hostel and started talking to these two girls from New York, Sara and Becca. They had recently graduated high school (although you wouldn't know it by talking with them) and were traveling around before attended Yale in a month. We chatted for a bit and then they introduced me to some other people they had met and we all went out for a walk and a beer. It was a fun (and unexpected) evening. One of the girls from New York was a vegetarian so we talked about that for a while during dinner. I decided she would be an appropriate candidate to pass along my Derrick Jensen book ('A Language Older than Words') to. I had just finished it the previous night and I was looking to get rid of it since its so heavy and bulky and I'd been carrying it around for 2 months. It would have cost nearly $15 to mail it home and since the book only cost $20 I didn't think it was worth it for the condition it was in. But I also wasn't quite sure what I should do with it and was planning to just leave it a the meager hostel 'library'. So I was really happy to find another traveler that I could pass it along to who I think will actually get something out of it as I did.

This morning (Monday, 31 July) I went over to the travel agent to pick up my passport with my Russian visa in it. When I picked it up, the woman showed me the dates and it was for 1 August to 15 August. WHAT!?!?! The standard length is 30-days and that time usually starts from when you enter the country (or so I thought) . I still needed another 4 days to secure up my Chinese visa, so I wasn't planning to be in St. Petersburg until 4 or 5 August and it takes 6 days to travel straight through Russia by train without any stops. This was a huge, huge blow and I was really, really pissed. I was the most angry and frustrated I've been in a long, long time. I didn't know what to do. Even if I got my Chinese visa in 1 day and was able to get into Russia 2 days later, that still wouldn't be enough time to see what I wanted to see and hardly enough time to travel straight through. The woman showed me on the form where I filled in the dates. There were 2 fields, 'expected arrival date' and 'expected departure date'. I had no idea these were the dates that the visa was going to be valid for! So I really had no one to blame but myself for not understanding the stupid application (and stupid was not my word, when I was filling out the application the woman told me it was stupid!). I've never seen visas like that before.

So I wondered around for a bit being really pissed off. Went over to talk to another travel agent about Chinese visas. I ran all the possiblities through my head and decided this just wouldn't do. I didn't want to miss out on Russia. Went back to the first travel agent and asked if it was possible to change the dates. It was for 54 euros (about $70), but I really had no choice. I was worried this process would take another several days and set my schedule back even more but was happy to find out it would be ready the same day. So I went from being really pissed off to being out an extra $70, which itself is really frustrating because I've been so careful with my money. But on the bright side I won't be super rushed to travel through Russia. Everything has worked out so well for me so far on this trip that something like this was bound to happen sooner or later.

All that monkey business took the better part of the morning. Then I walked through a park at the southern tip of the pennisula that Helsinki occupies and along the the shore. It was a really pretty part of the city. From the path winding along the rocky shore you could see the numerous small islands that surround the city (and also a bungee jumping company set up there with a huge crane that looked really out of place, yuck). Then I grabbed a cheap and good lunch from the market before having some more monkey business to attend to this afternoon.

Tampere, Finnland

I arrived in Tampere, Finnland around noon on Saturday (29 July). I walked around for a bit before checking into the hostel. This hostel wasn't bad, but didn't compare to the hostel in Turku. (the community kitchen didn't have a sink!). After dumping some of my stuff (I just had a small bag for this side trip from Helsinki), I just walked around the town all afternoon and not really doing much of anything. Went by a stadium where they were having some kind of junior track meet. The kids actually looked really professional which surprised me. Then went to the small beach in one of the many parks and green areas in and around the city. Had lunch at the market by the water. Tampere is a nice town, but I liked the feel of Turku better. Tampere may have had nicer buildings though. I'm definitely glad I visited both towns though.

Sunday (30 July) I woke up and went straight to this small observation tower on the top of a small hill in one of the parks. This was the one thing I wanted to do for sure before I left. The city is on a narrow strip of land between two large lakes and there is a hill on this narrow strip of land. So I had a fantastic view of the city from the top of the tower. It was a nice way to end my visit to Tampere. Then I took a longer than expected walk (partially along railroad tracks) trying to find another park which I eventually did. It was a nice cool day and a pleasant end to my stay. Then I headed to the train station to catch a train to Helsinki.

Turku, Finnland - day 2

On my second day in Turku, Finnland (Friday, 28 July) after I was finished at the library, I walked along the river bank up to the cathedral and then back down to Turku Castle. This stretch is really the heart of Turku and I didn't venture much beyound it during my time there. I first walked around the outside of the castle debating whether or not to pay the entrance fee to see the inside. Eventually I decided too and I'm really glad I did. It was really cool and actually took a long time to walk through.

After dinner that evening I again went to walk through the festival that was happening along the river bank. It was even more crowded this evening with more stuff going on. It seemed to be just a reason for high school aged kids (some looked really young) to drink in public. They had a few contest things (as fair in the US often do) and one was to try to ride a bike that had reverse steering. So when you turn to the left the wheel goes right, and visa versa. After watching people fail every time I had to try it. It was impossible and the only person I saw do it was the guy running the event (and he didn't do it very well). I had a nice cut on my leg to remind me of the effort.

The next morning (Saturday, 29 July) I woke up early to catch the train to Tampere, Finnland which ended up leaving an hour late because I was looking at the wrong time schedule!

Turku, Finnland

I arrived in Turku, Finnland yesterday (Thursday, 27 July) around 7 pm with the German guys, Jens and Hendrik. We said our goodbyes as they were shortly taking a night ferry to Stockholm, and then I went to check into my hostel. The hostel was/is fantastic. Its in a great location right by the lively river area. It couldn't be in a better location actually. Large clean bathrooms with lots of showers. I noticed this immediately because the last hostel had only one shower that you always had to wait for. The dorm rooms are the perfect size (6 beds compared to the 20 beds of the last hostel) and clean and there is great lounge area and kitchen. Of course the staff is very friendly. For 12.50 euros it might be the best deal so far! I decided to stay at least another night (possibly 2) in Turku, mainly because of the hostel. I'd rather stay in this hostel than the one in Helsinki since I'm kind of just waiting around for a few days for my visas.

The city of Turku itself is fantastic too. Really different from Helsinki (althougth Helsinki is a fantastic city too). I can't really describe the city other than it has a good vibe and its pretty. All the Finnish cities I've been to so far -- Oulu, Kuopio, Helsinki, and Turku -- have just been really great, cool cities. My positive outlook on all these cities is probably helped by the weather, which has been perfect since I arrived in Finnland, and all the pretty girls! Its hard to beat that combo.

Thursday evening after checking into the hostel I grabbed a pizza and ate it by the river. Then I went for a long walk up and down the river. There were lots of people out walking along both banks of the river. Many boat-restaurants are anchored along the banks and were all full. And further up the river there was some kind of summer concert/festival and the river bank was packed with people (mostly high school kids from the looks of them) sitting in any available spot drinking, smoking, being rowdy, and listening to the music (basically just being kids.....). It was fun to watch but now that I was again traveling alone and do not speak the lanuage kept me from being anything more than a spectator. I think the festival is going on all weekend. Then I headed back to the hostel to read my book (I'm nearly down now with 'A Lanuage Older Than Words'). I think there is some kind of high school group staying in the hostel but they are pretty tame.

I slept a lot better last night than I did any of the nights in Helsinki.

Doh!!

I kind of feel like an idiot right now. Sometime yesterday (Wednesday, 27 July) I decided it might be a good idea to find out about a Chinese visa. For some reason getting a Chinese visa hadn't entered my mind yet because I knew the Russian visa would be more difficult and the Chinese visa would be relatively easy. But I hadn't thought about the increased difficulty of getting a Chinese visa in Russia. So after doing some quick research at the book store yesterday and going to a travel agent this morning (Thursday), I found out it will take 3 to 5 days to get the Chinese visa, which of course they can't start until they have my passport, which is probably in the Russian embassy right now. I can pick up my passport from the Russian travel agent on Monday (31 July) at noon, and, as my luck would have it, the Chinese embassy closes at 11:30 am every day. Very convienent. So assuming I can get the Chinese visa process started on Tuesday, hopefully I can get my passport back by next Friday (4 August). I don't know how or why I decided to ignore this minor detail until now. Fortunately I don't need a visa for Mongolia!

So it looks like I'll be 'stuck' in Scandinavia for at least another week. Fortunately I can travel back to Sweden if I want and around Finnland, but I can't go to Estonia or Latvia without my passport. And, for better or for worse, my hostel is full tonight and I didn't have a bed reserved, so I think I'm off to Turku, Finnland this afternoon and maybe do a little traveling around over the weekend. I have to be back in Helsinki though on Monday for the passport exchange.

Helsinki, Finnland

So I finally arrived in Helsinki Sunday (23 July) afternoon. I checked into my hostel and went for a walk to find out where some things were. I needed to do several errands the next day and thought I could at least find out where the places were that I needed to go (it being late Sunday afternoon, every thing was closed). I went to a book store and did some research on getting a Russian visa. It sounded like a slightly laborious process, so I wasn't particularily looking forward to it. I also reserved dorm beds for Hendrik and Jens (at a different hostel because mine was full).

On Monday (24 July) my first task was to go to several different travel agents and ask if any could help me get a Russian visa. The first one could offer me no help but told me of a place that might. The next place was completely no help. Finally the third place I checked (tourist information) confirmed what the first place had told me about one place in town that could help. So I went to apparently the only travel agent in Helsinki that can provide Russian visas without doing some kind of package tour. They said the normal time frame for a Russian visa was 6 business days. So if I completed the process by noon Monday it would be ready next Monday (31 July) at noon. It was nearly 11 am and I needed to go back to my hostel to get a passport photo. I made it back to the travel agent just before noon (after 45 minutes of walking the fastest I could without running) and had the application filled out shortly after. So now I just sit and wait until Monday when my visa is ready. I was surprised how easy the visa process was once I found the correct travel agent. I could have paid 55 euros more for a faster service but I thought the 75 euros I invested so far was enough. But this meant I wouldn't have time to visit Tallin, Estonia which I really wanted to do. Later in the day I did some more errands including getting a haircut which I badly needed!! It feels so good to have short hair again. I also paid 6 euros for a load of laundry that I had to do myself and didn't include drying!!

On Tuesday (25 July) I had to change hostels because the one I was staying in was full. I walked around town during the morning trying to find a place with free internet and I went to the beach that afternoon which was packed with lots of beautiful women, of course. Jens and Hendrik arrived that evening and we went to eat at a pizza buffet. We all stuffed ourselves. We had a fine evening chatting and people watching in one of the parks.

On Wednesday (26 July) we went to see the olympic stadium and took the elevator to the top of the Olympic tower for some great views of the city. Then we went by a pretty cool, half-underground-quarried-from-granite church. It was warm out by now, so after lunch we decided to go to the beach again.

I'm having a hard time securing a hostel in St. Petersburg. They want me to print out a form and then scan it or fax it to them. Printing something is hard enough but to find a scanner or fax machine sounds either difficult and/or costly. I'm surprised a hostel asked this of backpacker types. They have to know that what they are asking is no easy task to do while staying in hostels. I know this is only the begining of things to come as soon my easy travel days will be over. Russia is going to be much more difficult to travel in....

Kuopio, Finnland

Jens, Hendrik, and I arrived in Kuopio, Finnland around 2 pm Saturday (22 July) afternoon. We decided to split up for the afternoon and meet back at the train station at 6 pm to find a place to sleep for the night. I had emailed the hostel in Kuopio a few days before and they were full, so I probably wouldn't have stayed the night there if I had been alone (I'd have enough of the 'camping alone in the city' thing and was tired of it. And the city camping ground was too far from town to be worth the hassle). So I explored the great little town of Kuopio -- which is surrounded by lots of lakes and forests -- that afternoon. I also kept an eye out for a 'low-profile' place that we could camp for the night. And I found a good one! Kuopio was really an enjoyable town and had I been statying in a hostel I probably would have stayed for a couple of nights.

I went back to the train station at 6 pm to meet Jens and Hendrik. It was about a 30 minute walk to the camping spot I had picked out, but it turned out to be a great spot. It was at the end of a little pennisula that juts out into the lake. I would almost call it a city park. There is a short hiking trail out around the pennisula but no roads. There was also a little gazebo right by the lake. We decided to wait to put our tents up until later to attract less attention since there was still the occasional person walking by. So we went for a swim in the lake and swam out to a small island about 100 meters out. We spent a lot of time just walking around the small pennisula and to a nearby beach and just people watching.

There were lots of ants on the ground where we wanted to put up our tents, so Hendrik had the idea of just sleeping in the gazebo since the skies were clear. This actually worked out great and saved us a lot of trouble in setting up the tents (although we were in clear view of every one that walked by later that night and next morning). I think it looked less suspicious than a couple of tents set up in this 'park' though. We spent the evening walking around and talking and entertaining ourselves watching people go to and from a wedding reception at nearby restaurant. We eventually talked to one of the young women from the wedding reception (mainly to inquire about free leftover food of which there was none!) who was standing out side. All in all it was a great night.

The next morning (Sunday, 23 July) we got up and walked to the train station. As it was Sunday, we were dissappointed to learn that the grocery stores didn't open until noon but we needed to catch a train at 11 am. We thought we would be going without breakfast (after a very light dinner the previous night) but were saved by the cafe at the train station. We caught the same train but Hendrik and Jens got off at a different stop and I was headed all the way down to Helsinki. We made plans to meet up again in Helsinki in a few days.

Last day in Oulu, Finnland

On my last day in Oulu (Friday, 21 July) I rented a bike and rode around the city for a while. I stopped again to have lunch in the market. I wish every city had a market like that with cheap food! Then I went back to the campground in the afternoon and laid out in the sun there. Then Jens and Hendrik came back with food for a BBQ. That morning we had planned on cooking a nice dinner and they offered to do the shopping and cooking. A good deal for me! Later on I rode the bike back into town to check my email again and to grab some beer. The bike made the 3 km to town go quite quickly. So that evening we had a great dinner of potatoes, sausage, corn, melon, and beer. It was a fun time.

The next day (Saturday, 22 July) we woke up early to catch a bus from the campground to the train station. Upon realizing the bus didn't come so early since it was Saturday, we quickly walked the 4 km to the train station. That day we were headed to Kuopio, Finnland about 5 hours by train south of Oulu.

Travel days (Kiruna, Sweden to Oulu, Finnland) and Oulu, Finnland

When my bus arrived in Kiruna, Sweden on Monday (17 July) afternoon I was bummed to discover that both hostels were full. On the bus ride I met a student/guy from Portland who had just been up studying glaciers for a week at one of the other huts. He had hiked up to the summit of Kebnekaise the afternoon/evening of my rest day! That made my not summiting (or even attempting) even worse. Small world - he posts on cc.com and turns-all-year...... So me and the guy from Portland went to the Kiruna camp ground which luckily was very close to the last hostel. We camped amongst the RVs and mosquitoes. At least it wasn't raining there and the weather was clear and cold. I later learned it got down to 3 degrees C that evening. That is cold for July I think!

I knew next day, Tuesday (18 July), would be strictly a travel day but I was still looking forward to moving on. I woke up early to catch the 7:40 am train back to Abisko to pick up the stuff I left there. For some reason the train never came. Someone else waiting for the train called the train station (no one working there at the time) and they told her there had been a bus that came by instead that morning because no train was available. I had seen a bus pull up and a bunch of people get on, but no one came to the platform to tell me anything. So I had 3 hours to burn in Kiruna before the next train to Abisko. Finally I caught the train to Abisko, picked up my stuff, caught the next train 30 minutes later out of Abisko, back through Kiruna, and on to Luleå, Sweden. Then I had about 10 minutes in Luleå to find the bus station and catch my next bus, which I did.

The bus stopped at Haparanda, Sweden which is right on the border with Finland at the head of the Guld of Bothnia. Across the river-border is the town of Tornio, Finland. These two towns basically function as one. For some reason no buses or trains cross the border here so you have to make all these connections, a real pain in the ass. I wondered around the streets of Haparanda for several hours checking all the hostels - all full - and the campground - closed. Hmm. This was an interesting, and familiar, situation.

So I wandered around town with my heavy pack on until about 11 pm. I kept looking for a nice spot in the park along the river to discretely spend the night, but the mosquitoes were too bad to sleep without a tent (and I thought setting up my tent in a park wouldn't look so good). Not sure what to do, I walked across the border to Tornio and found the bus station where I needed to catch a bus the next morning. Unfortunately my bus into Hapranda arrived about 1 hour too late for me to catch the last bus out of Tornio. As I walked around the back of the Tornio bus station I saw a group of tired looking people with backpacks strewn about. Other travels waiting for the bus! That was a welcome site, as it meant I would have company for the night. They offered me the open bench next to theirs. There were 2 girls from Germany, Nina and Lucy, and 2 guys from Germany, Henrich and Jens (different groups). All 4 were 18 years old or younger! We had a good time passing the hours between talking about our trips and sleeping on the benches. Finally at 4:45 am we all boarded our bus.

The 25 km bus ride on Wednesday (19 July) morning took over an hour! We were dropped off at the train station in Kemi, Finnland. The two German guys were heading north, while the two German girls and myself were heading south to Oulu, Finnland. The guys caught their train soon after we arrived in Kemi, while we caught our train to Oulu a couple hours later. After an hour on the train we arrived very tired at the Oulu train station. We slept at the Kemi train station and on the train, being so tired from the previous night's lack of sleep. Then we had to walk 2 miles to the camp ground as Oulu doesn't have any hostels. After the sour experience I had at the Kiruna campground, I wasn't looking forward to this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. Although it was very crowded, the weather was fantastic and the campground was clean and nice. We set up our tents and had the entire day to relax in the sunshine. We passed the time between laying in the grass and walking around the campground and nearby beach. Later in the afternoon we decided it was warm enough for a swim in the Gulf of Bothnia. It really wasn't warm enough (we were the only ones on the beach) but we endured the cold anyhow. We were surprised to discover the water wasn't salty. Must be because of the river that drains near Oulu. It was a fine day and evening and I was happy to have some company after many days hiking alone. It started to rain that evening but we were so tired from the night before we had no problem going to sleep early.

Thursday (20 July) I planned to spend the day exploring Oulu. I woke up to clear skies, a welcomed surprise after rain all night. The German girls were headed to Helsinki on the night train that evening so we parted ways when I walked to town. It was a great day in Oulu. I first went to the library to use the internet, then to explore a little market and street festival. I stopped by the train station and then just wandered through the town. This city has a great vibe. Lots of people out and about walking and riding bikes and great weather. Craving a nice big, healthy meal after nearly a week eating dehydrated meals, I found just what I was looking for at the street market. It was the best meal I'd had in a while. More exploring and finally a stop at the grocery store for dinner before walking the 2 miles back to the campground. When I arrived back at the campground I was surprised to see the 2 German guys camped right near me on the other side of my tent from were the German girls had been camped the previous night! Great more company! So we chatted while I cooked and ate my dinner and they brought me a beer, a kind and friendly gesture.

Since the hostel in the next town I wanted to go to, Kuopio, Finnland, was full for Friday night, I decided to spend another day and night in Oulu. So today, Friday (21 July), I woke up and rented a bike. It rained again last night but once again it was clear when I woke up this morning. It was perfect weather for a bike ride. The German guys were staying another night too, so again I would have company, which is often a concern of mine when camping alone. Camping alone is not a good way to meet other travelers.

Now that I'm finally up to date on my blog I can continue my bike ride! I think the 3 of us will go to Kuopio, Finnland tomorrow and then to Helsinki the following day.

Abisko, Sweden and Kungsleden (King's Trail)

The bus from Å to Narvik, Norway on Tuesday (11 July) afternoon arrived at the Narvik train station in time for me to catch the last train of the day to Abisko, Sweden. I find my connections work out about half the time over here. The train ride from Narvik, Norway to Abisko, Sweden was, of course, absolutely amazing. We rode along this mountain side above a huge lake with water falls pouring down the opposite side. Unfortunately I was sitting on the wrong side of the train and I had to strain to get views in between the Japanese tourists' picture-taking. When I arrived in Abisko the weather was perfect, as was the scenery. The tourist station here is set on the edge of a lake and the base of a mountain. I made it to the store just before closing time to pick up dinner for the night. The people in my hostel room were nice and friendly. One, a girl from England, was starting my planned hike the following day. The other two people, a young Swedish couple, were up for a week of hiking and holiday.

On Wednesday (12 July) I woke up to rain. yuck. Fortunately I was not planning to start my hike that day, but I felt bad for the English girl who did. I needed to do some food shopping, buy a map, pack my bag, talk to the 'park rangers', and a few other errands before I would start hiking the following morning. It cleared up in the afternoon so I was excited about starting the next day. That afternoon I had my first 'traditional' sauna experience.

Thursday (13 July) I was extremely frustrated to wake up to rain again. I was slow to get moving. I really had no desire to hike in the rain. I just don't enjoy hiking in the rain. I put a bag of stuff that I didn't need in baggage room. I would later have to come retrieve this but I couldn't bare to carry the extra weight so far. Eventually I put on my rain pants and rain jacket and passed the starting gate for the Kungsleden (King's Trail) around 9 am. I was excited yet frustrated. After 3 hours and 15 km I arrived at the first hut, Abiskojaure. I hadn't planned to stop here but I also hadn't planned to hike in the rain! I went inside to use the drying room and to figure out what to do. I decided I would stay there for the night if it continued to rain. I was in a foul mood when I arrived there! Luckily after about 1 hour the rain stopped and the skies started to clear. After another hour my stuff was 'drier', although my shoes were still wet, and I decided to push on to the next hut which was another 20 km further up the trail.

So with rain pants back in my pack where they belong, I started off again around 2 pm. I was in a much better mood now. About half way to the next hut I got to one end of a lake. I knew the next hut was on the other end which looked so close so I was eager to get there. After a while I could see the flag of the hut. It seemed so close but I must have hiked for 2 more hours before I arrived at the hut. Its like the hut on the horizon never got any bigger! It was windy along this stretch of the trail contouring around the lake. I guess the only good thing about the wind and rain is it kept the mosquitoes at bay. It started raining again about 10 minutes before I got to the hut. And about 100 meters before I reached the hut I saw a rainbow starting on the shore of the lake and wrapping over to finish right on the hut. It was pretty cool! I only got a photo of half of it though because of the driving rain. That is another good thing about the rain here, lots of rainbows. So I arrived at the Alesjaure hut 4.5 hours after leaving the other. So that was 35 km (22 miles) of hiking for the day, about half of that in the rain! I was pretty tired. Luckily there was a sauna there so I jumped at the chance. It was very relaxing.

It was extremely windy at this hut. I wondered if I would actually be able to set up my tent. I ended up having to set it up inside and then take it outside. I staked it out well but I wasn't convinced that the wind wouldn't shred it. As I ate dinner from inside the hut, I watched the wind beat my tent repeated. Then the rain started again. I was not in a good mood. The others inside the hut thought I was nuts for 'wanting' to sleep outside in that weather.

Somehow my little tent survived the night with only slightly bent poles. The winds had to be gusting to at least 35 mph where my tent was set up, so I was pretty surprised my tent did okay. And more surprisingly, considering my tent, I stayed completely dry, even in that driving rain. It got cold that night too. Cold enough to snow on the mountain tops 1000 meters higher. I guess all that weather -- rain, wind, snow -- was supposed to remind me that I was hiking in the artic or something. I could have done without the reminder.

I was slow to get up the following morning (Friday, 14 July) because it was still windy and still raining! At one point during the night, I woke up and noticed it was completely light out and therefore must be morning. I was mad that it was still raining the next morning. I looked at my watch and it was just 1:30 am. It actually wasn't raining when I finally got up. But it did rain during breakfast. I used the drying room to dry my tent which was nice to do. I decided I wasn't going to hike in the rain today, since it puts me in such a foul mood. So one by one the others left to go endure the rain. But not me. Finally I was the last one in the hut. I had my principles and I wasn't going to hike in the rain.

15 minutes later I was hiking in the rain.

Actually it wasn't as bad as the previous day, but it was much windier. I did have my rain pants and rain jacket on and wore them the entire day. The wind kept me from getting too hot in this 'uniform'. It was hard work hiking into the stong wind for the first half of the day. I had planned to stop at the next hut, Tjäktja (13 km away), for lunch, but once I was there I just felt I should keep walking. I came up and over this pass, which at 1100 meters was the highest point on the trail. I learned later that it snowed there the previous night. Here I saw a heard of raindeer come up and over the pass. After dropping down into the next valley, the wind really picked up. Luckily it was at my back now. Occasionally it would knock me off my balance, from behind, so I decided it must have been gusting to 45 mph. It was the strongest winds I've ever been in when not near the summit of a high mountain in the Cascades, possibly the strongest winds I've been in other than on Mt. Rainier. I kept thinking I was so glad I wasn't up on one of the surrounding peaks that day. yikes. Finally, 6 plus hours after I left the last hut, I arrived at the Sälka hut, 25 km (16 miles) later. The trail had been really good these two days, relatively flat and easy, but considering the weather I was hiking in these were pretty big days for me. The weather didn't inspire me to take too many breaks!

Luckily, I found a less windy spot to set up my tent this night (although one gust did completely flaten my tent as I was walking up to it once) and it didn't rain that afternoon or the next morning. I enjoyed another sauna that evening in a surreal landscape of large, wide open valleys (above treeline) guarded by soft, high peaks.

It was easier to get going the next morning (Saturday, 15 July) although I left rather late. This day I enjoyed the best weather so far. No rain and it wasn't too windy. I also walked through a more dramatic valley, with steeper mountains on my way to the next hut, Kebnekaise mountain station. This was another 26 km day but the 'good' weather made it feel easier than the previous. It was more like a tourist station as it was really crowded, especially for being a 19 km hike from the nearest town. Here I had a proper shower and of course a sauna! This is the main hut for hikes up to the summit of Kebnekaise, the highest mountain in Sweden. I wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring for me, whether the weather or my body would be up for hiking to the summit. The wind died down that evening and the mosquitoes were annoying.

On Sunday (16 July) I woke up to no rain. But it was cloudy and windy. I debated for several hours if I should try for the summit. Eventually I talked myself out of it. The combination of weather (no views and terribly cold winds) and my mental and physical states didn't jive. I decided I would either try it the next day if the weather held or hike out. So I mainly just read in the hut all day and hiked up to the top of a small nearby hill a couple times. It was a nice rest day that I needed. It was also the only day it didn't rain on me.

Monday (17 July) it was raining when I woke up. I was really bummed about this as I had pysched myself up for the summit. I packed up and started the 19 km hike out in the rain. The rain didn't last though and these flat 19 km were the fastest of the trail. I arrived in the town of Nikkaluokta, Sweden less than 4 hours later where I caught the bus to Kiruna, Sweden that afternoon. It was a great hike in shitty weather. I know that not summitting is going to be hanging over my head now as unfinished business. I guess I have a reason to go back there now. At 105 km (67 miles) that is the longest solo hike I've ever done. I know I could never do a solo long distance hike as I found the lack of company rather boring after a while. A great novelty of this hike was almost all of the huts got their drinking, untreated, right out of the river.

Lofoten Islands, Norway

It's been a while since I've had a chance to update my blog so I better do it now before I get so far behind that I can't catch up. I have free internet since I'm at a library.

After my last day in Tronheim, Norway (Friday, 7 July) I took the night train to Bodo, Norway where I would catch a ferry to the Lofoten Islands. Whenever I take night trains I like to pay the upgrade and get a sleeping berth in a 6 bed compartment. This usually works out to about the same price as a hostel bed, but in Norway the trains only have 2 bed compartments and they are way too expensive. So I had to make due with sleeping in my seat for this night train. For the first hour or so I made myself stay awake to look at the scenery which consisted of more beautiful mountains (that seems to be the theme of Norway). Since I was so far north already - although still south of the artic circle - it was light enough to see everything even in the middle of the night. Eventually I fell asleep though. I'd wake up occasionally to a stunning scene and be pissed off that I had just fallen alseep. Then it was back to sleep and repeat. This made me wish I would have taken a day train, but I was not aware the ride would be so scenic.

When I arrived in Bodo, Norway the next morning (Saturday, 8 July) I was north of the artic circle. At this time of year that meant I would be witnessing no sunsets for a while. It was raining and foggy in Bodo so I didn't get to see much. Occasionally the fog would lift slighty and I could see the beautiful mountains that surrounded the city. The city itself was nothing to write home about though.

I had about 7 hours to waste in Bodo before I had to catch the ferry. I wondered around in the rain for a while before I discovered the ferry waiting room. I was in the ferry waiting room reading and I looked up after a while to see this massive boat sitting along the dock. I had to ask if this was the ferry I was taking and it was. The ferry is actually called the Hurtigruten, or Norwegain Coastal Steamer, and it was more of a cruise ship than ferry (although some people did take cars on it). I was told I could board anytime during the next 3 hours when it departed, so I immediately boarded. It was quite a kick to be walking around this mini cruise ship complete with hot tubs on the aft of the boat. There was this great lounge on the upper deck at the front of the boat. I stood outside for most of the journey even though it was cold, windy, and wet. I read some more about the Hurtigruten while onboard. In a nutshell there is a fleet of these boats that ply the waters daily between Bergen, Norway in the south and the northeastern most town in Norway near the Russian border. The journey takes 6 days up and 6 days return and is quite the popular (although pricey) tourist attraction for obvious reasons. It makes several stops daily at different places and therefore acts like a ferry as well as a cruise ship. There must be at least 12 of these boats since they come to these stops daily and the round trip is 12 days. I'd love to take the whole journey and was disappointed when I had to disembark after only 4 hours. Someday I'd like to go the whole way but it would be pretty boring alone.

I got off the Hurtigruten in Stamsund, Norway, a small town on one of the 4 main Lofoten islands. My guidebook said there was suppose to be a great hostel here and it didn't disappoint. At first it seemed a bit suspect, but after warming up to the place I could see the charm. At dinner every one was hanging out in the kitchen and seemed to all know each other so I was slow break into the group and meet everyone. Eventually I met everyone and they turned out to be some of the friendliest hostel goers of my trip. 2 guys from Ireland, a guy from Scottland, a mother and her 4-year-old son (who later kept making me play cards with him) from England, a girl from San Fran, a younger couple from New Zealand, and an older couple from the US/Belgium. Ironically it was the 4 year old asking "would you like to play some cards?" who gave me the 'introduction' to the group.

Some of them were planning a hike for the following day and invited me along. I eagerly accepted. Later that night we went out to try to catch a glimpse of the midnight sun. Although the clouds and mountains kept us from seeing the actual sun, it was still a beautiful sight. I went to sleep late that night.

The next morning (Sunday, 9 July) I slept in and hung around the hostel for a while. The hostel is right on this dock in the corner of this little bay. There are a couple of row boats you can use to row out and catch some fish which you can then cook for dinner. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to do this. But I enjoyed walking around the docks, rocks, and bay that morning. Finally, well after lunch, we headed off on our hike; the 2 irish guys, the scottish guy, the girl from San Fran, the woman and her son, and the guy I met in Trondheim who lives in the Lofotens who kept showing up at the hostel looking for me. (I had escaped him on previous attempts until he showed up when we were leaving for the hike).

After a break about half way up this trail to the top of a ski hill, the others turned around and me, the 2 Irishmen, and the Scot, decided to continue to the top and traverse along the ridgeline to the top of this mountain. It was a great little hike and eventually we were standing on the summit in clear skies enjoying spectaclular scenry. It was picture perfect for my first 'artic summit'. Although it was 7 pm, we had little to worry about as the sun wouldn't set for several more days and the weather was perfect. We got back down to the hostel around 9:30 pm. I had a late dinner and around midnight I was thinking about going to sleep soon. Then the older couple from the US/Belgium came into the kitchen and asked if anybody wanted to go with them to the opposite side of the island to see the midnight sun (since you couldn't actually see it from our side of the island). It was a rare clear night here so I couldn't miss the oppurtunity. They had 3 open seats in their car and I got the last one. Wow, was I glad that I did! It was about a 30 minute drive and after coming out of a tunnel we arrived at this white sandy beach with green pastures behind the beach (with sheep eating the grass) and mountains behind the pastures. It was like a combination of Thailand, Ireland, and New Zealand in one place and it was north of the artic circle -- the Gulf Stream is an amazing thing when you consider the whole of Norway is as the same latitude as Greenland which is covered in a huge icecap! It was just after 1 am and the sun was shining brightly above the sea. I took several pictures because it was so amazing. It was windy and cold though; I could have used a jacket and sunglasses. This beach was called Utakleiv and appartently is a popular place to see the midnight sun because it was crowded! After a while the crowds started to disappear (except for the people camping there for the night - man, I was jealous) and we all piled back into the car soon after. It had been a fantastic day first with the hike and then getting to see this! I was starting to get use to this much daylight. You can get so much accomplished!

The next day (Monday, 10 July) I had decided to take the bus over to the western most town in the Lofotens called Å. There was another hostel there and it was supposed to be a really pretty village. It was cloudy that day and started to rain shortly after I arrived in Å that afternoon. There isn't a lot to do and Å and not a whole hell of a lot to see. It is a small but very pretty and neat village. I wondered around in the rain for several hours trying to fill the day and wondering what in the hell people did here. I'm sure the rain had a lot to do with my unexpected bad mood over the village. Had it been nice I could have gone for a hike in the surrounding mountains. The hostel was not that great and there were no interesting people there. I made plans to get out of there the next morning.

Early the next morning (Tuesday, 11 July) I took the bus from Å to Narvik, Norway which was about a 9 hour bus ride. It was incredibly scenic and included a 30 minute ferry ride which was really cool.

Kungsleden Trail / Abisko National Park - Itenerary

Tomorrow, Thursday (13 July) I'm going to start hiking a section of the Kungsleden (King's Trail) starting from Abisko Turiststation, Sweden. I'm planning to spend 3 nights along the trail at various points (possibly huts) and then my 4 and 5 nights at the Kebnekaise hut. I plan to hike up to the summit of Kebnekaise (2111 meters) on my 5 day and then hike out to the town of Nikkaluokta, Sweden on my 6th day. Hopefully the same day, I can catch the bus (or hitch) to Kiruna where I'll stay at the STF Vandrarhem Kiruna (Kiruna HI hostel). I'll have internet access once I'm in Kiruna, which hopefully will be the night of Tuesday, 18 July. Then I have to back track to Abisko the following day to pick up my stuff from the luggage room at the Abisko Turiststation lodge. Then I'll take the train back through Kiruna and on to Lulea, Sweden. So you won't be hearing from me for a bit.

Hopefully once I'm in Kiruna I can update my blog on the surreal Lofoten Islands in Norway.

Trondheim, Norway - 1 more day

I went out last night (Thursday, 6 July) with 4 other people I met in the hostel. Carrie from Michigan, Annette and Marit from Oslo, and Anders from Lofoten Islands, Norway. We had a really good time. First we listened to a Norwegian Folk band that played at the hostel. They told me it was "very Norwegian". So that was fun to see/hear. Then we went and sat in a park for a bit and had a beer (beer is expensive in bars!). Then we went to a bar that had cheap beer - at least by Norwegian standards. It started raining on us on the walk back to the hostel so by the time we arrived we were soaked. It was a blast though!

So after staying up late, I was convinced to stay another day in Trondheim and take the night train tonight to Bodø.

Today (Friday, 7 July) I slept in and hung out with the same group of people this morning before going off for 1 more day of Trondheim. It was a pretty lazy day that I spent doing some errands and reading in the park. Now I have a few more hours to kill before the train leaves to Bodø. I'm a little anxious to get going now.

Anders, the guy from the Lofoten Islands, offered to show me around when I'm there since that is my next stop and he is returning home there. I may take him up on the offer.

Trondheim, Norway - days 2 and 3

I really like this town! I'm so glad I stopped here. It has a great vibe and lots of college students (even though its summer and most of them are gone).

On Wednesday (5 July) after I checked into the new hostel (called Trondheim InterRail Center) I went to start exploring the town. Its a small town and really easy to get around. There is really no reason to take public transport here. The hostel is awesome. Great atmosphere and people. Its in a 'student house' and is run by local college students. The hostel is only open during the universities summer break. My room has 12 or so bunks and I think I'm the only guy in there! lucky me! My room is actually in a bar so at the far end is an empty bar and there is also a disco ball on the ceiling. Both help remind you that during the school year there are people drinking there! The bathrooms are strange too. Its like a bathroom at a club and a couple of the stalls have showerheads in them. Thats the showers!!

That afternoon I took the boat over to Munkhomen (Monk's Island) which is basically an old prison (later monastery) island that is now a popular sunbathing hang out for the locals. There really wasn't much to do there except sit around as the prison/monastery isn't much to look at. It was worth the trip though. That evening I watched a football game and had a piece of cake to 'celebrate' my birthday by myself!! It was only later that I met some of the people in my room. Fun place.

Today, Thursday (6 July), I had planned another day of walking to see the stuff I didn't see the previous day and a half. First I walked up the street to the university (Norwegian University of Science and Technology - NTSU). Although its has a lot of students, the campus was fairly small. I really liked it and could definitely go to school here. Nice views and lots of green areas. Then I walked over to the old city fort, Kristiansten Festning, for nice views of Trondheim. So then I had pretty much seen all the sights that Trondheim has to offer and decided to work on my tan at the popular park on the river. It was nice weather so the place was pretty packed. Had some fantastic Norwegian strawberries today too but man they were pricey!

Although I really like this town, my time in Scandinavia is running a little tight now, so I think I'm off to Bodø tomorrow morning which is a 10 hour train ride from here and is north of the artic circle (and I'll still be able to catch the midnight sun!). I want to go to the Lofoten Islands and Bodø is one of the gateway cities to get there. I'm not very optomistic that I'll make it all the way to the Lofotens in one day so I'll probably get stuck in Bodø for a night. I hear its not much of a town, but the Lofotens are supposed to be awesome.

Trondheim, Norway

I hadn't planned on stopping in Trondheim, but because the sleeper trains are so expensive in Norway I thought I might as well stop for a couple of nights here, before continuing north. Wow, what another great decision. This town is great.

Yesterday (Tuesday, 4 July) after arriving in Trondheim and heading straight for the library to use the internet, I went to one hostel that is recommended in my guide book (Trondheim InterRail Center). Unfortunately it is only a summer hostel and didn't open until the next day. So I walked a good ways with my heavy pack, tired legs, and dirty body to the other hostel in town (Trondheim HI Hostel). It is the most expensive hostel yet and probably the most bland. It was hard to fork over the cash for a bed there. My dorm room was empty and I didn't speak to a single person there other then the receptionist. But I got my shower and did my laundry which were both a high priority.

Today (Wednesday, 5 July) I'm going back over to the other hostel which will hopefully have some atmosphere, but I wanted to stop in the library first and update my blog first as it was too early to check into the hostel yet. Now I'm off to dump this pack and see some of the city. Its so peaceful here I'll likely stay another day before moving on. The weather is perfect again, which makes all the difference.

Jotunheimen National Park

This could turn into one very long blog......

On Thursday (29 June) I caught the early train from Oslo to the town of Otta, the jumping off point for 3 national parks in central Norway. I arrived in Otta at 11:30 am and my bus didn't leave for the Spiterstulen hut until 3:10 pm so I had some time to kill. I went through my pack and took out everything I wouldn't need for my hike (and actually some things I could have used) and put it in a locker there at the train station. Then I walked through part of the small town and then stopped by the grocery store to get a few more provisions.

Around 3:05 pm there was still no bus with my destination on it so I was getting a little worried. I asked one of the other bus drivers what the deal was and he quickly ushered me onto another bus saying I had to change buses in Lom. Great. I've been through this kind of thing before and the out come isn't usually good. There was no mention of any transfers on the bus information I had. The bus information I had said my bus was supposed to stop in Lom a certain time. So of course my bus leaves Otta late and then gets stopped by some road work all the while I'm thinking there is no way I'm going to make this connecting bus.

So we finally arrive in the town of Lom where I'm supposed to catch my connecting bus. I have a suspicion that I'm going to get stuck in this town. But as we are pulling into the bus station I see the bus I need getting ready to leave, so I just make it on that bus. I get on, look around, and the bus is completely empty. I say, "I need 1 student ticket to Spiterstulen please." 45 NKr, or around $7. We then proceed to make the hour long drive up to the Spiterstulen hut where I would start my journey. Just me, the driver, and the big full sized bus twisting up this narrow, 1 lane gravel road. Ironically if you drive up this toll road in a car the toll is 60 NKr per car. Needless to say I don't think the bus company made any money on that journey! Several times cars coming down would have to back up and pull off the road so that the big bus could get by. At one point there were several cows in the road and they had no where to go, so we hearded them up the road with the bus for probably a couple hundred yards to where they could escape. Poor cows. What a fun bus ride though. Those drivers really know the boundaries of those huge buses!! yikes.

As we break out above tree line and I see the hut I can't believe I actually made it as I had planned it. Things don't usually go so well (remember this for later on in the story....). The place is absolutely stunning and the weather is perfect. I had a big, big grin on my face for the rest of the day. What an amazing place.

I set up my tent and then went for a little hike up behind the hut ('huts' actually) to get a view of the place before cooking dinner (dinner in the hut was around $40). I slept really good that night, probably the bests nights sleep of the trip. The only thing that could spoil my mood for the next day was poor weather.

On Friday (30 June) I awoke to clear skies. Because the sun sets so late and rises so early, I don't remember seeing darkness the entire time I was in the park. Its strange to wake up to the sun shine and realize that its only 3:30 am, sleep through 4 more hours of sunlight, and then wake up at 7:30 am. The plan for Friday was to hike up Galdhøpiggen, 2469 meters, the highest mountain in Norway (and in Northern Europe for that matter). Spiterstulen lodge sits at 1100 meters.

It started out as a prefect hike. Perfect weather, no other people, lots of sheep! I had to consciencously make my self slow down and take it all in as I tend to hike too fast when I'm alone. I even made myself stop and sit down for a break at one point!! I never do that when I'm hiking alone. It might have been the best hike of my life, had I not ran into so many people near and on the summit. Actually I didn't see any one else for at least the first half of the ascent until I passed a couple of people near the top. The trail didn't have quite as much snow as I was expecting either thanks to our good friend global warming.

I shouldn't have been surprised to see a small lodge on the summit but I was. Inside I shouldn't have been surprised to see a small gift shop and snack stand; again I was. It just wouldn't occur to me to buy a tee-shirt of the mountain I just hiked up on the summit.... When I looked down to the glacier on the other side of the summit I could see the heards being ushered up there. In fact after about 10 minutes of sitting on the summit with 1 other person, the hordes started arriving. It was time to head down. It was at this point when I started to see the masses of people hiking up. Good timing on my part to be heading down now. Even with my slow pace for the first half of the ascent and my short break I made the summit in just under 3 hours. On the way down I decided to explore some of the area and made a big loop on the wide open boulder field also avoiding some of the people coming up the cattle trail. This proved to be a good decision as a herd of raindeer came by near where I was walking down. That was pretty cool!

So I was back down to camp in the early afternoon and the sun was shining so I decided to brave the waters of the 'swimming pool' which is just a section of the river that is damned off. It was pretty cold, but not as cold as icicle creek. It wasn't that warm either so I didn't stay in long. It was time for a shower, yes, all the huts have showers and drying rooms! That evening I made the decision to move on the next day and not hike up the second highest mountain on the other side of the hut, mainly because I didn't want to spend another $20 on a map and I also didn't want to spend a third night in the same place. I wanted to see more of the park. I went for a short hike after dinner before going to sleep.

Saturday (1 July) I woke up to cloudy skies. Its a good thing I hadn't planned on hiking up high that day as the weather didn't look promising and the views wouldn't have been very good. So I packed up and headed up the valley to the Leirvassbu hut (1400 meters). This was about a 5 hour hike and despite the cloudy skies, the scenery was perfect. The path followed the river upstream, as did a heard of raindeer on the opposite side before escaping my view for moving quicker over the terrain than me (I told myself its because they wern't carring a heavy pack...). Shortly after I arrived at the Leirvassbu hut, the skies cleared and I enjoyed a beautiful afternoon exploring the areas around this hut. After another refreshing shower (this one in very cold water!), I ate dinner, then went for another short hike watching the sun set behind the mountains about 10 pm.

Sunday (2 July) the sky dawned clear once again. Nice! The hike down the next valley to the Skogadalsbøen hut (850 meters) was like being in another park. It was completely different terrain. It was so pretty! The sun was shining and it was 'warm' out so I stopped at the river and tried to go for a dip. Because the trail had dropped so much in elevation though, there were many flowers about, and bees like flowers. So the bees didn't let me stop for long. I had to keep moving. I had gone from hiking in pants and a wind shell all day the day before, to hiking only in shorts this day. What a difference clear skies can make! As the trail continued to drop the bugs started getting worse and once in the forest there were mosiqutioes at every stream crossing. Not fun. I basically ran the last 1 hour to the hut not slowing a bit because the bugs were so annoying. I was begining to think dropping down below tree line was a bad idea. But as I emerged out of the forest to where the hut was, the bugs disappeared. whew. I wasn't looking forward to camping with all those bugs. I was really pleasantly surprised by this hut considering the bitter taste I had in my mouth from the bees (stung twice I think) and other bugs I had just encountered not 100 yards away in the forest. My campsite was right by the river and the water was refreshing for quick dip. I asked at the hut where I could get drinking water. The guy's response, "out of the tap or out of the river, it is the same." I was a little surprised by this only because I thought we were quite low to be drinking directly from the river, also I thought there was another hut up stream. But the water was crystal clear and delicious. That evening I ate the last of my dinners and had only enough food for the hike to the nearest town. I would have likely stayed in the park another day or 2 had I brought enough food. But my pack was heavy enough with the food I had.

On Monday (3 July) I woke up earlier hoping to be through the forest before the bugs came out in force. Luckily the trail climbed quickly and after an hour I was back above tree line. Another day, another trail, another completely different feel. I saw lots of sheep this day, and no people. The weather was mostly clear, but I could see clouds moving in covering the tops of some of the mountains. I hoped the rain would hold off until I got out of the park. It was another stunning hike, as all the hikes had been, passing glacier covered mountains so close you could almost touch them.

Around 1:30 pm I arrived at my 'exit town', Turtagrø, which was really just another hut/hotel along a road which the bus would stop at. The bus would come at 3:15 pm and around 2:45 it started to sprinkling. Again my timing was perfect.

The bus ride back to Lom was incredible. I can't really put it into words though. It passed through high mountains where you could see glaciers just across the lake. Lots of cross country skiers out and about in this area too. We stopped at one hut where apparently a lot of cross country skiers stay during the summer, and a lovely Norwegian girl got on the bus. She spoke with the driver and another passenger and as she passed me said something in Norwegian. Not wanting to be rude if she was talking to me, I blurted out, "sorry, I don't speak Norwegian." Her response, "okay". So I guess she wasn't talking to me!! I felt a little embarassed. But a few minutes later she started talking to me. We had a nice chat (all the while I'm missing the 'other' scenery) until she reached her stop. She - Ida - was working at that hut during the summer and was taking the bus down to her grandparent's farm on her day off. I think that was the first Norwegian I had a real conversation with! Nice lass, she was. She spoke perfect english but was still frustrated with her english skills. I think that is common here.

When the bus pulled into Lom at 5 pm, where I was to catch my connecting bus, I still wasn't sure if I was going to the fjord town of Geiranger or back to Otta. I couldn't decide. As we stopped the bus driver pointed me to the bus to Otta which was leaving soon. Then as he was looking up how I could get to Geiranger that bus pulled away. Unfortunately the bus to Geiranger didn't leave until to 4:15 the next day. Well, guess I'm going to Geiranger and I'll just catch the next bus to Otta. OOPS! that was the last bus to Otta!!! Guess my timing isn't always so perfect.

So I entertain the idea of hitching a ride to Otta but stop by the tourist office first. I wanted to find out what time the Otta train station opened and closed as I needed to get my stuff out. Well it was closed for the day so getting to Otta now didn't help any. So I got to either spend the next 15 hours in Lom. Hmmm. Normally it may not have seemed so bad, but I was dirty, tired, and hungry and really didn't feel like hanging out for 15 hours.

After finally getting some food with some nutritional value it was 6 pm. I needed to catch the bus to Otta at 7 am the next day and then the train from Otta to Trondheim at 11:30 am. I headed over to the only campsite in town, which was actually 'in town', next to a road, full of cabins and RVs. How much for a campsite? 140 NKr! $25 to put my tent on a piece of grass between 2 RVS next to a road for a few hours? Uhmmm, I pay less than that at most hostels. Out of principle I refused. But this left me with few options. So I wondered around town for a few hours trying to figure out what to do. It it hadn't been raining, I would have thrown down my sleeping bag in a nearby park, but as it was, the only free shelter I saw was at the bus station. It was actually a loading dock for trucks. But it was dry and free so I 'slept' there for a few hours from roughly 11 pm until 6 am. Lots of buses coming and going all night so I didn't sleep much.

Finally at 7 am on Tuesday (4 July), I caught my bus back to Otta from where I caught the train to Trondheim that afternoon. What a fine bit of adventure that was!!

Oslo - last day

On my last day in Oslo, Wednesday, 28 June, the weather worked out perfectly! I'm so glad I stayed there another day as I was able to leave feeling like I had seen the city. I went to this great park called Frognerparken and Vigeland Park. It was beautiful and the central avenue of the park was lined with numerous, life-sized human sculptures. It was really neat. Then I went for a long walk from the that park down to and along the water front and basically walked all over the city that day. That last evening at the hostel was uneventful and a little boring. By this point I was ready to move on. It was time for a little bit of adventure after all the sight-seeing.

Jotunheimen National Park

I don't have time to write up anything right now, but I'm out of the park and just arrived in Trondheim, Norway. I had great weather the 5 days I was there and it didn't start raining until I was waiting for the bus in my 'exit town'. That park is absolutely incredible. I can't put it into words, but I was very surprised. Most of the park is above tree line, so it was kind of strange to see so mountains without trees on them. Will write more later.