We had one room with 4 twin beds. We kept a lot of clothes on in our sleeping bags to avoid getting cold.
What do you do at night, when the sanitary urge is too high? The toilet, the house, 50 m. away, through wet grass, through pools of water, rain and a leaky gutter. In a kitchen cupboard was an old time pis bucket. There was a “porch”, wooden planks with large gaps between them. Each of us made his/her own nocturnal pee strategy and we met again when the first one woke up in the morning.
We walk to the nearby gas station, there to buy a breakfast sandwich and coffee. Norwegian cappucino is a glass of milk with a tiny dash of coffee that one can hardly tatste. Very insufficient to meet my caffeine addiction.
Along the way we were lucky anaough to find a Spar where our empy supplies were replenished.
What can I tell you about the route? Obviously cozy with the four of us, the beautiful landscape with rolling fields and forests, the largest lake in Norway Mjøsa, always in the background. I told my visiters, that I have shown thehm all the best of Norway, except for the Dobrefjell and the moose. The word was not yet spoken when Paul stopped rigid, put his finger on the mouth and pointing into the distance: our moose. A young specimen according to Paul. About male or female, he hesitated somewhat, which we really did not expect from him. Many photos were taken of the green? moose in the green grass between the green leaves. So there is a chance that you can not see it. See picture (or not). After a few hours of walking in sun, rain, so taking of and getting on , coat, jacket etc., we came to a magnificent, not closed cabin, Ekberg Gard. Time for a snack. Picture. We made coffee, had some bread and napped an hour.
Around 16:30 our landlady led us to the stabbur which was converted into a holidy apartment: Electricity, one little electric radiator, a toilet, a shower room, two bedrooms. Such a luxury. The daughter proudly demonstrates her quail and rabbits Tosca should be in the stable.
The landlady warns us that tomorrow will be Ascension Day and everything will be closed. Oh shoot, I do not have enough food for Tosca. As befits a good hostess she offers directly to buy feed for Tosca in the slightly more distant village Hamar, our goal for tomorrow. Tomorrow in Hamar Sonja, Oesj and Paul will leave back home again by train to Oslo.
In the distance the mountains are all white with snow. That must be the Dobrefjell plain. There live reindeer, musk oxes, wolves, lynx, wolverines and soon Tosca and me. I expect to get there in two weeks. Hopefully the snow will be mostly melted then, because my left shoe begins to crack and weeks of walking with wet, cold feet is not really fun.
We talk about important issues, such as working dogs, dogs for hunting, herding dogs in the herd of sheep, huskies for sled, country smells, as right here in the pigsty, where all the towels that we got are smelling after, and other important matters. The ladies love cooking even more than the men do, so Paul and I let them cook. Paul thinks that in winter such a wooden cabin would be even more fun. I express my doubts about the heating capacity of that single electric radiator. But with the 4 pits electric stove continuously burning (as in yesterday’s cabin) we may possibly survive. And thus we spent the evening, knowing that postprandial (after a meal) nuts and beer are awaiting us. Oladeladio!
After the penne with pesto meal we made a stroll in beautiful evening sun at the shore of the lake. At 9.45 pm. the sun is gone and we are back “home”. Oesj scrubs 3 days of walking sweat from her white skin, experiencing that the smell of the pigs rivals the sence of etheric oils.
A tiny little cabin, good for lunch break
The enormous lake Mjosa that we walk along for days
Buildings often constructed of wood and painted red
Reception at our lodge near Stangen.
Our lodge, a renovated grain barn with “legs”, ” Stubbor”
Daughter proud of her rabbit
Upon arrival flowers on our table
At the right the living/kitchen. Left bedroom, douche, wc shower, bathroom
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