Sarah Howell

Trying to get caught up here with my tales from Norge…

A long time friend from high school who I have not seen since we graduated high school, lives in Oslo (coincidence!) which I did not know until I was 2 days from arrival in this fine country. He has graciously showed me around the city and also has been a great partner on my various adventures.

The weekend before last, Dan and I were planning on going on a biking/camping trip with a small group of friends to the nearby town of Drøbak, a Oslofjord-side fishing and beach town about a 30 minute bike ride away. The original plan was for the group of us to bike to the fjord and bike/hike around the surround areas outside of Drøbak, and then find a place to camp out. This idea was scratched and replaced with the plan to bike to an area east of Oslo to hike and camp in the forests outside of the city. Dan took the train down to Ås that Friday and on Saturday morning, we woke up to pouring rain. I was a little less than enthused to bike, hike and camp in the rain and (and Dan had not brought any rainy weather gear to wear) thus he and I decided to stay in Ås for the weekend, while the more than adventurous group chose to brave the elements – they certainly have my admiration!

Saturday, after the rain storms in the AM, turned out to be a nice day.  We hiked up into the forests around the campus, picked and ate raspberries which line the paths through the woods, and managed to find the lake that exists not too far from campus. I had tried to hike there a previous weekend, but was distracted by the plethora of raspberries dripping from the bushes growing in a large clearing in the forest, and stopped to pick as many as I could.

Dan and I found the lake after some wanderings through the trails and roads that wind through the forest; unfortunately I did not bring my camera, but will be sure to do so next time. It looks like the lake is used for aquaculture experimentation, as there was a large grid of white buoys out in the middle, so I am not sure if it is suitable for swimming or for ice skating in the winter. I guess we will see, though I am not sure it will freeze in time prior to Christmas this year, when I will leave.

Sunday, we decided to venture to Drøbak, as I still had not gone there yet. We took the bus and then walked the remaining way into the town. Drøbak is adorable! Lots of little old Norwegian buildings with crooked streets, some of which are paved with cobblestones.  The town is right on the fjord, the Oslofjord, which – you guessed it – is the same fjord that goes up to Oslo. It is such a dramatic coastline, with the tree and house lined cliffs that just plunge into the water. So cool…

It was a great weekend, just wandering around Ås, the forest and lake, and Drøbak. I certainly will be making a return trip there, especially now that I have a bicycle (sykkel in Norsk).