beach time - Arctic north version

We spent the weekend in Tromsø visiting my sister, her sweetheart and their toddler son. On Saturday we drove to Brensholmen and spent the day at the beach collecting pebbles and shells (Sara loves treasure hunting like this!) plus admiring the breathtaking landscape. I do wish my sister and her family lived closer to Stavanger (Tromsø is a 3,5 hour flight away); on the other hand it is nice to have an "excuse" to visit Tromsø and the majestic north.

More Arctic north love: summer in the Arctic north // Arctic north love // the Arctic north // hiking: Ørnfløya // post hike lunch: Hella  

LagreLagre

Haukeliseter hiking

This past weekend my parents took me and my little family on our (almost) annual mountain trip. This year my parents choose Haukeliseter fjellstue as our location. The cabin/lodge/hotel is owned by The Norwegian Trekking Association (DNT) - as are all the cabins we stay at for our (meant to be) annual trips. My parents are experienced hikers and they have great knowledge of DNT's cabins and routes. They always make great choices for our trips. This year they had in mind the need for easy routes for their pregnant daughter and 3,5 years old granddaughter. Sara was a true trooper and walked 7,5 km - a record for her! She also loved her new hiking partner, Turbo (DNT's kids'  mascot, the blue stuffed fox) plus playing in the snow.

Speaking of snow. It's fascinating how this time of year in the mountains truly is a mix of all seasons. Snow and near sub-zero temperatures during night, wild flowers and summer warmth during daytime, pussy willow and plants just coming to life where the snow has just gone, plus rain, fog and other autumn like symptoms. Oh the joys of nature!

We have previously been to Mogen (photos here, here, here and here), Hardangervidda and Hardangervidda again. Here are some photos from our previous (winter) visit to Haukeliseter. 

summer at the mountain cabin, 2015 version

We are very happy to be so much closer to the mountain cabin now that we live in Stavanger compared to when we lived in Bergen (a 1,5 hour drive instead of a 6,5 hours drive). Unfortunately we haven't had the chance to benefit from it yet due to a certain house renovation. And now with baby boy coming soon, I honestly don't think the mountain cabin will be our first choice of weekend hang-out. So, a weekend at the cabin has been high priority on our summer agenda. 

We have hiked quite a bit with Sara before - with good help of the trusty carrier (we have this one which we are very happy with). This time we decided to skip it. Because of my rather big belly (week 32), I only carried a tiny backpack, so Sølve had to carry the rest of our stuff. Hence no free back for a carrier and Sara. The hike to the cabin - on poor paths in uneven terrain - is about 45 minutes for adults. Needless to say, we were quite excited to see how Sara would do. It turns out we had nothing to worry about. Our girl has become a clever little hiker - happy as a clam to be outdoors, just like her parents. We did have to bribe her with chocolate from time to time though, plus stories of moose and fox and other wild animals. 

By the way, the rain on Saturday was epic. And of course we made a campfire and grilled hotdogs, as you do when you're an ex-scout.