Some people just do the standard thermal cycle of a sauna and cold plunge. I am an overachiever and added hyperthermia yesterday to the equation. The forecast for today was heavy rain (once again!) so we decided that today would be a reset/rest day. Besides going for a walk, we didn't leave the area of the hotel all day - so strange for a Kara and Dan trip.
Our hotel - pretty fancy pants
Breakfast was included with our room, so time to load up - so classy!
This was just my first course - I went back for 2 more plates
This hotel is great. It has boot dryers and a ski waxing bench. What more could a traveler want?
After breakfast, we started our laundry. What is the best thing you could do in Norway while the laundry is going? A sauna and cold plunge, of course! So, we got the sauna fired up and spent the next 1.5 hrs cooking ourselves in the sauna and cooling off in the 48 degree fjord water. Unbeknownst to us, there are lots of lion's mane jellyfish with long stinging tentacles in the water, so it is important to watch out for them. After probably my fifth cold plunge, I noticed one right next to me 😨
Entering the sauna
Check out all of the windows in the sauna to maximize the view
I didn't know that Dan took this photo. He said he thinks I should consider sauna modeling for a career 🤣
Fjord cold plunging, complete with big mountains, cruise ships and lion's mane jellyfish
Terrible photo, but this is the lion's mane jelly that was swimming right next to me
A big group of paddleboarders who were touring on SUPs - sounds fun except for days like today that is pouring rain
The SUPers went right in between the ferry and the cruise ship!
The mountain in the background is Saksa which we hiked a few days ago
Traditional fishing huts
Oh goodie - we found a bakery
This cool post had directional signs for the local mountains
Our hotel is in the small town of Saebo. We could have drive 30 minutes to go get dinner somewhere else or taken a ferry somewhere. However, we chose the easy route and just ate at our hotel. We took our rest day to heart! The plan was to hit the hay early tonight to maxim the fairly decent weather forecast for tomorrow.
Our transportation to Alesund, Norway from home could not have gone smoother if we had tried. From the Woburn Express to our short layover in Copenhagen to getting our rental car in Alesund - everything was perfect. A Norwegian diving board These seats were incredible but...they were too far apart and had giant armrests between us The flights were easy. In the long line to get through customs in Copenhagen, we ended up standing in front of a couple who told us that they live in a small town called Plainfield, NH! We ended up figuring out that they even have Angela (my sister) as her doctor. Go figure. In the Oslo airport Our first view of Alesund as we flew in SAS plane from Oslo to Alesund. When we landed in Alesund, we were surprised that it wasn't raining. The plan was just to get adjusted to the time zone, maybe do a short via Ferrara and then head to bed. But we found out about a cool hike on the island of Godoya. It was a loop hike around a mountain lake that sum...
It was a slow morning because heavy rain was kept us from hitting the trail early. Our plan was to do a ridge hike called Romsdalseggen, but there are exposed sections that sounded like they would be challenging in the rain. So, we ultimately decided to do a via ferrata in the rain - maybe our logic was a little wonky. To start the day, we found a yummy bakery called Walderhung Bakeri and stocked up on baked goods for the day. I have a weakness for bakeries and all of their treats. Once I enter and get a whiff of bread baking, I lose all sense of reason and buy way more than I can eat. I held back at this bakery and we only purchased what we needed. Maybe I'm learning some self control or maybe it's because everything is very expensive here. The pastery on the far right skilpadde - it is a traditional local treat. We were surprised at how light and airy it was (and not too sweet). It was still raining when we arrived in Andalsnes. We chatted with some people at the Nordsk Tind...
In Norway, it is quite difficult to narrow down what hike you are going to do because there are SO MANY options. Today the forecast was for clouds with only some rain, which is actually a good forecast, so we decided to go for a hike near Oye. Dan originally picked out a hike for the highest mountain in the region (Slogen), but we changed that to a slightly milder hike because it was described as an expert trail (rated Black) by Norwegian standards with many exposed and scary sections (needing "a good head for heights") with a fair amount of vert and we were starting late. So, Mount Saksa (rated Red: demanding by Norwegian standards) turned into the destination for the day's adventure. First off, I would like to welcome back some long dormant muscles who had to wake up yesterday to help out with the via ferrata. Today they are complaining a little bit about having to rise from their slumber. The morning began with a drinkable yogurt and banana in the car as we settled in ...
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