DAY 109 - 110
Day 109 - War history and friendly faces
I woke up long before the sun did. The walls in my room were so thin, I could hear other occupants still snoring in their beds. I got up, got dressed, and was the first person to enter the room where breakfast was being served.
A dimly lit room, and cozy atmosphere with flowers and candlelights on every table. The buffet table consisted of fresh bread and a decent variety of pålegg (bread spread), eggs, juice, and coffee. For almost an hour, I sat in my own world, enjoying the fact that I could eat something else than oatmeal.
After breakfast, I ran to the shop to buy a new hairbrush, I had lost my previous one 5 days prior, so my hair was all tangled, a complete mess. 10 painful minutes later, I could take a nice, long shower before leaving Rjukan Gjestegård.
It was a damp and foggy morning, and not before I came up on 300 meters above sea level, could I get out of the fog and into the sun. The warm wind was caressing my face while the road led me higher and higher.
Soon, I was leveled with the museum, which was the Hydrogen production plant back in the day. Here, the Germans were producing heavy water (for developing nuclear weapons) during the Second World War. In 1943, a group of Norwegian saboteurs succeeded in destroying the facility. It was called “Operation Gunnerside”, and Wikipedia told me that the operation was later evaluated as "the most successful act of sabotage in all of World War II”.
We are quite proud of our freedom fighters, and in Rjukan you’ll find many monuments raised in their honor.
I continued walking for a while until it was time for a break. I sat down on a bench, and soon I was accompanied by Bodil and Einar, a sweet and friendly couple from Hammerfest. They had come to Rjukan for a surprise visit to a friend of theirs, but as it turned out, that friend was surprisingly not home.
“And we had made him a cake. Maybe you want some? We can have a slice of cake and some coffee together before you continue if you have the time?”
“I always have time for cake and good company!”
So we sat on that bench in the warm sun, ate, drank, and chatted merrily.
The warm day turned cold, and the wind was no longer caressing my face, but blowing me off course. At 6.15 P.M., it started to get darker, and when I felt raindrops on my face, I decided to put up the tent. I found a spot close to lake Møsvatn, where I had a view towards Hardangervidda (the plateau I was originally planning to walk through). I went to collect some water before settling in for the night.
Steps: 30 615
Day 110 - Thank you, Weather God
It was like I had gone back in time. Three days ago, I was lying in my sleeping bag with all the clothes on me, freezing my backside off while my breath came out in smoke. Now, I was sitting outside my sleeping bag, perfectly comfortable and enjoying my breakfast.
At 8:15 A.M, I was back on the road. It had just turned light, but yesterday’s sun was long gone. Cloudy grey, wind, and rain were on the weather menu that morning, but I had my umbrella ready, so that didn’t bother me much.
I was struggling to carry Mr. Skywalker. I’ve had this pain close to my left shoulder, ever since I started this trip actually. It seem to have intensified the last few days, so I constantly had to sit down to relieve the pressure, because I found it hard to breathe from the pain.
Other than that, I enjoyed the walk and the scenery. A lot of old wooden houses with grassy roofs were placed along the road and up the hills. Very charming and old-fashioned.
I took a longer break at a gas station in Rauland. Here, I ate a sausage while my phone was charging. When I continued walking, the fog and the clouds lifted and the sun appeared. The next two hours were quite enjoyable, walking on the road, surrounded by forest.
Right before sunset, I left the road to find a decent spot in the forest. Under a couple of spruce trees, I found the perfect place, sheltered from the wind and in close proximity to a river. And such a comfortable temperature! I don’t think I’ve been able to enjoy the tent life like that since July.
“Dear Weather God: 10 more days like this, please!”
Steps:46 375
