Blogs from Northern Norway, Norway, Europe - page 24

I have now officially completed a full week + 1 day here at VHSS, despite the fact that I still can't understand most of what is being said, words I know are gradually being intermingled in the sea of words I can't understand when people are talking. Despite this, I still feel like I am connecting with some of the patients, and definitly with the co-workers (who can all at least understand and speak SOME english.) Since the program I am working with is a skiing based program, Friday involved various ski related activities that we did throughout the day such as skiing out to a Sami Hut (Sami are like inuit Linds - very good).. I have included a picture of the traditional "sami" uniform from a museum I was at in Oslo. They were ... read more

Valnesfjord Helsesportssenter is an institution that works with people of all ages with disabilities. Norway has an amazing system of healthcare, things are very expensive here, lots of tax. However, going to the hospital for any reason, or any time of medical thing or rehabilitation is all free - you don't even need a health card. Norwegians think that the idea of "suing" other people is crazy. Seriously - they don't understand it. But the good news is that they think it's all an American thing.. as one girl said "the americans - aren't they the ones who walk around suing each other" I try to encourage this way of thinking. Anyways, this institution is free for people with disabilities - it would be prescribed by their physician and then they come here to stay. The ... read more

BEFORE I TALK ANY MORE I MUST TELL YOU ABOUT THE WORLDS NEW MOST DELICIOUS SNACK: NUGATTI.. CRUNCHY DELICIOUSNESS IN CHOCOLATE. i am in heaven. okay you may read now. Don't know what that title means? Me neither until Google translate 2 seconds ago... the following entry is in 2 parts PART 1 - Monday March 21, 7:15am I am aboard my train at the moment, waiting excitedly to head to the centre. A few minutes ago I realized I was about 45 minutes early, hence getting out the computer. Our last day in Svolvaer was a gloomy one, cold and wet all day long. We still managed to hike down into town with our Dutch friend Paul who was also staying at our Bed and Breakfast, walk around, get soaked, look at some of the ... read more

First of all, I would just like to commemorate the northern lights for being so elusive. I’ll get you you sneaky little guys. After changing all my camera settings to Northern Lights settings (not that easy!) I waited and waited but sadly – no lights. . The ship I am on is called Hurtigruten – or, hunting the light. Apparently paying for a cruise ship won’t evennnnn guarantee northern lights. What a rip off. I did, however, get to visit the lovely town of Tromsø last night around midnight. Most of the other passengers went on a “midnight concert excursion” at a local church, but we decided that was too much to pay so we just walked to the church instead. On the way, because apparently we stick out with my “Canada” toque and giant camera ... read more

Sometimes Barry and I plan our trips months in advance, other times it is a matter of weeks. In this case, it was just 4 weeks beforehand when Barry read an article in Wanderlust magazine saying that this is a good time of year to head to Tromso. Roll on 12 February and we found ourselves on a flight heading from London Gatwick (latitude 51 degrees) to Tromso in Norway (latitude 70 degrees north – some 300km inside the Arctic circle, and a mere 2,000km from the North Pole). We spent 4 days enjoying the sights and adventures on offer in Tromso. During our time we experienced downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, hiking in the snow and searching for the Northern Lights. As the pictures show, we were pretty successful at all of these! We really enjoyed ... read more