Michi Photostory

Some of you already notice how simple the life here in Norway, specifically here in Ørland Kommune or Ørland municipality. I find the life here less stressful, people save more time because there is no traffic. Most people work within the community so traveling is not a problem.

My mom works at 8AM; she can wake up at 7AM, leaves at 7:45AM and she can reach her work before 8AM whether she drives the car or rides the bicycle. But my husband who works in the Philippines wakes up at 5AM, leaves before 6AM to avoid the traffic and hopefully he arrives in the office before 8AM. Imagine if there is no traffic in the Philippines, less stress sa tao. 



Lerberen



Anyway, on our Day 9 in Norway, my mom was back to work but after her shift, she invited us to walk again. Yes, my mom likes to walk and hike so napapasubo ang mga legs ko dito. Hehehe! If you remember, we already visited the Lerberen Folkehelsepark but this time, we visited the other side of the Lerberen mountain. It was just a short hike compared to the first one. When you see this sign, you can either go to the left or right. 



Read: Lerberen Folkehelsepark 

We walked to the right and left directions to see the different view. We wrote our names again in the logbook.





My mom also showed us a secret hideout where soldiers hide during the war daw. 




It is really nice to see to see the view from the top, ang sarap lang magmuni-muni kung hindi malamig. Hehehe! 




Watch the video here

Hovdetåa

After that, my mom drove us to Hovdetåa. She just went here because it was their activity at the nursing home so grannies and grandads walked to Hovdetåa. Those who can’t walk were in the wheelchair. They no longer went down to the beach kasi mabato na. 



If you’ve been following my Summer in Norway series, you will notice that there are so many places where you can swim. The only problem is, it is too cold, maninigas ka lang sa lamig. Hehehe! Ørland is almost surrounded by water such as Norwegian sea, Trondheimsfjord and Stjørnfjord so most of the places that we’ve visited have a seaview. 



Even the houses that we’ve visited, they have their own view of the sea. Whenever I blog, I can see the mountain, sea and flying seagulls from the window. For sure, this is one thing that I will miss if we go back to the Philippines na, mamiss ko yung view ko sa room. 

Watch the video here 




Hovdetåa is a nice place to visit, you will feel relaxed just looking at the fjord and hearing the calming waves of the sea. During summer time, you can now enjoy the water. Since it is too cold for us, my son just enjoyed throwing stones and looking for unique stones or shells. I told him not to pick stones or shells because I have no plan to bring it home. But you know kids, my son still picked one small white stone. Hmmm…. 

In the Philippines, every Holy week we only have four days of vacation but here in Norway, the holiday starts on Holy Thursday until Monday so they have 5 days off from work. So my mom has one more day before she goes back to work.


April is the start of the Spring season but for us, it feels like winter sa lamig. Hehehe! My mom took advantage of the good weather so she went out to clean the garden with my son. I was watching them from the kitchen window and it looks like my son was enjoying picking the dry leaves and then he started cutting the grasses. After several minutes, I saw him in the swing. Then after a few minutes, he went inside and he said to me, “hirap maggarden”.


My mom shared with me what my son said in the garden. While my son was busy cutting grasses. He told my mom, “You know, you should buy a lawnmower so it is easy to cut grass”. lol He was having a hard time cutting grass using the scissors so nagsuggest na bumili na lang ng lawnmower. My mom just laughed and she said, she has a lawnmower in the garage.

Rusasetvatnet 

After lunch, we went to Rusasetvatnet. It is one of the recreational areas and one of the largest restored wetlands in Ørland Norway. It used to be the primary source of drinking water in Ørland before it was shut down in 1981. The place is good for walking, running, cycling and even bird watching. It has Ørland freshwater at the foot of Rusasetfjellet where you can see wildlife and fish.


They are developing the area to connect Brekstad, Rusaset, and Austrått. Once the restoration is finished, you can go fishing in the Dala River, Balsnes River, and Stamford River. My mom mentioned to me that we can walk up to Austrått so it means there is already a footpath that was developed. But since we already visited Austrătt before, we did not go there anymore.

Read: Things to do in Austrått Noway



One thing I noticed here in Ørland Norway, is it is not tourist-friendly. What I mean is there is no English translation in every place that we’ve been to. I saw flyers and brochures at the seaport but there is no English version of it. For someone like me who doesn’t know the language, it is hard to get the information I need. Parang mas mahirap pa dito kaysa sa Japan.

Let me take a break from my Summer in Norway series.

My husband went back to Bangkok, Thailand and he stayed in Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit. I mentioned before that he always stays here if he has business trip but last January, he stayed in Westin Grande Sukhumvit Hotel. 

Read: Westin Grande Sukhumvit Hotel in Thailand 



Last week, my husband flight was delayed for one hour and the line in the immigration was so long. He casually mentioned to the hotel chauffeur that he was also running late for his meeting. My husband was surprised when the chauffeur called the hotel, advised them about the situation and that they're on the way to the hotel. 

When my husband reached the hotel, the staff was already waiting for him at the entrance and ushered him straight to his room. My husband checked-in at the comfort of his room, no more waiting and no more long lines at the hotel lobby. 

And because of that, my husband was able to attend his meeting, though late pa rin for 5 minutes but imagine if the chauffeur did not mind what my husband said, sobrang late niya sa meeting. With that kind of service, there is no doubt that Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit is a luxury hotel. Though the price is expensive, some people still chose luxury hotels not only for the facilities and amenities but also for the good service. 

The hotel is located in the heart of the city. It is connected to Asok BTS Skytrain station so commuting is not a problem. It also connected to Terminal 21 shopping mall, corporate offices, entertainment areas and cultural attractions. 



It is really near Terminal 21 shopping mall because you can see the mall from the room windows. There is no problem with food because the mall is just a few minutes walk away from the hotel and it is connected by the skybridge.

Let’s have a room tour. 




When I saw the bathroom photos, it looks so old or I just don’t like the green color. But there is a bath tub so it is an additional point for me. You know, we like hotels with bath tub. 




Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit has 6 award-winning restaurants and for the past business trips, my husband ate only in one restaurant where the free buffet breakfast is served. But last week he was offered a choice of breakfast venues, The Sala or Orchid Cafe. 

The Sala is located in the swimming pool with garden setting. It offers extensive cold buffet + choice of breakfast favorites cooked to order from 7 to 11AM on weekends and public holidays. 

The Orchid Cafe has large buffet selection of western and oriental favorites. It is open from 5:30 to 10:30AM. Of course, he chose the latter. Check the buffet station below. 








The swimming pool of Sheraton Grande is pretty but if you are a swimmer and you want to do few meters lap, you won’t like their pool. But since I’m not a good swimmer, pwede na ito, if makakapagstay sa Sheraton. hehehe!



Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel 
250 Sukhumvit Road, 
Bangkok, 10110, Thailand 

We left the house at 6AM in the morning and we arrived in Røros past 12NN so we were really tired and hungry. So after leaving our luggage in Ålbyggården, we immediately looked for a restaurant.

Read: Ålbyggården in Røros Norway

My aunt saw this Pub, Kafe and Pizza sign so we went inside the green door and when we entered it, I am not sure if it is really a restaurant because I’ve seen a lot of alcoholic drinks. Upon seated, the staff asked them if we will eat and we said yes. So he opened the door to the restaurant. Mali nga napasukan namin, hehehe!


When we entered the restaurant, now I know that we are in the correct place. Peder Hiort Marthus has a pleasant atmosphere and it displayed artifacts and photos of Røros. It is very interesting to see the different stuff that was used before. It gives you a little bit history of the place.


Upon seated, the staff gave us the menu. Peder Hiort Marthus offers local and international menu so it is ideal for the family who has different food preference. While browsing the menu, Wala ko maisip orderin sa adult menu so I borrowed the Kid’s Menu from my son and I chose my food there. So we ordered Ytrefilet/Sirloin Steak NOK119 for me, Barnetpizza NOK79 for my son, one pizza for my husband and my mom which I don’t know the name and price. But the pizza looks like a Hawaiian pizza because there is pineapple.

Read: Melissa Italian Restaurant 


When they serve the kid’s pizza, it is small so I was surprised when I saw my order, hindi siya mukhang pang kids. The meal includes steak, chips and fried vegetables. I was not able to taste the pizza but they said it was good too.


The pizza was big too so take-out na lang. When I say take-out, binalot na lang namin sa wax paper and tissue. Hindi uso take-out dito. Sa Pinas lang yata. Hehehe! Overall, we enjoyed our food and according to them, it is not that expensive.


Peder Hiort Marthus 
Bergmannsgata, Røros Norway

In the Philippines, I am always in-charged in planning for our family getaway but here in Norway, my mom searched and booked everything for our Holy Week trip. Two months ago, she already booked Ålbyggården for our accommodation in Røros. I immediately checked for photos and reviews but information are very limited so I just waited for our Easter staycation so I can see the place. 



Our expected arrival is past 12NN and I think the check-in time is 4PM so my mom messaged the owner if we can check-in early or if we can leave our luggage. The owner agreed that we can leave our luggage but we can’t check-in yet because they have to clean the place.



From Røros train station, we walked straight to the Ålbyggården, from what I’ve read, it is near the famous church in Røros. True enough, our accommodation is just beside the church and cemetery. 



Upon arrival, my mom called the owner that we’re already outside and we were surprised when he ushered us to this old house, behind the white house. Waah! We thought we’re going to stay in the white house but we were all wrong. We just left our luggage and then we looked for a restaurant where we could eat our lunch. 



On the way to the restaurant, we were teasing my mom that she booked a barn. She was not expecting an old house too because it is not the pictures that we’ve seen on the internet. 

Anyway, we were able to check-in as early as 2PM. As the quote says, “Do not judge a book by its cover”. Our accommodation is not a barn, yes it is an old house because Røros is considered a living museum so locals tried their best to protect and preserve the old wooden buildings and even houses.

Ålbyggården is a holiday apartment so it is ideal for big groups or family like us. There are two rooms, one toilet, one bathroom and fully equipped kitchen. I was not able to take pictures immediately, so medyo magulo na yung house nung nakunan ko. Hehehe! Sharing with you the photos.

First floor 

Upon entering the house, you will immediately see this piano, toilet and there is also washing machine if you want to wash your clothes, though we haven’t tried it since we only stayed for one night.




At the left side is the door to the first room where the bathroom is also located.





Second floor 

At the right side is the stairs to the second floor where you can see the kitchen and one single bed. 





Since we have fully equipped kitchen, we brought and cooked our own food. This is a big saving because we don’t need to eat at the restaurants. And one more thing, we’re not sure if restaurants are also open all the time. Even Røros is a tourist place, you can’t expect that stores, restaurants and other establishments are open. Yes, here in Norway, most of the establishments are closed during the holiday, unlike in the Philippines. 

If you need blanket and towels, you need to pay additional KR100 per person. My mom availed that so we don't need to bring blankets and towels. My family + my mom occupied the second floor. 







The apartment has good location too because it is near the popular tourist attractions and we have a nice view of Røros main street. 



Check-out time is 12NN but they allowed us to stay until our 4PM train ride since no one would occupy the house. Yey! Overall, we enjoyed our stay in Ålbyggården so if you are looking for a holiday apartment in Røros, I recommend this place.