Michi Photostory

This is an information map to give you an idea what to see in Uthaug, you can visit Sjøgata, Museumsnaustet, Guldteigbrygga, Uthaugsgården, Nøkkelhaugen (burial mound), Husmannsplassen Tinden, Kloholmen, Storhaugen, Ørland Froskemannsklubb and others. 

I’ve been to this place a few times to visit family and acquaintances. When I was young, this is also where we picked mussels. In the past, I’ve visited Sjøgata and I’ve seen Kjeungskajaer Lighthouse from afar. Just recently, we were able to visit the other side of Uthaug where Uthaug Slip & Marina, Guldteigbrygga, Uthaug Fisk AS, Ørland Froskemannsklubb and AS Uthaug Sementstøperi are located. 

Guldteigbrygga 

I thought this is just an ordinary red barn but I was wrong, this pier was built by Oscar Guldteig in 1938 and was used as a base for fishing and for salting herring. It was also used as a prison camp during World War II where 60 out of 195 Russian prisoners died. 

Ørland is part of the Fosen peninsula so it is not surprising that they have their own club. This club has one of the largest environments for underwater hunting with 120 members, a mix of freedivers and bottle divers. About half of the club members are affiliated with the Armed Forces. 

We just kept on walking until we reached this light post. It is nice to see different boats, old and new ones. We can also see the Kjeungskajaer Lighthouse from afar. There is a table at the end of the pathway so we took a rest before we went to Døsvik Havn, another marina in Ørland. 

Read: Places to Visit in Ørland Norway for Free  

Garten is where you can ride a ferry if you want to reach nearby islands like Storfosna and Leksa.

Anyway, it was our second day in Norway and we are still adjusting to our new schedule. It was still Winter Season when we arrived so it was a chilly month. If I was not stuck in the house for almost two years, I would rather stay inside and get cozy with a good book, movie, or tv series. But even though my body wanted to rest, my feet were itching to go out of the house. I’ve been looking forward to this trip because finally, I can feel that life is back to normal already since we don’t need to wear a face mask or face shield and I don’t have to think about social distancing anymore. 

We started our day early because my son needs to follow Philippines time for his online classes but we have no reason to complain. In fact, it was worth waking up early because I had a chance to see Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. I already blogged about this, you can read my “Glimpse of Northern Lights in Norway” post. 

Bruholmen 

After our breakfast, off we went to Bruholmen and we’ve been here numerous times already since this is just a few minutes away from my mom’s place. I’ve visited this place during winter, spring and summer; kulang na lang autumn season. Hehehe! But of course, there is always something new every time we visit, like there are tables and chairs at the grilling place already. 

I used to take this place for granted but after experiencing the global pandemic, I’m happy to be back here. I’m thankful for the fresh air and amazing views. It feels good to be out again and I started to appreciate more the beauty of nature. 

Since we are confined inside our home for almost two years, buying clothes is not part of our priority but things changed when we got our vaccines already. When we started traveling, that is the only time I realized that my son has no decent clothes na pala. Nasayang lang yung mga damit niya at nagpaliitan agad ng hindi gaano nagamit. 

Actually, I had a hard time looking and buying clothes for him since pabago-bago ang lockdown restrictions sa atin so hindi pwede bata sa mall. And because konti lang ang choices, I only bought a few pieces of clothes so he has something to use for our Norway trip. 

Fast forward to our trip, we went to the mall for groceries and I need to buy new shoes for my son. Dinala ko pa yung winter shoes Sa Norway pero one day pa lang kami naglalakad, nasira na. Anyway, 5 years na rin naman yung shoes so baka gusto na magretire. Hehehe! I’m not really familiar with Europe brands so when I was looking for shoes, I don’t know what to buy. My mom suggested ECCO and according to her, it is a good brand. The shoes are already on sale but when I convert the amount to pesos, mahal pa rin. Hehehe! 

So I’ve made some research and from what I’ve read, ECCO is a family-owned shoe manufacturer and retailer founded in Bredebro, Denmark by Karl Toosbuy in 1963. It was in the year 1982 when the first retail store was opened and now they have different stores worldwide. Their shoes are known for comfort and durability so even if it is a little bit expensive, the shoes might last for 2 to 7 years. So far, wala naman reklamo anak ko sa shoes niya kahit ang layo ng mga nilalalakad namin so I guess totoong waterproof and comfotable yung shoes. 

Anyway, after buying his shoes, off went to the grocery and I immediately saw the SALE at Cubus. Shopping in Norway is out of my mind because Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world so every time we visit here, I make sure to buy our winter and spring clothes in the Philippines. I have no idea na may mura pala dito sa Norway. Actually, mas mura pa yung nabili ko na clothes dito kaysa sa nabili ko sa Philippines kahit sale ko din nabili. I’m glad na marami options dito for my teenage son. 

Cubus is under Varner which is a Norwegian company. It is one of the fashion retailers in Scandinavia that offers basic clothes but high quality using natural fibers to Nordic families. They offer a wide range of clothes and essential garments that you can use again and again at a very good price. They have stores in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Yung price niya hindi nalalayo sa H&M or Uniqlo, pero bongga kung magsale, parang 70% off yata nabili ko.

Shopping Tip: It is better to bring your own bag when you shop in Norway because you have to pay for the shopping bag whether it is plastic or paper. I don't know if it varies per size or per store because when I checked my receipts, the rate is NOK2 and NOK3 per shopping bag.

Beradon 

This tradition is also celebrated in other Scandinavian countries like Norway and Denmark every March 25. This is also spread to other counties too and it became a worldwide sensation. India celebrates it in July and United States celebrates it in August. 

Every country makes and eats waffles in different ways, I love waffles and I like them with Nutella or Cream Cheese + Whipped Cream. Sometimes I add jam and a scoop of ice cream. I already have my own waffle maker but I like the heart-shaped waffle maker in Norway so I asked my mom to buy one for me and I got it this year. 

Little did I know that after several weeks, I would be flying to Norway again and be able to celebrate National Waffle Day. Typical Norwegians, eat waffles with sour cream, jam, brown cheese, and savory toppings. Honestly, we really did not plan it, it just so happened that my mom decided to make waffles because we have leftover kremfløte. She knew that we liked waffles with whipped cream. 

After eating our waffles, she found out that last Friday was National Waffle Day. Since eating waffles is common here in Norway, you can find recipes even on TINE milk cartons. 

Vaffel or Waffle Recipe 

4dl hvetemel (wheat flour) 

1 ts bakepulver (baking powder) 

1/2 ts natron (baking soda) 

1 dl sukker (sugar) 

1 ts vaniljesukker (vanilla sugar) 

1 ts malt kardemomme (cardamom) 

1/2 ts salt I dl TINE Helmelk (whole milk) 

3dl TINE Kulturmjølk (cultured milk) 

2dl TINE Lettrømme (light cream) 

2 egg 100g TINE Meierismør (dairy butter)

I am applying for a Visitors Visa because my mom lives in Norway so if you have family or relatives in Norway, this post might be helpful. 

A visitor's visa allows you to stay in Norway or other countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days over a period of 180 days. 

Citizens of the Philippines must apply for a visitor’s visa. The Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok is responsible for processing applications from the Philippines. 

I downloaded the checklist here, this is the only checklist I used so I was shocked when I found this checklist while I’m writing this blog, I’m not sure if this is already available when I downloaded the checklist last January. Upon checking, I was not able to submit the C-Visa Questionaire, good thing that our visas are still approved. (Update: My brother informed me na yung first checklist ang tinatanggap ng VFS hindi yung may C-Visa Questionaire)

I’m a full-time mom so I submitted the following documents 

Original passport + printed copy of bio pages and used pages of passport

Passport photo 

Cover letter from the Application Portal Norway

Travel medical insurance 

Reservation of a round-trip flight ticket 

Proof of funds (UDI forms) 

Proof of ties (PSA Marriage Cert, Birth Certificate of my son, and Bank Certificate) 

Invitation Letter 

Proof of relationship (PSA Birth Certificate) 

Copy of the reference’s passport 

For my son who is still a student, I added 

Copies of both parents’ IDS with signature 

Legalized letter of parental consent (traveling without parents or one parent only) 

Certificate of Enrollment 

Copy of School ID 

My PSA Birth Certificate 

Go to UDI Application Portal to register and submit your application form. You can apply for individual or group applications. 

After submitting our visa form online, we can already book an appointment. There is no group appointment so we have to book individually but we can submit our application together. I did not check the appointments before because, from my past experiences, lagi may available slots. Unfortunately, last month, I waited for more than two weeks before we were able to submit our documents and because of that, nadelay din visa namin. 

Create an account and choose your schedule. 

Download and print the Letter of Appointment from your registered email. 

Pay your visa application online (Visa and Mastercard) 

80EURO - Visitor’s Visa for adults and children over 12 years old 

40EURO - Visitor’s visa for children between 6 and 12 years old 

NO FEE - Visitor’s visa for all children under the age of 6 

Download and print the receipt. 

I paid 160EURO or PHP9,642.97 

There are 2 Visa Application Centers for Norway, one in Makati and one in Cebu. Of course, I chose Makati. We arrived before 7AM, the office was still closed but the line was already long. From the time na tinawag kami, it took us more or less an hour sa pagsubmit ng documents and biometrics.

For my past applications, I only paid for VFS fee but now, ang dami na additional and the staff did not ask if for pick up or deliver, he just gave me LBC shipping form so I guess it is mandatory already because of COVID19. Pero Yung SMS, sinama pa rin niya sa babayaran ko, nakatotal na agad sa receipt. 

PHP1502 - VFS Service Fee 

PHP175 - Courier Fee (Bangkok) 

PHP140 - SMS 

PHP370 - LBC Courier 

Total is PHP4374 (2 persons) 

Visa processing is 15 calendar days starting from the time the embassy received the documents. 

For our previous two applications, we did not avail of the SMS but we received an email update that our visas are already approved and we can already pick up our passports. I can also track our visa application online.

On the day that we submitted our applications, we received an email stating “Your visa application ref no. 123 will be forwarded to the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok on the next working day from ___." But after that, I no longer receive any updates. I paid PHP140 x 2 for the SMS but I’m not getting real-time updates and the online tracking is useless too. 

After 10 days of no SMS update, I finally emailed VFS regarding the status of our visa and after few hours, sunud-sunod dumating yung email update. Ang weird lang kasi pare-pareho yung date, kung anong date ako nag-email. 

So lahat ng yan, nangyari sa loob ng isang araw. I was happy that our passports arrived in Manila but I was disappointed because we paid for SMS update but there was no real-time update. Kung hindi pa ako nag-email, hindi ko malalaman status. 

After a few hours, VFS replied “Please be informed that as per VFS Norway Visa Application Centre, Your passport arrives today at VFS Global Center and is handover to LBC Express. Please visit the LBC website for tracking.” 

I started tracking our package pero nakatulog na lang ako wala pa rin status sa LBC but when I woke up, I was surprised na nasa area na namin yung package and I received our package within the day. 

For our past two applications, we usually received an email regarding the visa decision, so alam na namin kung approve or hindi but this time, nalaman ko na lang nung natanggap namin passport. We got an approved visa and we got a MULTIPLE SCHENGEN VISA but when I checked the date, multiple lang siya within our travel dates (3 Months). Toinks. Akala ko pa naman makakatipid na ko sa pag-apply ng Schengen Visa. 

Processing time is 15 days, we got our passport after 11 days while my cousin received her passport after 14 days. So matagal siya compared sa dati nung nasa Philippines pa yung embassy ng Norway.