Michi Photostory

April 27, 2017

Trollskogen + Lerberen Folkehelsepark Norway

Trollskogen

On our fourth day, we went to Trollskogen or Troll Forest which is located near the Lerberen mountain. You can see the Futura Barnehage or Future Kindergarten on your way to Trollskogen.

Preschool kids here in Norway enjoy school because they also believe in learning through play. Kids can stay almost whole day in school without getting bored because they have so many indoor and outdoor activities. Opening hour is 7:00 to 4:30PM

When my sister was in preschool, she goes to Barnehage so my mom can work. So when we went to Norway, we did not take care of her because she goes to school and my mom will pick her up after her work. There is no reason for you to be a full-time mom for so long because you can arrange your schedule.

Kids are lucky to have a big playground near the school. Trollskogen has a small pond, bonfire, small shelter, and Tarzan forest. There are climbing ropes and climbing frames where kids can play.

It was Holy Thursday so there is no school when we went here. The temperature is below zero degrees so you will notice that the pond turned into ice. My son enjoyed throwing stones so he can crack the ice.

Watch the video here.

Lerberen Folkehelsepark

As I mentioned, Trollskogen is near Lerberen mountain so we also went here. Lerberen is considered a Public Health Park so they are still planning to expand the area for the benefit of the public. The place is free so it is a popular hiking area for people who want to get fit and improve their health.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I don’t have an active lifestyle. Iisipin ko pa lang mag-exercise, napapagod na ko so when we went here at Lerberen Folkehelsepark, ramdam ko yung pagod sa pag-akyat.

Nagtungkod

My husband and son found a stick and they use it as a staff. My son does not have an active lifestyle too so on our way to the top, he was complaining already. We just kept on telling him na malapit na. hehehe!

Naghatakan

Nagpabuhat

He cried when we reached the top, I’m not sure kung tears of joy or sa pagod. Hehehe!

This is the view from the top of the mountain, you can see the view of the city.

I wrote our names in the logbook before we went down.

My son was excited to go down, as in nauuna na sa pagbaba. He was in good mood already because we were going home.

Watch the video here

Uthaug

After our morning hike, off we went to my mom’s mother-in-law. This would be the last time that I would be able to see her house because next year, she will move to a new place.

For your information, the airbase of Norway and NATO is located in Ørland at the mouth of the Trondheimsfjord. So some residents in Uthaug need to move to other places. The government bought their houses and given them enough time to move out.

Garten

View from the window

Then we went to Garten because my aunt invited us for lunch. That was the first time I saw her place because she just moved to Norway several years ago.

We’re a happy camper because my aunt served a lot of foods. Nagtake-out pa ako. Hehehe!

April 25, 2017

Things to do in Austrått Norway

Austrått is located in Opphaug Norway which is just a few minutes' drive from Brekstad. It is a nice place to visit because you can see the old manor, fort, grove, and beach. The best part is, it is free.

Read: Trip to Opphaug Norway

Things to do in Austrått Norway

Austråttlunden

Austråttlunden is a protected woodland area in Austrått where you can see the different variety of rare plants and wildlife. If you are lucky, you can see moose, deer, and different kinds of birds.

Inside the grove, you can see the famous world’s northernmost wild oak tree. They say that the tree is hundreds of years old already. I went inside the oak tree when I first visited the place so I persuaded my son to go inside too. He was scared at first because he thought that there are squirrels or termites inside the tree.

This place is popular for walking and running, it is about 3 km if you will go around the Austråttlunden. But we have a kid in tow so we did not walk that far. We went to the fort after taking pictures of the oak tree.

Austrått Fort

Austrått Fort was built by the German Wehrmacht in 1942 to protect the Tronheimsfjord during World War II. Inside the fort, you will see the Triple gun turret that weighs 800 tons. The gun turret's last firing was in 1953 and it became a museum in 1991.

Norwegians protect and preserve this fort so the site is still in good condition. As you can see, there is a tarpaulin that covers the gun turret to protect it from the winter season. Again, I was not able to see the interiors of the gun turret because it is only open during the summer season. You can see the five-story cannon tower and Fosen War Historical Collections starting in June of the year.

It is nice to be back and this time with my family. We took photos in the same spot where my siblings and I took photos several years ago.

Austråttborgen

Austråttborgen or Austrått Manor is found in the municipality of Ørland, Sør-Trondelag Norway. Austrått has been the residence of many noblemen/noblewomen and officials since the 10th century. The Austrått Manor is one of the oldest Norwegian manors, it was built in 1656 by a Norwegian Chancellor named Ove Bjelke. The manor has been a national property since 1919.

Some people like my mom, called this Austrått castle, inside the manor is a chapel where my aunt got married. We were not able to see the interior but the manor is open for public tours during the summer season.

Austrått Pyramid

Beside the Austråttborgen is a pyramid with a plaque.

Austrått Beach

There is also a small beach "Storjektvika" after the Austråttborgen where you can relax or even swim during the summer months. We touched the water and it is really cold.

Watch the video here

Update: April 2022

Austrått Havn

We revisited this place again because my mom said, there is something new here so we went to Austrått Havn and we found this viewing deck. There are also tables and benches just like in the Uthaug Marina where you can unwind while watching the fjord.

April 24, 2017

Bruholmen Friluftsomrade Norway

Bruholmen Friluftsomrade is located in Brekstad Norway, it is considered a recreational area where you can do different activities like walking, running, biking, kiting, and any activities that you will enjoy.

This is the top view, photo source

It is a relaxing place because you can see farms, fjord, pine trees, and islet. If the weather is nice, some families have a picnic here. During low tide, you can pick crabs or shells. You can also swim during the summer months (June to August) but I haven’t tried that since the water is still too cold for me.

Just looking at the Trondheimsfjord view is already comforting, you can see different ferry boats sailing in the area. You can also do bird watching, it is nice to see different birds flying around. No need to go to the zoo because you can see birds and animals for free.

My mom is lucky that this is just a few minutes walk away from her home. I can see part of this view from our room. The place is FREE too. On our third day, even though the temperature was below zero degrees, we still went out to walk, as you can see roads are slippery because some parts have ice. My son enjoyed stepping on the icy spots, just to crack the ice.

Watch the video here.

Day 13

Even though the weather is not nice, my mom still walks here and that’s what we did on Day 13. It was cold, windy, and rainy but she convinced us to walk outside. Living in a four-season country, you have to force yourself to walk even if the weather is cold or else, manghihina ka sa bahay.

Day 20

When we first visited Norway, we experienced picking mussels at the shore and we cooked those mussels after. It was a nice experience so I told my mom that I wanted Ethan to experience it. But she said, til Easter lang daw nagpick ng mussels but we were in Røros that time.

But after eating at Melissa, we went to Bruholmen to check if we can see mussels and crab but unfortunately, we did not see anything. Well, better luck next time.

Day 31, 32 and 33

My mom stayed in the hospital for five days and on Day 31 in Norway, she went home from the hospital. The doctor advised her to walk so off we to Bruholmen for our afternoon walk. So for three consecutive days, we were walking around the Bruholmen. The place is big, so paiba-iba din kami ng nilalakaran.

At first, my mom was using staff so she can balance herself until she managed to walk without the staff. You can notice that some of the trees have leaves already. #springseason

I will miss Bruholmen when I go back to the Philippines because I can see part of this place from our room window. The mountain, sea, and flying seagulls. Watch the video here.

Update: May 2019

We went back to Norway and of course, our summer vacation is not complete without visiting this place. There is a new improvement in this recreation area, they already built a grilling place and comfort room.

April 23, 2017

Bruholmen Friluftsomrade + Brekstad + Austrått Norway

My mom was back in Norway so she started touring us within the area. Yes, nauna kami dumating sa nanay ko. Hehehe! So for the first two days, we just stayed in the house and waited for our tour guide who is my mom.

Bruholmen Friluftsomrade

I did not plan anything for this summer trip, I just let my mom decides where we are going since she lives in Norway for about 28 years so she knows the place. On our third day, after eating our breakfast we went to Bruholmen Friluftsomrade or Bruholmen in short.

She lives in the county so she is lucky that this place is just a few minutes walk from her home. The place is good for walking, running, relaxing or sometimes if the weather is nice you can also have a picnic here with your family. You can see the farm, pine trees, and fjord.

Read: Bruholmen Friluftsomrade

Brekstad

After our morning walk, we took a bath, and off we went to Brekstad for errands and groceries. My son was surprised because he learned that my mom can really drive a car. When we told him that Wowa drives a car in Norway, he doesn’t believe it immediately because my mom is not driving whenever she visits the Philippines. To see is to believe. Hehehe!

Life here in Brekstad is very simple, you can go to different places in just a few minutes because there is no traffic. Workplaces, banks, supermarkets, and many more are within the area.

Malls are not that big but I was surprised when I saw the malls here because it is now big compared to the malls that I’ve seen before. We bought overall clothes for my son since we will be going to Røros for our Easter Staycation. Since it is Springtime, we had a hard time looking for thick overall, so even though my son doesn't like the color, we bought it. :)

Same in Japan, no bagger so you have to pack your own groceries.

Lunch with Family + Cemetery

It was my aunt’s second death anniversary so my mom prepared a simple lunch for the family and off we went to the cemetery.

The cemetery here in Norway is beside the church.

Austrått

Since the weather is nice we took advantage of it and we went straight to Austrått Fort. The fort was constructed by the German Wehrmacht to protect the Trondheimsfjord during World War II. I will create a separate post for this. Day 3 was a long day for us,

Read: Things to do in Austrått Norway

First Snowfall Experience

Living in a tropical country for so many years, there is no doubt that one of the reasons why my son wanted to visit Norway is to experience snow. My first snowfall experience was on our way to Norway too. We’re boarding the airplane in Frankfurt Germany when the snow begins to fall.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a souvenir picture because I don’t have my own camera at that time. I was glad that we experienced snow again during our first week in Norway so my mom was able to take a picture.

When we’re planning to visit Norway, I wanted to book our ticket as early as last week of March but unfortunately, our school calendar is up to the first week of April. I was thinking baka too late na kasi Spring na so I was really praying hard that my two boys will also experience snow.

Fast forward to our trip, because of jet lag, we were already up at 1AM and we ate breakfast as early as 5:30AM. We were so happy when we saw the snow. excited the kami lumabas. Yehey, the weather forecast is accurate.

Even though the weather is so cold and we were freezing, we went out to experience snow. I felt that it was also my first time, I was so happy to see my two boys enjoying their first snow experience. We don’t care if neighbors will think that we are crazy at nagpapakabasa kami sa snow. Hehehe! When my mom saw the pictures and videos, she said, kulang daw suot namin. Sa sobrang excited namin kahit di complete basta may jacket lumabas kami. Hehehe!

Watch the video here

God is so good because we experienced snow on our second day and until now, we still experience snowfall. But honestly, it is not easy to go out if the weather is so cold, it takes time to prepare. You need so many layers of clothing, gloves, a scarf, and a bonnet just to protect yourself. This time, I'm not complaining, I'm enjoying the cold weather of Norway until it lasts.