Michi Photostory

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.

Whenever we travel, one thing that concerns me is food because I’m not adventurous in trying new foods and I love Filipino cuisines. Yes, love your own. I’m not sure yet if I can live outside the Philippines for so long because for sure, mamimiss ko ang pagkain.


Asian store is very important to Filipinos who work or live outside the Philippines because they have the chance to buy foods from their home country. When I was packing for our Norway trip, I was telling my mom that I will bring this and that. She said, no need to bring anything because we can buy in Norway naman and hindi naman daw niya kami gugutumin. 



I did not listen to her because I know how expensive the foods in Europe so I brought foods from the Philippines, hanggat kasya sa luggage namin. Hehehe! Tinatawanan na lang ko ng nanay ko sa dami ng dala namin na groceries from the Philippines.



Last Saturday, we dropped by at Asiamat Brekstad before going to Melissa. It was my first time there, before there is no Asian store in Ørland and my mom needed to go to Trondheim just to buy foods from Asia.

Asia + Mat (food)



The size of the store is like 7-11, I was happy to see different products from Asia, nakakamiss din makita yun pagkain natin. So we bought vegetables, tomato sauce, macapuno, nata de coco and many more. I saw Lucky Me Pancit Canton and it is NOK10 per piece, buti na lang nagdala ko nito kasi x5 ang price.

Update April 2019: I went back to Norway and I was surprised when I learned that this Asian Store is already closed.