Ostersund and Uppsala, Sweden

From Narvik we returned to our favourite means of transport; the train. Unfortunately we had a terrible night's sleep as we were in regular seats, but I did manage to prepare a hot meal at the station beforehand.

We liked the compact city of Ostersund, which was easy to navigate and had a nice hill and lake for a walk.

Our major discovery however was the large number of Loppis - second hand stores that overflowed with handmade objects Dani and I love. For me it was wood, and I had to restrain myself from buying many bowls, spoons and other lovingly created pieces, many engraved with the maker or person it was made for.

Dani indulged her love of wool, and though we hadn't bought a single souvenir beforehand, the impending postage of camping equipment from Helsinki allowed us to treat ourselves to a few incredibly cheap handicrafts. We could have filled a container to the brim with the amazing chairs, chests, pots, and a fantastic spinning wheel we found.

My favourite acquisition was this coffee grinder, made in communist East Germany and bought for just £4 / $6.50.

Unfortunately our time in Uppsala was very short, and it coincided with particularly rainy weather, so we relaxed and chatted with our hosts, their small baby and it's grandmother. It was a nice excuse to take a pause, eat some delicious Polish soup (recipe below) and generally recharge. We saw very little of Uppsala, but it seemed like a nice little place.

Recipe - Mushroom Soup, by Krystyna from Poland

- Fry 2 onions, and add 300gm mushrooms
- Peel and dice 5 potatoes
- Grate 250gm of carrot
- Grate 250gm of parsnip
- Roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic
- Add all vegetables to 2L of water with vegetable stock
- Boil until tender, then add fresh chopped parsely at the end
- Serve with cream for people to add if they wish

Lofoten Islands and Narvik, Norway

From Bodo the train line does not continue north, so we took a ferry to the Lofoten islands - a spectacular submerged mountain chain. It also has many small fishing towns along it's coast, like the one we landed at; Moskenes.

We decided to try hitchiking, as buses around the island were quite expensive, and we had stayed with some couchsurfing hosts who had done amazing distances by hitching. Every car on the ferry saw our sign, and none stopped to pick us up, but a northern Norweigan man who had stopped at the cafe obviously felt sorry for us and offered a lift to exactly where we wanted to stop for the night. We shared the lounge area of his campervan with his slightly nervous dog.

He was a keen photographer, and stopped frequently to take pictures. I gladly joined him as the scenery was stunning. He also took us off the main road to show us art installations, like this curved mirror.

It was great to get a lift, but it did take over 5 hours to travel 100km, as his camper was slow and stops numerous. We didn't mind so much because it allowed us to jump out where we thought it looked pretty and pitch our tent - following the free wild camping (link to wild camping) rules.

I cooked up a simple asian one-pot meal, glad to use the camping equipment we had been carrying around for over a month.

Our sleeping location was wonderful for views and serenity, but it proved a terrible spot for hitchiking, as so few cars went past. We both got a bit despondent.

Luckily two Italian women picked us up and took us to the main highway that connects the islands. I tried hitching on this epic stretch of road, but we gave up after half an hour when the bus pulled up. Perhaps it would have been easier on the mainland, but the drivers we saw were mostly middle aged and affluent - a terrible combination for hitching.

We made it to Narvik though, and saved some money by catching a few lifts, as well as having some interesting chats. Unfortunately Narvik proved to be a bit rainy, so we just explored a little bit as we said our goodbyes to Norway. I finally got around to taking a picture of this classic Norweigan style house, which I had always thought was purely American. It turns out many things in America have been strongly influenced by Norway.

Bodø, Norway

We arrived in Bodø completely mispronouncing it's name - Bohdoh, instead of Budo (but with a short o, so it sounds like Buddha). Regardless of how you pronounce it, the place is in a stunning location. We climbed this hill behind town on our second evening, and were rewarded with amazing views of the fjords and islands stretching down the coast.

Though it was a classic Norweigan after-dinner walk (4-5 hours, with a good climb in altitude), the sunset was well-worth it, as was the thermos of tea our hosts brought with them.

We have never eaten such lavish breakfasts. One of our hosts was Norweigan, but the other was Swedish, so she thought it would be nice to have one classic breakfast from each place. The first was Norweigan; scrambled eggs, cod caviar, gherkins and a selection of breads.

The next morning it was time for Swedish; sweet chappati-like bread, chopped sweet gherkin pickle, semi-hard boiled eggs and crackerbread.

As well as eating food, we attempted to catch some down at Salstraumen where the strongest maelstrom (a Norweigan word we have adopted into English) in the world is located. It was amazing to see such powerful currents, whirlpools and whitewater develop in the absence of rapids or any visible obstructions. It was a challenging but interesting place to fish.

We didn't have the greatest luck, mostly landing small pollock not worth filleting, but we did catch a few that we wrapped in foil and put into the fire with a few pre-boiled potatoes. They were really delicious.

During our stay, we also hired a car with our hosts, and headed up the coast as far as the road went. There were fishing towns dotted along, and though it was the wrong time of year to be drying great quantities of fish, one house had left these monsters out the front.

Hiring a car also made it possible to explore secluded spots where we found very few other people. It was a great way to see this awesome and powerful landscape.

Recipe: Tomato soup with pancakes, by Magdalena from Sweden

Soup

- 1 onion, chopped finely and fried in butter
- 2 cloves of garlic, added to the butter once the onions are nearly brown
- Approx 800ml of water with 2 stock cubes, or 800ml vegetable stock
- Approx 800ml passata or chopped tomato, depending on desired texture
- 2-3 tbs tomato puree
- Sugar, pepper and salt to taste

Pancakes

- Mix 200ml of white flour
- 200ml brown flour
- 600ml milk and leave to rest for 15 mins as a minimum
- Add 3 eggs, 1 tbs sugar and 0.5 tbs salt
- Cook thinly in butter like crepes

Low impact living, Skip-diving

While in the UK, I worked for this fantastic charity called the low impact living initiative, which is well worth a look into.

I am writing a series of blogs for them about trying to live in a low impact way while traveling.

If you want to know more about skip-diving, you can check it out here.

Trondheim, Norway

Our journey continued north, to the student-town of Trondheim. The weather stayed glorious, which made exploring the compact town centre very enjoyable. We especially liked the riverside merchant houses.

It was also a pleasant surprise to find a glorious cathedral, which brings many visitors and pilgrims to Trondheim.

Aside from wandering in town and revelling in the sunshine, we spent time relaxing in our host's very comfortable apartment, chatting and telling stories.

We were also treated to delicious Norweigan waffles (recipe below), though less famous than those from Belgium they rivalled them, not least because of the brown cheese and jam they are topped with.

The waffles themselves were also works of art, with this particular pattern being just one of many traditional decorative styles. We have had to restrain ourselves from buying an old waffle iron, as they are very heavy.

Recipe - Norweigan Waffles, by Maureen from France

"For 5-6 greedy people

4 eggs
approx. 6 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
300 gr sour cream or vanilla yoghurt
1 L milk (the lighter, the crispier)
flour as needed

Whisk the eggs and sugar, then add the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients finishing with the flour. The batter should be as 'velvety' as pancake batter.

If you're doing this quantity for two, then you will eat a fuck bunch of waffles... and die, not recomended then =(

Bon appétit!"

Oslo and Lillehammer, Norway

We found Oslo to be a very amiable city, though it is also becoming more and more apparent to us that many European cities are different dishes of the same cuisine. So while it is interesting to have a wander and find those interesting differences, we realise the countryside and smaller towns hold more appeal for us. We really liked the city fortress though, which is open free to the public and being used as a venue for art installations.

We also enjoyed the statue-park, with it's famous angry baby depiction and nude column, which was a particularly nice place to relax and listen to the tour groups as they were herded past.

Our couchsurfing hosts were located outside of Lillehammer, next to an enormous lake. They taught us a lot about nutrition, and we really enjoyed some gluten-free brownies (recipe below).

The weather stayed superb and I took the opportunity to jump in for very brief swim.

We also explored the forest, following the numerous forestry tracks and walking paths.

It was a lovely mix of broad leaf and pine, with dense moss and dozens of species of mushroom. It was hard to believe how many there were, but the chantarelle eluded us. We had finally tasted them the night before, but never seen them in their natural habitat, so were still unsure as to how they grew and where.

Luckily, our hosts had their secret spots, so we went picking with their adventurous cats. The mushrooms were delicious fried in butter and a little garlic.

We were also introduced to the ancient viking game of Kubb (pronounced cube), which was quite addictive. I will certainly make a set for home.

 

 Gluten-free Brownies, by Hilde from Norway

Mix:

75gm Almond flour

75gm Coconut flour

225gm Dark chocolate

225gm Butter

Sweetener to taste - could use honey, sugar, or for sugar-free - erythritol or other

1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder / vanilla essence

Bake for 20 minutes at 170 degrees

Gol and Hønefoss, Norway

From Bergen, we headed inland towards the fertile valleys and stunning mountains of Norway. Arriving early at the tiny settlement of Myrdal, we began to hike down a particularly stunning valley toward the tourist town of Flam.

We followed a river for most of the 21km descent, and half wished we could have broken the hike by camping mid-way, which is free and easy to do in Norway if you obey some simple rules. It is called allemannsrett (literally all men's right).

It was really nice to experience truly spectacular scenery in a place so sparsely populated, though we did come across some goats.

Luckily, the valley is serviced by an old train line, which has become known as one of the prettiest train journeys in this part of the world. We thought the views were much better on foot, but were very grateful to not have to walk back up the valley, as we were completely wrecked.

Our next destination, Gol, was right on the train line, but our couchsurfing host collected us and took us high up on a plateau to his organic beef farm. It was the summer counterpart of two farms he owned, this one only being utilised for feeding the cattle in the warmer months, while his winter farm provided hay for the period when the animals are kept in barns. Dani especially liked their friendly dog.

Dani and I fell in love with the small house, and its outbuildings, which were expertly handcrafted and felt very cosy. I especially liked the green roofs.

Our next stay was Honefoss, where I took a camera-break, but we spent a very relaxed time cycling, hiking, and sharing creative vegan food with our host (recipe below).

Spring Rolls - Thomas from Germany

Chop:
50g of Leek
50g of Carrot
50g of Cabbage
50g Shiitake mushrooms
100g of Glass noodles
2 Cloves of garlic
Salt to taste

Fry the leek, garlic, and mushrooms in oil, adding a little sugar and pepper

Add some mushroom sauce or soy sauce to the fried ingredients and raw ingredients

Take some frozen spring roll squares, or circular rice paper and roll with a small amount of filling

Eat cold or fry in oil

Bergen, Norway

We arrived in Norway after an 18 hour ferry ride, which we made bearable by laying our sleeping mats on the floor - highly recommended if you don't want to pay double the price for a cabin.

 

We loved Norway immediately. On a beautiful sunny day we hiked up the tallest mountain in Bergen (though by no means the tallest in the area), which was a nice introduction to the mixed pine-broadleaf forests and interesting hillside houses.

 

It was also nice to visit the World Heritage site of Bryggen, where I was able to get my wood-fix and marvel at the skill in construction.

 Bergen also proved to be a forager's delight, with wild raspberries growing everywhere, and blueberries in the forest.

Our couchsurfing hosts also introduced us to 'urban foraging' also known as skip or dumpster-diving, freeganism, or my favourite - skipping. We went on two expeditions - the first yielded an impressive quantity of capsicums / peppers, though not too much of anything else. It was interesting to explore the city at night though, chatting and joking while on our mission.

 

Our second expedition however, was far more successful. We managed a huge haul of fruits and vegetables, most in slightly less than perfect condition but some that had no reason to be thrown out at all. It was depressing to see so much good food being binned, but also exciting to rescue it and return triumphantly like a modern hunter-gatherer.

 We got a great recipe from our hosts, most of which we were able to use from our skipping haul. The only things we needed to add were soya crunch and the spices.

Recipe - Soya crunch, by Don from Lithuania

- Boil the dried soya until soft, then shallow fry in olive oil

- Also fry some carrot and onion

- Add garam masala and the same quantity of curry powder, plus double that quantity of tandoori masala

 - Cook until the texture you desire is acheived, and season according to taste

Option 1 - Flour the soya between boiling and frying, for a crispier effect

Option 2 - Marinade the soya in soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, the spices aforementioned and oregano. Leave for 20 mins and fry, adding onions after to deglaze the pan

Serve with anything to hand - in our case, with rescued rice, tortillas and salad