Iceberg right ahead, Mr Andrews!

Sure hope Kate Winslet and Leo are safe over in 'mercuh. This baby would'a kicked Titanics scrawny ass.

Spring is gross

....nah, I really love spring, I mean I actually, genuinely LOVE it, almost to the point of wanting to hump springs leg. But todays Average Viking Picture is a proof of some of springs not-quite-so-beautifulness (is that even a word?). Frog eggs are slimy little things. I found them while out for a strole, right by the road in the ditch. And I know you all have frogs and frogbabies in the US too, I think you call them tadpoles? Wanna know what we call frog babies in Norway? Butt-trolls. No, I am not joking. Direct translation: butt-trolls (rumpetroll). And no, there is no relation to the previously mentioned trolls of awesomeness, that occur in our fairytales. Frog eggs are not awesome. Just gross.

Wondering about our 24 hour daylight?

Fjordswimming in May

I like swimming in the ocean. For our rivers, lakes and fjords to reach a comfortable temperature you usually have to wait until late July. But I'm not much for waiting that long. It was exactly as cold as it looks.

Average Viking Hiking

Hiking up "Kvalhornet" last summer. Direct translation: "The Whalehorn"...? Taking a breather in this pic, not quite half way up yet.

At the top of most mountains in Norway you find these piles of rock to say "Hey, guess what? Somebody's already been here!" It was quite windy. My viking friend, Marte, was very happy to reach the top. She had never been there, while I was there for the first time since I was about 10 years old.

The view down the "backside" of the mountain.

Quite spectacular. If I were more of a cavewoman I would totally go live in those mountains back there.

Fearless american conquers Norwegian wilderness

These clips are from last easter, when Matt had his first experiences with a Norwegian cross country skitrip:) I decided to post these, and show you how nice it can be here around easter, because this year we have the suckiest easterweater I've ever seen! I'm gonna show you exactly how bad it is later, when I get some rain-footage. Until then, enjoy this piece of viking holiday documentary.

Viking railway

Here are some facts about the norwegian railway system! The first Norwegian locomotive railway, was opened on September 1st, 1854. Norwegian State Railways was formally founded in 1883. In 1890 the Norwegian Parliament decided to restart railway projects in Norway, after seven years of complete stop. A lot of lines were constructed in the years to come, and the nation got some kind of a railway network, with Oslo as a centre. The main lines were completed gradually with the Bergen Line in 1909, the Dovre Line in 1921, the Nordland Line to Mo i Rana in 1942 and the Sørland Line in 1944. After World War II the expansion of the railway network practically stopped, with the sole exception of the work to get the Nordland Line to Bodø (which is very close to where I live), a task first completed in 1962.
God, I love wikipedia. Makes me look smart.

I don't take the train a whole lot on a day to day basis (mostly cause I got my sweet ass car), but when I visit Trondheim, or the weather is to bad to drive over the mountainpasses, the train is an excellent alternative. If you're lucky, and plan ahead, you can go all across the country for less than 40 bucks. If you got time, and a good travelbuddy, it's a great way to travel. You get to see beautiful scenery and can relax completely. AND it's good for the environment! I took the train to Mo I Rana at the beginning of this week, and naturally took it upon myself to document some of the ride.

How vikings do jelloshots...

For crying out loud!!

Yeah, this is gonna be another blogging about snow. Cause it's getting ridiculous. Marsh is known for being the snowyest month of the year, but I didn't think it was gonna get this bad! It's been snowing every damn day for weeks, and it just keeps coming. The local "experts" say we haven't had this much snow in at least 14 years, and it's about to reach 6,5 feet. They also say that we've gotten double the amount of snow we usually get this month, and it has snowed just as much in Marsh as it did through all of November, December, January and February combined. Here are some pics from around our house, and of course a video;) Mind you, this is not an average viking winter;)

I was very careful not to park my car right in front of the house...

An accident waiting to happen!

Whoopsie, average viking winter sunbading in progress....how did this get in there?

Not much left of our view....

The Average Viking dog....

....is not average at all. Actually, this one is a little "special":) But very entertaining and with a big heart. Her name is Tinka, and belongs to my neighbors.