First, an update on my well being. (If you haven't read about what happened during the first major hike of our Norway trip, you can do so here). I'm alive! AND well!! Pretty thankful about that. And not only that, I am thankful that we didn't have to cut our trip short. We did cut out a major hike that we had planned, and slowed down our pace immensely, but I'd like to say we still conquered Norway. Surprisingly, just hours after the hike, I was feeling back to my normal self and feeling quite positive about things. If there's one thing I didn't want to do, it was to ruin the rest of our trip because someone (...me) had to pass out on the top of a mountain (there's no way that sounds casual, yet I tried my best to pass it off like that). That's not to say that I was completely back to normal. And I think it's part of who I am to attempt to shake things off only to have them explode my emotions a few days later. Yes, that did happen. I found myself in tears a few days after, scared that I would never get feeling back in my fingers, and worried that something like this would happen again. I'm not going to lie, though we had a plan of sticking to our dried food diet (mostly to save money), we ended up buying and cooking an entire bag of pasta only to devour ALL of it basically without breathing (or talking).
I walked around with a bag of nuts and dried fruit in one pocket and a chocolate bar in the other for the rest of the week. My energy level was not normal, and this continued into the week after getting home. When I returned to work in England, I felt exhausted after every shift, and I was tired of my hands feeling like they weren't working properly. The circulation in my hands was awful, and I had little to no use of my pinky fingers, and also still felt a tingling in all my finger tips. Fortunately though, after about a week of being home I began to feel normal again. My hands felt better and my spirits were lifted. I had more energy and was happy to realize this wouldn't last forever. I went to see the doctor, only to be reassured that everything was going to be OKAY! Looking back, I think this experience affected just as much (if not more) my emotional self as it did my physical self. It's crazy how emotions can suck the life out of us! With that being said, I'm back to being normal Sarah. I've definitely learned a lot throughout this experience but am happy to be back!
Now for the rest of our week in Norway! We ditched the entire idea of camping. After freezing my hands into continual numbness, sleeping in damp, cold sleeping bags was just not ideal. Instead, we stayed for a few nights in a small, picturesque town among the fjords named Odda. First in a B&B type place, and second in a heated cabin within a campground. A warm bed has never felt so great!! Along the way, we hiked Preikestolen (otherwise known as Pulpit Rock) which rewarded us with some amazing views! The hike was only 2.5 hours return and we took our sweet, old time with this one (also I consistently munched on the snacks I had filled my pockets with). This hike is definitely more do-able for even the "non-hiker" type, and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who visits!
Next, we spent some time relaxing in Odda, and did some easy walking along the lake. One evening we walked along a road that leads up to Glacier Buer. Amazing scenery, and we even met some georgous horses along the way. We also met some of the cutest little lambs. I honestly think that the sheep in Norway are the cutest out of all the places we've been (and we've seen a lot of sheep in England, Scotland, and Ireland! haha I just wanted to take one home!). We had originally planned to do a more intensive hike around this area, but I am so glad we decided to just take it easy.
Lastly, we explored the capital city, Oslo. We only spent one evening here, but it was a nice change of scenery. Oslo is a very nice (and expensive!) city. Lovely architecture (including old and new) and a vibrant and modern wharf. We wandered the pretty streets and people watched as we gazed into ocean side restaurants that we couldn't afford to dine at. On that note, we headed to the airport and set up camp on a cozy area of the airport floor. We cooked ourselves our last dinner on our little propane stove in the airport parking lot (I wish I had a photo of that!). After a few hours sleep, we woke to catch our flight home, me still with indents on my face from the bag I attempted to use as a pillow. Norway had it's ups and downs that's for sure! Though my experience was not particularly the greatest, I can't deny the beauty of Norway. I'd love to come back one day but on two conditions: It would HAVE to be mid July and I would have the necessary equipment to face ANY thing that comes my way. Norway, it's been a slice.
Oslo:
Opera House
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