Hiking in the snowy Norwegian forest

We came back to Bergen earlier than we wanted so we could join some hiking with Ingvild and Bjarne in the weekend. After breakfast we started easily to a hiking trail near Bergen. According to Bjarne it was not a usual tourist hiking trail and we also saw mostly local going there.

After half an hour drive we reached Hausdau and there was a track upward into the valley. It was not snowing at start but there was more later. The snow on the way was powder-like and deep and sometimes it reached to our thighs.



After two hours we reached the top of the valley, there was a cabin in which a cafe kitchen was operating. We enjoyed our lunch and pay 20 Nkr (about HKD28) for a cup of instant powder hot chocolate, just to pay tribute to the operator and the cabin who stood here in windy and snowy valley to give warm to passer-by.

Then we walked down the same route and slided along the snow slope. It was fun! After an hour and a half we went back to our car and drove back home. That ended our pleasant Sunday day hike. Then Ingvild and Bjarne prepared some traditional Norwegian specialty, 'Rømmegrøt' for dinner.  'Rømmegrøt' is a thick sour cream porridge served with raisin, sugar, butter and cinnamon, with crispy flat bread (Flatbrød) and ham as sidedish. It was very filling.

挪威大石臺 Preikestolen

離開Tyssedal到Odda，已經天黑，其實只不過是黃昏六時，我們急急買過食物，便在一間油站外截順風車往南向”石臺”(Preikestolen)進發。我們舉起牌，很多車經過，很多司機留意我們，但都走過，等了一小時還是無起息，心想等到九時都無車，就到對面的戶外停車場找片草地紥營煮飯。怎料我們正想這樣做之際，一個媽媽駕車接我們二十公里南面的小鎮 Skare (我想這還好, 至少也是要道，繼續爬車也方便)。後來Anne還提議我們在她家裏留一夜，恭敬不如從命，況且天氣寒冷，天黑車輛愈來愈少，又不知會否能當晚上車。她很好客，曾招呼不少經過的背包客。我們去到她舒適的家，在她廚房煮晚飯，了解家庭生活。她的三個兒子逐一離家，而她只在夏天經營附近的紀念品店，對於將來只有兩老在家感到唏噓。她很想和丈夫在後者退休和兒子離家後到處旅行，但又不想放下舖頭，而丈夫又有風濕不能呆在野外太久。我們提議她想想駕車旅行，還開玩笑說我們可以幫忙開舖呢(如果回港後找不到工作的話)。她很喜歡喝茶，我想想可以寄些普洱給她。

第二天(星期三)我們近中午才出發，Anne送我們出去乘巴士，巴士費很貴，但如果不付錢坐車，就不能在星期四或之前到Preikestolen，要坐順風車還有二三百公里，而且這裏的人好像不太熱衷載人。既然我們在Sandnes找到人住，我們決先去那兒，星期四再出發，去不到大不了在Stavenger觀光一天。Martin和她的姐姐是斯洛法克人來這裏工作發展，我們在這裏第一晚煮了餐焗雞翼、甜酸蝦和炒飯，吃得我們滿肚腸肥。第二天乘車和船，有些轉接地回Stavenger -> Tau -> Jorpeland -> Josund。如果是夏天就不需那麼轉接了，現在已經是季尾，交通班次不密。

季尾的好處是人不多，如果是夏天旺季上山的路便塞得水洩不通，原來單程兩小時也要三小時以上。Anne和Martin都不約而同擔心季尾可能下雪出路難行。不理會了，現在已經在路上，下巴士還要再行車路個多小時才到達兩小時路程的山路開端。同行還有一個在巴黎做事的北京女人，後來我們要趕車要快上山，就抛離她，況且我們還可以截順風車免了這段較悶的上山車路。

從車路轉山路，去的路真的花了兩個多小時，當中試過迷路，也碰見來自香港的學生，她們在山腳青年宿舍住了前一晚，今天出發。中途下雪，有些大風有些寒，石路很清楚，但也濕滑。我們也因找路吵了一頓，就算最後找到石臺也心情盡失。 在寒風中吃過三文治，拍幾張照(我不捨得走，蹓蹥多久，在大石臺上不敢向下望，直落五百米就是海了，風又大，怕被吹下去，但實在壯觀，不久就下山趕車了。

下山時雪也下得密，我們失了最後往碼頭的巴士，只有沿高速公路截順風車。好運地我們分別截了輛Audi跑車到Ornes(那兒我們在關門的遊客中心看到三文魚場及一輛由一榮升媽媽駕的車(後者還參與建築Martin所住公寓的工程，世界真少)回Sandnes。

回Sandnes得開心，還有時間購物，為老婆買了新的行山褲，我們亦買了一條2.5公斤的大鱒魚回家焗。

第二天晨咁早三時起床坐四時半巴士(因為平, 249kr一位,還有免費上網和報紙)回Bergen，結束這五天的尋石之旅，目標達成，而且所費不太高。在挪威旅行太貴了，坐一程城內巴士單程也要44kr (約HKD60)，吃就不敢奢望在餐館吃(動輒幾百元一餐午飯，而且只是快餐)。雖然如此，這裏的大自然實在太美，我們玩得樂而忘返。

挪威巨人之舌

在南挪威打獵後，我們去著名的"巨人之舌"。這是在Bergen附近的一個湖邊懸崖凸出的巨石。在最近的小鎮Skjeggedal出發也要行十小時的山路，還要大部份是上山。我們去以是季尾，挪威朋友Byrane擔心山上可能已經下雪，行山會困難，而且會危險。但是我們還想去試試，因為我們看天氣預告，當天的天氣是少有的天晴(在這季大部份時間是下雨的，冷的話就是下雪)，困難的話大不了原路走算了。

Byrane很體貼地駕車由Tyssedal到Skjeggedal，這幫我們省回上山的一段車路。我們在Skjeggeldal要先露營一夜，天氣還很冷，露營也不容易。我們在小村裏找找看，居然找到一個無被鎖門的車房，這樣我們就躲過寒風睡了暖暖的一夜。

第二日我們趁早起床離開車房，吃過早餐便出發，很大霧，但無下雨。花了兩小時上山到了高原，從霧裏走出來看到天清，心裏喜樂，應該可以看到周圍的風景。看到遠方的雪山已經很美，在陽光下反射地上的結冰也很美，可惜這也代表地上很滑，很容易滑倒，所以行得很小心，亦行得慢。在冰上行，脚也濕了，幸好有太陽，露出雙脚哂一哂。



 

 

再行兩小時，終於看到湖面，天很藍，湖水又很藍。

終於在日落前找到名為"巨人之舌"的大石，向著藍湖，非常壯觀。我走到石上，老婆很緊張大叫"小心呀~~~"，可見佢睇到我咁做都驚。其實當時我睇到前面已經係萬丈深淵，我個心都離一離，心驚大風把我吹落去。之後坐在邊陲，腳下已是直下六百米，都有百幾層樓高，我都有啲驚。

 


之後說服老婆下來巨石，佢就非常驚，影過幾張相就番回去。不過見到佢影"跳跳相"就很佩服佢嘅大膽喇。

我們盡快離開找小屋，這小屋是在郊外讓行山人士過夜，收費不便宜，每人要付400kr (約hkd600) 過一夜。可以用裏面的石油氣，在屋內過一夜真的暖很多，唯有破費。當夜屋外大風也很冷，月亮在山後升起很大很明亮。

第二天我們走回程，再到大石看看，別有一番美麗。

 








這條據稱用十小時走完的路程，我們放慢的走用了八小時去、六小時回。不趕就是要盡量享受。回到小村Skjeggedal，無公共交通離開，走過的車又不給順風車，唯有很車路下山。意外給我們找到山峽對面有一條古道往Tyssedal，是以前郵差送信的小徑，五年前才修好，更被列為國家古蹟。我們便沿徑下山，看到很壯觀的峽谷激流。這條路是我們的挪威朋友也未走過。很滿足地行約個半小時就回Tyssedal。

下一站是另下著名大石 Pulpit Rock。

Hunting in southern Norway

We went to Bergen, Norway after knowing about Bjarne and Ingvild doing moose hunting. They were our hiking friends met in our Santa Cruz tracking in Peru. On the weekend we arrived Bergen, we four drove to Ytre Lauvrak, where Bjarne's family has a farm house which the hunting area is nearby.

After seven hours drive we arrived and were warmly received by Bjarne's mother Kaia. She made night snack and we had a beautiful cozy room to stay the night before the hunting day. She put towels so neatly like professional and we felt like being spoiled...

the moose horn on the right, it was real and proud collection from a hunt

The next morning we started at 8am. First we discussed the strategy in a barn near the house. Well, all discussions were done in Norwegian and we understood nothing. Bjarne and us were to wait at a spot where a chased moose would pass and then Bjarne can shoot. Norwegian can start studying for a license of hunting from the age of 15, of course they can be exposed to the sport earlier than that age. The area we hunted that day belonged to a neighbour. There were clear boundaries among neighbours. Anything hunted in other area belong to the other landowner. Therefore strategy is important also to chase the hunted animal into our area. If it is a male moose, which the hunters are more interested in, the shooter can have the horn and the heart. The rest of the body is shared by the team according to a system that we don't know.

It was raining, not a good weather for hunters because it was cold; but it was also good weather for hunting because it was noisy about the raindrops and hunters' scent was easily washed away instead of being detected by moose good at smelling. We waited in the rain, soaked and frozen, kept silent and not moving for 4 hours.

Then we heard something like a gunshot, or it sounded like two horns cracking together. Bjarne forgot to bring his radio. The team members always contacted each other by radio so to know what each other was doing. Therefore he did not know that actually a member has shot a red deer already. After he received a text message and we walked half an hour to the spot where the deer was shot, we saw some internal organs being extracted from the deer already. The organs were disposed in the wild for other animals and the deer was taken away.

It was the first catch of the team in this season starting from October. Although it was not moose but a deer, the hunter and the team were still very contented with it, and were motivated to hunt more the next day. Bjarne drove the small tractor to take the deer back to the car. Once we went back, we skinned the deer. It was really a red deer because the skin showed some redness. Although it was a bit gross to watch how they skinned the deer, it was our first time to see the whole process. Also for me, to imagine that we were going to have fresh deer meat was encouraging enough to get through seeing the bloody scene. However, it was supposed to hang for a week before eating. It is their way of treating the meat, quite different from our concept of eating fresh meat.





After the bloody scene we had a shower and waited for the good dinner by Kaia. It was the moose meat hunted a year ago. It was made a stew with home-made gravy, which had been cooked slowly for several hours on that day. It came with home-made berry jam and tomato salad. It was a good warm fulfilling dish. I finished up five servings.

After dinner we even had the dessert "mountain berry cream" made from the famous Norwegian mountain berries "Multer", which could only be picked instead of cultivated. It was served with thicken cream with sugar. When the guys of the family went back to sleep, we shared a few more good drink with Kaia, including champagne and wine. She was interested in the Chinese culture. We also knew more about how the hunting was monitored and controlled carefully. All seeing and hunting (no matter it was killed or not) must be recorded and sent back to the government. A sport like this seemed sustainable and continued giving fun. We went back to our bedroom and rested for the next day of hunting.

On the next day we were supposed to be doing the chasers, by working from a point to another point some the moose would walk to a place away from us to be shot. However, there was a sudden change of plan that we had to do the waiting again. Good that there was no more raining. As we had to drive back towards Bergen early, also we got news that a neighbor team shot a female moose that morning and they did not want it (because they wanted a male one with horn), we left the hunting area early to collect this moose.

When we went to a nearby village, Maria and I were surprised to see a huge animal being hanged by a trawler ready to be collected. It seemed to be a young adult female moose. With a lot of effort we took it back. After a light dinner which I cooked fried rice for Kaia (glad that she liked it), we drove back towards Bergen. We missed the great mom Kaia and her beautiful house.

We finally did not see a life moose. The hunting scene should be something like that.

In the middle we were dropped off to start a trip to see the famous spots in Norway: the Trolltunga and the Pulpit Rock.