ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!
If I’m very honest this is about the only aspect of this adventure I’ve had any input into and that was from a purely administrative point of view. For about 4 months before we set off I lied about booking the car. In my defence between study and work I did not have a whole pile of spare time to consider the rental options in Norway in the end I panic booked a VW polo about 3 weeks in advance.
The car was collected from a rental hub on the far side of Bergen and getting used to driving on the “wrong” side of the road only took the crosstown spin.
I sat in the car and asked “what’s next” a series of things that might be nice to see were programmed into the SatNav – the trip has been well planed it’s just me that’s a bit hazy on the details.
The spin into the country was pretty fantastic. Someone had joked that the drive from Bergen to Gudvangen was the boring part of the journey as it’s mostly hills and tunnels. I found it pretty amazing. There is something wonderful about driving through a tunnel that is 26km long.
As we drove into Gudvangen it was agreed that we needed more adjectives. WOW! Is not enough.
Flam was a little weird. We arrive and there was a massive cruise ship docked. It was surrounded on both sides by the rock walls of the Fjords. Here’s one for the fact fans. Many Fjords and deeper than the oceans that the join. This one is 1.8km deep.
Laerdal was supposed to just be an overnight stop to get us closer to the glacier in the morning. We checked into a pretty unique guest house. The guys had a look around the town for something to eat and I went for my first run in Norway (separate post for that adventure)
Laerdal is a beautiful sleepy town with a few restaurants and a disproportionate supermarket. It also had this hidden gem.
Bergen is great. It’s an odd mixture of day time frantic as the city fills with cruise ships and tourist and at night the locals reclaim their streets.
The two days here blended together in a wonderful way the even thought it’s only just happened I’m losing a sense of what order we done things.
Highlights include a visit to Edvard Greigs home to have a nosy and enjoy a recital of some of his works in the concert hall and a walk through the grounds.
I think you can’t really say you’ve been to Bergen if you have not visited the Leprosy museum. It’s only open for a few weeks every year but was filled with interesting facts and artefacts. For instance I never knew that Hansen was the most famous Norwegian
Getting high in Bergen is pretty easy. You can just use the funicular. It was a bit misty when we done it but we still got a sense of the city.
The fish market and Bryggen area are beautiful. We spent too long swanning around in the rain to visit the Hanseatic museum but it seems like a good excuse to revisit.
Bergen is already on the revisit list.
I suppose that one of the beauties of not really being involved in the planning process is that I have not really had an idea of what to expect from this trip.
I’d been told that Olso was on the agenda because it is the start and end point of our journey. But it turns out that it was so much more. We woke and wandered. Found a nice cafe to have a breakfast snack and sit a chat catching up with old friends.
Coffee was amazing as was the exterior of the opera house. We also made it to one of the military museums before lunch and a panicked dash to the train station.
A very pleasant seven train ride over the mountains say the temperature go from 26c to 6 and we got to enjoy seeing snow and ice on the hillside (a hint of things to come?)
We arrive late to a bright but rainy Bergen and our initial glimpse of the city is one of wow and wonder. It’s colder but in an Irish summer kind of way.
Another super easy dish for anyone trying to up their curry game. Going out on a limb here suggesting that this is Dal makhani because I have not used two of the main ingredients- cream and butter – but it’s still tasty.
I think the video is slip shod enough to give a sense of just how easy this dish is to make but any questions please just ask away.
For a number of weeks now it was impossible to close one of the drawers on cook Island. I had assumed that it was possessed by some sort of ghost. I got home for work a bit early and dug out my old ghostbusters outfit.
Tests were made and the issue was exercised.
I’ve had this in my head all day so posting it hear so someone can tell me why I think it’s so fecking fantastic….maybe it’s the Clash, maybe it’s the subtle nob to Sri Lanka maybe it’s because it’s a type of Rap that I find accessible.
Who knows!! Enjoy
About a year ago I told Todd that I would show him how I make one of my curries. It’s taken far to long to do this mostly because real life has been eroding my spare time at a savage rate.
The video is a rough guide to making the classic Channa Masala. It’s basically a chickpea curry.
Enjoy Todd – let me know how it goes.
Basically:
Soak chickpeaks overnight.
Fry cumin seeds, chilli and onions until golden. Add garlic and ginger paste. Add Garama Masala, corriander powder and salt to taste. Add tomatoes and cook until it’s reduced to a mushy paste.
Add this paste to the chickpeas and simmer until the chickpeas are cooked to your required texture.
Serve with rice, bread or whatever!
