Hoyfjellshotel Gaustablikk Rjukan

... ride was just ok for us. We really enjoyed the view of the fjords from a hiking level, like Priekestolen. However, if you want to see the fjords really quick, then, this will be your best bet. The views are nice and scenic. Just remember to wear warm clothes because the ride is 2 hours and it gets super chilly on the ferry deck. From Flam, we took the ...

... t-bar I should say). There was also some decent tree runs here which we enjoyed. To mix it up, we went back to the Skisenter in Rauland - where more snow falls. It didn't disappoint today as the snow came down in droves and made for some nice turns. There's not much else to say - its just snowboarding - so enjoy the pics.

Its time for another day of snowboarding. Part of the fun is actually just getting to the mountain. We slip and slide all over the road in a few places, which is only "fun" if you don't end up off of the road - which we came close to a couple of times. Also, I can't tell you how spectacular the surrounding mountains are - just on the drive. Its a ...

The Rauland ski area is about an hour's drive from Seljord. Its a pretty small mountain (compared to what I'm used to - Mammoth Mountain), and only has a couple of steep parts. It usually has a lot of snowfall, but like a lot of places this year, has less than normal amounts. I get a minor kick out of how old the chairlifts are - or how they seem so rustic from all the new equipment ...

... hill to do some sledding. Walking in the snow up a hill is a challenge, and I need to get a lot better since I'm going to have a 4 hour hike up his friend's mountain in a couple of weeks for some snowboarding. That night its Thomas, Andreas, Richard, John Rene, Marie, Elise, Susana and myself hanging out at Thomas' apartment. The highlight of the evening consists of jumping ...

The second week of school was fine. I started to remember my confusing schedule and get used to all the things that were different. On Monday I had Spanish. I hadn't had it yet so I was really excited. I like the class. They are behind me but they do more reading, which we didn't do a lot of so it will be good for me. On Monday night I went to my first band rehearsal. I ...

After my first week of school I was very tired but also excited because I had a full weekend ahead of me. On Friday night I went to a church in Mjøndalen for a choir practice. The choir is called Nets. My two friends Heidi and Ingvild are involved in it so I went with them. It was fun. The song we learned was in English so it was easy to learn. They meet every Friday ...

From Thursday to Sunday I just relaxed and got used to life in Norway. I went to the local shopping center with Ingvild, my host sister. I bought some earrings and shirts. On Saturday afternoon we had a small party so I could meet some of the girls in my class. My favorite was Jenny. She lives really close to me and we got along great. We had a lot in common. During these days I slept really late so ...

... here are made of wood on the outside. So from the outside the house is nice, but not beautiful. When we went inside, it was amazing. I love every piece of furniture. It is very nice. So Tone's, my host mom's, parents live just down the street and they were there. They showed me around the house and my bedroom. I love my bedroom. We had lunch and then I unpacked. Then for the rest of the day we sat around and talked. I went to bed early.

... we caught up with the E16 we were off towards Flam and the Sognefjord region of Norway. Our journey took about eight hours total and along the way we passed some beautiful views. Words really cannot describe so you'll have to look at some of the pictures instead. A few of the cool things included seeing the change in flow of the rivers from east to west as we crossed over the tree line and back down near Fagernes, seeing the Stavkyrkje ...