Sunny start to holiday

610We had always planned to take some time off to explore Norway towards the end of our stay here and, with practically no-one left in Oslo to work with, the end of July seemed like a good time to go. We had thought about getting the train across to Bergen but practicality prevailed and we decided to drive the hire car across. We still intended to make the most of scenery though by taking the R7 throught the Hardangervidda.

The sun was shining as we left Oslo and it was pleasant enough driving through the wooded valleys that make up the first part of the journey up to Gol. We stopped for a couple of nights at Geilo. This was partly to make a leisurely start to our holiday but also so that we could put Christine’s Mum, who had accompanied us this far, on the train back to Oslo to catch her flight home.

Geilo is almost certainly a more exciting place to stay in the winter but we managed a very nice walk up on to the plateau (we decided against taking Emma up the ski lift), along for a bit, and then back via the lake. There was even a nice sandy beach for a bit of a play.

We were staying at the youth hostel in (well, 2km out of the centre of) Geilo. The rooms could have done with a bit of a face lift but it was homely enough and a cheap start to our holiday. It is part of Øen Turistsenter where you can also camp or take a cabin. This has a very nice reception building where we were given breakfast. Emma even seemed to enjoy the arrival of a group of Harley Davidson riders!

2 Responses to “Sunny start to holiday”

  1. Neil says:

    Dave.
    two quick questions:
    1) Why on earth wouldn’t you want to take Emma on the ski lift? How else is she meant
    to learn that if she wriggles she dies?

    2) Surely this article was posted on the 12th of August not the 24th of July?

    cheers,
    Neil

    • Dave says:

      1) Learning from your mistakes is difficult once you’re dead!
      2) What’s a couple of weeks between friends? Anyway, I would have posted it on the 24th if I hadn’t been too busy enjoying my holiday!