Stress has taken a toll on me these past few months. Physically, I got migranes and low energy. Mentally, I got depressed because of the situation we are in. Despite the effort to exercise and eat healthy, I felt that nothing is working. Good thing I have friends who motivate me to take a break and relax. I’m also thankful for those friends who stay despite our distance and lack of time to talk with each other.
Last month, I took a very short trip to Stavanger and Førde. The latter was an unplanned trip. My friend from Sandnes picked me up and then we drove to Førde to fetch our friend and her baby. Before we left and drove back to Stavanger, we went to the tourist attraction in Førde which is the Rex Garden. This garden is just a hundred meters away from my friend’s home.
So, what’s the story behind Rex Garden? Well according to my friend, this nature park is run by someone who apparently has a huge passion for landscaping. The park/garden has lots of plants and flowers. That’s why it is attracting visitors from other places. The wooden statues and sculptures here were made by a local artist from the area. The place is also beautiful because it is situated by the sea and a perfect place for grilling during the summer days.
When I was still living in the city, I wondered where the bees were, because I only saw a couple of these pollinators even though the place is rich in plants and flowers. I always have a fascination for bees because of their bright yellow and black color. Also, these species has an enorm contribution to the ecosystem. Without them, we would starve to death. Going back to where the bees are, they are on the countryside. Apparently, they do not thrive in the city. For sure, because of the pollution and the human population threatening their peace and existence.
As I’ve mentioned before in this post, we are in the process of moving. We had moved all of our stuff into the new crib and we are still renovating the old one. The renovation of the flat takes time because my hubby had decided to take down a wall as suggested by the interior designer.
Our house is circa 45 minutes car drive from Bergen centre. We can also take the bus but it takes 1.5 hours because of the stops. Another way to reach the place from Bergen is to take the westamaran and that takes approximately half an hour with 3 stops included. The location of the house in my opinion is good since it is not that far from the main road and at the same time it is not too near the main road. Thus, safer for the dog and for the future kids. 😀 We have one “visible” neighbor with a huge sheep farm. I find it relaxing and comforting to see his flock of sheep in the morning when I wake up because I feel that we are not alone in this area.
What I like in this area is how close the nature is to us. The trail to the valleys and mountains are just right behind the house and it means that we do not have an excuse to just stay at home all the time. The only downside of living in the countryside is that transportation is more expensive because the shops, schools and cafes are farther, but there are always pros and cons in everything, right? It’s just that we have to know what we need and want. So far, I love it here. Once we’re finish unpacking our stuff, I’ll invite our Family and friends over for dinner.
Here are the shots from the new place. Enjoy!
Zorro is always looking forward to his daily walks here.
The green path
A wrecked car
A willow tree?
An abandoned pickup truck
How old could this be?
It’s a Toyota pickup truck!
Reminds me of zombie apocalyse setting.
Maybe I can take this home with me and use it for my plants. What do you think?
Rena is a small town in Hedmark region. Seven and a half hours car drive from Bergen and is located in the eastern part of Norway. Bf and I visited a relative who owns a camping place at Åsta just 15 minutes away from Rena center. We went here on the third week of July this year. We were invited so we didn’t have to pay for our stay. How cool is that? 🙂
At Kvile Camping
Kvile means “relax” in Norwegian. I can say that my bf and I had a very comfortable and relaxed week during our stay here.
Our cabin
The cabin that we got is around 25 square meters big. It has a double deck bed, a dining table, chairs, heater, small fridge and a small kitchen counter with cabinets. So in short the cabin has everything that we need. However, there is no water supply and toilet inside the cabin. We had to go to the common washing area which is located just a few steps from the cabin.
Inside the cabin.
What I love about this place is that there are a number of activities to choose from such as fishing, hiking, swimming, kayaking and grilling. Also, Rena is just 2 hours away to Sweden and circa an hour away to Oslo by car.
The field.
The camping area is also near a huge field. Just perfect for morning walks with the dog.
Glomma is 621 km long.
Just 5 minutes walk from the camp is the longest river in Norway, which is Glomma. According to my bf’s cousin, the river is rich in fish and therefore people come here to fish. But there are rules to follow and people who wants to fish here must get a permit first, since this is a freshwater river.
Information about the permit and fees.
You can find a handful of information about fishing by the river and somewhere near the railways.
More pictures of the river shot from different places.
In memory of the victims of Åsta train accident 2002
The place is also near the railway where the Åsta train accident happened in 2002. Here stands a monument stone with the names of the victims engraved. The accident is one of the biggest in the history of the transport industry.
300 m to the railway
Make a wish?
Speaking of railways, have you heard about making a wish while standing on the railway? I had a classmate before in high school who told me that her wishes came true when she wished for something while standing on the railway. I admit that I had to make one when I took a picture of it.
Anyways, as I’ve mentioned earlier in this post, we were just 15 minutes away from Rena town center. Here can we find the schools, shops, restaurants and a wooden church.
Åmot kirken (church) from 1901
Moving on, the weather during our visit here varied a lot. One day it was raining hard and just after a couple of hours the sun comes out. I can say that the weather in this part of Norway is way better compared to Bergen.
I can say that the 7.5 hours car trip to Rena is worth it. There are lots of beautiful places to see and this is one of the trips that I recommend if you want to see the difference between the western part and eastern part of Norway because you can see how the landscape change as you travel from the west to the east.
I’m ending this post with the link of Kvile Camping, for those who are interested in renting a cabin/s and caravan/tent place: http://www.kvilecamping.no/
Earth is not just a planet. It is our home and our one and ONLY home in the universe. Therefore we should take good care of it because this is the only home we have. I don’t care if you have the largest mansion or if you are the richest man in the world. If you do not respect nature then I suggest that you find another planet to pollute!
The pictures below were taken on the 2nd day of Easter. Hubby, Zorro and I went to Kaland Austerheim to celebrate Easter. We were fortunate enough for the sunny weather during that weekend. A very good friend of mine visited too, so we had a wonderful Lenten season this year.
Then there came the mood breaker. When we were walking along the shore we found some plastic trash! There’s the plastic grocery bag, a plastic bottle, small hard plastic bits which I could not tell what and smaller plastic bags! Instead of just sitting and enjoying the view, I picked up the trash because I cannot take it and never would I let these wastes get back to the sea. It is just painful for me to imagine that animals can die because of these plastics that we have found.
Anyway, have a nice day and happy Earth day everyone!
It is already mid October and the weather is surprisingly lovely in most parts of the country for almost two weeks now. I am not complaining though. The weather is just perfect for hikes, road/boat trips, picnics and you name it but do not let the sunshine and the blue skies fool you because it is absolutely cold.
A week ago we visited my partner’s family and while the bf was busy with his father’s garage I took our dog and the dog of his sister out for a walk. My plan was to go to Vardetangen but had to change course because I suddenly got a problem with one of the dogs. So I followed the sign to Fonnes kai(quay) instead and tada, a beautiful scenery welcomed us.
Times like this should be spent wisely, especially here in Norway because you never know what the next days gonna be when it comes to weather. For some reasons it is not easy to predict the weather anymore.
Because it’s Earth Day yesterday, I’m sharing one of my favorite nature shots. This shot was taken two weeks ago during one of my hikes with Zorro at Åsane Norway. It’s not our first time in this place, but for me this is an achievement because I reached the place without a guide. The hike is not hard but I’m glad I did it on my own. I’m finally learning to trust my instincts and conquer my fear of getting lost.
