Adventures! (Hovden Part 2)

         The school's cabin in Hovden was really amazing. Undoubtedly the best part of the cabin was the dishwasher, so memorable that it deserved it's own picture. If that's not the definition of student life, I don't know what is. 

        Our first full day started with a relaxing morning, everyone glad in the fact that we had no commitments or responsibilities. I sat on the couch drinking cocoa and reading my book, while Ananda knit, and others slept in. We had waffles for breakfast, and Marianne taught us that the 'real' way to eat Norwegian waffles is with sour cream, jam and brunost (the soft, sweet, brown cheese).

        In the afternoon our class decided to get outside. Some of us went downhill skiing, and the others went either cross country skiing or stayed at the cabin to go sledding. (Looks like I'm sneaking through my year in Norway without cross country skiing). I haven't been skiing in a couple of years so I was a bit nervous, but I went with Sofia, Bjorn and Heiden, and we had a lot of fun! Bjorn and Sofia both had experience, so after a few runs down the easy trails, they broke off to try the harder stuff. Heiden and I did the same green trail over and over until we were shooting down without hesitation! (Or maybe just some hesitation). 

        The next day we had an early morning (breakfast at 8 am, can you believe it?) so that we could head to another round of dogsledding at Haukeli Husky. We had to travel outside of Agder County for the first time as a class--though in a regular year we would have taken many more trips, including and extended one to the north. When we arrived, the people in charge gave us new boots, extremely warm and perfect for dogsledding. 

        Last time we went dogsledding was through the mountains, and it was completely icy. Eric and I fell out of our sled multiple times, and though I regard it as a fond experience, I had kind of assumed I'd never dogsled again. I didn't realize how afraid I was until they asked me to sit inside the sled--something that Odd from last time had told us was extremely dangerous--and I adamantly refused. This course, however, was extremely flat and safe, with only a few minor hills and curves that were easily navigated with the break in the fluffy snow. Here's a chart of the dogs' names.

        Ananda and I were partnered together, and I drove while she sat in the sled. It was so much fun, though when they asked us to switch, I still wasn't convinced, so Heiden and Ananda swapped places (Heiden was driving Emilie who has an injured ankle and couldn't drive at all). At the halfway mark we stopped and were treated to hot chocolate and vegetable soup. We sat in a bench made of snow, on reindeer hides to keep us warm. It was such a nice day, and I was having so much fun that I decided to sit in the sled to start the way back. Ananda drove, and we had a great time! It was really safe, and I was so bundled up that I could have fallen asleep if I hadn't been so excited. 

        After the dogsledding we were all tuckered out, but we were determined to make our last full day count. We'd had so much fun skiing the day before that we were all anxious to go again. Heiden and I had planned to stick to the green trails, but when we got there, the main lift was closed, and other led only to the more difficult runs. Despite being absolutely terrified of skiing, Sofia stuck by me and I made it down safely. Heiden had less luck, and ended up sitting out most of the evening, while Bjorn did his own thing--he's absolutely crazy! Sofia and I went up about 10 times, and by the end I was feeling so much more confident. We had a fantastic time together, and for the last run we just went straight down the final stretch. It was one of the scariest things I've ever done, and I don't think I've ever moved that fast myself, but it was absolutely worth it! We spent the evening hanging out, chatting and laughing together. Marianne would argue that we are still laughing :)

        The next day we packed up and cleaned the cabin. The drive back was long, but we took a stop to check out some buildings from around 1550, made with Viking Age wood. It was the home of a man called Vonde-Åsmund (Åsmund the Angry), and it was really interesting to see. We were able to walk up and around one of the buildings, and even got to see their take on a toilet. The area was gorgeous, and it was a nice detour. When we arrived home, we were all happy to be back--if only to get out of the minibus. I'm so glad that we were finally able to visit Hovden. It was a beautiful place, and we made lots of great memories.