Fjords and Football (soccer)

Hey everyone,

I hope everyone is doing well back home! Sorry for not posting anything for awhile. I am having internet connection problems at home and I have to do everything internet related from work (after I actually finish work of course ;) ) The last few weeks have been really cool because I got to experience few firsts in my life. In late August I went on my first Norwegian fjord tour and last weekend I went to my first ever soccer game.

Geiranger Fjord Tour

With summer coming to an end, I thought it would be a great time to experience one of Norway’s most famous attractions, the fjords. There are many fjords to choose from but I chose to see the Geiranger fjord, which, I was told, was one of the most beautiful in Norway. I made the trip with Ruben, a Dutch friend who is also on an internship in Oslo. We were the only ones who could make it that particular weekend.

Geiranger is about a 7 hour train ride Northwest from Oslo, but the town is so remote that we had to switch trains once, and then we had to take a bus into the valley where Geiranger is located. On the train/bus ride to Geiranger, you get to see some beautiful scenery along the way and it is definitely worth the trip. Once in Geiranger, the views are amazing. Beautiful mountains look like they have risen from the river. The crystal clear water is a beautiful tiel green color that I have only seen in southern beaches. Once there we took an 1 ½ hour fjord tour that explained the history and the reason why this fjord was named a World heritage site by UNESCO. Along the tour we say farms that were abandoned due to the danger of avalanches, many waterfalls and crevices in the mountains. It’s impossible to explain the beauty of the nature, that seems to be untouched in centuries, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

First Soccer game

The last time I was in Europe for my exchange in Amsterdam I didn’t get to see a soccer match. This time around I promised myself to go. Luckily enough my ex-roomate, Bjorn, asked me to go see a Norwegian soccer league match that saw Vålerenga vs. Start. Vålerenga is one of Oslo’s 2 teams that actually share a stadium! Start is a team from Kristiansand. The stadium was about ¾ full (roughly 12 000 people) because Bjorn told me that these teams were at the bottom of the standings. Now I’ve been to hockey games in Ottawa and Montreal with over 20 000 fans, but even with ¾ of the open stadium full, the fans were crazier and louder then any hockey game I’ve ever been to. They actually had chants going the ENTIRE match. The game was pretty exciting with Vålerenga winning 3-2. There were 2 penalty kicks in the match, one for each team, and it was much more exciting than watching soccer on TV. The game made me miss going to Sens games, and I can’t wait to go to one once I get back. All the normal trash talking from the fans was present but only in Norwegian. Bjorn gladly translated for me. OH! I almost forgot to mention that beer wasn’t even sold at the stadium!! WHAT THE HELL? It was still a good time though.

Take care everyone,

Jason

(Pictures will be uploaded soon)