Norway- the non-Tourist Version

We slept in, walked down to the lake and checked out the animals on the farm. Of course we played some family games in our cozy cabin. A great relaxing day.

They love the cats.

After a leisurely morning we drove a half hour up to Dokka. It is the nearest city of any size and has just under 3,000 people. It clearly draws people from a wide area as it had a very lively downtown. Our first stop was a thrift store. We found Amy some boots and a few other trinkets. Most importantly, we found a vintage Krumkakke iron!!

It didn't have a price so I timidly asked the 3 old ladies drinking coffee if they spoke English. One hopped right up and said she was from Minneapolis. We told her we used to live in Robbinsdale, and she was off. She chatted and chatted and was so excited to see people from her homeland. that was a fun experience. The iron was only $20 too. See the roller below.

We found the rosette iron and sanbakkle tins in Lillehammer.

We got some yarn at another shop and a lantern. They all have lanterns all over their homes. I had to use one to get extra wood from the shed one night, so they are useful still. We stopped by Salvation Army and got some scarves and a few other fun things. It was a great day of shopping, but we didn't find much that 'looked Norwegian' so not many souveniers for family were found.

We were just starting dinner when the owner lady popped in and asked if we wanted to help feed the animals. I've never seen the girls get their coats and boots on so fast. They gave hay to the sheep and a bit of feed to cats. Then we helped guide the horses in from pasture into their stalls. Great practice to see how they handle chores as they want to live on a farm when we move back to the States.

As we missed a chance to ride the horses because of drizzly rain all day, the owner graciously dried the horse, covered it with a blanket and let the girls sit on him anyway. They thought that was great.

Emily seemed a bit more comfortable than Amy.

As we finished in the barn, the owner said, "Friday is sauna night, do you want to come?" We said we'd maybe come to watch, but while finishing our dinner I decided that I best test the strength of my Norwegian blood. The sauna is the building down by the lake. half of it is kitchen with some nice tables to sit at, and then a little sauna in the back corner.

There was one old guy in the sauna already getting is toasty. The mom and one daughter were in as well. After five minutes or so, the natives were just starting to get shiny. I looked at my body and was coated in huge beads of sweat, so I'm certainly not in sauna shape like they are.

They said some people in the area will come any Friday of the year. On New Year's Day it was -3F and they had over 15 people at the sauna! Eventually they all hopped up and moved quickly to the dock and down the boat ramp. You just walk in waist deep, dunk down and swim to shore, and quickly walk back to the sauna. The pictures aren't great as it was very dark, but I did it. A full sauna routine is 3 times sauna-lake sequences, ending with a lake "bath" so you end clean.

It was 36F in the lake and the air, but to be honest did not feel near as miserable as I thought. It was great actually. I'd definitely go again, although I'm not sure about the dead of winter when they cut a hole in the ice. This picture perhaps captured how cold it felt and maybe the warm memory of wanting to be tough has fogged my mind.

All in all it was a really fun day to do some real local activities and feel Norwegian for a day.