Back in Norway
This is my third week in Norway. It feels good to be back in Oslo again. Back where I belong. That is what I feel at least. I have missed my friends here a lot when I was away. Finally I can spend time with them again. At the same time I miss some of my friends back in Borneo. You will never be 100% satisfied I guess...
Two weeks ago I received the keys to my new apartment. Since then my life has been very hectic and the apartment has been looking like a construction site during the first two weeks in my hands.
Today I did a second visit to IKEA and now things are starting to fall into place. I'm getting more and more organized. Finally the apartment starts to look like a home. You will have to wait a little more until it looks acceptable in here, then I will snap some photos and share them with you. Be patient! ;-)
Hindersön
My week with my family in northern Sweden ended with a weekend spent on the island Hindersön in Luleå archipelago. The trip to the archipelago was a surprise for my dad to celebrate his 60th birthday. Out on Hindersön we spent two nights at Jopikgården. Jopikgården is a charming place with an old fashion architecture.
On Saturday we rented bikes and went out for a sightseeing trip on the island. The weather was nice and sunny most of the time. We tried all the major roads on the island and discovered jettys, bays, beaches, ruins from the mining industry and boat houses. Whenever we found a nice beach we stopped for a swim in the sea.
In the evenings we enjoyed food from northern Sweden served at Jopikgården. I had heard before that they are famous for their excellent food and now I have to say that I definitely recommend their food! We had for example, caviar from Kalix with red onion and sour creme, smoked salmon, baked salmon with vegetables and cloudberry pairfait.
The evening ended in the wood fired bath tub were we could sit down, relax and enjoy chilled drinks and the quietness in the archipelago. It is a wonderful place and I hope I will have time to visit some other islands in Luleå archipelago in the future.
Tornedalen
During my days in northern Sweden I have also visited my (maternal) grandmother in her cabin, which is situated on a small hill with 180 degrees view over Muonio River in Tornedalen.
The view over Muonio River from my grandmother's cabin.
A young raindeer crossing a nearby meadow.
Jockfall
This year we had a sunny visit to my (paternal) grandmother in Jockfall. My grandmother was serving us her home-baked bread, which is delicious. On the way back we stopped by at the waterfall where they have a salmon ladder. We managed to see a couple of salmons swimming up the ladder.
The waterfall in Jockfall.
The old chapel in Jockfall.
Checking out the yearly red currant harvest at my grandmother's place.
Looking good! Lots of ripen berries.
The old well at grandmother's place.
Northern Qatar
To see a little more than the capital Doha, while visiting Qatar, I booked an afternoon excursion to the northern parts of Qatar. The country is small and the roads are in a good condition, which makes it fast and easy to travel around. The first stop was in the fishing village Al Khor where they also have a corniche running along the bay, around which the village is spread out.
A date palm.
Our next stop was in Al Jassasiya where we had a look at rock carvings. Some hundred years ago the sea level was much closer to the rocks where the carvings were made and it's believed that seamen carved the figures while waiting for their ships.
A sailboat.
My Nepalese guide and his 4WD.The last stop was in Al Zubarah in the north western corner of Qatar to have a look at Al Zubarah Fort.
