Louisiana Girl in a Norwegian World: Skiing, Skiing, and More Skiing :)

As previously mentioned, we finally had enough snow fall in January for us not very experienced skiers to try it out at the Kongsberg Skisenter. We were so excited! So now we have been skiing once or twice a week since! There was a work colleague of Kevin's that lent us both skis, boots, and polls! So that was really nice. I had regular alpine skis and Kevin had telemark skis (for experts). His heel was not attached to the back of the ski, so he had to be extra careful (Let's just say the telemark skis only lasted the first weekend). Kevin was able to purchase a pair of his own alpine skis the next week for a great price! Kevin has never been skiing before, and I have been once when I was 12...and fearless. So let's just say I felt like I was starting from scratch as well. We have gone several times now and we really love it.

Kongsberg Skisenter

On our first trip we did the bunny hill for a while. I was so nervous at the top (are they suppose to be so steep to start out?! ha). It always looks "steeper" when you are standing at the top, but it is hard to tell yourself it is not as bad as it looks when you are up there. Kevin was able to go twice before I had the courage to go once. Doesn't help that kids probably the age of 4 were flying down like it was nothing. I surprisingly made it down several times without falling. However, I don't think I was going down too fast! ha. It was such a beautiful day, clear skies and lots of sun. And no it was not cold, it was quite perfect. Kevin had the guts to go down the "easy route." I had heard it was not a typical easy route, and I decided not to until I've had more practice. There is another larger slope (step up from bunny) that I wanted to practice before doing that. And as it turned out, I was right. I won't go into details, but Kevin made it down with no broken bones. He basically said that there was nothing easy about it, especially with his telemark skis! It was a long route, ha. He knew that he would need regular skis, and he was right- he was able to tackle the "easy route" without falling the next time we went. I have to say he is a natural--has to be his Norwegian roots! The skisenter is just a 5 minute bus ride from our apartment so it is very easy to access. We have been going on weekends and even week days.

We have gone several times now, and I "graduated" myself from the bunny slope. That was finally when I was able to do it many times with zero fear, and that was my goal in order to upgrade. Oh to be young and fearless again. So now I'm doing the in-between slope. We went this past Thursday and Saturday and I was able to go down it pretty well. We love when they have cones out so we can practice weaving them. I think getting a feel for the skis and getting over my fear has been the hardest part. I do know how to stop so that is in my favor. I am still really enjoying it, and have loved learning something new. Kevin, like I said, is a natural. He is really doing well, and looks good doing it. I think he likes the thrill and adrenaline kick he gets doing it. I feel like that will come for me soon. It was really hard to get over the vision of broken arms and legs in my head, something you don't think about when you are 12. I'm finally starting to let go of it. We are having a blast. I know we are really going to miss it!

Last weekend we were invited to our friend Christian's family cabin that was in Sjusjøen, Norway. This is about a 3 hour drive from Kongsberg, right outside of Lillehammer. We have found it is very common for most Norwegians to have family cabins that they can escape to in the winter or summer. In the winter, to of course go skiing. A friend that found out we went to a cabin this past weekend told me, "Now you are officially a Norwegian." :) It was so nice to get out and see another part of Norway, and to actually take a road trip. I have not spent that much time in a car in over a year (so weird to think about that). It had been months since I actually rode in a car. It will definitely be strange to get behind a wheel again in April (this will almost make a full year since I've drove). Anyway, our road trip was fun and we stopped for groceries on the way. Our first day the weather was so crazy. We woke up and it was cloudy, then it was sunny and beautiful, and then clouds and really strong wind. The wind was pretty much going on all day. Then later on there was some what of a snow storm. Strong winds and snow flying at your face. It was not the best day to try cross country skiing for the first time. There were three of us that were beginners so we decided to delay the skiing until the next day. We took a day trip into Lillehammer, which was fun. Have any of you watched the show, "Lillehammer"? It is worth watching, and you will definitely get a glimpse of what it is like to live in Norway. It is a Netflix series. We were excited to go there because of the show and because the Winter Olympics were held there before. We saw the ski jump and some training facilities. The cabin we stayed at was so beyond cute. We absolutely loved it. We always had a fire going, and it was so cozy.

The cabin

View when I woke up in the Morning!

Lillehammer!

Lillehammer Ski Jump

Inside the Cabin with frosted windows Saturday night :)

Our next day was absolutely beautiful and perfect for skiing. We all went, and had a great time. I ended up falling quite a bit, but thanks to our friend Christian he saved me a few times. I felt they had a totally different feel than alpine skis. They were lighter and your ankle was free to move, so it just took a little while to get use to how they felt. It was easy to get in a groove, especially when going on the flat parts. Seriously working every muscle in your body. The views and trail were just gorgeous. I wish I could find a better word, but seriously sometimes it was hard to concentrate on skiing because I was too distracted by the beauty. I loved going through the trees covered in snow. There was a plow that came through to flatten out the trails and leave the track marks for your skis. Those were so helpful! We definitely used them! It was such a wonderful weekend, and we appreciated our friend inviting us so much. We both really loved cross country skiing, and I may even vote it over downhill! :)

I had no idea I would like winter sports so much. We also plan on going to the Holmenkollen ski jump the last weekend we are in Norway, which is in Oslo. It is one of the largest ski jumps. I have visited with family, but I am really excited to actually see a competition there. It is going to be amazing! It is larger than life big. Can't wait to share.

Some pics I've taken around Kongsberg:

My favorite ducks! I love going to feed them!

The days and weeks are literally flying by. We are now 4 weeks away from leaving Norway. I can't wrap my head around it. Part of me feels like we just got here, and the other like we have been here forever. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a dream. It is strange to see life go on without you back home, like when I see certain celebrations on Facebook or on the internet that don't go on here....like the 4th of July or Mardi Gras or crawfish season. They just come and go here. It is really hard to explain what it feels like. I miss home, but this has just been an amazing experience here. It is really going to be hard to leave this environment and our friends. I will miss the beauty of the outdoors here the most I think. The sunsets and sunrises are just unbelievable to my eyes. I have a few pics below. It is like God takes his paint brush out almost every evening and paints the sky. The colors and formations are beyond beautiful. Its just so nice to be on a walk home from the grocery store or gym and then spend the next 30 min outside because you can't walk away. I really think we will miss hiking as well, what a treat to do that as often as we wanted before the snow and ice came. Skiing has made up for it for sure. We are going to make the most of our time left here. We will be gone the next two weekends (Iceland and Budapest), but the rest are already filling up. How grateful we are to have made such wonderful friends here. We had a celebration for Kevin's birthday on Saturday, and I was so happy he was able to be surrounded by friends. I attempted to make a king cake (which turned out okay), and some other treats. Also, I will be taking a small trip to Edinburgh, Scotland this week from Tuesday to Thursday so that I can stay legal while I am here! My visa will expire before we leave so I need to either pay the renewal fee (which is expensive for only needing it for three weeks), or leave the European Travel zone. So I am heading to the UK by myself. Kevin was unable to join, but he is calling it my "immigration-cation." Oh and we found this out on FRIDAY. So nothing like a last minute trip!