My next venture out of Trondheim was a weekend trip to Steinkjer, where another U.S. Fulbright Student, Caitlin, is spending the year. Steinkjer is about two hours north of Tronheim by train, following the scenic Trondheimsfjord most of the way there - a nice ride!
Like the rest of Norway (from what I can tell, at least!) Steinkjer follows suit and is filled with scenic vistas overlooking everything that lies below -- which, of course, means long hikes up hills to get to the top of the scenic vistas! Definitely worth it though.
Caitlin and I spent most of the weekend trekking around Steinkjer, learning a bit about it's history which dates back to the stone age (glad to have her to interpret all of the Norwegian signs!), and picking berries! The berry picking was much better in Steinkjer as compared to what I've seen in Trondheim!
One thing you need to know about Norway is that on Sundays, ALL of the stores are closed. ALL of them. MAYBE with the exception of a 7-11 or other convenience type store. BUT... Sundays are the ONLY day where many of these huts on top of mountains that serve treats like waffles and coffee are open! From what we can tell, all Norwegians come out of there homes and head to the hills for Sunday hikes -- young and old alike, there are all out with there spandex hiking clothes, walking poles, dogs, and strollers heading to the top -- often not taking the easiest path up and cutting through bogs and forests instead of the main hiking trail! So like all good Norwegians, one of our hikes took us to the top of a peak overlooking the town and fjord, and on top of the peak is on of these little waffle huts. We were more than happy to take advantage of this treat before starting our trek back down!
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