
Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal
Sukkertoppen, 314m
Skjonghellaren, Kvitesanden, Alnes Fyr,
Ålesund Aquarium
Ålesund sightseeing, June 27-28 2008
To the main Sukkertoppen page.
I had special visitors ..
on this Friday. My friend Even and his children Jonatan (16), Marie
(14)
and Sofie (10) was exploring western Norway and stopped by Ålesund to see my home
turf. I am Jonatan's Godfather, and I've been with these kids on the 23rd of
December ever since they were born. In other words, almost family. They had been
visiting Geiranger, stayed at Grotli and Union Hotel Øye. Trollstigen was on the
agenda upon their return to eastern Norway. But now they were in Ålesund, and I
would be the local guide. Friday's theme was the outdoors, and the
first stop would be Sukkertoppen.
Even rocks
(Click for larger image)
June 27 2008
Sukkertoppen, Trollråsa and Trollsvaet
We headed up to Sukkertoppen on the normal route. A lot of
tourists were of course on the trail. But being on top of Sukkertoppen doesn't
necessarily make a lifelong impression. But Trollråsa does (I hope). Even's
first impression of the west ridge was that this was perhaps something we should
skip. But skipping Trollråsa was simply out of the question. Sofie was however
happy to sit down and wait for us, on top of the steep route.
Marie impressed me hugely by having a very graceful way of
scrambling. While Even and Jonatan declined to climb the wall I have in the
backyard, Marie got up easily, and with grace. I told them the story
behind Trollråsa and Jonatan wondered why on earth I decided to scramble my way
down this mountainside. Curiousity, of course. Cat blood..
Down by the Trollråsa mailbox, I took the opportunity to climb
Trollsvaet - the latest route I've "discovered". Trollsvaet is on the very
border of what I'm willing to do without a rope, but it's just good fun. Very good
fun. Although my climb didn't seem to impress anyone. The thanks I get..
Trollsvaet
(Click for larger image)
Kvitesanden, Giske
We headed back up to Sukkertoppen and descended the way we
came. After dinner, the kids wanted to go swimming. I had pointed out
Kvitesanden from Sukkertoppen, and they were looking forward to a swim in the
ocean. Well, all of this was just bragging, because once we got there, none of
them felt an immediate urge to head into the c o l d water.
Being the guide, I had to step up and be the leading example. I
can't even remember the last time I took a swim in the ocean, but have a strong
feeling it was on Hawaii in 1998. Next to the warning sign where you see a shark
and a person flying high up in the air. Of course, we didn't see this sign until
we were done with our swim..
But we had a good time on Kvitesanden. Marie decided to take a
walk in the water, and then came Arnt - the human bomb. And Marie got her swim.
Then we went on with a long jump contest. Long jumps are now on my
never-to-do-again list. I pulled a muscle and realised I was way too old for
this type of amusement. But it was good fun, though.
Long jumps on Kvitesanden
(Click for larger image)
Alnes Fyr, Godøya
Skjonghellaren, Valderøya
After having visited Kvitesanden, we drove to Alnes Fyr. The
Lighthouse was closed, so we didn't stay long. Even seemed to like Alnes a lot. The kids were curious about the
Johan Skytt rock, but they would have to settle for pictures. We then drove to
Skjonghellaren on Valderøya. The enjoyed the cave too, and I concluded that my
guiding job had been a good one. Everyone was happy, but tired.
Ålesund Aquarium, June 28 2008
The next day, we visited
Ålesund Aquarium before they headed
back towards eastern Norway. Below, you will find lots of pictures from the
aquarium.
Scary fella
(Click for larger image)
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