After spending two days in Oslo, the Mathesons soon became bored from just too much time sitting around. We asked around the team for touristy things in and around Olso that we should be showing our guests. They weren't much help, other telling us to relax.

D and I therefore decided that maybe a return trip to Gautatoppen was in order. This is where D and I went with Ella and Lindsey last year. It also helped that Kathryn, I think, found that there would be a village fair at Selford, which is in the same area. The town is meant to be one of Norway’s biggest farmers' markets. It was a good choice.

We drove up Saturday morning, with the usual few wrong turns, and we made a note that having a good road map might have been a good idea. We eventually found the place at about 2:00 pm, but there was a major traffic line up going through the town. We were fortunate to find a good parking sport early on, but unfortunate, as we found out later, in that we were on the other side of the town.

The fair was good fun, and I enjoyed walking round and looking at all the crafts. The major part of the fair is an auction and sale of animals, but there was also the sale of some very fancy looking machinery. We skipped most of this. I enjoyed seeing some of the animals, but I was not excited by the big tractor things. They are big - so what else do you say about them?

We did manage to find a few things we could afford to buy: Mainly food. I was starving by the time we arrived, so I was interested in buying food straight away.

With that settled, and once we had finished perusing cattle, we headed over the mountain to the cabin where we were staying. We found out the next day that it was in a beautiful location on the side of a lake. Too bad we arrived in the dark. It was a good night's sleep though, or at least for Stuart and I. Unfortunately, D and Kathryn were forced to share a bed. Even then, they were tired enough to both get a reasonably full night's sleep, and by 9 the next morning we were all ready to go.

We took a trip to a nearby waterfall because the tourist book told us that it was once thought of as one the highest falls in the world. We thought that this would be a very worthwhile trip. We were expecting something spectacular to show the guests. It sucked. The new power plant had diverted much of the water, and the dregs that were left, were more than unimpressive. All four of us were stunned by the fact we had actually spent time finding this thing. Blah!

After this let down at the waterfall we were looking forward to climbing Gautatoppen. I knew that was going to be amazing. The last time D and I went there, we were basically alone on the mountain: Just us and and some insanely fit pensioner who sprinted past us. Unfortunately, this time the place was packed. There were lines of people everywhere. I hate hiking something with tons of people on the trail. We booted up and the climb took about an hour and a half, as we passed people all over the place. Once up, we had a snack and then headed out along the ridge to the real peak. The last part is a tough hike and there are some tough and scary parts along the way. Of course, this is good news as it means that there are fewer people with us.

We got some great photo shots at this point. Not only do you feel like you are on top of the world, but the summit affords you some of the best views I have ever seen. The guidebook, and keep in mind that this is the same book that lied about the waterfall, says that from the top on a clear day, you can see a sixth of Norway, I believe it. The view is incredible.

It probably took us longer getting down than it did going up. Coming down hurts. We took our time though and it is always exciting to be finished, I always become very happy, probably closer to euphoric, once the hike is over. We had a quick change of clothes and then we were back on the road and heading home.

The drive should have taken under three hours, but thanks to all the tourists and the traffic ours took well over four hours. I am guessing that many people were enjoying a weekend in the sun, away from the city, and everyone was getting home at the same time. Sitting in traffic sucks, but it made getting home and eating Swedish meatballs for supper so much more fantastic than it actually is

D’s brother and sister left the following afternoon, and now the house is horribly quiet. We are alone. It has been a great summer and thanks to guests from both of us we have managed to see much of this beautiful country. It is sad that the visiting time is over.

Sitting on the couch that evening I found it hard to believe that there is nothing left on the visitors' schedule to plan for, or to look forward to. The feeling of “now what?” will hopefully abate with time. In the meantime, a big thanks to D and my Canadian family who made the trip over to see us this summer; it has definitely been a summer to remember.

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