Once a year it's time for the kick-off and once a year it's time for the summer trip. The difference is that the kick-off tour is a trip with ALL the colleagues, those in the Oslo office, the once in Stockholm and the representatives in Germany and Finnland.
The summer trip is just an initiative of Terra Nova to leave for a weekend in summer, accompanied by some colleagues from Haman Scandinavia.
If you rememeber, last year's summer trip was that fantastic hiking tour up the Besseggen. This year, however, the programme and itinerary looked as follows:
Friday, 02/07:
At 15:00: The drivers (Stéphanie, Franck and me) went to get the cars. We rented 3 Avis cars.
At 15.30: departure by car from the office. We drove by car to Sandvika, along the Tyrifjord and Hallingdalen to Gol and further to Hemsedal. This trip takes about 3:30 hours plus of course a couple of short stops.
At 20:30: Arrival at Skogstad Hotel in Hemsedal. Check-in and dinner buffet... including extremely tasteful "norske jordbær" (Norwegian strawberries).
Left from front to back: Michelle, Charlotte, Anne, Natacha, Manouchka
Right from front to back: Franck, Stéphanie, me, Shauna, Paul
Saturday 03/07:
Breakfast at the hotel.
At 8:30: meeting with the director for a visit of the hotel.
At 9:00: after a quick group picture departure by car over the mountains to the Dark Valley that offers a beautiful mountain landscape.
(No comment on the glasses...)
Stop at Borgund to see the stavechurch (from the outside).
Continuation to Lærdal and through the longest road tunnel in the world (Aurlandstunnelen) to Aurland and Flåm and further to the Stalheim Valley to drive down the tight curves of the Stalheimskleiva (which I also did with Marco in May).
Then back to Gudvangen and at 12:45 departure for a cruise on the Sognefjord from Gudvangen to Flåm incl. lunch onboard.
Of course, the cars can't go on board. Though this cruise is wonderful over and over again one takes it, Stéphanie, Franck and me had taken it already several times in the past and know it quite well, so we three drivers drove alone from Gudvangen back to Flåm by car.
On our way we took the opportunity for a short stop in the "cheese village" Undredal in order to buy some great goat cheese. However, access to Undredal was at some stage block: a stubborn Norwegian Fjord Horse examined us before letting us pass.
With a population of approximately 84 people and 500 goats, Undredal is famous for the brown goat cheese (geitost) that is still produced the traditional way. The production of cheese is important to the local economy as eight farms produce 10 to 12 tons of cheese each year.
Arrived in Flåm we had lunch and waited for the others to arrive from their cruise at 14:45.
In Flåm we had some free time.
The Germans among us - that was basically Shauna and me - we stayed in Flåm where managed to find a place to watch the World Championship game Germany - Argentina. What a game! First of all, since some of us were doing the groceries for the BBQ in the evening, I was 4 minutes late for the game.. and so I had missed the first goal shot in minute 3 of the game. At least the second goal I didn't miss. But then 10 minutes before the end I had to leave the cinema where I was watching it, because we had to continue our trip. Ok, because anyway, what should still happen in that game in the last minutes? Important the we are winning. I tell you what happened in the last 10 minutes: 2 more goals from the Germans right after I left. Summary: I payed 50 NOK(!!!) to watch the game in this stupid small cinema to see 1 our of 4 goals of that match!!!
But anyway: Germany won and made it to the next round :-)
At 17:25 the others (not the drivers) took the famous Flåmsbana (which you already know from previous mosts of me) from Flåm to Myrdal.
Natacha, Charly, Shauna and Manouchka
At 18:28 they changed in Myrdal to the train going to Geilo.
In the meantime the drivers went empty to Geilo. Though the weather wasn't vert nice I enjoyed that drive all by myself through that lonesome landscape around Hallingdal.
At 19:42 the group arrived at Geilo. We drivers pick up the group at the train station and brought them to Bardøla Hotel where we already checked in to two 10-people-cabins.
Charly went to check out the swimming pool of the hotel...
...while Charlotte already started the BBQ.
Later in the evening we played some games.
Very funny the mimic parts of it, where we had to play (with mimics only) famous people and the others had to guess who that could be.
Sunday 04/07
Breakfast outside in the sun.
Before checking out, we have a visit of Bardøla Hotel and apartments.
We drive back via the RV40...
...along a lovely lake where we stop for lunch...
... further to Numedal, Kongsberg, Drammen and finally back to Oslo where we hand over the cars.
That was another great trip in Norway :-)
I guess I will come back to this area also with Marco when he comes here end of July.
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