While In Norway…...Do As The Norwegians Do
I’m preparing for our first trip to the Hytte and I’m already exhausted; before even leaving the house. Well let me explain the process of a weekend to the Norwegian equivalent of a summer/winter cabin.
While a long time ago, hytte were indeed cabins which were often built by one’s own hand, those hytte really only had the basics; i.e. no running water or electricity…so basically a roof and 4 walls. Nowadays the hytte are a little more upscale and the one we are currently going to this weekend (companies often have their own hytte they rent out for a minimal fee to their employees) has a bathroom (thank goodness), electricity (washing machine, stove, TV & fridge…Yeeha), heated floor and even a sauna. I wasn’t quite ready to rough it up and experience the full joy of the Norwegian cabins… baby steps, baby steps!
But a 2-day weekend turns out to be a 2-day master planning ahead for me. You see while you have the wall and the roof above your head (and in our case “luxury” of electricity & water) you need to think about every thing you’ll need while you are enjoying the surrounding beauty of the mountains. I’ve been moving for the past 12 years to 5 different countries so I know the logistics of moving around a family of 4 and going to the hytte for a weekend requires no less than a precise packing list.
You’ll first need to think about what you need in the house: sheets & pillow cases or sleeping bags, towels, games, etc… and let’s not forget my photography gear. Then everything you can remember for the kitchen: food (don’t forget the salt & pepper, butter, morning breakfast, lunches & dinners, etc..) and products to clean. All that and I haven’t even started with the most essential list: Clothing. So 4 pairs of skis (don’t forget the poles), 4 pairs of ski shoes, goggles, helmets, ski suits, hats, scarves, gloves, woolen socks and underwear (shirts and long johns), several fleeces to layer depending on the weather expected.
All those items will then need to be packed with a military precision in our car trunk and newly acquired Thule (a roof top; another prerequisite when you live in Norway it seems!). On the given day at the given hour everyone will find a place in the car (between pillow sand blankets) and we’ll be off to the mountains just like all of our neighbors who do this every weekend. Only to realize that once there everything need to be unloaded. I’m sure glad our parking space is just next to the Hytte and not way up high on the hill where we would have to haul all of our stuff on our back.
While a long time ago, hytte were indeed cabins which were often built by one’s own hand, those hytte really only had the basics; i.e. no running water or electricity…so basically a roof and 4 walls. Nowadays the hytte are a little more upscale and the one we are currently going to this weekend (companies often have their own hytte they rent out for a minimal fee to their employees) has a bathroom (thank goodness), electricity (washing machine, stove, TV & fridge…Yeeha), heated floor and even a sauna. I wasn’t quite ready to rough it up and experience the full joy of the Norwegian cabins… baby steps, baby steps!
But a 2-day weekend turns out to be a 2-day master planning ahead for me. You see while you have the wall and the roof above your head (and in our case “luxury” of electricity & water) you need to think about every thing you’ll need while you are enjoying the surrounding beauty of the mountains. I’ve been moving for the past 12 years to 5 different countries so I know the logistics of moving around a family of 4 and going to the hytte for a weekend requires no less than a precise packing list.
You’ll first need to think about what you need in the house: sheets & pillow cases or sleeping bags, towels, games, etc… and let’s not forget my photography gear. Then everything you can remember for the kitchen: food (don’t forget the salt & pepper, butter, morning breakfast, lunches & dinners, etc..) and products to clean. All that and I haven’t even started with the most essential list: Clothing. So 4 pairs of skis (don’t forget the poles), 4 pairs of ski shoes, goggles, helmets, ski suits, hats, scarves, gloves, woolen socks and underwear (shirts and long johns), several fleeces to layer depending on the weather expected.
All those items will then need to be packed with a military precision in our car trunk and newly acquired Thule (a roof top; another prerequisite when you live in Norway it seems!). On the given day at the given hour everyone will find a place in the car (between pillow sand blankets) and we’ll be off to the mountains just like all of our neighbors who do this every weekend. Only to realize that once there everything need to be unloaded. I’m sure glad our parking space is just next to the Hytte and not way up high on the hill where we would have to haul all of our stuff on our back.
 |
| If only packing was that easy! |
This photo was taken from the parking lot of all those Hytte, even the ones on the very top... And no there is no road to go up there only a foot path!
 |
| Fun day at the Hytte... the Norwegian way! |
No comments:
Post a Comment