Michi Photostory

In the Philippines, I am always in-charged in planning for our family getaway but here in Norway, my mom searched and booked everything for our Holy Week trip. Two months ago, she already booked Ålbyggården for our accommodation in Røros. I immediately checked for photos and reviews but information are very limited so I just waited for our Easter staycation so I can see the place. 



Our expected arrival is past 12NN and I think the check-in time is 4PM so my mom messaged the owner if we can check-in early or if we can leave our luggage. The owner agreed that we can leave our luggage but we can’t check-in yet because they have to clean the place.



From Røros train station, we walked straight to the Ålbyggården, from what I’ve read, it is near the famous church in Røros. True enough, our accommodation is just beside the church and cemetery. 



Upon arrival, my mom called the owner that we’re already outside and we were surprised when he ushered us to this old house, behind the white house. Waah! We thought we’re going to stay in the white house but we were all wrong. We just left our luggage and then we looked for a restaurant where we could eat our lunch. 



On the way to the restaurant, we were teasing my mom that she booked a barn. She was not expecting an old house too because it is not the pictures that we’ve seen on the internet. 

Anyway, we were able to check-in as early as 2PM. As the quote says, “Do not judge a book by its cover”. Our accommodation is not a barn, yes it is an old house because Røros is considered a living museum so locals tried their best to protect and preserve the old wooden buildings and even houses.

Ålbyggården is a holiday apartment so it is ideal for big groups or family like us. There are two rooms, one toilet, one bathroom and fully equipped kitchen. I was not able to take pictures immediately, so medyo magulo na yung house nung nakunan ko. Hehehe! Sharing with you the photos.

First floor 

Upon entering the house, you will immediately see this piano, toilet and there is also washing machine if you want to wash your clothes, though we haven’t tried it since we only stayed for one night.




At the left side is the door to the first room where the bathroom is also located.





Second floor 

At the right side is the stairs to the second floor where you can see the kitchen and one single bed. 





Since we have fully equipped kitchen, we brought and cooked our own food. This is a big saving because we don’t need to eat at the restaurants. And one more thing, we’re not sure if restaurants are also open all the time. Even Røros is a tourist place, you can’t expect that stores, restaurants and other establishments are open. Yes, here in Norway, most of the establishments are closed during the holiday, unlike in the Philippines. 

If you need blanket and towels, you need to pay additional KR100 per person. My mom availed that so we don't need to bring blankets and towels. My family + my mom occupied the second floor. 







The apartment has good location too because it is near the popular tourist attractions and we have a nice view of Røros main street. 



Check-out time is 12NN but they allowed us to stay until our 4PM train ride since no one would occupy the house. Yey! Overall, we enjoyed our stay in Ålbyggården so if you are looking for a holiday apartment in Røros, I recommend this place.

Whenever we travel, one thing that concerns me is food because I’m not adventurous in trying new foods and I love Filipino cuisines. Yes, love your own. I’m not sure yet if I can live outside the Philippines for so long because for sure, mamimiss ko ang pagkain.


Asian store is very important to Filipinos who work or live outside the Philippines because they have the chance to buy foods from their home country. When I was packing for our Norway trip, I was telling my mom that I will bring this and that. She said, no need to bring anything because we can buy in Norway naman and hindi naman daw niya kami gugutumin. 



I did not listen to her because I know how expensive the foods in Europe so I brought foods from the Philippines, hanggat kasya sa luggage namin. Hehehe! Tinatawanan na lang ko ng nanay ko sa dami ng dala namin na groceries from the Philippines.



Last Saturday, we dropped by at Asiamat Brekstad before going to Melissa. It was my first time there, before there is no Asian store in Ørland and my mom needed to go to Trondheim just to buy foods from Asia.

Asia + Mat (food)



The size of the store is like 7-11, I was happy to see different products from Asia, nakakamiss din makita yun pagkain natin. So we bought vegetables, tomato sauce, macapuno, nata de coco and many more. I saw Lucky Me Pancit Canton and it is NOK10 per piece, buti na lang nagdala ko nito kasi x5 ang price.

Update April 2019: I went back to Norway and I was surprised when I learned that this Asian Store is already closed. 

The cost of foods and drinks in other countries is way too expensive if we will compare it to the Philippines. You really need to allot a budget if you are traveling, especially if you will always eat in a restaurant.


For our summer vacation this year, we are lucky that we stay at my mom’s place so we don’t have a problem with our food and drinks. Eating out is not on our agenda because we can just buy and cook the food we like. 


Food tripping in Ørland Kommune is not a usual thing because they only have a few restaurants here. The majority of the people cook or bake their own food at home. But yesterday, we had our chance to try one of the restaurants in Brekstad. I was supposed to cook sinigang for our lunch but thanks to my aunt. She called my mom yesterday and she said, she will treat us to lunch. Yey! So off we went to Melissa.


Melissa is one of the restaurants in Brekstad Norway, they serve Italian food so we don’t have a problem in choosing foods. Browsing the menu is not a dilemma too because my mom can translate it. Lol 


We all know that food serving in other countries is huge so if we (2 adults + 1 kid) are traveling, as much as possible, we only buy two meals and share-share na lang. But here in Norway, I always order from the kid’s menu. Hehehe! Sa height kong ito, lagi ako napagkakamalan na kid sa train, boat and restaurant. I also ordered from the kid's menu when we ate at Peder Hiort Marthus.

Read: Peder Hiort Marthus Restaurant

Beef with Bernaise Sauce, Chips and Salad

Fishing in Norway is part of their lifestyle because most people live near the sea, fjord, lakes, or rivers. I am fortunate to experience fishing during my first visit so it is on my bucket list to have fishing adventures in Norway with my family.


I mentioned in one of my posts that my son wanted to experience fishing and we were lucky to experience that when we went to Macampao Beach and Leisure Farm. But fishing in Norway is a different experience because we are going to ride the yacht.


I thought that having sunny weather is already a good time to fish but I was wrong. There are a lot of things to consider when fishing, the weather should not be windy and the temperature should not be too cold. We will not enjoy fishing if we are freezing outside the boat and how can we catch a fish if we cannot stay long outside.

From day one, I was praying for good weather so my husband can experience fishing before he goes back to the Philippines. So on day 5, I was glad when my mom told me that our itinerary for that day is “fishing”. Yehey!

Watch the video here.

Even though it is already Spring season in Norway, the weather feels like winter, so we need to wear thick clothes like the overall dress, 3 to 4 layers of clothing, a scarf, and gloves.

I was excited to ride my stepdad’s yacht because it would be my first time. During our first visit, they only had a small boat with no roof, but this time, level up na. For safety, we need to wear life vests or floaters.

We only have two fishing rods, so we took turns. I was lucky again because I was the first one who catch a fish. Fish in Norway is big, hindi yan katulad nung bangus na nahuli namin sa Macampao. Hehehe! You can catch cod, trout, salmon, halibut, mackerel, and many more. If you catch small fish, you need to return it back to the sea.

Though there are so many fish in the sea, pana-panahon din yan, so after two hours, we’re fortunate to catch 3 codfish. Other people spent 3 hours but did not catch any fish. We stopped fishing because we were hungry already.


On the boat, you need to clean the fish and throw the gills and intestines back into the sea. While cleaning the fish, birds will go near the boat because they will eat the gills and intestines. It was nice to see the seagulls.



On our way home, my stepdad taught my husband to drive the boat, so he was in charge of going back to the port. But of course, he could not do the parking yet, so my stepdad parked the boat. I had the same experience before, but it was only a small boat, moving right and left lang ang ginagawa ko. Hehehe!

Trollskogen

On our fourth day, we went to Trollskogen or Troll Forest which is located near the Lerberen mountain. You can see the Futura Barnehage or Future Kindergarten on your way to Trollskogen. 


Preschool kids here in Norway enjoy school because they also believe in learning through play. Kids can stay almost whole day in school without getting bored because they have so many indoor and outdoor activities. Opening hour is 7:00 to 4:30PM 


When my sister was in preschool, she goes to Barnehage so my mom can work. So when we went to Norway, we did not take care of her because she goes to school and my mom will pick her up after her work. There is no reason for you to be a full-time mom for so long because you can arrange your schedule. 



Kids are lucky to have a big playground near the school. Trollskogen has a small pond, bonfire, small shelter, and Tarzan forest. There are climbing ropes and climbing frames where kids can play.


It was Holy Thursday so there is no school when we went here. The temperature is below zero degrees so you will notice that the pond turned into ice. My son enjoyed throwing stones so he can crack the ice. 

Watch the video here. 

Lerberen Folkehelsepark 

As I mentioned, Trollskogen is near Lerberen mountain so we also went here. Lerberen is considered a Public Health Park so they are still planning to expand the area for the benefit of the public. The place is free so it is a popular hiking area for people who want to get fit and improve their health. 



If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I don’t have an active lifestyle. Iisipin ko pa lang mag-exercise, napapagod na ko so when we went here at Lerberen Folkehelsepark, ramdam ko yung pagod sa pag-akyat. 

Nagtungkod

My husband and son found a stick and they use it as a staff. My son does not have an active lifestyle too so on our way to the top, he was complaining already. We just kept on telling him na malapit na. hehehe! 

Austrått is located in Opphaug Norway which is just a few minutes' drive from Brekstad. It is a nice place to visit because you can see the old manor, fort, grove, and beach. The best part is, it is free.