Those Gorgeous Walks

The food has been so fantastic and yet, by now, I've dropped 3kg! It's crazy. The belt loop literally has to be tightened by one notch. It's not a matter of how much I ate, but rather, what I ate and how awesome it is to breathe the incredibly unpolluted air. The girlfriend has been feeding me loads. But we also walked miles. Walks in the city, walks by the lake, walks in the woods and everywhere. Squeezed in early morning runs, and also did a zillion stretches and pretzel twists in the room. Not keen to enrol in a pilates studio this round when the two decent ones that I spied aren't located near a train station.

I live in a city. When on vacation, I prefer to see more than skyscrapers. On work trips, one doesn't have a choice; being able to get out of the boardroom once in a bit is considered lucky. The last round in a boardroom, I felt so stifled that I had to be firm and tell everyone I was gonna get out for a cup of coffee, 'don't even call me in that 45 minutes when I'm gone'. Haven't needed to do that these few weeks. On work trips, a pair of Vibrams is always packed in case I could get some fresh air during a quiet moment. In Norway, only a pair of DocMarts and walking shoes have been brought over. Whatever else needed have been shamelessly stolen from the girlfriend's wardrobe.

The weather's been alternating between sunshine and gloom, reminding us to treasure those summer days. But it doesn't really matter. The schedule's so packed that I can't be waiting for sunshine then plan a walk. I'm just going schedule the walk and get prepared for rain. Once I put on that windbreaker with a hood, no venue is impossible. The rain here isn't like a tropical thunderstorm where one gets soaking wet in three minutes. It's more of a steady light drizzle; it's easy to walk between access points and the trees provide a decent shelter. Most importantly, my backpack is water-resistant and the gadgets have been sealed inside weather-proof pouches. (Haizzz, don't remind me of my waterlogged Macbook. Sob.)

Along the 16-km long Storelva which goes into the Drammenselva (Drammen River), it's super scenic, at least to a city girl who doesn't get to see rivers and mountains often. Nearby is Haugfossen, or Haug Waterfall which generated electricity for the cobalt mines in the olden days. Being among nature makes me want to do cartwheels. Had fun walking along the pebbled rocky banks of the little river before the rain clouds rolled in.