Tuesday

The next day started like any other with a very good breakfast in our accommodation. Then we walked to the school, where we set off together with the Norwegians on an hour and a half long drive to the artillery battery-austratt fort. During the journey we changed not only the altitude but also the weather. We were able to experience snowstorms, rain, beautiful sunny, but also cloudy skies in a relatively short time. The journey through the blizzard was accompanied by a bit of fear, wondering if this might be the place where we would stop and have to get off. After we arrived at the spot and shocked our guide with the fact that she would have to use English (which is what the commentary looked like), we headed straight for the battery. In the next hour or so, we walked around both the surrounding area and the fort itself, where the crew that managed the battery was based. Everyone took away something from the tour. Some were interested in statistical facts, others in facts about the life of the people in the fortress, both the crew and the prisoners. Then we moved to a nearby village where we went to the museum. It surprised and intrigued us with its current exhibition. The entire exhibit was dedicated to an artist who expressed her views through patterns or paintings in handmade carpets. Even though we learned how the carpets were created or how she prepared her paints, what struck us most was that her opinions were often of a protest nature. One such carpet took about a year to make, but that never deterred her. So after a very interesting visit to the museum we moved to a remote village where we had lunch together, followed by a small local museum about fishing. There we learnt all about the history of fishing in Norway, which was interesting in itself, but it was the views and stories of our guide that interested us the most. I think we can say that fishing was and still is his whole life. A short break after the museum visit allowed us to see the beautiful mountains surrounding the village on the outskirts. This was followed by a return to our accommodation where we then had a short break. We soon moved on to a shared dinner where we were again able to exchange experiences and views with our Norwegian counterparts, bringing our day to a close.
Roman O.