Weekedn in Nesoddtangen ‒ Oslo fjord

I spend a very relaxing weekend along Oslo fjord.
By the way, there is no fjord, even though the name would suggest so.

I got invited to this place and was told I will only need a toothbrush and my swimming gear. So I packed my bag knowing there will be lots of sun and sea involved.

Before we even got to the cabin, we stopped to swim. It was a warm day; over 30°C and there were plenty of others seeking relief from the heat.

During the weekend we got plenty to eat. Our hosts were very generous and relaxed. They showed around the places and took us swimming where they usually go.

During our evening walk it became clear that this place is something special. I was told how the waterway was the main way to commute as well as to communicate and has only changed in the recent times. This old tradition has still left its mark on the cultural landscape. The shores are characterised by side-by-side built small private cabins, which were earlier used for changing clothes at the time before contemporary bikinis. Each cabin has its private pier. At convenient locations there was also a pier for public use. This was where the "shop" boat would stop and people would gather to get their supplies. These days such piers are common places to go to swim (and jump) for those who don't have their private piers.

In these days, the cabins/piers are places to get together with your family and friends, maybe grill something, possibly even sleep. But they are still used for swimming as well as places to store fishing gear and anchor your boat.

The cottage where we spent our night was a cute small cottage on a hill, on a walking distance from the shore. It was built at a time when Norway was a poor country and building material were scarce. The living room was for example and old wagon, which was modified later to be the core of the cottage. I was also told that at that time (some 100 years ago) floors were usually made in a way that between two wooden floor layers they would put a layer of soil. These days the bottom wooden floor has already collapsed and would need to be repaired at some point. But you would never guess the cottage is actually so old and has history as told. The constant care taking with painting must have had its effect. And I also heard how all different owners had add something new to the cottage, making it bigger, while also restoring it.

On our last day, we went for a last swim, and the locals would show how to jump and do it with style!

On the way home, late in the evening, when the light was already scare, but when you could still see ‒ as you know the nights here (almost 60° North) are light, and total darkness is not something you experience up here at summer ‒ we saw a moose and a baby moose next to the road at the edge of a forest. We were so exited that we went back and tried to see them again. But by the time we got the car turned and got there, they were already gone.

How was your weekend?