More Snowy Goodness!

Yesterday, Kevin and I were supposed to go cross country skiing with some friends, but they ended up cancelling because they thought it was too cold. We were disappointed, but we really wanted to go anyway so we bundled up and headed out. I think our Viking transformation is almost complete, if we are able to brave the cold to ski when others huddle inside by the fire! As Kevin said, in our special little brand of pidgin Norwegian, "We out-Norsked the Norskers!" I'm glad we decided to go--it was amazing! Kevin had been cross country skiing years ago in college and I had never gone before. I love to downhill ski, and I generally manage not to fall too much, so I thought, "How hard can it be to ski on flat ground?" The answer is "Very!" I used muscles I didn't even know existed and I had a tough time getting those muscles to cooperate with each other! I even managed to fall a couple of times--I'm still a little puzzled about that, we were on flat ground! Uff da! Even though I was frustrated at times, I had such an incredible time. All the trees were coated in silvery snow, we had a lovely view of Lake Mjosa below, and we almost had the trails to ourselves. Although the weather was very cold, after a few minutes, I was sweating and ready to remove some layers. I think we only skied about 3 or 4 km., but by the end, I was really shaking from the effort. I don't think I have ever been so ravenously hungry, so we feasted on smoked salmon in lompe and Norwegian pancakes with raspberry jam when we got home. Yep, with every day that passes, we become a little more Norwegian!