Rjukan

Christmas this year was in Norway - our third trip here after 'whaling' in Tysfjord and 'fjording' in Bergen. I told KL we could go anywhere as long as there is a white Christmas - trust him to find Europe's premiere ice-climbing venue!

Rjukan is a small town in the shadows of Gaustatoppen, the highest mountain in Southern Norway.


The vibrantly coloured cabins at Rjukan-Hytteby where we stayed over the Christmas and New Year period.


Quaint as it is, Rjukan is unfortunately located in a valley that receives absolutely no sunshine over the winter months, hence the ideal ice-climbing conditions. We were greeted by a chilly -9 degrees on the first night and it dipped down to a low -15 degrees the following night.


Cold as it was, KL carried on climbing leaving me to take on the role of bread-winner! What can a girl do but to pick up her mini fishing rod and drill a hole in the frozen Lake Mosvatn to fish for trouts! Ice-fishing is a common past-time amongst the residents here, although I was constant restless at the thought of falling into the freezing lake if the ice were to crack open below me!


The winter months left us only with 6 hours of day light and the nights were spent with candle lit dinner and scrabble sessions.


For you history buffs, Rjukan was the scene of one of the most exciting saboteur activities during the Second World War. By raiding the hydro electric plant that supplied heavy water(picture below), the Norwegian saboteurs stopped the Nazi's plans to make an atom bomb. It is now a musuem.


There's something about the snow that just warms the heart. I reckon we'll be back here again.