Christian von Krogh [dot com]

Pictures

(August 2005) Another legendary trip to the Norwegian crown jewel. For the first time in 10 years I brought a digital camera! Maybe next time I'll bring working batteries too!

Route:

Day 1: Two of us arrive with bus from Oslo to Gjendesheim, then took a waiting boat over Gjende to Gjendebu. The remaining four went from Bergen by car, before going in pouring rain from Fondsbu to Gjendebu. Dinner is worth mentioning: After changing management a few years ago, Gjendebu now offers what is possibly the most delicious meal in Jotunheimen.
Day 2: Trek to Juvasshytta. We almost blew off the cliff just above the lodge! Still raining, although temperature is good. OK, I have to admit dinner was even better at Juvasshytta - duck with mushrooms. This was worthy of a high class restaurant - including the small serving. (Nothing a cold beer could not repair afterwards...)
Day 3: Arghh! More rain and fog, so we cancelled the glacier and went to Olavsbu. Finally some sun later in the day! This time we had to make dinner ourselves!
Day 4: Olavsbu - Fondsbu. Weather was ok. Bus to Oslo / car to Bergen.

[view pictures]

(September 2005) While having fun at a gocart track, a college friend and I decided to visit the upcoming race at Monza.

Friday: Flight from Oslo to Milan via Brussels.
Saturday: Formula 1 Qualifications and a visit to San Siro.
Sunday: Formula 1 Race + Duomo.
Monday: Back to Oslo via Brussels again.

GP2 and Porsche Supercup races were included in the tickets too; both on Saturday and Sunday.

There are at least two ways to get to the Monza Autodrome: Either by train to Monza station, then by bus (which is free) to the Autodrome area. Or: Take another train directly to the Autodrome station. In either case (we tried both) it took us over one hour to get from the hotel to the perimeter around the Autodrome area. Then another hour's worth of walking through the Autodrome to get to our seats!!!

We also visited San Siro - home of AC Milan and Inter Milan - and Milan's tourist magnet number one: The Duomo. The church took 420 years to build, and the marble was transported from the quarry to Milan using custom built canals. The roof supposedly has a great view over the city... Be sure to try italian ice cream and cappuccino before you leave.

[view pictures]

Movies (yes, I know the quality sucks):

Formula 1 Qualification test lap. [watch movie] (5.1MB)
Formula 1 Qualification (The car does about 340 km/t before braking). [watch movie] (4.0MB)
Porsche Supercup, moments after the start. [watch movie] (4.1MB)
Formula 1 Race, moments after the start. [watch movie] (10.7MB)
Mr. "Ferguson" and I contemplate our experiences while inspecting the tarmac. [watch movie] (13.1MB)
One of the many helicopters at Monza take off. [watch movie] (5.8MB)