What if I told you there was a village in Norway where you could eat dinner with a panoramic view of Europe’s largest glacier?

Or where you can experience glaciers, fjords, and mountains at the same time, all in a single hike?

Or where you can enjoy a serene, non-strenuous bike ride through a town that is positively obsessed with books?

It’s real, and it’s the Norwegian town of Fjaerland.

With a population of only 275, this majestic wonderland is primed for exploration – whether it’s hiking the mountains, walking the glaciers, or kayaking the fjords. Over 100 species of birds pass through during seasonal migration with about 50 distinct species nesting in the area, and the exquisite scenery provides the ultimate backdrop for a relaxing stay in one of the area’s historic inns.

And what about the books!? Fjaerland is Norway’s Book Town where dozens of outlets sell secondhand books from a variety of locations from ferry waiting rooms and barns, to banks and post offices!

Tell me another place where one can enjoy an authentic Norwegian dinner while looking at Jostedalsbreen (European mainland’s largest glacier) and flipping through the pages of a book you didn’t realize was a romance novel because you haven’t opened your Babbel in weeks and your Norwegian Bokmål is rusty.

You won’t find it.

But I did.

Fjaerland is the most recent destination I’ve reached on the Oppdrag: Norge project, and as per usual, we’ve celebrated with a feast.

The menu follows, as does my slightly modified workout program.

Menu:

Cocktail: nei – In case you didn’t know, Katie is pregnant 😃I had a room-temperature La Croix straight out of the can.

Hoverdrett (Main Course): Sosekjøtt with Spring Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I will forever love the simplicity of authentic Norwegian cooking. This dish took about three hours to make, but the effort was almost zero!

I started with 2.2-lbs of venison steak we procured from my family’s farm and seared it all up in a dutch oven with some butter, salt, and pepper. A very simple roux was made with butter and flour, beef broth was added, then back in goes the steak. I added an onion and a single bay leaf before letting it simmer for two hours.

The result was melt-in-your-mouth tender venison steak swimming in a thick, incredibly rich brown gravy. 

Equally simple were the potatoes. I used some sweet potatoes from our garden and didn’t really do anything special – a simple boil in salted water, then mashed with milk and butter. The potatoes came to life, however, with the addition of a bit of s&p, a healthy dose of fresh dill, some mixed vegetables, and green onions.

The dill in the potatoes was unexpected but delightful. These were definitely sweet potatoes overall, but the added greenery gave them a spring-like touch that was unique, but delicious.

Dessert: Brunostkrem-pai (Brown Cheese Cream Pie)

This was an easy 10/10.

I’d used brunost once before in a savory dish, but while learning about the ingredient, it seems it’s just as often used in sweets. It’s basically caramel cheese, so it makes sense. I was intrigued and more than ready to give it a go.

This is where I’ll also say that I’m not much for making homemade pie crusts. Mostly because I’m not very good at it. I told a coworker that I was happy this pie was intended to be a little rustic because my pie crust was going to be rustic whether I wanted it to be or not.

As it turns out, this was probably the best pie crust I’ve ever made! And the custard filling was also a pretty run-of-the-mill custard like you’d make for ice cream with the addition of shredded brunost. Once melted, it all went into my cooled pie crust and chilled overnight. Then, just about 10 minutes before serving, I (literally) whipped up some homemade whipped cream to go on the top, then finished with grated fresh brunost.

It’s a beautiful pie and I loved every part of it! The layers are very pretty, the crust is thick and biscuit-like, the custard is creamy and not too sweet, then the whipped cream is just the perfect airy touch. I kind of want to keep this recipe in my back pocket for when I need to contribute something to a pot-luck and want to steer left of center.

(When do I not?)

Anyway, let’s now talk fitness:

I haven’t totally changed my workout plan, but I’ve made a few alterations:

1. I replaced my leg-day core exercises with abductor / adductor sets at the recommendation of my massage therapist. It’s an attempt to correct some underactivity in my inner thighs.
2. Daily foam rolling & mobility work – and I haven’t skipped! This is also at the recommendation of my massage therapist and largely focused on the same issue.
3. Since I removed my core work from my workouts proper, I’ve added two core sessions throughout the week, noted below.
4. I’ve replaced one of my back exercises with a pull-up progression that I’ll be doing on upper-body days.
5. I’m doing a different, trackable cardio session each day, noted below.

New additions will be noted with an asterisk.

Monday: Strength Training – Lower-Body Focus A + HIIT Cardio

Barbell Squat: 3 x 10
Leg Curls: 3 x 15 + Drop Set
Leg Extension: 3 x 15 + Drop Set
Calf Press: 3 x 20
*Hip Adductions: 3 x 12
*Hip Abductions: 3 x 12
*15 Minute HIIT on Spin Bike
*Foam Rolling & Mobility

*Monday Night: Core

*Crunch: 3 x 12
*Mountain Climber: 3 x 12
*Russian Twist: 3 x 12
*Lying Leg Raise: 3 x 12
*Plank: 3 x 60s

Tuesday: Strength Training – Upper-Body Focus A + HIIT Cardio

Incline Barbell Bench Press: 3 x 10
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row: 3 x 12
Seated Barbell Overhead Press: 3 x 10
*Scapular Pull-Ups: 2 x 10
*Assisted Pull-Ups: 4 x 10
*Dead Hangs: 2 x Failure
*Tricep Rope Pushdown: 3 x 12 + Drop Set
Dumbbell Bicep Curls: 3 x 12 + Drop Set
*Rowing Machine: 10-12 Minutes of Intervals
*Foam Rolling & Mobility

*Wednesday: Running

*2-Mile Intervals Run
*Foam Rolling & Mobility

Thursday: Strength Training Upper-Body Focus B + C25K Run

Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 x 10
Chest-Supported Incline Row: 3 x 10
Lateral Raise: 3 x 15
*Scapular Pull-Ups: 2 x 10
*Assisted Pull-Ups: 5 x 3-5
*Slow Negative Pull-Ups: 3 x 1
Cable Overhead Tricep Extension: 3 x 12 + Drop Set
*Rope Hammer Curl: 3 x 12 + Drop Set
*Stair Master: 10-15 Minutes Steady
*Foam Rolling & Mobility

*Thursday Night: Core

*Circuit x 3
*Crunch: 30s
*Mountain Climber: 30s
*Russian Twist: 30s
*Lying Leg Raise: 30s
*Plank: 60s

Friday: Strength Training – Lower Body Focus B + HIIT Cardio

Leg Press: 3 x 20
Straight-Leg Deadlift: 3 x 10
Dumbbell Walking Lunge: 3 x 10
Calf Raise: 3 x 20
*Hip Adductions: 3 x 12
*Back Hyperextensions 3 x 12
*15 Minutes Steady on Elliptical
*Foam Rolling & Mobility

Saturday: Run

5K Run
*Foam Rolling & Mobility

Sunday: Rest

*Foam Rolling & Mobility

I’m actually LOVING this program now. Let’s see how long I last before I change something else (facepalm). Anyway, here’s the final tracker for the Fjaerland leg.

Road Trip Tracker
Road Trip Mileage	Total Mileage	Percentage Complete
1,284.37	820.320516	63.87%
Miles to Fjaerland	Leg Mileage	Percentage Complete
110.604	112.336108	101.57%
Date	Type	Distance (Miles)
2/23	Cycle	4.45
2/24	Run	2.3
2/26	Run	2.4
2/27	Cycle	4.29
2/28	Run	2.2
3/2	Cycle	4.23
3/3	Run	2.29
3/5	Run	2.2
3/6	Cycle	2.5
3/17	Run	2.1
3/19	Run	2
3/24	Run	1.5
3/26	Stairmaster	0.19
3/27	Elliptical	1.25
3/30	Cycle	4.1
3/31	Row	0.683508
4/1	Run	2
4/2	Stairmaster	0.13
4/3	Elliptical	1.26
4/6	Cycle	4.29

Only 67.7295 miles to Flåm! 

Alltid Videre!

-JTF