I’m home again after a weekend getaway with my friend Ane. With a tent, home made food, and backpack, we set out to explore Ålesund, Giske, and Alnes.
For every trip I go on, I learn something new. This road trip taught me three things:
– It’s important to wait patiently in life for good, healthy, soulmate friends to arrive.
– An adventure doesn’t have to be long or far away from home to be of inspiration.
– Pure joy is the small pleasures, such as a deep talk, waking up to ocean breeze, and a cup of tea made by your friend.
Ferry ride and love talk
Ane and I met up at Fole Godt to grab a cup of chai/coffee with us. Further on we took the ferry from Molde to Vestnes, sitting on the windy roof-top while chitchatting about life & love, watching our home city go by.
Ecological dinner stop at Søstrene Fryd
When we arrived Ålesund, it was for sure time for some dinner. Because both of us are vegetarian and working on going vegan, we searched for a ecological restaurant. The best one we could find that had a cozy vibe, was Søstrene Fryd. Located in the city centre of Ålesund, we parked 10 minutes away from the restaurant, to take a casual walk as well. Ålesund has got a great vintage architecture style with mostly colorful houses. The city has got some hills as well, making the vibe really cool. When we arrived the restaurant, we ordered a vegan burger at Søstrene Fryd and I of course had to try the ginger juice.
View of Ålesund from Aksla
When in Ålesund, it’s a must do to see the city from above from Aksla. I don’t know about you, but heights really make my heart beat and I feel little and big in this world at the same time.. We went up there around 9-10pm, and was therefore lucky enough to see the sunset that was kind of purple-ish (yes, it’s never dark here in the summer time). We met some Americans, had a chat, and watched the sunset turn into night time.
Tenting on Giske
We had no clue on where to tent and where to go, and so we just drove until we found a spot our souls connected with. After a bit of driving and some good indie songs later, we found the flat island of Giske. Just there, as we passed a bridge, we found an idyllic spot that smelled sea weed where we could tent just by the beach. Here, we could fall asleep to the sound of the ocean.
As I woke up, I could hear a distant voice of Ane saying: “Want some tea?” She had already gotten up while I feel in and out of sleep. Together, we had breakfast inside of the tent because the rain kept coming. Tea with honey and focaccia with avocado – the perfect minimalistic combo for a tenting breakfast if you ask me.
After a satisfying and memorable breakfast and having packed our tent, we set off towards Alnes. To get there we had to go through a tunnel that was closed for an hour or two. Therefore, we spent the time wisely and went for a walk on the tip of Giske island while waiting. We got the opportunity to see horse riders, cows, and I even found the most beautiful little bird feather along the way..
Alnes lighthouse, art, and cafe
Finally, we arrived Alnes. This is a small village in Giske Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county. It is located on the north side of the island of Godøya. My first impression was simply “wow”..
We had set our mind to explore everything the village had to offer. That included the Alnes lighthouse and the nature surroundings.
Alnes lighthouse was established in 1852 to guide fishing boats safely to the harbor of the small fishing community of Alnes on Godøy island. Just by the Alnes lighthouse, we found the art center that had an art collection and a cafe in it. The architecture of the art center reflected the landscape of the ocean; built pretty much with the look of a wave.
Alnes beach
For me, the highlight of our visit was walking on Alnes beach. I don’t know, but I just feel this deep and genuine connection with the ocean. It’s like I can always just come and surrender whenever I’m by the ocean, because the ocean is always true, honest, and real. When we went down there, we decided to go back to the beach in the evening to take a refreshing dip, but first we wanted to get the heat by hiking up to see the view of this beautiful place!
Alnes hike
Both Ane and I felt as though we hadn’t seen it all despite seeing the Alnes lighthouse, the cafe, and the beach. There was still something left to see, namely the view of it all. We parked by the road and went for a quick 30-minute hike up to the view point. And wow, was all I had to say. From there, you could see the nearby islands, such as the bird island of Runde, and of course Giske and Ålesund that we came from. Would recommend people to bring a tent up to this viewpoint because there’s several spots that’s sheltered and have got a great view.
& The essential dip
Yes, yes, yes! Can’t even put into words how refreshing the dip was after our hike. Ane and I talked about how refreshing it feels and how much of a confidence boost you get from an adrenaline activity like taking a cold plunsssh.. Not only are there plenty of mental and physical health benefits that come with it, it’s also extremely fun! I just let the photos talk for now.. Just look how happy our faces are!
Homebound
On our way home to my place, we decided to take a different and longer route than we normally would have taken. We drove through the spectacular Åndalsnes area and made several stops to see all of the Saint John’s Eve fires along the way (We celebrate that the sun sets on 23rd of June). When we came home, we made ourselves some Indian food and watched Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Couldn’t be a better way to end this weekend, hey?
When was the last time you went for a weekend getaway and how refreshing did it feel?
