A long weekend in March called for a long daytrip. I always wanted to visit the shiny silver elk statue in the middle of Norway, a.k.a. Storelgen, which literally means “the big elk”. It’s standing by the Storelvdalsveien (road) in Hedmark, 10.3 meters in height, and built between 2015-2019 by artist Linda Bakke. The drive took 3 hours, 40 minutes of winding roads surrounded by Norwegian winter scenery.

As we were nearing the destination, the weather became a little bit windier and gloomier. There was little to no traffic, the houses built far apart from each other, and we saw a couple of old bridges. The colorful elk horns hanging on towering trees, which by the way were no longer snow-coated, provided a contrast to the almost black and white landscape.

Later on, we reached the Storelgen, standing proud on thick ice. We were the only ones in the vicinity on a cold Saturday midday.

I could imagine the shiny structure to reflect the beautiful surrounding in summer! In winter, it was mostly white. There was a toilet building and picnic tables in the area, as well as a parking space. The big statue and the tall trees gave a breath of fresh air.

We were halfway to Trondheim, but we had to turn back because of the kitts. On the way, we stopped by the city of Elverum. It has around 20,500 inhabitants. On that day, we didn’t realize that the city was holding its annual public market, called the Grundsetmartn. It has been going on every March since 400 years ago. It seemed very popular, with throngs of people walking through the streets which were lined with kiosks of food, toys, clothes, and other stuff. I wanted to buy some churros, but after sharing some thin-crust pizze for lunch with the hubby, I had to drop the idea of yummy churros.

Logging and forestry is a primary industry in central Norway. In Elverum, one can visit the Norwegian Forestry Museum, or Norsk Skogsmuseum. It has exhibitions educating the public about the forest and its uses, like logging, hunting, and fishing.

Satisfied with the day’s activities, we hurried home to our kitts. But before that, we checked out the Espa boller, or buns being sold in Espa gas station and service center. My husband thought that it became popular because of the many choices, and due to its location. Norwegians traveling northwards or southwards pass by this gas station. And who doesn’t love buns on roadtrips? The funny part is that Espa boller became popular that they started selling merchandise, like shirts, caps, boxer shorts, eyeglasses, etc. We bought some buns in different flavors, and I like them all!

Missy turned 3 y.o., or 28 in human years, on this day as well, so as soon as we got back, we spent time with the kitts, cuddling and watching one of the top 250 IMDB movies. We’re trying to watch them all, and so far had seen: The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather 1 & 2, Batman: The Dark Knight, 12 Angry Men, and Schindler’s List. We have the Lord of the Rings Trilogy coming up next. 🙂 ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ON THIS BLOG ARE MINE.  🙂 #spreadloveandpositivevibes