- You have Finse, says hotel manager Merete Aalskog (33).
- And then - there's the rest of the world.
Finse is "the different community" halfway between east and west. You notice it once you arrive at the platform. In the tiny community on the Hardangervidda the Bergen Railway Line is the vain of the society and the only means of transportation (except hiking or biking). The train between Oslo and Bergen stops three to four times a day at the highest station in Norway. Here the forces of nature and silence dominate. Merete Aalskog, is the general manager of the hotel Finse1222, the cornerstone business of the small mountain society.
She looks happy.
- When the guests disappear into the train, I feel privileged to be allowed stay put on the platform and wait for new ones to arrive.
It was in fact the rest of the world that should have been the young sociologist workplace. Her master's thesis was written in India, where she focused on western values. It was a coincidence that she ended up working in Finse. She held the job as a receptionist one summer, while she searched for work in aid organizations. Now she has become the general manager of the hotel, and is resident for her eighth year in a row.
- Finse changes people. Why? It is difficult to put into words. The nature is unique, the hotel has a soul, everyone who works here are passionate about preserving both the place and the unique atmosphere. It is not obvious that there should be a hotel here.
Finse1222 admits that they have a particular appeal to a certain type of people. The hotel is functional, but there will always remain a litte renovation. The posters are handwritten. People go with fleece jackets and ski boots in the dining room. The slightly rough, informal, personal style is Finse's signature. It's in style with nature, which is both magnificent and powerful up here.
- We try to be more than a hotel. Finse1222 is a destination that offers adventure, both through guided schemes through tours with companies such as Jøklagutane or Kite Brothers - and by being a good basecamp for outdoorsmen and -women that prefer to explore the nature on their own. In winter we focus on the ski sailing and mountain skiing. In summer we offer the glacier and mountain biking on Rallarvegen. And hiking of course. Finse is a perfect starting point for walking tours, both down the amazing Aurland Valley, the Skarvheimen mountains and in the Hardangervidda National Park.
- What other places would you recommend in Fjord Norway?
- I would recommend to experience Romsdalen in combination with Raumabanen, for example a round trip arranged by the company 62Nord. I love to climb and grew up in Volda - and I think Molladalen in Sunnmørsalpene is the world's most beautiful valley. Otherwise, we have great places nearby. Aurlandsdalen - the hiking trail from Geiteryggen via Østerbø to Aurland is a classic. Or to go from Finse, over the glacier plateau west, to Rembesdalshytta and down the beautiful and lush Simadalen to Eidfjord by the Hardangerfjord.