NORWAY - I've been to Hell and back

Well today folks I've been to Hell and back and if you don't believe me I have the ticket to prove it.

This afternoon I boarded a 2 car diesel train for the 30 minute journey north from Trondheim, which was really nice as the line followed the Trondheimsfjord most of the way along the waters edge, eventually dropping me off at the village of Hell.

In addition to the station name there is the added complication that in Norwegian the word for freight where would we say "goods" is spelt "gods" which gives another interesting sign on the former freight office. 

So now I have been to Hell I can confirm that contrary to the propaganda, Hell is actually 3.9 metres above sea level and being in Norway does freeze over in winter. It is actually a very nice place, although like so many nice places is blighted by traffic. I can also confirm that there is a Co-op in Hell so anyone planning to go there for a long period will not starve. 

I did look for an embassy or diplomatic mission from the other side but there didn't seem to be one so for the record there is no church in Hell. There is church, which I walked to, in the adjacent settlement of Lanke. 

The jokes of course only work for English speakers, the name originates from the old Norse "hellir" which means "overhang" presumably from the hills above the village. In normal Norwegian the word "hell" actually means "happiness, success, luck" (depending on context) so has very positive connotations. Be warned though, if you now say to me "That'll happen when Hell freezes over" I'll put it in my diary for sometime in early January.