Caught up in the hustle of travelling around Europe and getting back home I totally forgot about the posts that were promised, but hey, let’s start with Norway!
It doesn’t matter how long or short my stays in Norway are… it’s always going feel like home, and leaving is always just as hard. It never feels like I’ve had enough time here.
Travel partner number uno!
I think the hardest part is missing my family, but also my childhood home, all the memories I was brought up with, the familiar sights, smells and flavors. My friends. The feeling of a system that truly works. Strict rules and stiff prices set a side, I consider myself quite lucky to come from and having been born and raised in this beautiful country. I always find it more exciting coming here on holiday, especially when bringing Tom along, as he’s a tourist, meaning I have to think of amazing places to show him. My dad was the best when it came to taking us around all of Norway as kids, so I’m pretty much reliving and showing off my childhood memories to Tom. But I also get the opportunity to explore the unseen, which is awesome. Also, experiencing things as an adult gives you a totally different perspective than when you were young.
Our cabin in the woods. One of my fave places during the summer months. So isolated.
So far I’ve taken Tom north to Tromsø for dog sledding and searching for the northern lights, we’ve also walked the streets of little Bodø before travelling on Hurtigruta to beautiful Lofoten. Lofoten during winter time is amazing, but you have to rent a car to drive around the island to get the most of it. And make sure to figure out when the sun rises and sets, because you’ll only have around 4 hours with a clear view. Last year we did the most beautiful road trip I can think of, driving up to Åndalsnes past the famous “Trollstigen” and “Troll wall” before setting up tent in the stunning Geiranger Fjords, we also witnessed the gorgeous Seven Sisters Waterfall while exploring the fjords by boat. We continued by chilling out by the beautiful lakes of Stryn and made a little detour to camp out around Jostedalsbreen to go kayaking and glacier walking in “Styggevatnet”. You need to save up a bit if you want to do several planned activities in Norway, but trust me, it’s all worth it! We also made a trip to Bergen, Voss and the famous Borgund Stave Church. You can see more photos and how to do the same roadtrip here. I love travelling around Norway.
Love the architecture of Oslo
This year around we decided to try spending more time with friends and family as last year, we managed to book our trip while nobody was home. We started off in Oslo visiting my aunt and catching up with friends and family there. We normally only go for a couple of days, but since we planned a 1 month trip this year we managed to squeeze in almost a full week in Oslo. Oslo is a fantastic city during the summer months, and there’s so many nice places to eat and drink.
Oslo vibes
I also love how the weather and distance makes it perfect to walk everywhere. This time we visited Taco Republica for Oslo’s best tacos and they were extremely tasty, we were also introduced to amazing burgers at Kverneriet (Burgers) in Majorstuen, both of them must-visits if you’re a food lover like myself! The list of great bars and places with craft and draft beers are endless. Oslo makes beer drinking fun! I think our favourite place must have been Kulturhuset, I can’t remember how many beers they had on draft, but I can promise you they have something for your taste and something you’ve never tasted. The upstairs is lined up with games like shuffle board, table tennis and foosball tables- in other words PLAYTIME. Just how I like it!
Preikestolen with Sandra<3
We found a great deal for tickets to Stavanger as well, and were so lucky to crash with our lovely Norwegian friend Sandra (which we actually first met back home in Bangkok). We rented a car from the app “Nabobil”, highly recommended if you want to rent a car at a good price and drove up to hike the Pulpit Rock. The ferry leaves every 30 minutes, not far from city center and is a 45 minute ride followed by another 30 minute drive before you reach the starting point and parking. The hike up and down will take you a total of 2 hours if you add some speed to it, but the average time is 4 hours so keep that in mind if you are travelling as a family or haven’t been trekking much before. Stavanger is such a pretty city so make sure you have some time to walk around the old town, enjoy a nice meal at the water front or just walking around the streets for shopping and photos. It’s very picturesque!
Love this shot from Pulpit Rock!
Trekking and nature is a must when visiting Norway.
I’ve already started planning for our trip home for Christmas and New Years. Can’t I haven’t been home for two Christmases already. Insane! Crossing my fingers for a white Christmas. <3
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