Going north: Norway!

First things that comes to your mind when you think of Norway: cold, snow, grey sky, blond people or something like that? But that is not the whole reality when you visit this amazing country…

Call me a lucky girl but I met several great Norwegians and always felt very welcome when visiting their country. For the last 20 years, I travelled 6 times to Norway in different seasons and I cannot get enough! Let me tell you why…

                       

Norway is a huge stretched country with only 8 million inhabitants and Oslo as the capital. It is not part of the European Union, it has its own currency and  it has a solid economy based on its oil fields.

The “Nordkap” is the most northern point of Europe and famous of the aurora boreal lights. Along the coastline you find the authentic cities like Kristiansand and Bergen and of course the famous fjords.

Oslo is a friendly city to walk around, enjoy the parks, visit the Nobel museum and the harbour. A visit in spring or summer is really recommendable, when the colours of the nature are spectacular and the Norwegians enjoy their countryside and cottages.

                        

Norway is in the top 5 of “best place to live” in Europe and there are enough reasons for that:

What surprised me the most during my visits is the hospitality of the Norwegians; friendly, easy-going and open-minded people. I felt immediately welcome and that is one of the reasons I kept going back.

Furthermore the Norwegians are very sportive: running, skating, skiing, Nordic ski, fishing and biking is what they do during the whole year. Do you know that from Oslo down-town you can take the tram uphill to ski in the winter?

In a country full of lakes and woods it is obvious you will run into one or more trolls… Do not panic and do not scare them, they are just part of the Norwegian culture… Whether you believe in them or not, you probably end up adopting one as you find these little creatures everywhere in the shops!

                                         

On every trip I made to Norway to visit my Norwegian friends, I have seen new places, tasted new food and met new people. Just make sure you bring your own cigarettes and do not order too much alcohol as the taxes are sky-high on these items!

Norway and the Norwegians are in my heart and if not for the cold and long winters, I would definitely choose Norway as my next country to live in…

For now, I cannot wait to book my next trip to Oslo and enjoy again the fantastic times with my friends!

Is Norway (now) on your bucket list?

 

Keep travelling and till next week!