Norway
NORWAY: VIKINGS AND DARKNESS AT NOON
Since you asked, I WILL tell you about my childhood, thanks!
My pops spent 2 years preaching the good word in Norway in the 1970’s. So growing up, we heard lots and lots of Norway stories. We saw lots of Norway photos. We heard Norwegian and (even still, at age 34) couldn’t fully believe it was a real language. We always begged daddy dearest to speak Norwegian then laughed like crazy when he did.
My grandpa (his dad) did the same in Tahiti back in the 30s, so I grew up wanting to go to Norway and Tahiti. Outside of the USA, those are pretty much the only places I knew existed, so I was going to go and that was that. (Sadly, as of this writing, I haven’t been to Tahiti…yet).
So yeah, when Caitlin and I planned our first ever trip outside North America over Christmas 2011, I insisted on Oslo, particularly because Europe has so many cheap airlines that it was super easy and cheap to get there. London was great, and before we knew it we were landing in Norway, flying over the ocean with tons of tiny islands and so many trees. It was just starting to get dark… at 2pm.
For a warm weather diva like me, Oslo in December was less than ideal, but I was determined to make it work. Honestly, though, aside from the weirdness of it being dark so early and for so long, it really wasn’t bad. It didn’t snow much while we were there, and we just made the most of the few hours of daylight we did have. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
When Caitlin and I finally decided to do our first trip abroad, we knew we were going to do London, Paris, and parts of Italy. But I insisted on Norway and Caitlin eventually gave into my cries and screams. Prior to booking though, I found a son of the family my dad knew in Oslo in the 70s and emailed him, just asking if he’s still around and if so, could we get lunch or something because I’d love to meet him. And very quickly my mind was blown.
The son, who was just a boy when my dad knew the family, wrote back very quickly and with much more vigor than I anticipated. He was thrilled that we were coming and invited us to stay with him and his family and suggested an itinerary of things we could do while there. Wow! Naturally, we accepted and begged my dad to come with us and re-live his youth and naturally, he said no. Alas. But we had a bloody good time!
So yeah, flying in was cool because it was beautiful and I was so excited to meet these people. I won’t spend the whole blog raving about them, but they are such awesome people. We had so much fun and they did so, so, so much for us, ensuring that our stay in Norway was perfect. I had thought maybe an hour or two for lunch and they treated us to the VIP package that we will never forget.
As soon as they got us, we took the car onto a ferry to head for their place, which was something I’d never seen or done before. I am always super creeped out by the ocean at night, so when I went up and stood on the ferry deck to see the city it freaked me out but I loved it.
Before we headed to their place, they took us to see the tiny old church my dad had attended back in the day, which was awesome, as well as this little harbor/cove place which I can’t fully remember but he told us there was a Nazi sub sunk there or something, which was fascinating.
I don’t know if it’s from my dad or inborn or what, but I love Scandinavian architecture and design, and the house we stayed in was amazing. It had an incredible shower that was more like its own bathroom, as well as just a beautiful layout and feel that just seemed Norwegian. It was in the woods too which was gorgeous.
One of the first things we did was go see the Oslo Viking Ship Museum. The drive was beautiful and the museum itself is small but incredible. Just seeing all that cool Viking history and the massive boats is pretty mind boggling. There’s not a ton to say except it was totally worth going if you ever have the chance.
I also remember buying a drink (Burn, I think it was, delicious stuff) and trying to figure out the exchange rate and thinking there was no bloody way the drink could cost $5 USD… annnnnnd it was $5 USD. So expensive, and we went at a bad time for the US dollar anyways.
When we walked around the Olso shopping district, we saw Oslo Cathedral where apparently royals get married. We also saw a bunch of boarded-up windows downtown from when some idiot terrorist who I’ll not name set off a bomb a few months earlier then killed a bunch of people. Crazy stuff. He also pointed out there was a place with a famous pic of Nazi soldiers flying their flag after they took Oslo. I still haven’t found that photo but hit me up if you find it.
Also, downtown Oslo is similar, in my opinion now, to downtown Reykjavik, although I can’t really say why. In the shopping district in Oslo, there were so many beautiful blonde haired blue eyed people I felt very out of place.
We also walked along the Oslo waterfront and for those few hours, it was actually bright and almost warm. They told us how they cruise in their boat from their house in some far-away city all the way to Oslo using all the little waterways. I still have to go back and do that, sounds fun.
We also walked up to Oslo castle which was fun to see the history and learn and get some pics with the guards. From there, it’s an amazing view of the city and the fjords and the ocean and we saw a couple ferry boats heading to who knows where. So pretty.
They made so much amazing food for us, but the one thing I really remember was fish paste, which is exactly how it sounds. It’s like a tube of toothpaste but fish comes out, not toothpaste, and I have no idea what kind of fish or what parts of the fish since it’s all goo. Not my thing, but it was fun to try all sorts of crazy things.
They also took us to see a massive ski jump/venue from the Olympics which had been held in Norway, so that was cool to see.
We finished the trip to Norway with a big family reunion of sorts. The parents of the family, the people my dad had actually known best, were getting a bit older but were still active and wanted to see us. So the last night, we went to their house in Oslo and they brought a ton of family around. It was cool to see so many people my pops had either directly or indirectly influenced. They showed us these old videos from the 70s of when my dad’s family came to pick him up in Norway, so it was awesome for me to see my grandpa and grandma and aunts and uncles and dad when they were young. So crazy.
The house was awesome and they had this little cabin outside that had a fireplace in it where we all ate. It wasn’t like a sauna really but that’s the closest I can explain. Weirdly enough, after 3 days with these people they all felt like family, and I remember almost getting choked up when we had to leave the next morning.
One last great memory is the father of the family is a large and kinda gruff type guy. My dad told me he was afraid of this dude back in the 70s. But he was super nice and so accommodating. The morning we were leaving, at breakfast he asked me if I wanted “water or juice” but pronounced juice like “U-ce” and he was gruff and intimidating enough that I made sure to answer “Uce” rather than try and say juice. Such a good trip.
Oh yeah, we also visited some stake churches and giant mounds of earth where they had found Viking ships were buried underneath but hadn’t excavated them yet. Insanity.
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GEAR
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So yeah, since we went on this trip 8 years before I did Jetset Wanderlife, I have no idea what we actually took. But if and when we return, this is the stuff we’ll be taking:
Caitlin’s Stupid Awesome Space Saver Day Pack Thing: I told her she had way too much junk when she bought this, but I digress: You win, Caitlin, and if you only read this blog you’d see me say this. Oh well. This bag was SUPER cheap, amazing to take on day trips, and folds up into practically nothing. Seriously, just do it now.
Amazon Prime: C’mon, it’s 2019. Get free 2-day shipping (which was necessary since we always found something we needed at the last minute) and lots of good music and TV/movies which make road trips more enjoyable. Try it free and you won’t be disappointed. Plus, pretty much everything below will ship to you free in 2 days in the USA.
AUKEY Powerbank External Portable Charger: This thing has saved us many times. It’s nice to have around the house, but it’s nicer to have during a long flight or a 12 hour day at Machu Picchu. It has 2 USB inputs and charges our iPhones really fast. It’s a bit bulky, but we get 2-3 charges from it each time. SO worth having.
Anker External Portable Charger: Yes, we take 2 portable chargers on our trip. This one isn’t as long-lasting, but it’s much smaller and lighter. It’s a bit annoying charging 2 every night, but really worth it to have charged phones the entire day.
My Pants: Ever since my days braving the brutal Wellington rain in a suit, I HATE having wet pants. These Columbia pants were perfect to put on over my jeans if I needed, which I only did a couple times. Never got even a drop under them. Well worth it.
My Bag: As I said above, we travel LIGHT. Especially with cheap airlines like Ryanair, where things are expensive, having a versatile bag is a must. This bag is not incredibly nice, but it has a lifetime warranty and it can cinch down to unbelievably small sizes. It’s made it through 4 continents with no problems yet.
Ponchos: Another must for pretty much whenever. Just get something waterproof that won’t blow off immediately.
Towels: I didn’t bring mine to Peru but it would have been nice at the hotpots, because we had to use our hotel towels (sneakily) then didn’t have any the next morning. These ones are awesome because they fold up small and dry incredibly quick. We got an off brand, our friend Loinz has an original Packtowl which he raves about. Your call.
Space Saver Bags: These have proved invaluable on our travels. It’s amazing how small clothing can shrink down to in one of these! Highly recommended.
Outlet Plugs: Of course, when traveling overseas you need a plug
adapter. We’ve had these exact ones for at least 5 years. We’ve taken them to 6 continents and they’re still going strong. And, they’re super cheap and have everything you need all in one, so you don’t have to bring a bunch of different parts. Highly recommended.
Aux Cable: You probably already have a million of these. Most cars we’ve rented have a USB that connected directly to the music, so we could charge our phones and blast tunes at the same time. The longer cable is nice so if someone is in the backseat they can still charge and control the music or navigate or browse Instagram or whatever)
MacBook Air: OK this is probably pushing it for necessities, but I do have to work on the road and it’s perfect to take with us. Small, lightweight, powerful, and mine has a pink cover for good measure.
