Final Celebration and Goodbyes

Hei,

The class and I have just wrapped up our final celebration Skype session, so this post will be a little overview of that followed by some last tidbits about Norway that couldn’t be shared in person. It’s been a pleasure writing this blog and communicating with these students and I loved finally getting to see some of the faces behind the comment section.

As it’s finals season for Ms. Carlson’s students, there was only time for a short twenty-minute Skype session and only about ten of her junior students could attend. The seniors were off preparing for an assembly so the structure of the meeting turned into a chattier version of a Q & A. The students and Ms. Carlson had prepared a bunch of questions for me and I prepared a bunch of questions for the students (which we didn’t have time to get to but I will post them below in case anyone continues reading this!) along with some answers to questions on the blog that I hadn’t gotten to yet. I kept trying to snap a picture of our meeting but Skype was not cooperating! Instead, imagine a little circle of slightly pixelated students crammed into desks surrounding me on a screen.

The questions the students had prepared for me ranged from specific things related to running a blog to general questions about how I had chosen to go to PSU. Since they are juniors they are all in that stressful process of planning out their lives and I was happy to share my own experience surrounding college decisions. We also talked more about Norway and my travel plans for the rest of the summer. It turns out that Ms. Carlson is planning on traveling to Norway herself in a couple years so there is a good chance that I will continue to add blog posts for her benefit at least until I finish my travels here.

Also, I now understand why people hate Skyping so much, especially with multiple people. It was so hard to hear anyone who wasn’t sitting directly in front of the monitor. There was quite a few times when I couldn’t hear questions and had to have students yell them at me. On the bright side, I think it helped lighten the mood a little and made the whole thing a little funnier. I also wish I had been there in person to share a couple of the classic Norwegian snacks I’ve encountered this year.

So, since I couldn’t share them in person, here’s a list of the foods I would have brought to the students in person if I had been back by now…

1. Brunost (brown cheese)
   
   If you come to Norway and no one offers you brunost then you haven’t met any Norwegians. People each this ‘cheese’ on a fairly regular basis, either on bread (preferably rugbrød or ‘rye bread’) or something sweet like waffles with a little jam. The best way I can describe it is fudge-like cheese. It tastes slightly chocolate-y and has a different texture from other cheeses because of the way it’s made. It’s made by boiling a couple different types of dairy until the water evaporates and the milk sugars caramelize, which is why it’s brown, sweet, and technically not cheese at all! I personally don’t enjoy it but I think that’s because I wasn’t fully prepared for the taste when I tried it and no one gave me a buttery waffle to put it on.

2. Baconost (literally translates to bacon cheese)
   
   I’ll be honest, I have never tried this because I am vegetarian and I never will even if I ever stop being vegetarian. This is basically bacon-flavored mayonnaise and my meat-loving father swears that it is delicious. I do not believe him but I would have brought this in for more opinions! Norwegians love their fish and meat pastes, so this is definitely not the only tube of cheese-mayonnaise you can find in a grocery store.
3. Knekkebrød (crisp bread)
   
   This is what I would bring to try the first two things on! It’s a traditional Scandinavian cracker/bread type thing. They are very thin and crispy and my personal favorite kind comes covered in sesame seeds. Since I am not a paste or brunost person, I typically eat these with peanut butter or avocado and hot sauce (very American of me). 
4. Kvikk Lunsj (quick lunch)
   
   After feeding people weird foods, I would finish with my favorite Norwegian snack. These are the Norwegian version of Kit Kats and they are infinitely better. These are very commonly eaten on hiking trips and skiing trips and the company that makes them even has different hikes listed on the inside of the wrappers. I want to collect as many different wrappers with different hikes as I can before I leave.

Thats it for snacks!

The final thing I would like to do is post the questions I had prepared for the students in case they continue to read this blog.

• What were your favorite blog posts and what made them stand out?
• Did you read the posts as a class or on your own time?
• What kinds of assignments do you do in your journalism class and what are your favorites?
• Have any of your been inspired by your class (or maybe this blog) to pursue more writing in the future?
• Have you gotten to do any blogging in the class or assignments that tie back to the blog?
• Did you have any knowledge about Norway or Scandinavia in general before this blog?
• Do you have any plans to travel in the future or any other exciting plans for after graduation? Or is anyone suffering from wanderlust?
• Will you take anything specific away from this blog or this experience?

It’s been so much fun sending my thoughts and experiences out into the world every week. I will continue to post but this is my official goodbye to students who might not be able to keep up with future blogging. I have loved the feedback and getting to know you all as a class. Good luck on your future adventures and congratulations to all of you who are graduating! There’s so much more the world has to offer after high school and I hope you take full advantage of it. 

Ha det!

Megan

Photo of the Week

Shoes along the Danube. This is a holocost memorial in Vienna and I highly recommend looking it up and reading more about it. Very beautiful and moving.

An Interview and Last Words of Wisdom

Today I am writing from the comfort of my airbnb in Budapest, while outside it pours with rain even though it’s 80 degrees. This will be my last official post and I have two items on the agenda. The first is an interview with my friend Laura who is in her last year of high school in Oslo. The second is a little list of things I’ve learned over my year abroad. 

Meet Laura!

Laura is the younger sister of my friend Agnes who I met in Seattle while I was in high school and she was studying abroad at my school. Laura has lived in Oslo her whole life. Unfortunately I couldn’t sit down with Laura to conduct the interview as I am on a trip, so we did a little Skype session last night instead.

The Interview

How old are you and what year are you in school?

I’m 19 and I’m doing my finals for my last year of videregående skole (upper secondary school).

What are the different levels of public school in Norway?

There are three called barneskole (primary school), ungdomsskole (lower secondary school), and videregående skole. You start the first when you are 6 years old and it is seven years long. Then you go to the second, which is three years long. The final one is also three years long. It is basically optional but everyone goes because you must go if you want a job.

What is the name of your school?

Foss Videregående Skole. Some high schools specialize in subjects but mine is just a regular public school.

How long have you been studying English?

All schools have their students start studying english when they go to primary school. I started learning when I was six. I also started studying German in lower secondary school but my German isn’t as good as my English.

What other subjects did you enjoy?

I enjoyed learning languages the most but I also enjoyed science and maths classes.

What do Norwegian high school students do for fun?

(Laughing) Normal teenager stuff! We go parties on the weekends and just hang out with friends. Lots of people also participate in sports and clubs.

Do high school students have jobs?

Sometimes but not often. I haven’t had a job yet.

Did you participate in russe and what were some highlights for you?

Pretty much everyone has to participate in russe and so did I. I was very tired by the end of it! The concerts that were just for us were very fun and so were some of the challenges. I was ready to take off my red pants by the end of it though (students have to wear the same red pants for the full 30 days of russe). I slept for pretty much three days after the 17th of May.

Do you plan on going to university? 

Yes but first I will take a year off. I will probably go to university in Trondheim where my sister goes.

Do you want to study abroad in university?

Yes! I am very jealous that my sister got to spend a year in Seattle. It’s my turn now. I want to go to America as well.

What are some of your favorite things about Oslo or Norway in general?

Oslo is okay but I want to move somewhere smaller and more Norwegian. It’s the least Norwegian place in the country! I love all the fjords on the west coast around Bergen.

At this point the interview segued into a conversation about Norwegian stereotypes…

Do you think Norwegians (in general) are reserved and need structured activities to make friends?

Yes to the first part and no to the second part. Structured activities are good but alcohol is better! It also depends on the person. I don’t think I am very reserved but I know many people who are.

A lot of international students think Norwegians are passive aggressive. Do you agree? (Ex. not expressing their irritation to people who sit too close to them or are being rude to them)

It’s not passive aggressive, we just don’t like to bother people. Also, since many people are reserved they don’t like talking to strangers, which is normally necessary if you want to tell someone to sit farther away from you. I guess it would come off as passive aggressive if you weren’t used to seeing it!

Do Norwegians actually follow Janteloven and believe they’re not better than anyone else?

We like to think that we follow Janteloven perfectly! But we are also competitive. I think individually we don’t think we are better than each other but all Norwegians think Norway is the best country in the world and think our culture is the best. We also think all our sports teams are the best and always want them to win!

What are some differences between the younger generation of Norwegians and the older generation?

The older generation is more traditional and we are moving away from some of those traditions. More of the younger generation wants to move to cities and the older generation is happy staying in smaller places in the mountains.

Do you have a hytte (cabin) in Sweden?

(Laughing) No, but my family has one in Hordaland!

What stereotypes do you think of when I say ‘American’?

The bad ones are things like fat, ignorant, and Trump. There’s lots of Americans in Norway though and in general we like Americans! As long as they aren’t too loud or disruptive…

Any last thoughts for anyone wanting to visit/move to Norway?

Come visit! It’s beautiful and we will show you a good time. Don’t move here if you get bored easily! We like to be relaxed and sometimes people from other countries don’t understand that.

What this year has taught me…

1. Humans are very adaptable
   I was so worried about not making any friends when I moved to Oslo or not fitting into the new culture. After a month or so I was fully settled and everyone I’ve met along the way has felt the same way. It’s empowering to know that we are able to uproot our lives, pack a bag, move across the country, and be fine!
2. Not everyone needs to follow the same path for a successful life
   This is a huge one for me. I have always struggled with this idea of going to school until you’re 25, going directly into a career, getting married, having a couple of kids, and then dying. America makes it seem like that’s the only way to have a life you’re proud of. I felt forced to conform to this ideology. Outside of the USA there’s so many other beliefs about how to lead a good life. It’s been refreshing to talk about it with people from other cultures and I’ve come to the conclusion that I have no desire to follow that route. It’s kind of scary and freeing all at once!
3. Everyone is pretty much the same
   All throughout life (especially high school) we’re taught to catagorize ourselves and group ourselves based on common interests. Mean girls showcases this very well. The more people you meet and the more experiences you have… the more you realize that there’s always at least one thing two individuals can use to become friends. It’s such a ridiculous concept to assume that we’re all different enough to seperate into different groups. When it comes down to it we can all probably bond over the same stupid picture on the internet no matter what we look like.
4. It’s important to appreciate where you are and what’s around you
   There’s been so many times this year when some beautiful, natural landscape has left me standing open-mouthed in awe and then seconds later I’ve realized it looks exactly like a sight one might find in the Cascades at home. We get so stuck in our routines that we forget to acknowledge the beauty of where we are. When I go home I plan on spending more of my time being aware of and appreciating everything the PNW has to offer. 
5. I could probably move into a hut in the woods and be perfectly happy
   Pretty self explanatory. I’ve always loved the outdoors but this year it’s turned into a weird obsession. I’m okay with it though! 

This concludes my formal reporting of my time in Oslo (although I might continue posting just for fun so stay tuned!). I’ve thoroughly enjoyed telling you all about my experiences and learning about you through the comments section. Any last topics you need me to write about? 

I’m looking forward to doing the final celebration next week and getting to put faces to names!

Ha det,

Megan

Photo(s) of the Week

Hello! I went on a trip with my dad this week to Prague and Vienna. There’s some very cool art in both places, so here are two of my favorite pieces that I stumbled across.

I love the use of colors in this piece. Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of the plaque so I’m not sure who the artist is. Taken in Prague at the National Gallery.

The use of colors in this one caught my eye as well. Done by Matisse (my favorite artist) and hanging in the Albertina museum in Vienna.

 

Gratulerer med dagen Norge!

My friend claire and me in the midst of celebrating.

(Happy birthday Norway!)

Hei hei! It’s time to talk about the most Norwegian day of all the year. Syttende Mai is Norway’s constitution day and it was one of the funnest days I’ve spent here. Today, I’m going to take the time to lead you through my day and give you a little history about Norway along the way. From what I’ve learned, there is a specific way to celebrate the 17th of May, although my Norwegian friend Markus disagreed when I mentioned it. He said, “the whole point of Syttende Mai is to go with the flow and see where the party takes you”. 

10:00 pm the day before:

One of the biggest traditions on the 17th of May is a big breakfast with all your friends and family before the festivities state. As a study abroad student who mainly hangs out with other exchange students, I was told to quickly make some Norwegian friends and invite myself to their frokost (breakfast) for a real Norwegian experience. I latched onto my friend Claire who was already going to one, and the night before we made a massive strata to bring along. It’s traditionally a potluck style and we didn’t want to show up as clueless Americans!

Traditional Syttende Mai kake (found on Google, as our frokost didn’t have one).

7:45 am the day of:

Another important aspect of this holiday is how you dress. Norwegians will wear traditional bunads (which I will talk about later) and/or suits and dresses you might find at a wedding. Everyone is dressed up. All day. All night. For me, this meant waking up early and panicking over what dress was appropriate and primping for a full hour and a half before leaving the house. As a foreigner, you don’t want to stand out or offend anyone with how you dress. Ideally, your outfit will be in Norwegian colors (red, blue, or white) and be fairly modest.

9:30 am

T-bane ride into town. The train was more crowded than I’ve ever seen it, with Norwegians of all ages waving flags and twittering excitedly. The russe students (russefeiring is the month-long high school seniors celebrate. Read more here.) also crowded the train, looking completely exhausted as it was the official last day of their celebration.

10:00 am

Shoved my way into the crowd downtown, strata banging against my leg and strollers attempting to run over my feet. Normally the frokost takes place before the parade but it was being held by other students and everyone thought a brunch would be nicer than waking up at 6 in the morning. The parade goes from 8 am-3 pm and it is organized madness the entire time. All of Oslo shows up to see the performers and wave to the royal family, who sits on their balcony at the palace waving all day. By the end of the day, they look as tired as the russe students.

The parade!

The best part of the parade, as everyone tells you, are the dances put on by the younger kids. Up until age 13, schools around the city have their students walk in the parade and do dances with the nation’s flag. Even preschoolers participate (which is adorable). Have any of you ever walked in a parade? Can you think of any parades for USA holidays that would be similar to this?

The massive crowd.

12:00 pm

After waving farewell to the King and his family, I finally pushed my way through the crowd and onto a tram to go to the frokost in Grunnerlokka. Outside downtown was much less crowded, but there were still tons of people hanging out at street fairs or having barbecues in the parks all over the city.

The strata was a success! I also got to talk to the Norwegians at the frokost about what the 17th of May means to them and what traditions go along with it. They all said that the main point of the day is to show as much love for Norway as humanly possible. I found this interesting, as often in other countries nationalism isn’t seen as a great character trait. Here, people are constantly talking about how amazing their country is. Do you think Americans show nationalism regularly? 

 

Claire (left) and Karin (right) in traditional bunads.

1:00 pm 

After food, my Norwegian friend Karin convinced Claire to put on her bunad from high school and we started talking about the dresses and their history. Here’s what Karin told me about them:

• Every bunad is handmade and the pattern is specific to the region in which it is made. Her new bunad (the black/blue one) is the one made in Oslo. Oslo recently changed the pattern so it is more modern, and each piece of it has patterns from surrounding areas. So, even though it’s a new pattern, the roots of the pattern are very, very old.
• They are very expensive. Hers cost 20,000 NOK (roughly $2,400) and was a present for graduating high school. Different members of her family gave her different pieces of the costume.
• They are supposed to last the rest of your life. Normally, Norwegian girls will get a cheaper one when they are a teenager and then get a real one when they’re an adult. The dresses have enough fabric in them to be altered about three times throughout life. (Side note: she’s never heard of a maternity bunad, which I asked a question about)

A final observation I’ve noticed about bunads is that they aren’t reserved for Syttende Mai. Norwegians wear them whenever there is a special event, such as weddings and graduations. Have you ever seen a traditional costume like this in the US?

At some point, Claire and Markus switched outfits. Because, why not?

3:00 pm

The party moved to the park and we spent a few hours lying around in the sun. According to Norwegians, every single 17th of May in Oslo has been sunny. Based on Oslo’s track record, I’m a bit skeptical but hey, anything can happen on Norway day!

5:00 pm

Claire and I left the Norwegian festivities to go back and join our exchange student friends. There was more food and more flags (you must carry at least one Norwegian flag all day) and a general sense of excitement still buzzing around the city. By this time, the royal family had given up on waving and gone back inside. We followed suit and went back to a friend’s apartment to rest a little bit before heading back into the city for dinner and more festivities later on. Norwegians don’t stop celebrating until the sun comes up (which is 4 am this time of year). 

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my first real Norwegian holiday experience! Do any of you have special traditions for American holidays like the 4th of July? I’d love to hear what you think about the differences in how they celebrate things here versus the USA.

Ha det!

Megan

P.S. For my final post next week I will be interviewing a Norwegian high school student. If you have any questions you would like me to ask them please put them in the comment section!

Photo of the Week

Friends on Norway’s birthday in front of the Norwegian flag!

A Norwegian Thanksgiving

All bundled up for sledding!

Hei hei!

I am still in exam mode so I haven’t done many exciting things this week. I’m also preparing for syttende mai (the Norwegian Constitution Day or the National Day of Norway), which is tomorrow! It’s the biggest holiday in Norway and apparently the whole day is a a giant, country-wide party. I’ll be dedicating my next blog post to telling you all about my experience. Today, I’m going to lead you through my favorite experience I’ve had so far in Norway, which is dogsledding in Tromso. It’s a throwback post, as I went in November, but I’m hoping you enjoy hearing about it as much as I enjoyed doing it!

Have any of you ever been dogsledding before?

In November, my two friends (Jamie&Anna) and I headed to Tromso to get a taste for what it’s like to live in the Arctic circle during the winter. We weren’t quite brave enough to go in December when there is no daylight, but during our time there we only had about three to four hours of light a day, which was enough for me to get the feel for spending days on end in darkness. I was very hesitant about spending four nights there as I thought there wouldn’t be much to do, but I was pleasantly surprised by the town and it’s surroundings and promptly fell in love with the area. If you haven’t been able to tell by now, falling in love with places instantly is a feeling I’m frequently subject to. 

Tromso is the dot farthest north and Oslo is the dot farthest south. 

While the whole trip was wonderful, there was one day in particular that I could relive over and over again. We decided to go on an Aurora Borealis & Dogsledding overnight trip for the last night we were there. A bus came and picked us up from outside our hotel, drove for about an hour into the dark Norwegian wilderness, and dropped us in the middle of nowhere  at a dogsledding camp. The camp consisted of a bunch of little huts that were based off of traditional Sami tents (mentioned in a previous post, but if you would like a refreshers here’s the Wikipedia page), a large bonfire pit, and a field of dog houses.

Field of dogs! My dream!

Our evening consisted of some uneventful searching for the northern lights (I still haven’t seen them! Have any of you ever seen the lights?) and a home-cooked meal in the big dining hut. Until we sat down to eat I had completely forgotten that it was Thanksgiving in America and I had a little rush of homesickness that was quickly replaced by warm soup and chocolate cake. It’s strange how you can forget about things that are so important at home when you’re so far away.

Koselig fire at dinner.

Dogsledding 

The next morning it was time for the main event. We woke up bright and early to the sound of 300 eager huskies howling for their morning run. These dogs love to run and do it two to three times a week, but would probably do it every day if they had the chance. They are the most energetic, skinniest dogs I’ve ever seen (we were told they eat 10% of their body weight in food every day).

They’re also incredibly friendly and sweet.

The sledding tours are done with about five or six sleds going at the same time in a line. I was lucky enough to be in the sled at the front of the pack and the dogs leading my sled were actually in training to compete in Finnmarksløpet, which is the longest dogsledding competition in Europe. They were the best (fastest and smartest) dogs in the camp and the dynamic between them and their musher was incredible. The musher guiding our dogs was the son of the woman who owned the camp and had been training to mush his whole life. We spent a lot of time on the tour asking him questions about the sport and his own experiences with dog sledding.

The team.

Some things our musher taught us:

1. There are eight dogs in the teams that he races and each dog in the team plays a different role. The ones at the front are the leaders who have the responsibility of making sure all the other dogs are cooperating, the ones at the back are the strongest and pull the most weight, etc. A great team consists of each dog playing their role perfectly and all of them working together with the musher.
2. Some of the best dogs are the craziest dogs (example: some of the best lead dogs have actually tried to eat other dogs in the camp).
3. There are two big dog sledding races in the world: the one in Finnmark and one in Alaska.
4. Races last many days, so there are backup dogs to relieve dogs in the team that get too tired (just like in human sports!)
5. He spends the majority of his time training his dogs and hanging out with them. He plans on mushing as a career for as long as he possibly can and can’t imagine having another career. I’ll be looking out for him in the big races in the next couple years!
6. Bonus: When the dogs retire they are given away free to people with enough time and energy to keep them healthy and happy. Would any of you ever adopt a retired racing dog?

So happy to be running!

The tour lasted about an hour and consisted of bumping over snowy trails and through woods in the fjords. We were cozy under reindeer skins, thick snowsuits, and the sun peeking out over the mountains. The dogs were able to jump streams and the musher barely had to tap the reins for them to turn whichever way he wanted. There was even one point where we a pack of wild reindeer running through the trees. I have never been so content and so in my element in my entire life. Of course, words can’t describe the whole thing, so below are a few more pictures to top off my story.

Would you ever like to try driving a dog sled? Do you think you could live somewhere without sun in the winter? 

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Ha det,

Megan

Photo(s) of the Week

In keeping up with the hiking theme here are some pictures from my sunrise hike to Vettakollen on Wednesday! Three friends and I woke up at 3 am to make it up the mountain for the sunrise at 4:48 am. The lack of sleep was more than worth it.

Spring has Sprung

Flowers blooming at Vigelandsparken yesterday.

Hei hei! I am having a very exciting week as Spring has finally decided to make an appearance. The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining (it’s 75 degrees today whoohoo!), and along with the change in season comes the return of my favorite time of year: hiking season. I thought I would take the time to reflect on some of the hiking I did last summer/fall, along with some interesting snippets about hiking culture in Norway, some of my recent mini hikes, and lots of pictures from the tops of mountains. 

My running shoes are my best friend when I’m impatient (or a little crazy) and want to get to the top as fast as possible.

Do any of you ever go hiking in Oregon? I’m sure you’re used to clearly marked trailheads, maps, and paths to prevent you from getting lost. I’m sure you’re also used to steep hills having stairs and a general sense of safety while you’re on the trail. Norway’s approach to hiking is just a little different.

Norway’s entire culture is based around nature and along with that comes the desire to protect it as much as possible. So, instead of cutting through forests to make trails or adding stairs, most marked ‘hikes’ are just the easiest way up the mountain. They paint rings on trees to indicate you’re going the right way, but that’s about it. There’s been quite a few times where I’ve ended up in the middle of the forest desperately looking for a ring of blue on a tree stump, completely convinced I’ll be lost in the trees forever. There was also an unfortunate day when I was hiking in Bergen and found myself scaling a cliff, with just a rickety railing to keep me from sliding down the whole mountain. The view at the top was worth it though!

My rewarding view of Bergen after cliff scaling.

Of course, when I find myself struggling on hikes, there’s always at least one Norwegian child under ten on the same trail; just casually strolling along and making me feel completely inadequate. Very steep, difficult hikes seem to be the family outing of choice for Norwegian families and tiny kids won’t stop them. Neither will snow, rain, or ice. I’ve spoken to Norwegians with kids and they’ve told me that it’s also common for schools to take their students on hiking day trips. This includes toddlers, who you can see bumbling around in the woods year-round, wearing little matching outfits and holding onto a rope attached to the waist of the teacher so they don’t get lost.

Rings around the tree to mark the trail.

Most of the hiking around Oslo is fairly tame. The longest hike I’ve done in this area only takes about three hours round trip and there’s a T-bane that goes the same route if you want to view without the work. A lot of the hikes also lead to lakes or go along rivers. Sometimes you’ll even follow a trail and it will lead you through a neighborhood or farm. Honestly, what constitutes as a hike ranges from a casual stroll through through the countryside to a bouldering expedition up a mountain that seems to never end. And, as you can see from the sign to the right, the only thing you ever really know before you start is how many kilometers long the hike is. The rest is a fun, little mystery.

Often you’ll find little cottages that you can stay in along the hikes. 

Outside of Oslo, there’s three famous hikes and countless other hikes that you have to stumble upon yourself.

The three most famous hikes are…

1. Trolltunga
   This hike is the longest of the three, at 14.5 miles. It’s a very strenuous hike but the view at the top is spectacular, as you can see from this picture. Last September, an Australian girl studying abroad tripped and fell off the cliff on her way up. Her death has made everyone a little more cautious about doing the hike, but it hasn’t stopped many people.
2. Kjerag
   This is the second longest hike and takes about a half-day to complete. I’m sure you’ve seen variations of this picture on the internet!
3. Preikestolen
   This is the shortest of the three hikes and the only one I’ve done so far. I did it back in September and it only took about three hours round trip. It’s fairly steep but definitely the easiest. When I went, it was foggy all the way up to the top and we couldn’t see anything. Luckily, a few minutes after we sat down at the top to eat our lunch, the fog cleared and we got a stunning view of the fjord.
   

   

I’m doing all of these hikes (including Preikestolen again) in July over the course of four days with my mom! 

As you can see, I’ve been completely spoiled by hiking this year. If you ask any Norwegian for activity suggestions in any city, they will point you towards a trail. The thought of not hiking in your free time is mind-boggling to them, and for good reason! Easy access to hiking is one of the main things I’m dreading about coming home.

Do any of you have favorite hikes to do in Oregon? What do your families do to spend time together? Would you be willing to do big hikes like the three of these?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Megan

P.S. Here’s some more hiking pictures! I have so many it’s been really hard to pick the best ones for this post. 

No hike is complete without some sweaty selfies. 

At the end of summer/early fall you can find wild blueberries all over the trails.

A friend I made in Balestrand.

One of the lakes you can hike to behind Sognsvann.

A waterfall in Flam.

I will never get sick of views like this. (In Balestrand)

Photo of the Week

Took a little day trip to Drammen this week! It’s about 30 minutes outside of Oslo by train. Here’s a picture of me along the fjord.