1. THE PEOPLE (in general i love norwegians but this includes anna, øistein, øistein's family, the tronsliens...the list goes on).
2. THE SCENERY (see photos on facebook)
3. THE CHOCOLATE & DESSERTS (speaks for itself)
4. THE VALUES & MORALS (for example, the fact that they believe people always have the ability to be better).
5. THE STYLE (after living in spain where mullets, weird jeans/pants, and tacky colors are the "style" ...i definitely appreciated the REAL sense of style of norwegians).
needless to say, i had an amazing time in Norway. one of the best vacations i have ever had. it was full of a nice balance of relaxation and fun, beautiful places, wonderful people to converse with, and good food! two-thirds of my time was spent in Oslo where i enjoyed my stay at Eli & Christian's (øistein's parents) beautiful home where we were spoiled with DELICIOUS food, nice beds to sleep in, a warm house to relax in, and SNOW right outside the door. Despite how much I missed Mom, Papa and ALASKA; it was so special to spend Christmas there in Norge and see different traditions and culture. it was also fun to spend Christmas with two (ADORABLE) little kids who still believe!
the last part of my trip was spent in Røros and Trondheim! It was my second time to Røros (i am so lucky) but this time it was special because a) Anna was there with me! and b) it was WINTER and beautiful! The streets looked so pretty with the snow on them. One of my favorite parts of being in Røros was the people riding SPARKS ("sleds" that look kind of like dog sleds but without the dogs) around town! Of course the Tronsliens made us wonderful food and provided good company! We went to our favorite bakery, Trygstad, and I finally got to enjoy a norwegian waffle at Thomasgaarden! yum! We left just in time for the temperatures to hit -40. NEGATIVE FORTY.
In Trondheim it was just beautiful but COLD there, too! What a beautiful place Anna is living in though. Wow. I loved it there. Trondheim is a big city but feels cozy and is easy to walk around with the exquisite sites. The church was just beautiful, the colorful houses were incredible, and the hills and view of the fjord added that much more to the city. We got Anna moved in to her new (NICE!) apartment and spent time walking around the city, eating yummy treats, drinking 8$ lattes, and hiking through Anna's favorite trails. It was great to see Anna's life there and what a beautiful life it is!
in Røros:
and in Trondheim:
As usual I could write pages and pages about my delightful escape to Norway but this short and sweet description should be enough (my poor roommates/friends have to hear me go on and on about my love for NORGE). It felt so good to be with Anna again, to see her life as a grad student, and to see how happy her and øistein are together!
My love for Norway made it difficult to come back to Spain...but the long hours of SUN and my amigos waiting for me in Motril made me happy to be back. And luckily i have my norwegian incense to remind me of norway as I am sitting here writing this. Tomorrow is Monday and I am back to "work" again after an extraordinary two weeks in viking land.
Again, the links below are to my facebook albums so you can see what a special place I was blessed to visit:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051816&id=21502223&l=d89562ebd4
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051289&id=21502223&l=28a989c1a8
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