The holiday months are over what also means that most of us (sadly) has less time for travelling. For this reason today I would like to share with You my memories from a September trip to Norway. This was definitely one of these adventures that give You a kick out of Your comfort zone. Want to know more? Make Yourself a cup of hot tea and immerse Yourself in my article!
A spontaneous decision
The first thing I want to share with You is the reasons for which I decided to go on the trip. When me and my boyfriend were planning our last month of holidays (September is also free for us as students) we thought about going to Italy. Burning sun, endless amounts of pasta and sunsets with a glass of wine- this was our vision of ‘a perfect holiday’. Making use of my previous experiences of travelling on a budget, we managed to find a great option on Workaway.info– a two weeks stay with an Italian family in the suburbs of Rome. Unfortunately our happiness had to end very quickly because it turned out that our host wasn’t able to host us at that time.
We didn’t have much time left before the day for which we had planned our departure. We decided to start looking for the cheapest flights, no matter to what destination. Frankly, one of the search results turned out to be ‘Oslo’. I smiled because I am a fan of Mediterranean areas rather than the Scandinavian countries. But in our desperate will to spend holidays abroad we set Norway as one of the countries we were interested in on the Workaday.info platform.
After a few days I received a notification from this website. An Australian guy who wanted to rent a car and go for a roadtrip in the Norwegian fiords asked us whether we were interested to join him and share the costs of fuel. ‘God’s made a great surprise for us’ – I thought.
Having surfed through almost all the websites on ‘how not to die with low temperatures in Norway’ and having bought all the necessary equipment, we responded to him that we were eager to go with him and that we had already bought the tickets. ‘You work quick’ he summarized.
International team
We were invited to go on the trip by an Australian guy who has been in Scandinavia for a couple of moths doing his ‘working holidays’. He decided to make one of his big dreams come true and bought a car to embark on a roadtrip. Apart from us, the Aussie also invited his Swedish friend who was an absolute pro in terms of survival and wild camping. His skills were a godsend in our journey!
First Couchsurfing experience
When we finished our journey between Kraków, Wrocław and Oslo and met up with our Swedish friend, we received a bad news from our Australian buddy that we needed to wait for him for 2 days because of some problems with the car. Being extremely tired after the full day trip we were dreaming about taking a shower and having a place to sleep.
God took care of us during the whole trip- our last minute Couchsurfing accommodation request was accepted! Having finished a 40 minutes long journey on the suburbs of Oslo, we arrived to a right place. The host who welcomed us was an extremely kind man in his forties that had already accepted 3 couchsurfers before us. Despite that he had no problem hosting another 3 of us! Apart from a place to sleep (being a women=sleeping on a couch ;P), a warm shower and delicious dinner he also offered us a trip to a fjord nearby Lærdal! Generosity that we experienced was much more that we could have asked for!
Our couchsurfing experience was not only related to Oslo. Taking some breaks from sleeping in the woods, we also took advantage from the generosity of couchsuring hosts in Bergen and Trondheim. Both men also turned out to be extremely kind, offering us some space in their houses, allowing us to take a shower, use their kitchens (one of them even offered us a homemade hummus and a movie night!). Could we dream of anything more (a shower was a real luxury for us back then)!
My first time wild camping
For me this trip has definitely been one of those when I had to get out of my comfort zone. Most of the nights we spent in our tents, putting them up in the middle of wilderness. Private camping spots are far more expensive than the ones in Poland, not even mentioning choosing an accommodation in hotels or hostels- for a Polish university student they are not so affordable. Inconveniences coming from a limited access to showers, cold nights and a tiny tent were compensated by wonderful views straight after waking up. Despite all the hard stuff that we have been through having chosen this way of travelling, I am extremely grateful for this experience: it let me come closer to nature and allowed me to really appreciate the privilege of having a warm and cosy flat in the place where I live.
Closer to nature
What did this trip teach me? Thinking of a possible answer to this question, I can find it automatically: closeness to nature. I had never expected neither embarking on such a trip nor perceiving the woods as my second home. But I swear You, that’s exactly how it was!
After a couple of nights sleeping among hundreds of trees, listening to the sounds of a forest, all this was not as scary to me as it had been before. What’s more, a lot of gratitude for the miracles of nature appeared in my heart. Of course firstly I mean fjords, wonderful mountain spaces, tens of thousands starts illuminating the Scandinavian sky and much more. Thanks to my travel buddies (who were able to appreciate all the wonderful plants, animals and places on our way) I truly felt that the Earth is a miracle. Forests untouched by men, wild animals, mountains: this planet was created for us to be in awe of it and take care of its beauty. Walking along the Norwegian trails, I thanked God for creating such a unique home for us.
Difficulties let us come closer to one another
Sleeping in a forest also meant for us duties like lighting a fire or cooking on a tiny camp stove. Proudly I can admit that I learned a couple of survival tricks and I won some battles with soaked matches, our only way to make the camp stove work. All these challenges were for us a chance to practice our patience and cooperation. There were some nights that we spent quite some time looking for a suitable place to spend a night and then making dinner for another hour in pouring rain not really seemed fun.
The last day of our adventure, being on our way to the Trondheim airport, we laughed at all the situations. With smiles on our faces we said that the hardest stuff are those we will think of when we will be old and no more able to be so crazy. We’ve learned a lot about each other and ourselves. When you experience such an intense adventure with someone, a kind of unique connection is created between you, something absolutely amazing.
My TOP 3- some places I’d like to recommend You
- Atlantic Road (Atlanterhavsveien)
The Atlantic Road is an 8 km segment of a road by the Atlantic Ocean. Driving through it is considered as a one of a kind experiences that any driver or passenger could have. Despite of a cloudy sky we had that day, the unusuality and the picturesqueness of this place left me speechless.
2. The Stegastein viewpoint
This might be one of the most frequently photographed places in Norway! Standing on the characteristic rounded platform, we can admire the picturesque landscape of the fjord surrounded by mountains. It’s worth being patient, because it’s often full of tourists, but a photo with such a panorama in the background is a must-have!
3. Bergen and the Fløyen viewpoint
Bergen is famous for being the most rainy city in the entire country, something we had a chance to experience.
Taking advantage of the lack of rain in the evening, we made a spontaneous decision to climb to the viewpoint from which we could see the entire city!
Don’t worry, if you don’t like physical activity, there is also a second option! Fløyen can be reached via the Fløibanen funicular railway, which transports passengers from central Bergen in under 10 minutes. Regardless of what form of transport you choose, this place is worth visiting! We, being there after dusk, could admire the panorama of Bergen at night. Millions of lights, Norwegian wind, clean air and an incredible feeling of gratitude, happiness and peace – I thanked God for all this.
Summary
The trip to Norway, despite all its challenges, was a great experience for me. Seeing the fjords has been on my travel dream list for a long time.
Would I decide to go on such a crazy trip again? One part of me answers “no”, but knowing myself, I know (and hope) that I will experience many such trips in my life. Because every trip like this leaves a mark on me that means I never come back home as the same person. Because traveling is discovering the joy of life anew every time.
Have you ever thought about visiting Norway? What are your next travel dreams? Feel free to leave a comment or send me a private message!
With love,
Kasia
Such an amazing journey, thank You for sharing your memories <3