Norway in a Nutshell – What I Learned

There is so much to see in Norway!! So far I’ve been to the South and now to the North East. Hopefully my next visit will take me to the Fjords in the West of Norway.

As with my visit to Sweden, it was such a great experience to be with locals in Norway. S and T showed me all around Oslo but also took me out hiking, an awesome experience I probably wouldn’t have gotten if I’d just been touring some of Norway on my own.

Norway really reminds me of home (Northwestern Ontario), of course Ontario is flatter and we don’t have any stunning Fjords but we do have a very similar forest and many beautiful lakes and outdoor activities. I could definitely live in Norway and feel like I were at home (the only concern is that I don’t speak Norwegian!!).

I’ve discovered that Norwegians love hiking! Of course I knew that they love to be outdoors but I didn’t realize they are so passionate about hiking (even in the cooler fall months).

With respect to food we had a lot of tapas, some pasta dishes and of course hot dogs, sausages and cheese sandwiches (while hiking). We cooked at home because going out for dinner in Norway is extremely expensive. We did have a Norwegian delicacy, it’s called Salma Laks and it is fresh sushi grade salmon (packed 4 hours after it’s been caught from the sea and on store shelves within 1 to 2 days of packing). Absolutely delicious!

Lessons Learned:

• Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world
• Norwegians are bananas (b-a-n-a-n-a-s) for hiking!
• There are several Stave Churches being actively used today (stunning structures)
• They really do have grass roofs on the homes in the North of Norway (so cool!)
• Much of Norway’s front line workforce are Swedes (they earn a better salary in Norway)
• The Norwegian, Swedish and Danish languages are similar (in that if you know one language you are pretty much good to go to communicate in the other 2 countries)
• When the wind blows out your single use grill, pop a frying pan on top to smoke your sausages (they’re still good!)
• When hiking with two women, bring a roll of toilet paper
• Ahhhh, so this is why my hiking pants open on both sides ;)
• Our headbands bring all the boys to the yard
• A drive through the Norwegian countryside will result in some of the most stunning scenery you’ve ever seen. EVER.

Salma Laks and tapas:

Goulash Soup and Hot Chocolate (it was a chilly day!):

Delicious Veggie pasta which works really well as a pasta salad the next day:

Late night pasta:

Lunch in Frogner Park: