Merry Christmas! I can't believe Christmas is less than 10 days away!! This year has gone by SO FAST, some of the moments from this year seem like a lifetime ago, which is both a good and a bad thing. So far December has been a very exciting month! I've gone to Winter Wonderland, two concerts (Jess Glynn and The 1975! I'll talk more about my emotional night seeing The 1975 later) and traveled to Norway! As my beautiful, Norwegian friend Guro kept saying during my visit, "do it for the blog!" So this post is, of course, dedicated to her.
I arrived in Oslo on December 1st to a tiny snow flurry and dense fog. Flying over Norway I immediately fell in love with the mountains and valleys and knew I was in for an amazing few days.
I met Guro at the central train station where we then met up with our friends Stian and Brage, both of whom were in my course at uni and moved back to Oslo when we handed in our dissertations. The four of us went on a driving tour of Oslo as well as to see the ski jump and have some coffee in a cabin overlooking the city. After driving around we got Italian food (thanks to my three Norwegian translators I got a vegan pizza) and then we all parted ways. It was so great to catch up with Brage and Stian and see the city they call home.
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| Me, Guro, Brage, and Stian! |
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| Do it for the blog! Posing at the ski jump |
Day two, Guro and I decided to take a road trip to the world's end, which included taking a ferry which dropped us off in the town where our friend Kristine lives. We met her for a delicious lunch (and homemade carrot cake!) before setting back out to catch the sunset over the water.
I wish words and pictures could accurately describe how incredible Norway is. Even though the sun sets so early this time of year, the country is so gorgeous. I was constantly in awe of the landscapes around me and even though it was cold enough I lost feelings in my toes, I could have stayed at the world's end forever. We drove to a small car park and walked a short ways to a large outcropping of rocks in the water. Beyond that, there was nothing but water. The sunset was a brilliant gold colour and I don't think I've ever actually sat and watched the sun set over the ocean like that. It was incredible and Guro and I had so much fun just chatting and dancing around to keep warm. After the ferry ride, I drove back to Guro's house (driving in another country, check!) and we danced to old-school bangers and laughed the whole time. Hands down it was one of the best days of my life and I will never forget a single moment.
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| Tønsberg, Norway |
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| Guro and Kristine! Such babes! |
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| The sun setting at the world's end |
Day three was spent exploring more of Oslo, since I hadn't actually spent that much time in the city itself. We wandered around the city centre, from the main shopping street all the way to the Palace where the royal family stays. Along the way we walked through a Christmas market and got several delicious treats along the way. I would like to formally declare that I ADORE Norwegian chocolate, in fact, it may be my favourite chocolate from any country I've visited (followed closely by British chocolate of course). Once again, everything about Oslo is stunning and if I spoke any minuscule amount of Norwegian I would move there immediately.
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| The Royal Palace in Oslo |
After being tourists, Guro and I made our way down to the water to get some delicious burgers (mine veggie of course) and watched the stunning sunset again. This time the sunset burned bright pink and purple and we both stood in awe until our feet once again went numb from the cold.
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| No filter needed for this sunset |
My last day in Oslo came too quickly, and with about half a day to spend, Guro and I went to Vigelandsparken, a park full of statues of... well, naked people. There were tons of tourists there, as well as kids playing Pokemon Go (apparently it's a well known hotspot for Pokemon. I mean, I did catch three new Pokemon, but that's beside the point...). And after taking some cheeky photos, we made our way back to Guro's to watch some Christmas films and finish the pan of brownies we baked two nights before.
I want to say an enormous thank you to my beautiful friend and tour guide Guro, for showing me her beautiful country and making me fall in love with it so much. Also, thank you for translating so much for me. Most Norwegians, like in most countries, are able to speak English, so I would have been fine on my own, but it was nice having someone to help out, especially with finding hidden ingredients on menus or packages that I can't eat. I am already counting down the days until I can go back to Norway, but this time in the summer so I can see the mountains and fjords up north more.
Thank you also to Stian and Brage for spending their evening with me! I can't wait until we're all back in London again! And if you read this and feel like it, I would definitely be okay with some more Norwegian chocolate when you come back for graduation. Just saying ;)
I do have one other piece of news that I want to share. On the 27th of January, I will be moving home to Colorado. My visa is expiring and I was unable to find a job in London that would sponsor me to stay. I am both devastated and thrilled to be coming home, for a multitude of reasons. I am going to miss London and everyone here who has become my family and made me feel so welcomed. I am going to miss hugs from my boyfriend and our dinner dates and road trips, I am going to miss working at the Apollo and all the truly incredible people I've met there. I'll miss the casual visits to Big Ben and seeing concerts at The O2 and having the rest of Europe just a few hours away. I'm not sure how long I'll be back in America, but I know I will be back in England before too long. London has become my home as much as Denver is, and I am already working on ways to come back again.
That's all for now, I'll do another update soon, this one with graduation pictures! If you're reading this, wherever you may be in the world, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Love love love,
Linds x
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