Norway with 'cott & 'becca.

What do you do when you've got great friends ("our chosen family" as Rebecca calls it) with whom you've shared a decade of your life but no longer have that daily connection?  Well, in this case you make sure that you see them every year, for a week, before they head out to the US. Last year we were fortunate enough to share our time in early June with Scott and Rebecca in Greece, and specifically in Skopelos. That prompted conversations about this year, culminating with the decision to visit Norway and Sweden this time around. And so it was that we met up at the Oslo airport, flew off to Stavenger and spent a few days at Lysefjorden before heading to Sweden to meet up with Pappou & Moca. More on that second part a bit latter. For now, we're talking' Norway!

Norway was the ideal place for them environmentally minded outdoorsy types. The Fjord was the perfect location to decompress after a very stressful final few weeks in Malaysia (with all that stuff going on stress "got the best of us" without our even realising it). Here, at the very tip of the Lysefjorden, we found a small house to rent and settled down to the low key lifestyle. The town had nothing apart from a supermarket, although we did spend a good deal of time trying to find a cafe, a playground, anything that would allow us a semblance of urban life. No such thing here. Just a beautiful view, a small marina, calm and opportunities to visit the fjord by boat or on foot. We did both.

Two of the three days we took boats down the fjord and discovered just how wonderful nature can be. The other day opted for what turned out to be a seven hour (six for some) hike to Perkestolen, a location that sits 604 meters above sea level and ends in a sheer drop down to the fjord. The hike itself was simply spectacular, albeit tiring. After three days out there we returned to Stavanger by taking the long way around. This included over 30 km of one lane roads (one lane for both directions make passing other cars a bit difficult) around lake after lake after lake, and hundreds of sheep munching away and watching the occasional car drive by in the mist. 

Norway left us with hope, wonder and a sense of tranquility. It was the perfect break from normalcy and a great way to escape the routine. Let summer now truly begin!