Over a year ago now, I traveled to Norway on a whim after graduation. My family and friends all questioned me– why Norway? Truth was, I’d had a friend recently come and visit me who was from a small fishing town in Western Norway, and show me pictures of his hometown. I was immediately captivated and knew I needed to go there. So what if I was a wuss and didn’t have a lot of experience hiking? The photos I kept looking at were screaming my name, begging me to come take a whiff of those mountains.

So I did, and it was the best thing I’ve ever done. I fell in love with Norway, travelling from the western city of Ålesund down to Bergen, road trip style. I gazed longingly at fjords, smelled the fresh grass and the smell of the sea mixing with the mountains on the coast. I watched the clouds part over the distant mountains and sea just to allow sunlight to pass through them in rays, while I sat on my knees in tears, in awe of the beauty. I swiftly hiked to the top of a muddy mountain to watch the sun set, hiked to the top of a small mountain at night in a local park, experienced the gorgeous architecture of Ålesund and Bergen, had the honor of being treated to local, home-cooked meals, and gotten spoiled with a 7-course, locally-sourced dinner in Bergen.

That trip changed me, and changed my life. I suddenly felt a whole new world inside of me opening up, and I felt connected to the country in a way I’d never felt before. I felt free, liberated, and as though I had been missing out on something my entire life.

One year later, I’ve been back to Norway, though sadly not to the Western Coast again. Since then, I’ve visited Oslo and its immediate surrounding areas. I’ve been learning Norwegian on my own for about a year now, and while I’m nowhere near fluent, I can manage some basic conversations. I’ll be going back to Oslo again soon, and heading up north through the eastern part of Norway to Trondheim, the former capital. I’ll experience Julmat, or Christmas food, and a snowy, wintry wonderland. I can’t wait!