When I reached the 30th year of my life, I was suddenly single after 11 years in a relationship. I quit my business, sold my things and bought one way plane ticket to Norway.
I need to emphasise that I never really travelled much. Didnt have finances or time. travel a little bit in Europe and went to Vietnam for a month.
I had strange dreams for years, about frozen land covered in snow, for years. I didn't know what it meant. But when I became single and started to seek change in my life, Norway seemed like the first logical option. Forgot to add, that I was born in Czechia, in the year of the Velvet Revolution in 1989.
In Norway, I went to a small mountain town called Geilo. I went for a season, but behold, 5 years later. You kinda have to hate/love that place. A small town means everyone is in your business, but it's also endearing to know everyone and see familiar faces everywhere you go. Geilo is a town in a valley, surrounded by ski slopes and nature. The big lake in the middle is stunning in summer (no, it is not nice for swimming, even tho norwegians doesnt seems to mind how cold the water is) and also in winter. It is kinda funny how I end up in a ski resort, as someone who doesn't really like skiing or any winter sport, really. But I didn't have time for that anyway, as work always got insane in the seasons. End up in a central hotel restaurant as a server, bartender, barista, sellman and turn out in the end a receptionist - yes, all of them you do at the same time... Even through some stressful days (more like weeks), I end up loving the people. Most of us were foreigners, so we bonded through that. You barely see Norwegians in those positions.
I don't drive, I just put it right here. I will never drive in the future as well. Discover fairly quickly that travelling in Norway without a car is a serious challenge. Trains are comfy, pricey, but mostly they are not convenient and doesnt go everywhere. Same with buses. Most hiking spaces weren't really easy to access via public transportation.
I went to my favourite Bergen many times, also Stavanger, Oslo, Kristiansand, etc. I didn't go up north, as I would rather travel out of Norway (way cheaper, guys).
In Bergen, there is always rain. Yet almost every time I visited, it was beautiful weather. My friend from Bergen always laughed and urged me not to move there if I thought the weather was like that.
There is a place, right in the middle of Bergen, where I always sat on the bench. In the harbour, just watching ships and people, eating a deer hotdog and enjoying the fresh air.
When I went to Stavanger, I ended up living at an Airbnb with really interesting people. My host just casually mentioned that he traveled whole world and wrote two books. Which is insane? I went to Stavanger to hike the infamous Preikestolen. There were no buses (out of season), and it wasa long walk just to reach the parking lot. But damn... the whole hike up was absolutely stunning. The scenery changed every step, and the peak was just incredible. I fear heights, so it was also challenging seeing others sitting casually on the edge waspowerfull but impossible for me. I would definitely recommend doing this hike 100%!
I spent five years in Norway and began to become independent, travelling extensively. I'm writing this from Seoul in South Korea. More to come.