When we knew we were heading to Europe for three years we started a sort of wish list of places we wanted to go. Fairly high on the list for me was Norway. Getting there was a full day of flights because I went above the Arctic Circle to Tromsø.
Why Norway? I have a love of all things Viking from the very strong people to the need to survive, their pagan Norse faith is fascinating and if you don’t know the Troll history in Norway, go look it up! (this blog is a good start) I’ve done some studying over the years on the culture, religion and folklore. Of course, the Vikings weren’t absolutely or exclusively from Norway but it’s the land and sea I tend to place them.
There were two reasons for this trip, one was simply experiencing the place, the weather, the food, the people. Second, there’s a Norse symbol I have identified with on a very personal level which I’ve wanted as a tattoo for years and knowing I would possibly be able to get it done in Norway I held off for the trip.
The best bits of this quick weekend trip were enjoying the local food and the cool weather which was overcast most of the time with some drizzle/rain. It was a lovely break from the Italian Summer heat. I did get my tattoo and am super happy with how it turned out.
The not great bits were that my husband was not able to come with me, his work demanded he stay. #militarylife And I had booked a scenic tour which ended up cancelling on me the night before so I was not able to get out of town to see the fjords and wildlife. Was super bummed about that.
Below are a few photos of the town and my quick two day trip above the Arctic Circle. Can you tell which photos were taken in the morning or mid day and which were taken at 11:00 pm ? This was not the right time to catch the midnight sun, that was July. But it stays very light out, I never saw darkness.
Below is the Raketten bar I hunted down for lunch before going for the tattoo, it’s a hotdog shack (reindeer and beef wiener on potato pancake with beets, ketchup and mustard) and a very nice “Mack” pilsner. Lovely. Also noteworthy I enjoyed a pork knuckle and pea soup on Sunday (at Bardus) that was simple but very nice on a cool day and on the way out of Norway Monday I enjoyed a slice of reindeer pizza. (sorry Rudolph fans but its delicious)
After finding out the tour cancelled I went to the Polaria Aquarium. It’s rather small but packed with information, some nice sea life tanks and a (too small) seal pool.
It was a very nice trip, the people were friendly, the food was delicious, the weather was just my cup of tea and the tattoo is healing nicely.
A shout out to the Scandic Grand hotel, it was a very nice room, friendly staff and a great location not to mention just next to the Airport Express bus stop. Also, the breakfast buffet was pretty impressive. The only issue I really had was nothing the hotel could do about, the seagulls in this area talk all day and night and I really wanted to keep the window cracked open for sleeping but they were too chatty for me. With the window closed it was quiet enough.
Check this trip off the list and I now have a Japanese tattoo inked in Japan and a Viking tattoo inked in Norway. Pretty happy about that.
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Next trip planned: Back to Sicily for a couple of days, no tattoo planned but who knows. haha!
Life Notes 