Hi there.
I just got back from a trip to Scandinavia with my mom, here's a little recap.
Norway
We are a classic Minnesotan family with Norwegian roots, so Norway is a place with a lot of nostalgia for my mom and a place where I have good memories from my semester abroad in Trondheim. We ate good chocolate, did some beautiful hikes, and met up with some old friends. We were both disappointed in ourselves for not using our Norwegian - both of us have put big time into learning it, but when it came down to it we went for English. Lame!
This pic was a hike in Bergen. so good
I had a lot of fun (not) lugging around my ski bag that I decided to bring with my rollerskis and poles in it. It was worth it for training I guess, but it was not fun! Maybe one day I’ll know how it feels to pack light. maybe
I can't believe I did this for 2 weeks. I don't recommend it
A huge highlight was hotel breakfasts. They’re just on a different level with variety and quality. It was also very warm and sunny, which was some nice variety from many rainy days in AK. All in all a great trip.
Sweden
We spent one night in Gothenburg - highlight: going in the sauna. Lowlight: train transportation was slightly harder to navigate here for some reason.
Renae and Lisa sauna ready
Denmark
We visited a family who lived in our neighborhood 15 years ago - I played with their kids and was very sad when they moved. It was pretty heart warming to see them again, and they were crazy welcoming hosts bending over backwards to make us feel at home. They live on the coast, which allowed for some swimming, very serene coastal runs, and the best white noise waves for falling asleep.
Denmark is pretty much the opposite of Alaska in every way I can imagine. It feels small, controlled, efficient, systematic, as opposed to Alaska - big, wild, free, to way oversimplify things. Just an impression from my experience. It was fun to talk about those differences with them. It felt very similar to the Midwest there.
South Dakota
We got back to the US, and made our way to South Dakota for my grandma’s memorial service. It was by far the most beautiful day of summer with warm (not hot) temps, almost no wind, the sound of crickets and birds, and peaceful South Dakota rolling grassland/farm views in every direction. South Dakota is notoriously pretty windy and hot, so we didn’t take this weather for granted.
I mean look at that. I love the Midwest
My entire family on my mom’s side got together for the first time in quite a while, and it was just a nice day honoring the wonderful grandma Dori. She would have loved every minute of it!
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I’m excited to get back to my daily routine and stay in one place for a while. :)
-Renae
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