The Very Berry Norway
As we traveled through the countryside, we were constantly distracted by the gorgeous views of mountains, herds of peacefully grazing animals, and fields of vibrantly blooming… potatoes. “Look! Potatoes! That’s all potatoes!” Victor would exclaim pointing out of the car window, “So many potatoes…” I nodded along as he kept […]
Taxco: The Silver Capital of the World
Thursday evening. I am sitting in a conference room of an office building in Chicago patiently waiting for the plaintiff’s counsel to finish the examination of a witness and conclude the deposition that has been dragging on for too long. And then in what seems to be in the blink […]
It Takes a Norwegian Village
It was late evening by the time we arrived at our Airbnb in a tiny hamlet by Galdhøpiggen, the tallest mountain in Norway. We were tired from the long day and were relieved to finally reach the isolated farm that we would call our home for the next few days. […]
The Norwegian Grocery List
As I mentioned in the previous post, restaurants in Norway are very expensive and Norwegians cook most meals at home. We followed suit. This meant a lot of grocery store trips to the point where we knew the standard Coop Prix and Bunnpris store layouts by heart. In smaller towns […]
Norway: Table for Two, Please!
Food has always been an essential part of travel for me. I’ve always been an adventurous eater from grubs to scorpions, cow brains, and alpaca. Except for an occasional refusal to nibble on a fried guinea pig, I am usually game to try anything locals eat and always fully immerse […]
Norway: It’s a Bad Day for a Hike
Most of the hikes we did in Norway required almost 0 planning. Look up some good hikes in the area, take enough water and snacks to last the round-trip, wear weather-appropriate layers, and off you go! The Besseggen hike in Jotunheimen was a notable exception to this rule. It’s a […]
Norway: It’s a Good Day for a Hike
This is going to be our 25th post about hiking on this blog and I don’t think we ever actually acknowledged or explained just how much we enjoy hiking or how much that influences our travel itineraries. In fact, my own sister to whom I talk multiple times a week […]
Polar Plunge. Literally.
As we moved through the fjords, in many beautiful spots we saw one common type of construction – slick, modern, wooden containers, often with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water. Some were built on the bank of a fjord; others were floating on a jetty connected to the shore via a […]
Summer in Norway
What does summer look like in one of the most northern countries on Earth? That is the question I should have asked myself when packing for our trip. But I didn’t. “It’s summer after all!” I thought, shoving shorts and T-shirts into my backpack. I wasn’t even planning on bringing […]
No Way! Norway!
It feels like every time I start a post about a new country, there is the same theme. “Look, we are doing something we’ve never done before! We usually don’t travel like this, but we made an exception this time!” A long time ago we started out as budget travelers […]
How I Sent My Parents To The Concentration Camp
Because my parents still live in Belarus and I live in the States, I like inviting them to join our trips from time to time. This way, we can kill two birds with one stone: enjoy some quality family time and explore a new destination together. Over the years, we […]