Norway. 02.22-25.2016
Since moving to London I made a promise of sorts to myself that I shall go to one country or new town every month till summer comes and I drop everything yet again to travel non stop for 5 weeks.
February was my birthday month and I had been craving to be somewhere within the mountains and endless bodies of water. Within days I booked a flight to Oslo where I was just under 24 hours. I packed in as much I could. I visited the insanely beautiful building of the Oslo Opera House and the Akershus Fortress Castle. That night I decided to give Couchsurfing a try. If you don't know what Couchsurfing is and intend to do a lot of travelling and like meeting new people, this website is probably the best thing there is for that! My host and I shared similar music interests and we talked till the am about our favourite bands. It was my first experience and a great one. The next morning I woke up at dawn to get to the waterfront to meet with a model I scouted on Instagram. It was cold but the sunrise was breathtaking and totally worth it. I will be publishing the photos from that day shortly on here. After we were done I caught the train to the airport onto my next destination, Tromsø one of the most northern towns in Norway.
As I looked outside my window seat I saw mountains upon bodies of waters and lots of snow. I was home. After taking the wrong bus and endlessly gazing at the view from every corner in search of the mountains that surrounded the town, I managed to stumble upon my hostel on a hill that overlooked bits and pieces of the town. Right away I was welcomed and chatted up by the owners, a friendly family owned and runned by hostel. I went into the girls dorm room to find one girl in bed sleeping and my first reaction was how can you stay in bed while travelling! There's so much to see and do out there! I don't care how sick you feel! But who knew we would end up becoming such great friend in matter of hours.
The thing is travel forces you to open up about yourself and create no boundaries. Travelling makes you into the person who wish you could be everyday, bold, courageous and free. You fear nothing and no one. That's why so many people create lifelong friends, lovers, and memories when they are travelling. While my 3 days there I witnessed heartbreak when one friend could no longer face the long distance with a man she loved and cared for slowly slipping away. And another friend who truly believed she met the love her life while traveling through central Europe. And then there was me. On my first night in Tromso the whole hostel got a group together to go to open mic night at a local pub. I joined with nothing to lose. As the night progressed I met a Norwegian musician who attended the local University. Put two foregians together, different accents and a love for music well you for sure have sparks flying. And in that dingy dive bar I lusted over his golden locks and the way he played his guitar. My friends beamed their smiles at me witnessing him serenading me in the middle of the bar. Although it was one night with a stranger it felt like pure magic that made me feel alive. Say yes more when travelling, you never know where it will lead you to.
Tromsø had stolen my heart. The town was small but still lively enough. The scenery was beautiful. I spent the new few days exploring and taking photos. One of the main reasons that brought me to Tromsø was to see the Northern Lights. After an awful encounter and bad luck with a local tour guide I had just hours to find another tour that would take me and my friend on at the last minute. After many TripAdvisors reviews we settled on one and went to their office were we ended up telling our story of bad luck and they offered an extra tour for free the following night. Generous people while you are a young broke traveller is probably one of the greatest gifts. In turn of these events and my feelings towards this beautiful place I wanted to delay my flight back to London. That night however me and my friend went on the NL tour. We waited patiently on the shorelines of a beach for the lights to appear. After a couple of hours they decided to show up and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. After that night the urge to delay my flight grew even more, but after finding out it would cost me more money to get the next flight then it did for all 3 flights I took for this trip I knew I couldn't but it would just be another excuse to come back.
After 4 days, 3 flights, 2 rail trains, 5 buses, 1 norwegian lad, and 3 incredible lifelong friends I had come to the end of my first solo trip. Where onto next?
