Now it’s time to add another country to the list of categories I have here. A good thing about Europe is that despite the boundaries set by the member countries of the EU, it is pretty easy to travel and country-hop as long as you have a residence card or the Schengen Visa. I’ve always thought that country-hopping in the EU is like island-hopping in the Philippines, in terms of budget and duration of travel. (Thanks to the abundant waters dividing the PH islands.)

Now, I told myself since the first day I arrived in Europe that I will not let any chance to  travel slip away! So when a girl friend asked me to go with her to the Land of Mountains, Fjords, and the Midnight Sun in 2013, I didn’t think twice! So here’s the first part of my escapade in beautiful Norway.

It takes 8 hours to travel from Copenhagen to Norway by bus. Well, we had some budget constraints at that time, so we opted to take the bus. Besides, I thought it would be nicer to see the scenery up close than from on top. And I wasn’t disappointed. Norway has plenty of giant Christmas (pine) trees and beautiful forests!!

Our first stop was a nice little cabin by the lake owned by my friend’s ‘friend’. We stayed there for a couple of days. I appreciated the fact that Norwegians are mountain- and nature lovers. They would rather spend time somewhere close to nature than stay in Oslo, the capital, in summer, and avoid swimming around throngs of immigrants and tourists.

Lake Hemnessjøen is located in Akershus county. It seemed surrounded by cabins and holiday houses. I was so lucky to stay in a room with this view outside:

During the day, we went fishing and had a picnick. We were just chilling, having fun. We totally forgot about work and all the things that had stressed us out prior to the holidays. This is why I simply enjoy nature and prefer staying in it than being in the bustling streets of the city sometimes. I like the city too, and there’s a great deal to learn when you explore it, but nature is simply something a human being needs every once in a while. While I was there, I realized how I’d fit in well to Norwegian society.

During the night, we lit a bonfire and “socialized” the Norwegian way (or at least, that’s what my friends and her friends called it). It was fascinating how the Norwegians in the party did not, or barely, get drunk!!! I didn’t really like drinking, nor liked it as a way of socializing. I even got into a confrontation with one of the girls. I told them I was sleepy and wanted to retire at 10pm. She followed me to my room and talked to me. She said that it was embarassing to leave the party early, that we should show the Norwegians that we could keep up with them and such. I politely said no, and that I didn’t feel comfortable around people drinking. I had a hard time staying awake, and the kind of “socializing” that they were doing was pretty new to me. She left the room. That moment got stuck in my mind. But I felt proud knowing my limits and my priorities at that time.

Anyway, the best part of staying by the lake is watching the sun go down at midnight! How cool is that??

It wasn’t really the midnight sun, as we were not in the northern part of Norway where the night would be much, much brighter. I did experience the midnight sun two years later, in Lofoten. Nevertheless, seeing the sun in the horizon at midnight was still pretty cool to me.

In the morning, we had a special breakfast of bacon, eggs and toasted bread with orange juice. We definitely enjoyed our meal which took place just outside the cabin, surrounded by the beautiful lake and the islets in it.

Norway is a special place, one of the most beautiful I have been to so far! It won’t be easy to forget the scenery, and the relaxing mode it had offered us. Well, we’ll see about Oslo City in the next entry! 😉 For now, I gotta go get some sleep. Heh! Thanks for reading!