After the dreary-yet-beautiful time in Iceland, we were looking for a bit of sunshine in our lives. Enter Norway. Who knew you could fall in love with someone in just two short weeks? Heck, it even took me a few months to say the big L-word to Craig. But Norway, Norway is just different.

Our first stop in the country of fjords and jaw-dropping beauty was Bergen. The little/not-so-little city that makes you feel as if you are in a fairytale. The bright buildings, the cobbled streets. It’s all so…Norway.

I can’t wait until the day comes when I can move here with Craig (and AK). We are going to live in the yellow house. It’s already been decided. Now I just need to learn Norwegian.

While in Bergen, we spent two nights with our lovely host Elisabeth. She lives upstairs and rents out three rooms on the main floor.

Our room was amazing (and cheap, especially after those pricey Iceland days). We faced the sea ,and it was spacious like a giant viking ship. Speaking of viking ships, this was right outside our place.

We spent two days walking the walkable city. We heard that  it rains a lot in Bergen, so we were super pumped that it was nice and sunny while we were visiting. Such a showoff.

For our first tourist stop, we went up the Fløibanen funicular. And like most tourist attractions, it’s best to get there early. So we did. Travel rookies we are not.

Tourist tip? Buy your tickets online to any attraction, if you can. One, they usually give you a discount, and two, you get to bypass the ticket line. It’s like you get to cut in line for being smarter.

Up the funicular we go. At the top we soaked in the views and had a pastry and coffee. By the time we were ready to head back down, the mobs of tourists were coming out to play. Bye, Felicia. Thanks for the view.

From every angle in Bergen, you can catch things that’ll take your breath away. It’ll make you stop in the middle of the sidewalk like an ass and snap a picture. Which I’m sure I did on hundreds of occasions. Eye roll.

And just when you think that you’ve snapped enough photos of the adorable houses…you snap one more. Because, why not?

One of our favorite stops in Bergen was a bar Craig found by a bit of Googling. Henrik. It was like Cheers, where everyone seemed to know your name (after you told it to them) and people sat at the bar to chat with the owner, Henrik, instead of grabbing one of the many empty booths throughout the place. Henrik is just that cool.

Henrik thinks it’s a good idea if we move to Norway. So, what Henrik wants, Henrik gets. I’ll make sure to put that on my visa application.

After two days in Bergen, we picked up a rental car and made our way out into the fjords for some chill time. Since we couldn’t check in at our Airbnb for a few hours, we took Henrik’s recommendation and just drove out to the tip of one of the fjords. You know, just to see how it feels. The views along the way were worth it.

Our second Airbnb in Norway was in the town of Askøy. I booked this one about 6 months ago, that’s how excited I was to stay. It’s part of a yoga retreat center, and when they don’t have events going on, they rent out their cabins.

Namaste here, like for real. I instantly fell in love with the cabin and the grounds. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.

We cooked all our meals here and spent our days on the adorable porch overlooking the fjord. We also did as the Norwegians do…and enjoyed a sauna. But not just any sauna, nope, this was in a funky pyramid that was right outside our cabin.

Then, right after, we walked down the stairs and plunged into the chilly fjord. As you do…

Next stop in Norway? A 16th-century cabin nestled among fruit farms in the Hardanger Fjord. Yes, we totally had some delicious plums during our stay.

Initially, the reason we booked this spot was its close proximity to Trolltunga trailhead (aka Troll’s Tongue), but due to injuries and the rainy weather, we decided to not do the hike and just explore the area a bit. After all, we have a 500-mile walk coming up.

In all honesty, it was quite nice sitting in the cozy cabin reading, while it rained outside.

And discovering hidden snacks…

This area of Norway is absolutely breathtaking and you feel like you have the sites pretty much to yourself. Massive waterfalls without the massive crowds, amazing. I guess you lose some people when the only way to access the fjord is by ferry. Their loss (our gain).

Since we scratched the 10-hour Trolltunga hike, our host, who was the sweetest lady ever, gave us a bunch of recommendations. So when it wasn’t raining, we ventured to the outdoorsy things she suggested, like an easy hike to Bondhusvatnet Lake with views of a mighty glacier (which you can’t see in this pic…but use your imagination).

And Craig got his daily dose of water photography…

Next, we drove to the town of Rosendal and enjoyed lunch at Baroniet Rosendal. This historical estate has pretty gardens to explore and serves delicious lunch for my hangry soul. Plus, how cute are the grass roofs?

The drive back to our cabin, be it on tiny roads, was awesome. Filled with fjord money shots…and zero people. My kinda drive.

Two nights in the quaint and cozy area was great, but it was time to head towards the city life. So, back to Bergen we went to drop off our rental car and hop on our 7-hour train ride to Oslo. But if you read the previous post, then you know that 7 hours in Norway time is really 9 hours.

But I can’t be mad at you, Norway. I just love you too much. On our way to Oslo we go…