Fjords! Waterfalls! Norway!
I traveled to Norway earlier this month, and I'd happily go back.
Why Norway, you may ask? It was reunion road trip of sorts with a Norwegian friend I had met while studying abroad in New Zealand in 2006. She visited me in New York two years ago, and I decided to visit her back. Focusing on the famous west coast, we spent a week driving (stick! I drove stick!), sleeping at hostels, seeing lots of fjords and natural wonders, and repeating that all over again. So refreshingly different from the recent travels with my family! It's also awesome to know that we may live far away from each other, but we can still take a trip together at the drop of a hat.
Fjords galore!
Bryggen, Bergen's historic old town
Driving was hardly boring in Norway (unless the road had lots of tunnels, though)
This was just a rest stop! Fjaerland fjord
The small town of Fjaerland is known for its secondhand book shops. If the whole book career doesn't pan out, I'm moving here!
Western Norway is known for its stave churches. Many have been around since the medieval times.
Geiranger fjord is the smallest but most famous
This Toyota was a champ, mostly for putting up with my incompetence at manual driving. I could get by, I guess--but only if I was going above 60kmh! First gear is horrible and useless, in my opinion (except for the whole "start the car" function).
The view from a mountain pass
This pass was called "Trollstiggen," which means "troll ladder"
Beware of trolls!
There were many moments during the trip when I felt so small next to nature
We went on a musk ox hike!
Vigelandsparken, a famous sculpture park in Oslo
The Oslo Opera House
You can walk all the way up to the roof.