Maybe your social media doesn't speak to you like mine does, but my Instagram has been saying "LOFOTEN ISLANDS" and "MIDNIGHT SUN" for over a year now. I've trained it well and it knows what I want. Seriously, what a dream.
It's funny, because I was equal parts really excited that I COULD visit this place on a budget (hostel and public bus) and then also frustrated that my options were so limited and my time sometimes very wasted. If you can afford to rent a car, DO IT! If you can only come here if things are cheap, COME! It's possible to have a very enjoyable time while sticking to the bus schedule, just pretty annoying!
There were several hikes I didn't get to because of time constraints (if you don't catch the last bus back to the hostel, then you're spending all night outside with the sun...) and because they were too far away from bus stops. But I managed to hike three very cool trails with fabulous views. I would LOVE to come back here. Norway holds my heart.
I was also lucky enough to be able to stay in Stavanger for a few nights, hiking the famous Pulpit Rock and the 4,444 Florli stairs next to the Lysefjord!!! Epic and so fun! That's a lot of stairs, by the way. Probably harder than the Manitou Incline, but hard to quantify. I met two lovely ladies from Denmark, one hiking down from the top with her dad (we managed to find the trail together) and the other helped me catch my flight by giving me a ride to the airport! I'm convinced Danes are the nicest people.
Ooops, almost forgot my day in Stockholm, Sweden! Not my favorite city, but not terrible! I enjoyed a couple different walking tours and even a sunset dinner cruise where I met a new friend (would you believe she also lives in WA and travels with standby benefits?!)
I like that Stockholm is a coastal city. Water makes everything better!
I had SUCH a grand time in Norway.
Someone asked me what my favorite places are and so I tried to come up with a list (it's hard):
#1. Norway
#2. Hawaii
#3. Singapore
#4. Venice
#5. Istanbul
We'll see if that changes as I visit five new countries in the near future!!
July wasn't over when I came home from Norway! I did have to work a BUNCH, but also did two back to back hikes up at Snoqualmie Pass which were pretty spectacular!!
I recommend Snow Lake (about 6 miles rt) and keep hiking to Gem Lake (11 miles rt) -- both very scenic and great for a swim!! Kendall Katwalk (on the PCT) is a very neato spot with a very narrow trail on a ridge, but I didn't think it was worth the 12.6 miles round trip to get there. It was a fun experience though and I ate a couple Klondike bars on my way home in celebration!
July has been DREAMY.
But I'm equally looking forward to August and September! :) Summer is just the best!
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Currently:
Eating | rice casserole (thanks Gma!)
Enjoying | pretty sunrises at work
Watching | 50 States in 50 Days with Ryan and Haley!!
Thankful | Pete is set up really well for Uni this fall
Planning | TONS of September travels (I have the month off work)
Anticipating | sunny days in Ireland
