Enjoying the Hikes and History of Norway

by Mitchell Mahar, Greenheart Travel High School Exchange Student in Norway

These pictures are from the trip into the forest in early January during my high school exchange in Norway. This is about 5 km from the small town of Vennesla, Norway. It looks pretty warm, but it was actually about negative 5 degrees Celsius. It was really cold. The lake that is in the background actually had ice on it that was about 10 cm thick. My host family makes a trip out here at least once a month. It is something that is not as popular in the U.S. in my opinion.

It is rare for people in the U.S. to take day hikes into the woods just for fresh air and to be in nature, but in Norway it is very common. After reaching the spot near the lake, my family set up camp and started a kind of BBQ. We toasted bread, cooked sausages, and also made pancakes with butter and sugar. That’s the thing about Norwegians; they don’t use maple syrup on anything, not even pancakes. I have to agree with them though, butter and sugar is not maple syrup, but it’s really good. My host family also invited a lot of their friends from around the neighborhood. It was a ton of fun to play with the kids from around the neighborhood. This was the first time I had met most of them, so it was really nice just meeting some new people, listening to them talk in their native tongue, and just learning about their culture.

The thing I love most about Norway is definitely the landscape. These pictures don’t even show the half of it. If you ever get the opportunity to go to Norway, go; because just seeing the landscape and knowing the history behind makes it worthwhile.

Until next time,

Mitchell