I love travelling to new places and after the madness of the past couple of years, I’m really looking forward to our next trip where we shall be spending time in Norway and Finland.

Having never been to either country before, I knew very little about both until recently as I have been doing some research to make the most of our time there. One of the things I’ve just been reminded of is that the anticipation of the trip plays a huge part in the entire experience too.

The joy isn’t just about being there or even the journey to and from your destination, but also about the build-up and looking forward to the possibilities that travelling gives you.

I’m a great believer in the ‘wandering around and seeing what you bump into’ style of travelling and tourism and on this trip, we’re going to be doing that while exploring the main cities (in this case, Bergen, Oslo and Helsinki) among a few other places.

We’re also really looking forward to hanging out in museums, coffee shops, bars, restaurants and checking out the music, art, design and architecture opportunities. Though I’m not outdoors-ey by nature, nature will play a bigger part on this trip as it is such an essential part of both Norwegian and Finnish societies, so that will be beautiful and different.

And then of course, there is the food which always plays a big part of our trips as it isn’t only fun trying new dishes, but it also gives you an insight into the local culture. So depending on availability, I’ll be giving things like Fårikål (mutton and cabbage stew) and Skillingsboller (cinnamon roll) a try in Norway and Merimiespata (beef, beer and potato stew – I’m sensing stew may be a theme here) and Loimulohi (smoked salmon or trout) in Finland.

We have lived in the south of Spain for eight years and although the last few weeks have been bizarrely cold and wet, it is usually very sunny and hot here for 90% of the year as we live near a semi-arid desert. Though we like experiencing new places, neither of us are big fans of cold weather, but fortunately the forecast is looking good in both Norway and Finland for the next couple of weeks.

Mrs D&C and I haven’t had a ‘proper’ two-week holiday in a long time, so are really looking forward to it. We’re both very excited!

Siitä tulle mahtava! (in Finnish)
Det kommer til å bli kjempebra! (in Norwegian)
It’s going to be awesome!

Header photo by Johny Goerend on Unsplash (Lofoten, Norway)
Photo by Spurwing Agency on Unsplash (Bergen, Norway)
Photo by Jaakko Kemppainen on Unsplash (Helsinki, Finland)
Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash (Vigeland Sculpture Park, Oslo)