roadtripping the fjords!

when i was on exchange in stockholm in 2009, i pirated the 'norway in a nutshell' tour. the irony (pirates, vikings etc) wasn't lost on me and it was good fun traveling from bergen to flam by bus, ferry and train. when the mister was in belgium on exchange in 2008, he went to tromso and was lucky enough to see the northern lights. having had only a taster of norway, we were both excited to go back. so much so that we popped over to bergen for the weekend after my january exams earlier this year. when the summer bank holiday rolled round, we were tempted to do what (feels like) every other mobile brit / brit-based person does i.e. fly south and veg out on a beach. but the mister, as you might've guessed by now, is anything but conventional. plus the thought of fighting throngs of brit tourists in the mediterranean didn't appeal to us. the mister then turned his attention north, and planned an amazing route through the norwegian fjords*, and a surprise foray to sweden. because, i mean, i had been going on and on about how much i missed sweden and kicking myself for not venturing outside stockholm. suppose i shouldn't be surprised he actually listened, bless his heart, and sneakily detoured through are (pronounced "o:ra") to fan my swedish flame.

the mister's theme for the trip (he's poetic that way!) was "sleeping in unusual places". thank goodness i protested the original plan (camping and sleeping in a tent) because unusual as that might've been, comfort is something i take very seriously. the mister, however, is a guards captain and goodness knows them brown berets are completely at home in unhospitable environments. that said, the mister planner supreme then hand-picked an amazing bunch of places to stay. we spent the night at a quaint guesthouse that opened right onto the fjords, a functional but un-manned lighthouse (!!!), a military-inspired barrack room with killer views, a converted cloister garden and a beach house made from re-purposed materials. oh ya, the beach house used to be a concrete factory haha. for that surprise foray to sweden, we stayed at the best ski lodge for a steal (because it was summer!) and staying off-season at swish places has its benefits... like an amazing spa that was almost completely empty and great views of the ski valley.

but i get ahead of myself. will be posting on the various places we stayed for the next week or so. please do check back if you'd like to see :)

*right after our icelandic midsummer wedding, we went walking on the icelandic fjords and fell in love with their serene majesty. visiting their continental european cousins was, therefore, the next logical thing to do!