Norway!

Hey! I'm in Norway right now, hence the lack of posts here. I've been sketching, but this post is going to be all pictures. I didn't take these, my sister Laura, who is quite the photographer, did.

My sister and I (she's the one who looks like a person, I'm the one who looks like Cousin It) have been traveling around here since June 9th. This is probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. We started out in a tiny town called Solvorn, where we stayed at the homiest hostel I've ever visited. It's run by a guy who used to bike around the world before he started Eplet Bed and Apple.

They have the friendliest sheep I have ever met. These guys are like dogs - they come running up to you, they want to be petted, and they love feeding time. When they eat out of your hand, they snuffle food up with their funny, velvety lips.

I used to ride a bike all the time. And about 10-12 years ago, I pretty much stopped. My last two short bike excursions in the past two years were a bit terrifying, so I was a little nervous to go out riding on real roads. But it was great! This is me being determined. In case you can't tell.



More cool stuff from that area. We hiked on that glacier!

Then we went to Geiranger fjord, which was very dramatic:


This shot is from 2 am - this is about as dark as it got there at night.

We saw a rainbow over the fjord! (it's above the lit hillside in the middle-ish area)

Now we are in the Lofoten Islands above the Arctic Circle. I can't do justice to how powerful this landscape is. The islands rise straight out of the sea into tall, jagged cliffs. The land feels imbued with ancient and powerful magic. Solvorn and Geiranger seemed like places for fairies and trolls, but Lofoten seems like a land of gods. Towns are only on the edges, right near the sea. The interior is left to sheer cliffs, heather-covered hillsides and the occasional hut. Hiking up the mountains, it feels like you could turn a corner and the town below would have disappeared, leaving you in a different world. I'll leave you with this picture from when we drove into Lofoten on a foggy afternoon. Soon to come - pictures of the peaks, midnight sun, and some very smelly dried fish (I guess you'll have to trust me on the smell).


Also - tonight we skinny dipped in the Arctic Ocean! It was... brisk. And amazing.