Our departure from England was a crazy experience with Ryan Air! We flew out from a small airport north of London called Stansted that serves mostly discount airlines – which we were definitely on!!! Although we thought that we had plenty of time to check in and go through security we quickly went into panic mode after Norrie had to reduce extra weight in his backpack. This left us with only minutes to spare until our gate closed. What followed was a scene from the Amazing Race!!! We rushed through security and sprinted through the winding maze of terminal hallways until we found our gate – #78 at the very end of the airport terminal. We made it with seconds to spare and were so relieved to be onboard and very happy to be now heading to our “home away from home!!!” in Norway.
When we landed in Norway we were greeted with warm smiles and waving flags. We had such a sense of relief to be back in such familiar territory with family. It’s been so special to see every member of our family in Horten / Sandefjord / Fredrikstad / Sarpsborg! We even made it out the special family cottage in Hvaler for a day. Kai and Norrie were happy to find a special walking stick that they hid under a rock last time we were at the cottage. It was also great to get reacquainted with longtime friend Tonje over some good wine and fresh Norwegian shrimp in Lervik. The weather in Norway during September has been fantastic with warm summer sun and crisp fall air. This is our favourite season!!!
Over these past two weeks it didn’t take us long to fall back in love with all of the things that we miss about Norway. The breakfast spreads and endless shiva’s (open faced sandwiches), the bottomless cups of strong coffee (always had with a little something), the fresh boller still warm from the oven, the Norwegian vaffler, and of course the natmat (sandwiches before bed). Kai was in his glory with all the Norwegian cheese and bread!!! We also loved the heated floors, duvets and nice sheets, which were pure luxury to enjoy!!! And we can’t forget the Sarpsborg vino – which was pure decadence as well!!!
In Horten Vea had a very special experience with her cousin Benedikte who introduced her to a gymnastic lesson that she was instructing. Vea was very reluctant at first due to the language barrier and not knowing anyone. She quickly made friends and became a social butterfly. This friendship led to many experiences for Vea – one of which was being able to attend school for a few days with her new friend Tuva.
While in Norway we were also so excited to get our new tandem bikes! This was a great time to get our bikes ready for the next 3 months touring in Europe. We geared up and had a few test rides with all of our panniers on board, and even got Tante Ragnhild out for a long tour as a stoker!!!
While we’ve been travelling these past 8 months, a highlight for all of us has been to experience our birthdays in different parts of the world. Kari celebrated hers in Costa Rica, Kai in Hawaii, Norrie in Thailand and Vea was able to celebrate her 10th birthday in Norway!! It was such a special memory for Vea to have so much Norwegian family around.
We are now ready and excited for the next chapter of our journey!!! After downsizing our possessions and clothes even more to fit into our bike panniers, we are now ready to apply everything we have learned about travelling these past 8 months and fulfill a dream we’ve had to cycle in Europe with Kai and Vea on tandems!! We are so excited to start!!!
We soon depart form Larvik, southern Norway to catch our ferry to Hirtshalls in northern Denmark. On arrival we’ll meet up with John and Beth who will join us for the first part of our bike tour. It’s been 8 months since we’ve seen them, and we’re looking forward to catching up while we ride.
Here are some more photos from our two weeks in Norway.
All 4 now!
The love of being with family and “home”… I can see it in all the stunning photos.
Such beautiful memories. Loved this post. All the best to you all xxx
Hi Malini. You especially know the feeling of being with family from afar. We have a special word for this in Norwegian – called ‘Koselig’, which is hard to translate. Maybe there’s a similar word for you.
Lovely descriptive photos as always, Norrie! Especially the Lyng which I know is fall ‘Heather’. Kari looks so relaxed in Norway. Have an awesome bike trip! Lotsa luv, Heather, Eric and Dee xxxx
We are seeing a lot of Heather around this time of the year, and we’re looking forward to seeing you soon.
Thank you Matthews family for allowing us follow your journey. What an amazing 8 months you all have had. Your write ups were enjoyable and the pictures amazing. Thanks again!
Glad that you’re enjoying following the blog Arlene. It has been an incredible journey so far. Hard to believe that it’s coming to an end in only 3 months!!
I can’t wait to come to Norway with you one. Everything looks beautiful and fresh. Scenery and food. Love Ya J
You would fit right in if you visited Norway Jackie – but you could never afford the same wine consumption.
I can’t wait to come to Norway with you one day. Everything looks beautiful and fresh. Scenery and food. Love Ya J
Heisann, på dere! It was very Nice to have you here in Norway, we had a great time! We miss you guys a lot. Håper det ikke er lenge til vi ser dere igjen, vi kan ikke vente! Håper turen videre går bra, og at dere koser dere masse:-) hilsen hele familien i Norge<3 love you