- My husband is the best travel partner (okay, I already knew this one, but I’m reminded of it whenever we travel). He makes me laugh. He supports me when I’m stressed or confused. He lets me comfort him when he’s stressed or anxious. He spends hours with me in the Nobel Peace Center so we can talk about peace. When I’m feeling sick, he holds my hand all the way back to the hotel and makes “Cup of Noodles” for dinner and we eat the cheapest “room service.”
- In Oslo, Norway, there are many coffee shops, interior/home stores, and hair dressers.
- Airfare to Norway might be cheap, but everything else is not.
- The cold weather does not deter Norwegians. It was really cool to see many of their restaurants and cafes still open even though it was November and freezing! They just turn on outdoor heaters and put a blanket on every chair and carry on.
- God created some extreme beauty when he created the fjords.
- Sometimes the best places to stay are the places no one stays. When we told the ferry boat captain that we were getting off in Undredal, he asked why. It was such a small place, he didn’t know what we would do for two nights there. But it was gorgeous, and we hiked, and we watched the ferry boat come in and out, and we had tea and did crossword puzzles and talked, and it was amazing. We were definitely the only tourists in this town of 80 people, but we loved it.
- When looking for a bar to get one last drink in Norway, see what the New York Times has to say. Chad found an article on the NYT website that talked about the Fyret bar and its collection of different Aquavit (read more about Aquavit on Chad’s blog), and it was so charming and cozy and perfect for us! We walked through a lot of crowds and mayhem and long lines for dance clubs to get there, but it was well worth it. Also, it was in Youngstoget, or “Youngs Square,” and Youngs is my maiden name, so that was fun too.
- Tunnels are everywhere in Norway, and sometimes they are scary, and sometimes they make right turns. Like literally a ninety-degree right turn. Inside a tunnel. Also, some tunnels had rebar sticking out of the sides and some had water dripping down, so yeah, unnerving.
- Taking the funicular to the top of the mountain at sunset is amazing (great idea, Chad!) and sometimes there are giant troll statues when you get there.
- Peace is a great theme for a vacation, and Norway was a great place to look for it.
seek. follow. love. 
So fun to see pictures and dream of this beautiful place. One more of God’s wonders!
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