Kelsey's Travel Blog!
I travel not to escape life, but to be sure that life will not escape me! Come join me!
Trondheim, Norway
Trondheim is a perfect example of Scandinavian charm right up to the snow dusted streets, the red and yellow houses, and the cobblestone shopping streets. It is located in the middle of Norway and is the third most populated city in Norway. It is primarily populated by students since there are three large universities located here with an assortment of science, engineering and nursing students. Now many of you may be wondering what on Earth prompted me to get a ticket to the middle-of-nowhere Norway when I have places like Paris and Amsterdam still to visit? Well, I stand by the statement that traveling is not so much where you go, but who you are with, and my Norwegian sister, Kristine Dalevoll, happens to be the source of inspiration behind my coming to this beautiful country of my ancestors.
I met Kristine right after high school when I decided to do Up With People: an international organization that promotes cultural understanding and giving back to the community. We traveled together for 6 months where we were convinced that we were truly separated at birth. Up With People was one of the hardest and most fulfilling things I have ever done: volunteering with 20 orphans in Poland, working with juveniles about self-worth and goal-making in Queretaro, Mexico, and teaching young students in Finland about what life really is like in America, yet with little sleep, horrible food, and little to no alone time. Yet I honestly don’t think I could have done it without Kristine. I made a best friend and a sister, and this will be the second time I have come to Norway just to see her pretty face!
I left Prague and arrived in Oslo where I had to jump on a tiny Norwegian Airline flight up to Trondheim. When I arrived, Kristine was waiting for me with her huge smile and her brown hair (I have only ever seen her as a blonde). Although I have not seen her for 2 years, it was as though I had never left! I nearly cried when I hugged her after so much time apart and it was so nice to finally be together again with someone who sometimes knows me better than I know myself!
The first evening was spent just catching up on the latest gossip, seeing what each other has been up to, laughing, etc. The following day, it was a day of celebrations since it was my beautiful hostess’ 22nd birthday!!!
Unfortunately, in Trondheim, there really isn’t too much to do, nor is anything that you would find fun as a young person cheap, so Kristine had the brilliant idea to have a wonderful girls night in. Yet what I love about Kristine is that everything that we do, is going to be done right, so this girls night in was no ordinary night in, it was a full on “girls sleepover pajama party”! I have not had the pleasure of going to a pajama party since I was about 10, but there is nothing better than listening to trashy 90’s music, painting your nails, playing games, eating incredible deserts (all made by Kristine) and singing Sing Star with 11 girls! I immediately felt at home with all of these girls. And as a side note, if you ever meet a Norwegian that claims they don’t speak English or are not very good, NEVER believe them, because usually their English is incredible! The night ended with watching half of Dirty Dancing and we ending up turning it off because we were keen to go to bed due to the intense food-coma.
The festivities continued the following day with the “Boys party”. They weren’t invited to the pajama party but I am sure they would have been thrilled to have attended. We spent the day baking MORE cakes and yummy treats and around 7, all of Kristine’s closest male friends, including her best friend Heidi, and the girl friend of one of the boys arrived. We all got dressed up for them and, again, ate our own body weight in treats. We played games, chatted up a storm, and I again had such an incredible time with all of the people most important to Kristine. They all welcomed me with open arms, laughed at my bad jokes, and even understood my sarcasm (so obviously I loved them from the start). I couldn’t have imagined a better way to celebrate her birthday!
The next two days were full of more and more girly things that I had not been able to do since I have been hanging with primarily those of the male species though out my travels. Think facemasks, pedicures, nail painting, watching Eat Pray Love, and beginning to talk about our dream of traveling the world after University. We walked around the city, did a bit of shopping, but sometimes just staying in with your best friend can make the trip the best it could be.
But, today is Valentines Day and we will be celebrating it in the best way possible: Italian food and wine, but that adventure is for another blog post! Have a wonderful Valentines Day, everyone! If today is a day to be spent with someone you love, then I am absolutely in the right place!
