Norway

After a quick trip on the train, a few stops on the metro, an hour long flight, two busses and a car ride, I finally arrived in Budor.  Budor is a small ski resort just outside of Oslo, Norway that easily became my absolute favorite place in Europe.  The seven of us (me, Bodil, Rasmus, Jeppe, Emil, Victor & Gustav) stayed in a two bedroom flat.  Yes, I just said seven of us in a two bedroom flat for the week!  We all headed out on our skis after dropping off our luggage and I quickly learned that I can NOT ski.  The plan was a few long, flat cross country ski trips but my first night was filled with ridiculously steep hills.  I'm surprised everyone in the States couldn't hear me scream as I awkwardly plummeted down the hill until falling to a stop.  After a few hours we stopped back home for dinner before heading out for round two.  

I started my Saturday morning with a hike up the mountain and enjoyed some incredible views.  It was so peaceful that I put on my tennis shoes and went back up the hill on a run in the afternoon.  Added some lunges, squats and push ups into my run which made for a great outdoor workout.  

The boys decided to slalom ski on Monday, making me the official photographer for the morning.  After a few hours, Bodil and I decided to leave the boys on the mountain while we went on a cross country ski tour.  It began to snow during our afternoon trip which I absolutely loved!  Later we left the boys at home to cook dinner and went on our second trip out late at night.  There were no lights so we had to rely on the tracks to guide us trough the snow.  The few stars and distant cabin lights created some truly stunning views.  Bodil and I stopped several times during the trip in absolute amazement; it looked like we were walking through a fairytale.  The scenery in Norway is so surreal that words can not even begin to describe my experience.  We shared Budor with a handful of people on the weekend but I think we were the only ones in town during the week.  The resort was so peaceful and serene that I would go back in a heartbeat.  The best part was being able to look around in any direction and not see a sole in sight!  Thank you Bodil for letting me be a part of your family ski trip!