Norwegian Wood

Note: This is a scheduled post - this is published, I'll probably be somewhere in France or Belgium, slowly making my way up to Amsterdam! WISH ME LUCK! Also, please remember to donate ;)

Norway is beautiful. It's the land of aurora, fjords, and Santa Claus (although any country in the arctic circle will dispute that last point). Unlike most of Europe, Norway does not belong to the European Union - it has consistently voted against joining the EU.

One of the Beatles' most famous songs is Norwegian Wood, which has now lent its name to a famous Japanese book by Haruki Murakami and film of the same name. I couldn't help but think of Norwegian Wood while walking through these Norwegian forests - song, book, and movie.



Flying overhead and nearing Sandefjord airport, the first thing I noticed about Norway was how beautiful the colours in the leaves were. In the thick of autumn, the leaves were every colour of fire imaginable - blazing reds, burning golds, in all stages - crisp, fresh-fallen, stamped to a pulp by shoes treading on them on the pavement.





One thing which I absolutely loved about Norway was how beautifully the sunlight lit up the place. Since we're now moving into winter, the sun never rises high in the sky any more - the whole place is swathed in a perpetual glow of golden morning or late afternoon sun.

Plus, there actually was sun, something which we certainly aren't getting too much of in the UK!

Beautiful scenery at Vigeland Sculpture Park.

Some of Oslo's first snow of the season, still collected on the woodland grass.

And yes - it snows in October in Norway. Freezing cold country!

Frozen puddles at Frognerseteren.

Most of the trees here are coniferous, growing straight up with perfect trunks and a conical silhouette. To me they just look like forests full of Christmas pine and fir!


Have you been to Norway? What do you love most about it?