Field notes from

NORWAY

July 20, 20241 min read

Norway is the kind of country where the postcard photos are real and somehow still undersell it. The fjords look fake in person. The light in summer is unreal. The history museum in Oslo had me down a Viking rabbit hole for hours.

I split my time between Oslo, Bergen, and a day trip out to Nærøyfjord. Bergen is the kind of small city you keep finding excuses to stay in — the harbor, the wooden houses, the funicular up Fløyen. Oslo felt bigger and more modern; great food scene, very walkable.

Quick story: I went to the gym one day in Bergen and a guy gestured at the bench press to spot me. We didn't share a single word of language. We did three sets, nodded, and that was that. Universal human language: the deadlift.

If you go, don't sleep on the fjord cruise even though it sounds touristy. It is the trip. Bring motion sickness pills if you're sensitive — the water gets choppy on the open sections.

From the camera roll