I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to my best friend's home this summer. This may sound uneventful except for the fact that her home is in Norway! I stayed with her for about 18 days at the beginning of this past summer.

Our flight was a direct flight from Miami straight to Oslo, Norway and was about a 9 hour flight. As soon as we got off the plane my friend's family was waiting with anticipation, and a busy schedule because the next day was the start of the biggest holiday weekend in Norway, the 17th of May or their Independence day.

On May 17th, the Norwegian Independence Day, we spent the morning walking to the local elementary school to listen to the national anthem as they raised the flag. We then headed to the castle for the big parade. I felt like I was in The Princess Diaries at the Genovian Independence Day parade with Princess Mia. After that we went back to the school to listen to speeches and watch the children have a parade. I love Norway for many reasons, but one of them is because this day is all about eating ice cream and grilling out with your family, while dressing up in your Bunad (the traditional costume).

The next day we headed to Bergen, another 9 hour ride, this time over the mountains and through the Fjords. The mountains were covered in snow taller than me! For a Floridian who had just seen snow fall for the first time this past winter...I was freaking out a little bit! I felt like I was in the middle of Frozen! It was the most beautiful drive I have ever seen.

Our day in Bergen was filled with walking through the beautiful streets, smelling the sea air and seafood, and traveling up the mountain for a breathtaking view of the city.

The following day was a not what we hoped for but we took what we were given and ran with it. We were planning on doing a 10 hour hike to the amazing and famous Trollunga, but unfortunately it was a cold, rainy morning and the fog made it to dangerous for us to attempt this long hike. So we set out to Oslo again. Along the way we found some beautiful places.

A few days later, once back in Oslo we hiked a local trail. it was great! This was my halfway point of the trip. I cannot believe that I was able to go this crazy trip with my best friend, and it be to the place she calls home.