First, the big news: Dan and I bought a car! Perhaps you can guess what that means for our future plans in Norway.
While our rent-a-wreck wasn’t too expensive at 4,600 kroner ($540) a month, it wasn’t the best car and I realized it would be a bit silly to continue renting if we really do plan to stay in the Norwegian countryside. I’m all about the public transportation, but unless we were to move back to Trondheim or another city, a car is pretty much a must. Though I won’t say I’m too upset about having to get a car here – think of all the road trip possibilities now! I can’t wait for warmer weather when we can pack up our tent and drive EVERYWHERE.
But I also had another exciting/disconcerting realization when we bought the car: I don’t really need to take any winter road trips, because I’m already living in one of Norway’s prettiest winter wonderlands. I say slash disconcerting because, um, isn’t all of Norway supposed to be gorgeous and wintry in the beginning of February? Like, we’re in the heart of winter now, right?
Wrong. Well, at least this year.
We bought our car from a used dealership in Porsgrunn, which is about a 2.5 hour drive from Rauland. And while I had been excited for a snowy road trip through Telemark, within half an hour the snow started to lose its sparkle, turning first to slush and then to rain. It wasn’t pretty, and in fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen Norway look worse.
We stopped by my grandmother’s house in Bø on our way back up to Rauland and she confirmed that a lot of Norway hasn’t been having the prettiest winter this year. So I breathed a huge sigh of relief as we drove back up into the mountains towards Rauland and the snow returned. Apparently Rauland is a bit more special than I had realized!
Lesson learned: if you want to see Norway in all its winter glory, head to the mountains (and more specifically to Rauland so that you can stop by and say hi!). Because at least in the mountains you’ll be sure to see snow.
And boy do we have snow up here. Our cabin is slowly starting to sink, while the path to the outhouse is soon basically going to be a tunnel.
and we’ve gotten more snow since this photo
Now I’m all the more determined to enjoy the snow while it lasts, before the slush and rain makes its way up here as well.
And luckily our new car is so teeny tiny that it’s super easy to push out of the snow. We’ve ordered studded tires so hopefully it won’t always struggle to get out of its parking space, though I do enjoy feeling like a superhero so easily pushing a car up a hill while Dan drives it.
Why am I the one pushing, you ask? Because girls are strong too! And… maybe something about not being able to drive a stick shift. Pathetic, yes, I know. And I’ll learn as quickly as possible, because arriving at work four and a half hours early because Dan has an early shift and I can’t drive back home is not the most fun thing I know.
Though it has given me a chance to explore the ski track that runs alongside the supermarket, and I had no idea it was so spectacular!
Rauland has a 150 kilometer network of groomed cross-country ski paths, which now that I think about it is pretty insane. I have a LOT more to explore before the snow goes away.
And while I do love hiking in the summer, camping and picking berries, and being able to go to the bathroom without violently shivering from the cold, I sort of never want winter to end. It’s just so magical in Rauland right now.
Even the supermarket parking lot looks like a fairy tale!
Have you seen Norway in the winter?
And do you have any tips for driving manual? Seriously, why is the clutch so confusing??
PIN IT!
Leonie says
Wow. Looks so beautiful. Would love to visit Norway so day. Specially for the Northern Lights x
Leonie ♥ Lo On The Go
WIN! Self Guided City Walk App with GPSMYCITY
Silvia says
The Northern Lights are definitely worth a trip here!
Jeannie says
OMG gorgeous girl! Norway is suuuuper high on my bucket list and everytime I read one of your posts I want to move it up higher! Congrats on the new car 🙂
Silvia says
Yesss it so deserves to be on your list! I promise Norway will not disappoint 🙂
Kaelene @ Unlocking Kiki says
So gorgeous! I have not yet taken my Icelandic driver license just because of the fact that we have to drive with a manual! Good luck!
Silvia says
Ugh these Europeans! lol
Kelly says
Hey hey – an American living in Trondheim here (I’m not sure if I have commented before but I’ve been reading along and following your instagram). I feel you with the manual driving. It was such a struggle to learn. I ended up taking lessons. It wasn’t cheap, but having some “professional” instruction was worth it in my opinion, and perhaps saved my relationship with my boyfriend too :). I’m not awesome (when I took my driving test, the examiner commented that I needed more work on shifting efficiently – thankfully he still passed me!), but it does get easier and more natural over time. When I get in an automatic car, I find myself automatically sticking my foot out, searching for the clutch. Now driving on ice, that I still struggle with!
Silvia says
Haha yeah, I definitely get wanting to save the relationship with lessons! My dad actually tried to teach me to drive manual way back when and we had to quit because of all the yelling and crying, haha.
An American in Trondheim – that used to be me! Hope the city is treating you well 🙂
Nikki says
Oh wow – Norway is SO beautiful! I want to make all of your photos my desktop background 🙂
Tips for driving manual – IT WILL get easier. I know it seems like a lot to think about at once but once you get the hang of it, it’ll feel like second nature.Think of the car as like a helicopter when you’re at the top of a hill and you want to keep the “helicopter” hovering over the same spot, not moving forward or backward. That visual helped me to realize how to gently hold the clutch down and shift gears. Whenever you see you’re getting to about 2 RPM, that’s when you know it’s time to shift.
Good luck!!! Driving stick is fun once you get the hang of it!
Silvia says
That’s probably the most useful manual driving tip I’ve gotten so far! Love that visual 🙂 And it is getting easier!
Rajiv says
That’s a bright and lovely car. And, Norway looks out of the world all white (coming from someone who too wants the winters never end 😉 ).
And guess what, once you get the hand of driving a stick-shift, you are going to love. It’s way more fun than an auto transmission!
Cheers,
Rajiv
Silvia says
I hope that I’ll start to love driving manual! It is at least getting easier 🙂
Rajiv says
🙂
Emma says
Beautiful photos ! I just came back from 4 days in Trondheim and it was great ! Very cute city and we ate so well ! The main motivation for this trip was to see the northern lights (that we didn’t see, but that’s alright), I would have liked to go further north but the plane and stuff was a bit too much for so little time, so we settled on Trondheim ! I’m glad I got to hear about this city through your blog because we really liked it !
As for the stick shift driving, it seems hard at first, but once you “get it” it becomes natural, you’ll see ! 🙂
Silvia says
I’m so glad that you enjoyed Trondheim! It is a very cute city, especially downtown. Bummer about the Northern Lights, but I guess that just means you’ll have to come back again!
Leah says
Ufff, I’m actually so jealous of your beautiful winter wonderland!! Sweden (well, Stockholm anyway) hasn’t been sparkly and white this year and instead mostly just rainy and bitter cold. Alright I’m exaggerating, there was definitely snow hanging around for awhile but it was NOTHING like what you’ve got, and it’s gone now. Sad face. Practice makes perfect with a manual, but it sucks that you have to learn in the snow which certainly adds an extra element of difficulty! Good luck!
Silvia says
Yeah, it was definitely weird to see other towns in Norway with just rain this winter. Come on, Scandinavia! And the manual driving is starting to make more sense, so I guess it’s just practice I need now.
Emily says
It is beautiful! I’ve never been to Norway but I visited Fairbanks, Alaska in the dead of winter a couple of years ago and it was like being in a winter fairytale.
Silvia says
Oh I can only imagine that Fairbanks would be magical in winter!
Renates says
Wow gurl, winter is looking STUNNING down there! Up here is really just a mixture between “oh, it’s snowing! let’s go skiing!” and five minutes later it’s raining. The next morning there’s so much ice everywhere because it froze overnight, that I’m seriously scared I’m gonna die… like every day.
Good luck with the manual! It feels like ages since I started driving, so it’s hard to give any tips. But just be very gentle with the clutch, especially on new cars, and you’ll soon get the hang of it. 🙂 Soon it will be like second nature, and you’ll get confused when driving an automatic. Haha, it was super-confusing the first time I tried it! I had to hide my left foot so I wouldn’t jam it into the breakes thinking it was the clutch I was reaching for…
Silvia says
Whaat but you’re so far North! Sounds like an emotional roller coaster with the weather, haha. I drove with a Czech guy in Oman once who had never driven automatic before and he kept slamming the brakes, haha. Hopefully eventually using the clutch will become such second nature to me!
carrie says
ok, I hate winter. with a fiery passion, but your norway pics make me want to love winter. seriously so freaking beautiful!! like a snow globe.
Silvia says
Right? Rauland is really going all out this winter, cannot get enough.
Heather @ Ferreting Out the Fun says
That is crazy pretty! We had about three weeks of gorgeous snow in Latvia but it’s all gone and we’re getting nothing but rain. I’m pretty jealous of your mountain locale right about now. Well, except for that outhouse situation.
Silvia says
Yeah, the outhouse makes winter trickier, but I think the views make up for it! Maybe you guys will get another spell of snow soon?
Lauren Lalicon says
Literally all your photos look like they could be jigsaw puzzles, like the ones with the snowy landscapes and the red barn in the corner. Ah, your photos give me life! Congrats on the new car! It’s so cute~ All that snow, does that mean you’re constantly shoveling?
Silvia says
Haha yes, there is a lot of shoveling in my life now! The snow is so light that the wind so easily moves it and covers up the paths. But it is pretty!
Sarah says
Just found your blog and love the whole style! I launched my own culture and travel blog 10 days ago and there’s still so much to learn! Thanks for all your great tips and inspirations.:)
I myself have lived in Norway (Bergen) for 6 months on a semester abroad and am absolutely in love with this amazing country. You chose wisely! 😉
Greetings from a German journalist, living in Connecticut!
Silvia says
Lucky you to get to live in Bergen! And congrats on starting the blog! I hope you grow to love blogging as much as I do 🙂
Miriam says
Drive EVERYWHERE you say? Well, I’m counting on getting a visit then! 😉 I can teach you how to drive manual.
Silvia says
Well, I am getting pretty good at understanding Danish with all these Danish tourists we get, so I guess really I have to visit Denmark now!
Bailey @ Weekends & Wanders says
Oh my gosh Norway looks beautiful! Your photos (even of the parking lots 😉 ) look like an absolute fairytale. This is the kind of place where you can actually appreciate the winter and snow.
Silvia says
It really is!
Van (@snowintromso) says
I’d love to have a car too! Simon and I are actually looking into renting a cabin for next weekend cause we both could use some time away from the city (and our roommates, haha) but it’s incredibly difficult to find something if you don’t have a car… oh and that winter wonderland you have down there definitely tops our Arctic one!!!
Silvia says
Yeah, it’s really annoying how necessary a car seems to be in much of Norway! I hope you found something in the end – cabin escapes are so magical in Norway 🙂
Marlies says
Loving the pictures!
Driving manual isn’t that difficult actually just know that it is normal that you have trouble getting in second shift the first couple of times.
Good luck!
Silvia says
Haha yeah, the higher shifts definitely seem a lot easier to me! It’s getting better though, phew.
Silvia says
It is getting easier!
kami says
I’m so gonna go next year to see this winter paradise, it looks stunning, like from a fairy tale! Also, some 15 years ago I was at the summer camp in Porsgrunn 🙂
Silvia says
What that’s so crazy, what a small world! And yes, you definitely need to visit 🙂