So, I have a feeling that the only person surprised by this might be me, but guys, the hardest thing about winter in Norway is SNOW!
Uh, is anyone else reacting to that news with a noooo snow is nature’s fairy dust and always always magical! Part of me definitely is. But then the rest of me remembers how Christmas went this year and is like, nope, sometimes snow is a sneaky little troublemaker.
No don’t worry, Christmas was lovely. It was after Christmas that everything turned to chaos.
First there was a blizzard. This was actually really good news for Rauland, as we’re a ski destination and kind of seriously rely on epic amounts of snow to draw in the tourists.
But blizzards can also mean ice, and ice means slippery paths, and when you’re a touch clumsy like my dad that can mean a broken hand.
I was meant to be picking up Dan from the train station, but instead we made him take a bus while we tracked down a farmer to drive my dad to the nearest (read: not very near at all) doctor, since our cars couldn’t make it up the drive where he had fallen and my mom and my brilliant plan to drag my dad back to the house in a plastic blue sled didn’t work out.
What did work out was the doctor’s visit, and my dad was sent home a few hours later with a Wednesday appointment to fill his hand with titanium.
Dan, however, was less lucky.
By the time his bus made it to Rjukan, where I had planned to pick him up, all the roads were closed and he was stuck. And oh lol, because of some unfortunate events in London he was in Rjukan without any bank cards and the only hotel with space refused to let him pay with my card details.
So Dan spent the night in the police station. Except that this is Norway and policing isn’t really a thing here so the station closed at 4 am and he was left out in the cold.
But at 5 am I called the traffic department again to check if the roads were still closed and they weren’t!
So I hopped in the car and happily raced down to Rjukan to save Dan from the freezing cold. The road barrier was up and everything was looking good, until there was more and more snow on the road and suddenly I was a foot deep in it and the car was no longer moving and I began to suspect that maybe the roads weren’t actually open after all.
And so I spent the next few hours sitting in my car watching the blizzard gain strength around me, calling Dan every 10 minutes to 1. make sure he hadn’t frozen and 2. get his assurance that eventually some plows would come get me and I wouldn’t spend the rest of my life in a snow encased car listening to She & Him’s Christmas album on repeat.
Don’t worry, this story has a happy ending.
A few hours later the blizzard subsided and some kind men dug me out, shaking their heads over why on earth the road barrier hadn’t been brought down when the road was in fact closed. And when the first shops in Rjukan opened at 7 am Dan escaped the cold without so much as a runny nose!
Sorry, I hadn’t meant to make that story so long. Really all I wanted to say is yes, winter in Norway is amazing and snow is pure magic, but sometimes it can be a bit troublesome too.
A lot of people have been asking for tips for visiting Norway in winter, and while I have already written about why I think it’s the best idea ever, last week reminded me that there are also some practical things you need to take into account when traveling through Norway in the winter.
So next week I’ll have brand new posts for you about packing for winter in Norway and things you should know about traveling here in the winter months. I hope you’re excited! And I hope you do come, because winter in Norway is THE BEST.
Ann Rumbleinthearctic says
Wow, what an adventure! Glad your dad is ok, and that Dan didn’t die of hypothermia. Fairbanks, AK (where I lived until end of May this year) has had some pretty bad blizzards with strong winds these past couple of days too. Here in Bozeman, MT we have had some mellow blizzards, and we did venture out to on new years day to go to a ski area, and 5 hrs later we arrived….a trip that in the summertime probably is about 2 hrs..
I would argue winters in Alaska and in Montana are the best, but I have never experienced a winter in Norway so I don’t know.. 🙂
Silvia says
Oh wow, that sounds like an adventure as well! I would LOVE to see winter in Alaska and Montana someday.
Holly says
I don’t know what he’s talking about. Blizzards in Fairbanks are extremely rare! Getting 6” of snow at a time would be considered a lot.
Holly says
*she
Nynke says
Oh no! Poor Mr Lawrence! Poor Dan! And poor you, trying to fix it all and getting stranded!
The capricious weather in Norway was kinder to me: some of my favourite in-laws didn’t go to their cabin after Christmas because rain had been forecast, and so we got to have dinner with them at their home near the Oslofjord, for the first time in years!
I look forward to reading packing posts (they’re always good for increasing the happiness of looking forward to trips!) and I think knowing about the need for thermal underwear would really help lots of people! Last week, it took my hips hours to warm up again after my first Norwegian Christmas walk in only jeans… (It was barely freezing! But it was windy…)
Silvia says
Ooh I’m glad it worked out well for someone then! And yes, long underwear is soooo key to not freezing here – I think it’s definitely more important than a big fancy coat.
Tante Hege says
You are right, in Norway the big fancy coat is a big fancy Norwegian sweater with often (at least in the old days) just a cotton windbreaker as an outer layer.
Patti says
Love the new look on your header. 🙂
Silvia says
Thanks!
Julie says
Omg that sounds so scary! I’ve never lived where it snows. I’d be freaked out if I was stuck in a car in a blizzard!
Tante Hege says
I heard about your dad, and we are so sorry to hear that! A real bummer, but OMG Dan’s story is freaking unbelievable, pardon my language. They wouldn’t take your credit card (who doesn’t take a credit card over the phone???), and then the police kicked him out in a blizzard at 4 :00AM? WHAT? That just shows you that Norway stops functioning during Christmas vacation. It’s part of it’s charm, but the flip side is not so charming, and that is what Dan got to see. Sorry Dan, Norway can do better! But probably not during Easter vacation, and 17 of May, and … and…-vacation!
And then you, stuck in a car in a blizzard. Do you know how dangerous that can be? PHUI! I am so glad you are all OK.
Silvia says
Yeah, it was not the best. We kept saying that if it had happened in Rauland someone would have taken him in! And it was almost funny that a couple of months ago we were staying for free as guests of Gaustablikk and now they wouldn’t let him in (of course they didn’t know that). I also couldn’t believe that the statensvegvesen number didn’t have up to date info about the road being closed! I asked some friends and they said that you can’t trust the info from the phone line – but then why even bother having a phone line to ring?
Rosie says
Whoa, sounds pretty stressful. It’s pretty dangerous that they didn’t close the barriers on the road, at least you got out of it ok. I always say I’d love to live somewhere with lots of snow in the winter, but perhaps not!
Silvia says
Yeah, it’s so crazy the road wasn’t closed! The plowers were really upset about it (which actually was good for me because I thought they would be giving me a hard time about driving in the snow).
Amy Posey says
This is an INSANE amount of snow! Sitting inside in the California rain isn’t so bad, I suppose… It sounds pretty dangerous.
I have a “mountain kit” that I bring in my car with emergency supplies when we go to the mountains in the snow. Maybe include that in your tips for Norway! Such an awesome country…I can’t wait to go back!
Silvia says
YES, that’s so smart!
Megan says
Glad you guys are okay! I was expecting this article to be about how little light there is in Norway in winter lol. Not this!!! 🙂
Happy 2017! Looking forward to following your adventures this year (and freaking meeting up).
Silvia says
Haha yeah, the light thing really hasn’t been an issue, but sometimes all the snow really does threaten to break me!
Kathi says
Uh oh, I’m glad everything turned out kind of alright in the end, not for your dad though really.
I have also been wanting to say that I had a bad cold right before Christmas and as I was lying around on my sofa I watched all your Vlogmas videos up until that day. They were fun and also made me feel cozy and a liiittle better so thanks for that! 🙂
Silvia says
Ooh I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Even just doing Vlogmas put me SO much in the Christmas spirit!
Katie @ the tea break project says
That sounds so chaotic! Glad you all made it out ok though. And despite all the stress of your story, those photos look epic, and I’d definitely love to visit Norway in winter. It does look like a magical kingdom! Which I guess is fine until you need to get anywhere…
Silvia says
Haha yeah, but I would say it’s worth it for those views!