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Tromsø Ice Domes: A magical night in an icehotel
I created Lost in Norvana as a combination of ‘Norway’ and ‘nirvana’. Nirvana is a place of perfect peace and happiness, like heaven. In Buddhism it’s the highest state that one can attain, a state of enlightenment, meaning a person’s individual desires and suffering will go away. It’s a feeling I’ve been desperately chasing since I first discovered the magical powers of Norway. And it’s the place I found myself in when we visited the Tromsø Ice Domes. That feeling of being completely whole and satisfied, having nothing left to wish for. I found it there. And it was pretty hard to describe how that felt. During our stay in…
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The 12 most photogenic places of fjord Norway
In the southwest of Norway, also known as fjord Norway, lay endless possibilities for hiking through national parks and roadtripping national tourist routes. But besides that I have another hobby. The last couple of years I have worked really hard to find the most beautiful spots in fjord Norway to capture my journeys in a special way. And with success. These are the 12 most photogenic places of fjord Norway! 1. Trollkirka, Molde Hidden in the western part of Møre og Romsdal, just above Molde, lies Trollkirka. The composition of underground pathways and colorful limestone caves is the reward you get for an hour and a half of hiking through…
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Litlefjellet, the hidden gem of Romsdal
Somewhere in Vengedalen lies a very well hidden gem. It’s dreamy, beautiful and fairylike and it’s called Litlefjellet (literally ‘small mountain’). Locals also call it ‘Romsdalseggen light’. Litlefjellet is my favorite spot in the entire area and getting their is fairly easy as well! Even though I’d rather keep this special place for myself, I can’t possibly keep this from you. And because putting into words how special this place is, is pretty hard, I’ll just show you why Litlefjellet stole my heart. How to get to Litlefjellet? Hiking to Litlefjellet could be done by a four year old! However, getting to the starting point doesn’t just ‘happen’. You have to go look…
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Trollkirka: A colorful, underground surprise
On an extremely hot day in August, while we were on our way to visit the Atlantic Road, we stumbled upon a tiny parking lot in Fræna, Møre og Romsdal. We found a sign there, saying ‘Trollkirka’, but most of it was in Norwegian. While eating our sandwiches we tried to figure out what it said. Something about flashlights? Bart-Jan convinced me to go figure out what this was all about. And the reward turned out to be way bigger than we thought. How do you get to Trollkirka? Trollkirka, also known as Trollkyrkja, literally means ‘Troll’s Church. The church is a collection of underground corridors linking several colorful limestone…
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Tips & tricks for hiking to Trolltunga
It’s one of the most famous spots in Norway and you’ll see her appear in most videos, campaigns and brochures about Norway: Trolltunga. You can’t get around it on Instagram, as people from all over the world pose on the piece of rock that resembles a Trolls Tongue (hence the name). And yes, it’s absolutely worth it to go up there for that Insta perfect picture, but don’t underestimate it. The hike is not exactly what you call a walk in the park. I’ll tell you everything you need to know to conquer this mountain! How do you get to Trolltunga? Because Trolltunga is very popular, the road is pretty…
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Drama, beauty and danger at The Atlantic Road
The Atlantic Road, to Norwegians better known as Atlanterhavsveien, belongs to the 18 national tourist routes of Norway. And you can’t deny that, because this road is amazing! This public piece of asphalt, which actually looks more like a rollercoaster than a road, connects the islands Averøy, Vevang and Eide to the mainland of Kristiansund and Molde. The road is barely 8 kilometers long, but is renowned worldwide for her impressive appearance. The Atlantic Road hops over the ocean via 8 very special bridges from island to island. It undulates, folds, curls, twists, climbs and descends in the most spectacular ways from Molde to Kristiansund. The Norwegians consider this road as cultural heritage and in…
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Reindeer encounter at the Besseggen Ridge
In the eastern part of Jotunheimen Nasjonalpark (national park) lies the Besseggen. All the way stretched out over the commune Vågå, province Oppdal, in the middle of fjord Norway. The Besseggen is known for the ridge (Besseggen Ridge) that lies between two lakes. The bright green Gjendevatnet on one hand and the deep blue Bessvatnet on the other. The Besseggen Ridge guarantees a spectacular view. No wonder that the Besseggen Ridge is listed as one of the 20 most spectacular hikes according to National Geographic! A hike over the Besseggen Ridge is 16 kilometers long and takes approximately 6 hours (one way). How do you get to Besseggen? It is recommended to walk this…
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Fjällräven Polar 2017 – day 5: Sleeping under the Northern Lights
Yesterday evening we honestly thought it would be a really gentle night, but nothing is as it seems. When we woke up we found out that it had been -15ᵒC while we were asleep. No wonder our tent sticks were completely frozen.. Breaking down camp went a lot easier today. We fed the dogs, had breakfast, cleaned up after ourselves and packed our sleds within no time! Multitasking on a sled And before we knew it we were on our way again! Right before we left I got an extra passenger. Last night’s cameraman wanted to ride with me for a bit to talk about my thoughts and feelings on the…
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Fjällräven Polar 2017 – day 4: The Arctic wilderness at its best
The first night in the Arctic wilderness was the worst night of the week. Because of my really painful back I was unable to get some proper sleep and woke up feeling exhausted. Besides that I’ve made the rookie mistake of wearing too much clothes in my sleeping bag which made me feel freezing cold all night long. To top it of I was woken up by crying huskies about 10 times. But there was no time to snooze, because I heard something ticking on the tent. Was it rain? And what is that dark spot on top of our tent? Whiteout for breakfast We zipped open our tent and…