Winter in Norway

Some of you may know that I am a pretty big fan of Norway. My dad's family is from the small town of Mandal, the southernmost town in Norway with a population of no more than 20,000 (maybe even a little less). It may not be the most poppin' of places in the country, but it is a tranquil, beautiful place where I spent a lot of my childhood, which is why I was so excited to visit after 4 and a half years. Here's some pictures, maybe you can see why I like it so much.

One of the main streets in town, to give you an idea of Mandal's small size.

This is my Farmor's house. Farmor literally means "Father's Mother" in Norwegian. Most houses in Mandal and many parts of the southern coast of Norway are made of white painted wood, making for a very cute, uniform look along the coast.

Farmor's house is right across the street from a factory. Just down the street to the left is the house where my Farmor was born!

Not the best picture, but this old farm home from the late 1800s used a Swiss architectural style that was popular at the time. A little hard to see, but there are intricate designs along the roof and windows.

This is one of my favorite houses in Norway, appropriately named 'Tårn Hus,' the Tower House. A lot of buildings in Mandal are quite old, this house was probably built around 150 years ago.

Mandal has many small beaches that stretch along a small part of the shoreline. Sjøsanden is its largest at about 1km long. In the middle of Sjøsanded is this lighthouse called Bestemor (grandmother), which used to warn boats they were nearing the coast. Now it's merely for decoration, but remains an important part of Mandal's history.

Yep-surfing in Norway!

The view from my aunt and uncle's cabin (called a 'hytte' in Norwegian). Many Norwegians have a hytte they vacation in during the spring and summer months. I think having a culture surrounded by hosting friends and family over fresh seafood lends to the genuine, friendly vibe I tend to get from many of the people I meet here. Dining out is also painfully expensive, so people spend a lot of time entertaining family friends at home (or at the hytte!).

This is an old fishing ladder, these were used over a hundred years ago when fishermen would stand and the top and lookout for schools of salmon that would swim by and then call out to wake the other fishermen who would be sleeping in huts on the nearby shore. They would then all pull in fishing nets that had already been set up in the water.

A view of town from the lookout point, 'Uranienborg.'

The orange dot is a piece of modern art that was met by some skepticism in the community when it was put up a few years ago. It's supposed to look like a salmon egg.

Me on the island of Krågøy, about a 20 minute boat right off the coast where my family has a hytte to use during the summer months when it stay light almost until midnight!

Our little hytte!

On a bike ride with Farmor, biking is a common way to get around here.

Can you spot Bestemor (the lighthouse) in the distance?

A bit hard to spot, but on the far island there is another lighthouse called Ryvingen. This is the southernmost piece of Norwegian land, and is a popular day-trip destination in the summer. My step great-grandmother grew up on the island as a small child as her father was one of the lighthouse masters.

This is the memorial in honor of the one Mandal boy who lost his life in the awful, awful shooting in Oslo in 2011. Every commune in Norway who lost someone has an identical memorial, which was made possible through an anonymous donation.

For all of you who have seen Disney's Frozen (with Princess Elsa!), these are REAL TROLLS!!!

We made it out to visit my aunt and uncle in Stavanger in western Norway-the part of the country known for its breathtaking fjords.

This monument (located outside of Stavanger) commemorates the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872, when King Harald united the three districts of Norway into one kingdom.