visitors over new year

We tend to try and dissuade friends from visiting us outside of 'tourist' season - unless they are intra-Norway visitors - because of the time and money it takes to get here is often not worth the shitty weather and lack of places to check out. But once we've made it clear to them what they're getting themselves into if they do come, then we sit back and let them make the executive call (of course).

So this past holiday season we had some good friends who are living in Sweden decide to make the trip, as a good-bye and thank-you to their mom who had been with them for a few months helping out.

(Family of three - wife from Taiwan, husband from Sweden, and daughter 15 months old, and wife's mom).

They were really lucky with the drive over (about 11 hours, split over two days), as they arrived right before some really stormy weather. They stayed three nights and two days, and I have to say I am really happy with how the weather cooperated. I mean, it could have been better, like no wind and enough snow to really go sledding, but considering how the weather has been all fall and early winter, it was not bad at all.

So we pulled off a pretty perfect visit. Proper Christmas Eve dinner their first evening. Day 1 we drove up onto the mountain top and grandma (from their daughter's perspective) got to try sledding for the first time. Just a short stop-and-play at the ski lift area, as it was super windy. Then we drove down the mountain a tiny bit, parked, and hiked the 10 min. or so to the cabin, where we had lunch and rested and enjoyed cabin life and the view.

[the view]

[the hike back to the car...a path that you only can follow if you know it's there - the day before when me and my mom headed up to turn on the heaters so it wasn't too cold the next day you couldn't see any grass~  meltmeltmelt in the about 9 degree weather the day before and that day - warmer than some days we had last summer~!]

Spent a super windy evening at home.

Day 2 we strolled over to the store - and saw that a 75 year old tree in front of the church had been blown over the afternoon before. But when we were out there was no rain and no wind.

[the requisite troll shot - minus Cedrik in his stroller and Linus taking the picture]

Had another amazing afternoon tea and dinner, and right before mid-night went out on our balcony to watch the fireworks.

I looked up and saw some really think clouds and joked to my friend's mom that we could pretend it was the northern lights...only to realize it was the northern lights! The excitement of this completely unexpected awesome surprise was phenomenal. They got a bit stronger and we could even see them changing/flowing. For being this far south it was as impressive as it gets I think. (No needs to compare it with what we get in the north).

And then after a leisurely breakfast the next morning they headed home again.

It was so enjoyable having them here. The husband speaks Mandarin fluently as well, has lived a few years in Taiwan, and they also face similar immigration/finding job/stuff struggles as us. Just all in all good conversations and really fun times watching the kids be busy and play.


.