My Top Ten European Countries - Number Seven

7. NORWAY

One for old times sake - me back in 2005!

I first visited Norway back in 2005 when I was thirteen years old and went on a family holiday cruising its beautiful fjords. I remember this fondly as it was the first time I had travelled anywhere that was distinctly different to what I was used to back home and where I had gone abroad to that point. Three things stand out in particular from that week - the small and colourful houses in Stavanger, the eye-opening fish market in Bergen and experiencing snow in August in Geiranger! It's quite apt that this is what I remember the most as the eccentric houses, the fish industry and the weather are three of the most notable things that can safely be associated with Norway.

I visited the country again ten years later when I went on a short break to Oslo and it was a great experience and it didn't take me long to be reacquainted with the small houses as I stood on the freezing cold platform waiting for the train in the small town of Rygge, having landed at the nearby airport. To say it was freezing cold was an understatement as it was -15C at the time and remained that way throughout my few days there. Unlike as might have  been the case if subjected to such cold in the UK I didn't moan about it once and it just added so much to the experience. The snow coated scenery on the way to Oslo was magical and like something from a Christmas card scene and I will never forget standing by myself at the top of the ski jump overlooking the city as the sun glistened off the frozen water in the distance. Instead of grinding to a halt the people of Oslo embrace this weather and I can't think of too many other capital cities where  you can hop on public transport and see locals with skis heading off to the slopes alongside people coming to and from work.

Oslo doesn't have the architectural beauty of many European cities but it is full of life and left me wanting to see more of Norway in the future. Whilst one has to admit its not the cheapest of holidays when you're there, with food being particularly expensive, it is at least affordable to travel to. On this visit I only paid £4.99 each way to fly from London with Ryanair and whilst flights aren't always going to be that cheap they're never prohibitively expensive either, with the same applying to Norwegian trains. There are others I've heard good things about and am eager to visit such as Aalesund and Tromso but if I do I think I'd be very sad if they weren't wrapped in a blanket of snow!

To see some pictures from my visit to Oslo click here.