This summer I was going to travel to England. We would stay for a few days in London, visit my favourite bookshop, perhaps see the Cutty Sark, go to Camden Town and meet up with fellow Muse Kirstin. Then we would go on to Lyme Regis, a small coastal town high on my list of places to travel for their fossils and for hosting the spot where Louisa Musgrove fell in Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion. After that, if we felt up to more travelling, we had in mind to travel into Wales and see some of that region’s historic castles.
Then I went and contracted otitis, and with two ruptured eardrums the doctor strongly advised against travelling by air for the whole summer. So there we were – now what?
I was disappointed, of course I was. But the thing is, we have a wonderful country right on our doorstep, and now I had a chance to enjoy the Norwegian summer fully.
Several weeks were spent in Hallingdal, the in-land, rural district where my in-laws are from.
Here I learned to listen to the wind rustling through those inland seas without water, the cornfields.
I went for long walks and discovered treasures of the past.
Coming back to Oslo, I spent a lot of time in the sun, on long walks through areas I rarely have the time to visit normally, on a bench in the park, or at an outside restaurant.
I had a lot of time to think, to breathe and to find the read thread. And thus my holiday turned into something more than the second-best alternative.
~ All the best from Jenny.
Thank you for sharing. This is just the inspiration I need to take a look around my backyard. Beautiful images.
Thank you – I’m glad to hear that you were inspired.
Oh how I love how you turned things around! And what a summer it turned out to be too. We will have to meet another time, for sure. x
Absolutely – there’s only a two-hour flight between us after all, which is really nothing at all 🙂
Isn’t it funny how the grass is greener elsewhere, even when we live in places everyone else wants to visit. Where you live looks like a DREAM. I’m glad you were able to enjoy it. I hope your ears are better now.
Thanks, Deirdre! My doctor pronounced me completely healed from the eardrum rupture just today, which is awesome.
Hallingdal is a really really beautiful area, if a little too rural to stay very long for a city girl like me. Though I say city; I grew up in Oslo, which has only about 600.000 people 🙂
this is such a lovely post and so true that we have so very much to explore and appreciate right in our own homes!!! i am glad you are well again!
Thank you Linda! As Deirdre says above, the grass is usually greener elsewhere, and this was a needed reminder that it doesn’t have to be 🙂
I am enjoying your red.
Thank you! I appreciate you saying so.
Glad you’ve fully recovered and that you were able to explore closer to home! You’re inspiring me to do the same…
Thanks, Nikki! Looking forward to seeing what you find 🙂