Huyền Chi is an electronics and telecommunications engineer living in the south of France. At the same time, she owns the travel blog Cherry Tree On The Moon. Huyền Chi has had a lot of experience traveling independently across Europe. This summer, Huyền Chi chose to go to Norway in early July because this is the time when the weather is favorable. The Nordic countries are starting to thaw, so the climate is no longer too cold and the natural scenery becomes fresh.
"Because I have had a lot of experience traveling before, I have fully equipped myself with the skills. So this trip I don't feel too worried," Huyen Chi replied to Travellive.
Norway's scenery is picturesque.
The snow began to melt in early July.
Before going to Norway, Huyen Chi had to learn about the country's Covid-19 control policy. Norway has very strict quarantine regulations and does not open its borders to foreigners for tourism. Therefore, Chi closely followed these regulations until they were relaxed and then packed up and left. She completed her Covid-19 vaccinations to stay safe. Knowing that the journey would be long, Huyen Chi took her car for maintenance, bought some snacks, and prepared her usual camping gear from the warehouse and put it in the trunk. Thus, the journey to Norway, a picturesque country, began.
When asked about how to plan a convenient travel itinerary in Norway, Chi just smiled and said that she did not make any schedule. During road trips in Europe, Huyen Chi traveled in a “visit-where-you-go” style and she usually spent about a month in each country to experience. At each beautiful location, the blogger would linger and wander for a long time to learn about the culture and take photos.
"Because I traveled very leisurely and without a schedule, I didn't feel pressured to visit all the places I had planned in advance. I was in Norway for about 3 weeks and only went to the south of the country," Huyen Chi said.
Church in the mountains and forests.
A farm in Norway.
After traveling around southern Norway, Huyen Chi felt that the places praised by the media as the most beautiful were not as expected. Preikestolen or Trolltunga, although majestic in beauty, did not leave much of an impression in the perspective of the female travel blogger. Huyen Chi loved the lake area around Loen and Stryn. Near this lake area, there are many majestic glaciers, poetic mountain farms and lyrical landscapes.
On this trip, due to weather problems, Chi did not have the opportunity to go to the North of Norway. On the next trips, she chose to go to the Lofoten Islands in the fall with the hope of admiring the aurora borealis. For Huyen Chi, traveling to Norway is immersing in freedom. Norway has many wild places and majestic natural scenery. The female blogger confided that she will always remember the times she stopped the car to have lunch by the lake or stopped to camp by the beach. And the next morning, when Chi opened her eyes, she saw early morning clouds floating on the sea, hovering over the mountainside. A very gentle but lingering feeling.
Estuary in southern Norway.
Norway's scenery is picturesque.
"Hotels and restaurant services, especially alcohol in Norway, are very expensive. But camping fees and food sold in supermarkets are not higher than in other European countries I often visit such as France, Germany,...", Huyen Chi commented.
Cheap camping fees helped Huyen Chi save money on the trip, and also helped her find a suitable place to stay. During that time, most Norwegians spent their summer vacations in the country, causing tourism in Norway to be overloaded. Hotel rooms in many places Huyen Chi visited were fully booked. The female blogger chose to camp in camping or set up camp in beautiful places such as lakes and poetic bays. The Nordic countries have a different characteristic from other European countries in that they encourage free camping. You can set up camp anywhere you like, as long as it is more than 100 meters from a resident's house.
A beautiful lake area in Norway.
Conquer the high mountains of Norway.
"This is one of the most interesting experiences of my trip," Huyen Chi said.
At the end of the trip, Huyen Chi traveled a total of 9,000 km, through countless bridges and tunnels, to many wonderful destinations in European countries. The female blogger felt her limits were challenged and expanded. This is something Huyen Chi has never done before. In the near future, Chi hopes to travel far after more than 2 years without setting foot outside the borders of Europe. The expected destination could be New Zealand or South America.
