A lifestyle expat travel blog about culture, history, Brexit, the Royal Family, travels around the world, Europe, and being British in Berlin!
I don’t know about you but I adore snow!
It’s now February, 2020 and in North / Eastern Germany, for the first time ever, we haven’t had even a peep of snow.
Not even a single snowflake!
If that isn’t a clear sign of climate change, I don’t know what is!
So in order to get some snow therapy, we went to Norway!
Ah Norway!
By the way, if you think that I’ve forgotten about the issue of Brexit, you’re grossly mistaken.
I’m just sad, upset and sick of talking about it.
For now.
However, you’ll find my distaste and disappointment about it all over Twitter.
🔚🇬🇧 Farewell, Britannia! Zum Abschied um Mitternacht gabs am Brandenburger Tor noch ein Ständchen. https://t.co/eArhBExFGp #Berlin #BrandenburgerTor #Flashmob #Brexit #UK pic.twitter.com/RR5VmqkOuP
— rbb|24 (@rbb24) February 1, 2020
You can just about see my friends and I, right at the very end.
In the 52nd second!
And so we #Brits have shown our solidarity with the #EU.
— Thebritishberliner (@britishberliner) January 31, 2020
In #Berlin, we sang songs in sadness, waved flags and peppered our sadness with beer.
A sad night for #Europe.
An even sadder night for #Britain.#Brexit #BrexitDay
Goodnight. We’ll be back! #British #Germany @beriyani pic.twitter.com/MDe4MDbqdk
And even though I’m smiling, because the show must go on, I actually felt like bursting into tears!
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So what do we know about this tiny Nordic nation?
Read on …
Norway, otherwise known as Norge, Noreg, Norga, Nöörje, Vuodna or officially – the Kingdom of Norway – is a Nordic country in North-Western Europe.
It’s an English name and comes from the Old English word Norþweg or Norðmanna land, and was referred to as thus by the (British) Anglo-Saxons as far back as 880 and means “northern way” or “way leading to the north!”
Norway today is made up of the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, the remote island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard.
The sub-Antarctic Bouvet Island is a dependent territory and on paper, not considered to be part of the Kingdom of Norway.
The Antarctic territories of Queen Maud Land and Peter I Island, on the other hand, are!
Norway shares a long eastern border with Sweden and is bordered by Finland and Russia to the North-East, the Skagerrak Strait to the South, with Denmark on the other side.
It also has a very important coastline that faces both the Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea.
Norway is 385,155 square kilometres and has a population of roughly 5.3 million+ people.
FACTS AND FIGURES!
p.s If you’re booking hotels, houses and apartments, use this link to save 20% or more, between 5th January and 31st March 2021!
Booking.comDon’t judge me!
So book your hotel sooner, rather than later.
Speaking of Fjords.
Norway has the highest concentration of fjords in the world!
A fjord is a deep, narrow and elongated sea or lakedrain, with steep land on three sides. It’s when glaciers retreat and seawater floods the U-shaped valleys, thus making Norway quite famous!
In fact, the Geirangerfjord and the Nærøyfjord both feature on the UNESCO World Heritage list such that the National Geographic Magazine named the fjords as “the best unspoiled travel destinations in the world!”
HISTORY!
NORWEGIANS THAT OTHER PEOPLE KNOW!
VIKINGS!
Need I say more?
Famed for their boat building and navigation skills, the Vikings also had a reputation as raiders. They were however, also traders, explorers and settlers, and the legacy from the Viking Age (AD 800–1050) lives on in Norway.
We visited the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo – which was fantastic and home to the world’s two best-preserved wooden Viking longships, going back as far as the 9th century!
As well as in the successful TV series – Vikings!
MUST DO’S!
This article is not sponsored, and the awesome time that I had in Norway, are my very own!
I’ll be at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) – taking place between 20th February – 1st March.
If you’re not in Berlin in February, throw your skates on!
February is going to be thrilling!
See you soon!
Watch this space!
DISCLOSURE!
Please note that The British Berliner is a participant in affiliate programmes designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to World Nomads Travel Insurance & Booking.com.
In short, there are two affiliate link companies connected to this post!
Every time one of these services is used, booked, and paid for via my link, I get a little percentage, but at no extra cost to yourself!
A win-win for all!
Note! I never travel without insurance as you never know what might happen.
I learnt my lesson in Spain. And obviously, in countries like Qatar, where technically the risk is higher, I can’t imagine going that far beyond WITHOUT INSURANCE. No siree! You can get yours here, at World Nomads!
So what are you waiting for?
Thanks a million!
See you in Berlin.
If you have any questions, send me a Tweet, talk to me on Facebook, find me on LinkedIn, make a comment below or send me an Email: victoria@thebritishberliner.com
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Norway never disappoints! It is such a beautiful country and there are so many amazing sites to see. My favorite thing to do there is riding a boat through the fjords. I love all of the history you included here!!!
Sorry about Brexit! You aren’t the only one disappointed by it.
Thanks very much Nina!
Norway is indeed lovely. It’s a tiny country but as we all know, that made a huge impact throughout Europe – Vikings, folklore, Xmas, sailing, voyages, adventures, war, and further – via the Noble Prize, in the Americas, etc.
Yeah. Brexit. A huge shambles and a disgrace. What can I say?
Thank you though – 🙂
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