By Kari Svenneby
One of the things that strike me about Canada is how similar Norway and Canada are in both landscape and climates. It is as if someone left Canada in the dryer too long and made a woolen Norway shrink. The coastlines, the mountains and the breathtaking views of Norway are very similar to Canada. Even the similar climates, and our abilities to produce both oil and fish products seem to connect us.
Nature is so close
I live in Toronto now, but Norway will always be my home as well. Every year the kids and I try to visit my family in Fredrikstad in the summertime where we love to spend most of our time outside. After living abroad the one thing I miss the most is nature. Not because Norway has the most beautiful nature or more of it that in other countries, but because nature is so close to you where ever you are.
Picking mushrooms and wild berries
The forest is only about a 5 minutes walk from my parent‘s home where we go for hikes every day to go swimming and picking mushrooms and wild berries. My daughter has fun saying that she only eats wild mushrooms from Norway. She even knows where to look and how to identify chanterelles mushrooms which has become one of her favorite activities. Another activity is picking wild blueberries. If you have never tasted wild blueberries ripe from the bush you can‘t imagine what you are missing.
Enjoyed the sea
The other thing I miss is being close to the ocean. Living in Toronto for the last 4 years has made me realize how much I love the sea and miss the smell and sounds of ocean life. Even though Norway is so far north the water does get warm, thanks to the gulf stream, so it is possible to swim in Norway. This year we have really enjoyed the beach and this years challenge is trying to catch crabs. (An old childhood favorite here)
Not that Norway is only for being close to nature. It also has tourist destinations as well. In Fredrikstad, where my parents live, there is a very old Scandinavian fortified town. A Small version of the old town of Quebec City in Canada where you can wander around at look at the old wooden buildings and shop and sightsee.
